Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Help Needed in Identifying My Husqvarna

I'd appreciate some assistance in IDing my dad's Husqvarna he gave to me. This is the rifle he carried deer hunting as long as I hunted with him, 35 years. He gave it me a couple of days ago as it's just too hard for him to get out in the woods anymore with his bad legs. Anyway, it's marked "Husqvarna Vapenfabriks A.B. Cal 308" on the barrel, with serial number "2475XX A" also on the barrel, with nothing on the receiver, at least what isn't covered by the scope mount. He got it sometime in the 60's. In my search on here I've determined it's a small ring Mauser, but I'm not sure what model it is. Is it the Model 456?













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You spot on, it's a model 456. I had one in that caliber for years. What a great little rifle. I would hang on to that one.

Thanks, K22. I think we're both actually wrong, however. Looks like it is the 458, according to sbhva's post of about a year ago:

"There are actually two versions of the fullstock rifle. Model 456 has a straight comb with cheek piece stock while the model 458 has a Monte Carlo comb with cheek piece. Husqvarna fullstocks are a little different from most other rifles of that type because the stock is actually 2 pieces that have been joined together. This was done to give more stability to the stock and prevent twisting. If you look near the front of the stock, you will see 2 lines in the wood. One of these is actually the seem between the pieces of the stock. On some guns the wood is matched very closely, on others it is easier to see that the wood is different. I have a number of the fullstock rifles and they are just as accurate as my other Husqvarna rifles. In fact, my most accurate Husqvarna is a model 458 in 7x57."

You need to ask SBHVA, as he is the resident expert on all things Husqvarna. Your rifles uses the HVA small ring "improved" Mauser style action that was used until superceeded in the 1969-1972 time frame by the non-Mauser style 8000/9000 action.

FWIW, I have a number of mannlicher stocked Husqvarnas and none of mine have the barrel protruding as far beyond the end of the stock as it appears that the barrel on your rifle does. The recoil pad is an after-market addition.

I really like Husqvarna mannlicher stocked rifles and think that, for the most part, Husqvarna got it right.

JEff

260Remguy, you saw something I had not noticed before. I would think that the reason for the barrel protruding beyond the stock is that the original nose cap was lost a long time ago. About 20 years ago I had a new nose cap installed on the rifle for my dad. The original nose caps are blued, from what I've seen, so this one is probably not quite long enough. Any idea where I might find an original one? You are also right about the recoil pad. It was professionally done, though, and lines up perfectly with the stock.

Now that you point it out, I do see that the nose cap is shorter than the factory specs unit.

I don't know where you'd find the factory specs nose cap, but the resident expert, SBHVA, might be able to help you.

JEff

I have a model Smith and Wesson import Model E (with the Monte Carlo comb) in 30-06. These were made by Husqvarna and the barrel is marked Sweden. When I bought it over 10 years ago it appeared unfired as I acquired from a collector. The wood on mine is two pieces and they were quite different in color (probably why the collector let it go). Mine does not have the white line on the grip cap and it appears that your father put that on along with a white line recoil pad as mine has just a simple plastic butt plate. The muzzle on my barrel extends only about 4 mm. So it appears different than yours at the muzzle. (The first time I shot it the nose cap went flying into the brush! There was snow on the ground and it took me several trips to the area to finally find it again.) Mine also has the aluminum trigger guard and floor plate.

They are very nice rifles, and I've shot a few groups under 1" but most run 1-2", but the rifle seems to shoot better than I can most of the time even with a low power scope on it. I had the trigger lightened by a gunsmith as the original pull was over 5 lbs. Frank de Haas book on bolt action rifles said he doubted the factory trigger could be lightened. Franz Byner of Ogden did the work and when I mentioned de Haas' comment to him his answer was "Bah!", then he picked a Husqvarna rifle he had in the shop and said try this trigger. It was about 3 lbs. and that is what mine is, it is safe and made the rifle much more pleasant to shoot. Mine weighs 7 lb 10 oz. with a Leupold 1-4X20 scope in Conetrol mounts.

I actually had the trigger lightened to about 3.5 lbs when the gunsmith installed the nose cap. It breaks very nicely now. Regarding the white line spacers and recoil pad, those were on the rifle when my dad bought it as a young man in the 60's from his next door neighbor. I think I recall reading somewhere that the 456 and 458 had white line spacers original to the rifles.

My old Gun Traders Guide, 1979 version has pictures of the 456 Husqvarna and the S&W versions both the D (straight comb) and D (Monte Carlo comb). The photos are not high enough definition to really tell on the white spacers and as I said, mine is the S&W version. The nose cap on mine is machined and when I lost it I was sick about it, then after things melted a little more I found it. The hole for the wood screw was too large so it came off when I pulled the trigger the first time. I thought something went flying but because of recoil wasn't certain. When I got home it was missing so it is easy to understand why yours got lost. The cover over the front sight works its way loose after several shots so you may want to watch out for that.

I don't know of any source for a replacement nose cap. I'm looking for a couple myself. The whiteline spacers are not original on the 458.

Sbhva,

This rifle is a 1640 action yes?


- On another thing, will the extractor from a '96 swedish military rifle fit the bolt on a 1640 if one wanted a replacement?

Yes, that is a 1640 action (aka "HVA action" or "Husqvarna Improved Mauser action" ). No, the extractor from a Swedish military 96 (or 94 or 38) will not fit unless it is modified. I recall that it has to be lengthened, but I'm not 100% sure.