The Mauser 98 is a classic design that many consider the premier action for a dangerous game rifle. The large extractor and mechanical ejector combine to make an outstandingly rugged and reliable firearm. Since it’s inception in 1898 there have been a myriad of variations upon Mausers designs. One of the better versions came out of Sweden from Husqvarna. From the 1940’s to the 1960’s Husqvarna produced M98’s and there own small ring Mauser 98 design, the 1600 series of rifles for the commercial market.
Project Conception
To be perfectly candid, I have always been a 30-06 man. My first hunting rifle was a 30-06 due to pure happenstance when the gun store was sold out of 308 Winchesters. However, when it came time to upgrade the versatility and heavier bullet options convinced me that the 30-06 was the cartridge for me.
Since then I have always owned at least one 30-06. Most recently it was a Tikka T3X Lite. However, this winter I decided to build a custom rifle off of my Tikka action, which I rechambered to 280 Ackley Improved. For the first time in a long time I found myself without a 30-06 Springfield in my gun safe.
I knew I wanted to find a 30-06, but this time in a classic rifle. Walnut, Controlled round feeding, and blued steel would be a fitting match for the classic cartridge. Looking around I found that Husqvarna 1600 series rifles fit the bill and are quite affordable. Furthermore they are known for smooth actions and quality construction. Never one to pass up a project, I purchased an old Husky 1640 from Intersurplus and set to work.
The Rifle
Husqvarna hasn’t produced the 1640 since 1967 when they transitioned to a push feed design. Unsurprisingly, most of the surviving examples come with battle scars. This particular example had an aftermarket stock, likely due to the originals habit of cracking at the tang. There was white paint on parts of the stock and the sling swivels were missing. Furthermore, The safety was missing a spring and the bolt was stained. The rifle was filthy and the action felt gritty. Even so the action fed and functioned perfectly and the bore looked fantastic.
Before starting the restoration I wanted to establish a baseline of performance. Outfitted with a Leupold VX-2 3-9×40, I went to the range. The rifle shot surprisingly well, turning in a group around 1.5 MOA before turning in a 1 MOA group with one of my pet handloads using a 165gr Sierra Gameking over IMR 4064. With a rough idea of the original accuracy, I set to work.
Deep Cleaning
The first order of business was to take the rifle apart and give everything a deep clean. As the layers of congealed oil and grime scrubbed away, the metal underneath showed stains but no rust. Then the cause of the grit in the action and trigger came to light. Out of the trigger group two mummified pine needles had lodged themselves. A third had made itself at home behind the large Mauser extractor. Removing them significantly improved the action. Next, cleaning and repainting the safety with red acrylic helped the rifle look much less neglected.
The Stock Restoration
The stock restoration was clearly the part of the rifle that required the most attention. First of all, I sanded it down to remove all of the stains and paint marks collected over the years. After sanding the stock down with progressively finer sandpaper, finishing with 600 grit, the bare wood was ready for finishing. Personally, I’ve never been a huge fan of high gloss finishes. For a more subdued finish I decided to go with boiled linseed oil instead of a polyurethane type of finish. Each day a coat of BLO was hand rubbed into the stock and left to dry overnight.
Next, the stock needed new sling swivels. Basic Uncle Mike’s hardware is cheap and works well. Due to erosion in the original sling swivel hole counterboring for a nut secured the fore-end swivel. This was a straightforward part of the restoration
Finally, I glass bedded the rifle using JB Marine Weld Steel Epoxy. A Dremel tool cut away the extra wood around the recoil lug and the two action screws. Kiwi Shoe polish worked well as a release agent. Cut outs in the action were filled with plumbers putty to ensure they remained open. The bedding job went well and the stock wiggled free with only a little bit of a fight. However, the bottom metal was not so lucky. The cast aluminium trigger guard cracked while being removed from the stock. Fortunately, replacements are available from Tradex Canada. I placed an order for a new bottom metal and safety spring.
Polishing the Action
The last step in the restoration is to polish up the action. Initially I tried using a buffing wheel with some polishing compound on a Dremel tool to polish up the bolt. However, the stains proved too durable. Next I soaked a small piece of 600 grit sandpaper with Hoppes gun oil and set to work hand polishing it. This approach was much more successful. Take great care polishing a bolt this way to ensure that the back of the bolt lugs are not sanded. Doing so can alter the headspace affecting accuracy and safety. The bolt was then finished up on the buffing wheel with some polishing compound.
There were some unsightly tool jitter marks on the bolt handle where a previous owner had ground the bolt handle to fit underneath the objective bell of his scope. Some careful work with a needle file as before finishing up with more 600 grit sandpaper removed most of the blemishing from the hack job.
Final Fitment
Final fitment of the gun went reasonably smoothly. The replacement safety spring dropped in without a hitch. Although it was a tight squeeze, the rifle fit back into the stock with the new bedding job. The action screws were installed and torqued to 50 inch/lbs. This caused the rear action screw to enter the rear of the action and block the bolt by stopping the sear. This is likely because the stock fits slightly different from the original factory one. Some careful filework brought the action screw down to flush with the guide rail and the restoration was complete! For accuracy results and my thoughts on the rifle check out the review of the Husqvarna 1640.
Results Photos
