As 2012 drew to a close, I picked up a 30-06 Husky 456 barreled action from a Fire contributor. Steelhead had sold this gun to Karnis, who sold it to the third party, who sold it to a 4th party. UPS broke the stock thru the grip, ruining a fine, full length stock, as 3rd party was delivering to 4th party. I bought the barreled action from 3rd party after 4th party had returned it. Now, that could sound a bit complicated...

I then picked up a used Husky 1640 stock from Karnis. This stock was for a shorter round, like a .308 and the ejector notch was in the wrong place for a 30-06.

It seems that Husky mills a slot in the receiver for the ejector button, placed according the the length of the round. I patched that notch and cut a new one for the longer set up. The 456 barrel is much thinner than the std. 1640 barrel, so I filled the barrel channel with 6#'s of upward pressure at the tip. I went with a Timney trigger to get a really clean 2 1/2# pull on a light rifle. I had to shortened the barrel 1/4" and recut the crown to get to clean, sharp rifling. Rifle is 6#'s 14 oz, all up with scope as you see it.


Here are some photos.

Busted factory 456 stock.


Barreled action bedded in 1640 stock.


Relocated ejector button slot.


Barrel channel gap.


Refinished rifle.




Recut checkering.
[img]http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f35/rush2830/Husky30-06buttplateBampCwbystock003.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f35/rush2830/Husky30-06buttplateBampCwbystock004.jpg[/img]

Ejector notch patch job.
[img]http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f35/rush2830/Husky30-06buttplateBampCwbystock005.jpg[/img]

Well done! Nice work on what will probably be a great shooter.

Just got it put together. I have some 130 gr. Ralph Council bullets I want to try. Ralph's 55 gr .224's really do well in my .22-250.

I'll report as the data is gathered.

DF

That's a nice makeover. Should be fun to run.

Looks great!

I see it as a handy walking around rifle for hogs, etc. and a good choice for a ladder stand in the woods.

DF

Nice rifle, glad one of the good ones being kept in action without major changes.

Very nice and well done....

That turned out great - good job on that one.

Very nice. I love these kind of projects. Love Husky's too. I just always had trouble with the lower comb stocks.

Great job....I'd try some 180 grain Core-Lokts in it.

Nice job on that rifle. I'm pretty sure I heard about this rifle before as someone came on to a Swedish rifle forum I belong to and started bellyaching that they bought a mannlicher stocked Husky off GB and it showed up with the stock broke in half. He was pretty miffed and demanded his money back from the seller and then wanted to know if we could point him in the direction of another Mannlicher stocked Husky.

Must have been the 4th party bad mouthing the 3rd party, who didn't package it right. UPS packaging needs to be double boxed and bull stout for when, not if, they run it over with a truck, it will survive.

At least in this case, things worked out in spite of all that negative stuff.

I want to thank Karnis for his help. Due to the small ring, long screw spacing, these guns are harder than one may think to find aftermarket handles. One alternative is to use a large ring stock and glass fill around the front ring. A 96 small ring stock won't work because these guns have large ring screw spacing.

So, Karnis having this stock and letting me have it was what I needed.

DF

Great pictures thanks for posting. Nice rifle and good work.

Good info to know about using a large ring stock as a replacement for the 1640 OEM. I may pick me up a LR synthetic and give it a try. Also need to find a replacement bbl.

A good save, and beautifully done. I like stories like this.

IMHO, those SR M98 Husqvarna's are real sleepers - one of the better buys out there.

Most "experts" will argue because they've never seen one, or that they're really cock-on-closing M96 Mausers.


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As I told DF in his classified ad my 1640 is the smoothest CRF action I've ever handled. It's a .30-06 but will feed reliably 243 Win,257 Roberts,25-06,270 Win,7x57,308 Win,and 9.3x62(left a few out,DF). Mine is actually a S&W Husqvarna so it doesn't have the best trigger.

It's not that big a deal to retrofit a Timney.

Because this gun is relatively light, I wanted a very clean, light trigger for offhand shooting. It's set at 2 1/2#'s.

DF

I read somewhere that you only have to modify the the stock for the Timney safety lever?

Seems I read somewhere that the 1640 is the lightest of the production CRF actions. Wouldn't surprise me.

I had to inlet room for the Timney and relieve some of the floor plate near the trigger, no hill for a climber. I had to bend and shape the safety lever to fit the slot in the receiver.

The only real problem was web thickness. The bottom of the striker slot to the bottom of the action was a bit thicker than the Timney could handle. The striker would slip over the sear and jam the gun. I got a taller sear from Timney, but it didn't work right.

I then took material off the top of the Timney aluminum housing, starting at about half way, tapered to maybe .08" removed at the rear, allowing the trigger housing to ride higher against the bottom of the action, giving more height to the original sear. That did the trick, compensating for the thick web.

So, it wasn't the easiest to fit, but worked out OK with some ingenuity and a good file.

DF

Wow man very nice work there! I am impressed!

What a great rifle. It'll serve you well for a long, long time!

Thanks AGAIN,DF. A Timney's not something I'll be doing soon but with the info you posted I'm sure I can install it. First a bbl.

I have a Husky 640 barreled action that I've been trying to chase down a stock for. All original except for a Timney trigger. The 640 has a safety on the bolt so a Timney sans safety works just fine.
Paul B.

Is that the large ring 98 that Husky sold for a period of time?

DF

Checked it out on line. That's an FN Mauser action the HVA used to build some of their rifles. Any 98 Mauser stock should be easily adaptable to your action.

DF

Yup! It's early enough that it has the three position flag type safty and has never been drilled and topped for a scope. I have it sitting ina J.C. Higgins M50 stock that came with the M50 I got in .270 Win. that is now a 7x57. The guy I got th .270 from was a very small statured dude and he's cut the stock down to fit him. Even with a slip on recoil pad the stock is still too short for me and I'm not all that big a person myself. I'm gonna have to have it drilled and tapped so I can put a scope on it and see how it shoots. My eyes just can't see the front sight at all anymore. One of the sid effects of getting old I guess. I will say this about tht 640 though. Ithe only rifle I've ever owned that had a slicker action than the 640 was my 6.5x54 M/S that was stolen many years ago. If that Husky is a good shooter I'll leave it alone. Ain't any flies on a 30-06. If it doen't shoot, I'll have it rebored into either a 338-06 or .35 Whelen.
Paul B.

Sounds like a plan to me.

You got lotta options on handles, depending on if you want a classic, walnut or a synthetic. I don't think drilling it is going to hurt value, as it's not a pre-war commercial Mauser or such. It's a shooter and a good one at that.

DF

Update on the HVA project.

With a light weight '06, I was looking for lighter bullets for more manageable recoil.

I tried several combinations, but this one seems hard to beat.

130 gr. Ralph Council bullets ahead of 59 gr. Big Game with W/W cases and WLR primers at around 3,000+ fps. Haven't clocked it yet.



Now, that could be luck, as I only fired three rounds. You can believe I've already loaded another batch.

And, I know, this doesn't fit all the rules. The '06 doesn't shoot light bullets as accurately as heavier ones and there isn't a full caliber of bullet engagement in the case neck. And Council bullets are benchrest fodder, not hunting bullets. (Ralph did say they work good on game.)

And, the crown on this rifle is hand done with a hacksaw and a hand tool from Brownells. It has a very carefully executed, concentric eleven degree target crown, using a padded vice, not a lathe. This was necessary to clean up the wear and tear at the end of the barrel.

And, it's just an old Husky barrel, not a high end replacement. Although after the "circumcision", the bore looks pristine thru the Hawkeye scope.

Oh well...

What can I say...

DF

Nice!

Distance closer to 100 meters, as yardage was around 110 or so per Leica rangefinder.

DF

Actually I sold it to SH when he was in AK and then he passed it on.......

Shame the 456 stock broke.

Guess I got the story turned around, somewhat. Like they do in Hollywood, when myth varies from fact, print the myth...

The account was complicated enough, even before I added to the confusion...

I want to thank you for your help and encouragment with a neat project...

DF

I was traumatized by the original sale but sometimes you have to do those kind of things. I know the kid was grateful that his college expenses were paid with the proceeds.

Your welcome. I still have the broken stock. I'm going to try and piece it together sometime.

Here's a picture of the hand crafted crown. Not the best focus but it looks clean and sharp thru the borescope. Originally a Mannlicher, this barrel had enough length beyond the front sight to allow for the aforementioned "surgery".

Karnis,

I'm interested in the Mannlicher vs. conventional stock set up regarding optimal groups. With 6#'s of upward pressure on this very light barrel, full barrel bedded along with the receiver, it would seem to me that this is probably better for tight groups than the full length wood stock.

How precise was this '06 with the original, factory Mannlicher stock? Forbes, from what I've read, does a full length barrel bedding on his rifles. No pretense on knowing how he does his magic with his very fine rifles, just currious about the principle of full length bedding of very light tubes with upward pressure. This would seem to dampen the barrel vibrations and assist in tight groups.

Your thoughts.

DF

I've not worked on a Forbes stock but hear they are stiff as wood pecker lips. That along with properly done neutral bedding produce accurate rifles (good barrel, etc.)

I didn't shoot the rifle much but it would do 1" 1-1/4" with Hornady Interlock FB and H4350. It was FL bedded from rear tang to muzzle.

Thin barrels will shoot as well as fatter ones just not quite as long (sustained strings).

One thing that I do quite a lot is shoot with a tight sling. Try that with a FL bedded wood stock and you'll change the pressure on the barrel, resulting shots will lower and right or left. Lower by how much who knows. I was told once that I should practice shooting using a sling and a FL bedded stock-if the shot was low and to the right, then I knew how to compensate. How that person thought it was acceptable I don't know.

Good bedding, tight lug and FF regardless of the barrel contour is where it's at IMHO. Tight sling, no sling, ching sling, hasty, etc. won't affect where the first and subsequent ones go and that's really all anyone wanting confidence in a rifle should need.

Can't tell you the number of rifles I've had that shoot to the same POI whether I shoot them regularly or shoot them once a year. That includes wood and synthetics.

Absolute wonderful conclusion to a potentially hellish beginning, well done everyone, helluva nice rifle DF.

Gunner

I've got the metal cap with screw that fits on the end of the Mannlicher stock, the vintage HVA butt plate with screws and the factory trigger/safety.

If anyone can use these parts, some or all, let me know. Otherwise, they'll end up in my parts box, never to be heard from again...

DF

I agree with free floating and nearly every rifle I've bedded is set up like that.

I chose full barrel bedding on this one due to the substantial barrel gap and very thin tube. It just seemed to be a good one for such treatment.

I doubt it would shoot this tight with a free floated barrel. The only way to know for sure would be to free float it and see. As well as it seems to be shooting, I think I'll pass on that.

I agree with sling tension altering POI. I once had a .257 Wby in a B&C Medalist, free floated, evidently not enough. I missed a deer at 200 yds, using a sling. The gun was dead on off the bench. The Medalist fore end wasn't stiff enough and the sling pulled the fore end against the barrel, causing the shot to strike away from contact. I had to increase the FF gap to keep that from happening. That rifle now is in a McWoody Sako Safari, also free floated. The McM is stiff enough to not require such a big gap.

DF

DF, I still own a HVA full stock. I'd like the metal cap and screw if you don't plan on using it. It would be nice to have a spare.

On my first FS the cap and screw went flying into a snowbank at the first shot! That rifle was bought from a collector and may never had been shot before and the screw was quite loose in the wood. Took several trips over a week to finally find it. I no longer own that particular rifle but have another one.

Please PM me to arrange shipping and payment if you still have it.

PM sent.

DF

Found a nice home for the cap and screw.

Still have the butt plate with screws, OEM trigger and safety. They could use a new home with higher and better use than my parts box.

Will send to whomever really needs them, no cost to recipient.

Christmas in May...

DF

Thanks for the info...can you comment on whether heavier (e.g. 180 grain) bullets perform in your Husky to your satisfaction? I gather they tend to have slower twists than is typical for most '06s.

Many thanks!

Old thread. Was reviewing and saw your question on 180 gr. bullets.

Due to light weight, I chose light bullets to keep down recoil. It did so well with 130's and performed so well on WT deer that I never tried anything else. No 150's, 165's or 180's. The way it shoots 130's, I would think it would perform very well with heavier bullets.

Maybe one of these days, I'll check it out with other billets. Right now, I have too many projects ahead of it.

DF

Old discussion but did you ever find a home for the butt plate and screws? Just picked up a 1640 in 06. The metal is good but the stock-not so much. Regards, Bruce

It is very nice, the Huskys are a great bang for the buck!

I have this old 1640. It was built by Iver Henriksen. It’s marked 25 Niedner.

I had a trigger job done to my 1640 Lite 30-06 and it is still over 4.5 lbs. on my Lyman digital trigger gauge. I personally prefer between 2.5 to 3 lbs. on my hunting rifles. I also insist on a reliable trigger and consider it the most important part of a rifle. Which is why I wanted to keep the stock trigger and why I love the old style Mod. 70 trigger.

So who makes a reliable trigger for the 1640, I know Timney does but enclosed trigger housing give me the creeps. Would I have to change the safety?

I finally got around to shooting the rifle a couple of days ago and got 3 shot 2" groups at 100 yards with some spare loaded rounds I wanted to shoot up the scope is a Leupold VXIII 2.5-8x36 with a B&C reticle . I plan on using 168 grain TTSX bullets in Norma brass with H4350 and Fed. 210M primers.

I had a trigger job done to my 1640 Lite 30-06 and it is still over 4.5 lbs. on my Lyman digital trigger gauge. I personally prefer between 2.5 to 3 lbs. on my hunting rifles. I also insist on a reliable trigger and consider it the most important part of a rifle. Which is why I wanted to keep the stock trigger and why I love the old style Mod. 70 trigger.

So who makes a reliable trigger for the 1640, I know Timney does but enclosed trigger housing give me the creeps. Would I have to change the safety?

I finally got around to shooting the rifle a couple of days ago and got 3 shot 2" groups at 100 yards with some spare loaded rounds I wanted to shoot up the scope is a Leupold VXIII 2.5-8x36 with a B&C reticle . I plan on using 168 grain TTSX bullets in Norma brass with H4350 and Fed. 210M primers.

I have a timney in mine without any issues so far. If you don't want an enclosed housing, you have fewer options. Alaska Arms makes an M70 type trigger for a Mauser 98 which I THINK would fit a 1640. I have no personal experience, but other M98 triggers interchange.

You would need a new safety. The good news is that M98 bolt shrouds and safeties will fit. I have the FN commercial style on mine.