Husqvarna single shot is here!!

[JeffinNZ]

Some time back I dropped in on a friend and spotted a most beautiful single shot bolt action rifle on his wall. It was a .30-30 Husqvarna No 35 based on the 1871 Mauser action. He has one in .25-20, .32-20, .30-30 and .45-70. It was all downhill from then on for me.

As I am set up for .32-20 I would have preferred that caliber but such examples with bores not ruined by black powder and or corrosive primers are not common. The .25-20 would suit my small game requirements but it would mean setting up a new caliber from scratch. .45-70 in a 6lb rifle is just plain stupid IMHO so .30-30 was the way to go for me as I had brass already, plently of .31 boolit moulds to size to suit and charitable army Maj. in the US with a set of dies for me. Today the rifle arrived.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v505/JeffinNZ/Shooting%20stuff/No35.jpg

The No 35 has a 25.2 inch barrel and flip sights set for 60 and 120 metres.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v505/JeffinNZ/Shooting%20stuff/60msight.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v505/JeffinNZ/Shooting%20stuff/120msight.jpg

The bolt is short and locks on one lug on the side of the action.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v505/JeffinNZ/Shooting%20stuff/Boltclosed.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v505/JeffinNZ/Shooting%20stuff/Boltopen.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v505/JeffinNZ/Shooting%20stuff/Bolt.jpg

This evening I started cleaning out 80 years of crud starting with Ed's Red. Tomorrow evening it will be the electro bore cleaner then maybe a lap.

It sure is a lovely wee rifle and I look forward to chucking lead with it.

[timspawn]

That is a neat looking rifle. It should be lots of fun getting it shooting again.

[bruce drake]

Jeff, that is a nice little stalking rifle. Dies went out in the mail yesterday with the appropriate custom forms attached (the phrase "mass-murder capable, custom-machined metal dies" on the customs declarations ok for your border guard folks?). The 60+ once-fired, formed-brass, flame-controlling items were in the same box as the girl's Barbie dolls as well. Hopefully, it all gets there before Christmas and just as you finish up cleaning that rifle's bore.

Bruce

[Bullshop]

I had one of those in 32/20 and it was a most pleasingly accurate little rifle.

[richhodg66]

Looks like a real winner. The good old .30-30 is rapidly replacing the .30-06 as my favorite rifle caliber. Very nice cartridge to load for. The bolt action single shot will make for a lot more versatile loading than a lever gun too.

[JeffinNZ]

Thanks Bruce. I am ever so pleased you stated the Barbie was for my girls!

Cleaning commenced last evening. About 3 hours of repeated scrubbing and soaking with Ed's Red and patches still black. This morning I got up early and started the electro bore cleaner. About 4 cycles of 15 minutes and still black on the rod but getting less. It's coming together.

[Shooternz]

Hi Jeff, I had the same gun very nice to shoot with cast boolits has great balance for offhand shots only sold it as there is no way to fit a scope and my eyes couldn't see the iron sights well enough, Robert.

[JeffinNZ]

Excellent to hear Robert. I just think they are graceful and it's a shame to see such lovely old rifles fade away.

[tonyjones]

Jeff,

That bore might clean up a bit quicker if you substitute some of Bruce's HOT SAUCE for the Ed's Red.

LOL,

Tony

[Frank46]

Jeff, keep an eye of the extractor as it only stays in place while the bolt is in the action. And no one is making spares. Very easy to loose. Frank

[bruce drake]

I believe Jeff said the barrel wasn't pitted...why would he want to pit the barrel with my preferred hotsauce?

Bruce

[smoked turkey]

That is one nice rifle. Very classic. You will get a lot of enjoyment from it.

[Buckshot]

...............Jeff, that's a very nice looking sleek rifle. Is the action a full sized repro of the M71 Mauser, or scaled down some? Hard to tell in the photo. I have a M71, and a M71/84. With that 4 lbs of cocking piece hanging off the rear of the bolt, there is NEVER any doubt that if the primer is good, it WILL go off:-)

................Buckshot

[JeffinNZ]

FRANK: Yes, I have the extractor issue in hand.
BRUCE: Good point on the sauce. If it will dissolve a spoon then........
BUCKSHOT: The opening on the side of the action is 2 1/8 inches wide so I guess it is scaled down.

Still have the electro bore cleaning pulling crud out. Do the Swedes not clean their dang rifles?

[mdevlin53]

Jeff
I was able to get one of these in 32-20 but it took buying two to get one. I bought one with a good bore and pretty good blueing but the stock was cracked at the wrist like someone swung it like a bat. The other had a great stock and a poor bore. I had to run about a half a hundred patches through it to get the grease and whatever else was in the bore. Now its bright and shiney and shoots very well. This may now be my faforite rifle. its well balanced and light and i just love shooting it. One thing was that the v-notch in the rear sight was verry shallow and hard for me to pick up, a few pases with a three conered file and it is much better now.
I just put a down payment on the model 35 in 30-30 and i expect it to be just as much fun to shoot,
Good luck and enjow this beauty.
Michael

[Jack Stanley]

The Swedes don't have a lock on not cleaning rifles . I picked out what looked like a nice Remington 1903 that had returned from Greece . It got the normal detail strip and clean and the barrel took a lot more than normal cleaning . I had to cycle the electro cleaner for a week and what hade been a decent looking bore was actually evenly covered in cupro-nickel fouling . All the way to real metal , black , orange or green crud was coming out . Rather disappointing ya know ?

Jack

[NoZombies]

Color me jealous! That's a fine looking gun you've got there!

I've been keeping an eye out for one of these in either 25-20 or 32-20. I think they would make fine small-medium game guns here, and I've got a serious issue when it comes to 32's...

[JeffinNZ]

Finally got the bore clean(ish) after about 8 hours of the electro bore cleaner. Then I took an old bronze brush, wrapped a patch around it and coated the patch with cutting compound and gave a bore a good tickle up. The bore is not perfect but still bright with good rifling. I intend to load a 110-120gr boolit for small game, a 180gr boolit for larger game and will try my 205gr for target and out of interest. The barrel measures bang on .300/.308 but to my delight the rifle will chamber a .312 boolit which suits me fine as .312 is the smallest .30cal sizing die I have. I figure the fatter boolit will stand a much better chance of success is the not perfect barrel. More to follow.

[mdevlin53]

Jeff
You may want to take the bolt apart and clean it as well. On both of mine there was some stuff that may have been grease at some point but turned into sludge. the spring was packed with it. I had to make up a spanner for the spring retaining nut, but other than that it was a fairly simple job.

[bruce drake]

Keep cleaning the rifle! The package just left a few days ago!!! sheesh!

[pls1911]

AUUUGH!!! Another 30-30 I need.
What's the source for these little gems?
I could easily see a very sweet shooter , after a little TLC.
I have Winnie and Marlins and a couple of SWEET Savage bolts, all are pig killing machines with cast bullets.
Until now I only lusted for a nice Savage lever, but this little bolt piece is quite attractive.

[357maximum]

If you did have a slightly smaller sizing die I would put about 100 paperpatched slugs downrange as it is a really good way to find all of the rifling as you proably know.

Pretty neat little rifle....congrats.

[JeffinNZ]

Jeff
You may want to take the bolt apart and clean it as well. On both of mine there was some stuff that may have been grease at some point but turned into sludge. the spring was packed with it. I had to make up a spanner for the spring retaining nut, but other than that it was a fairly simple job.

If I could work out how to strip the bolt I would. LOL.

[mdevlin53]

Jeff
With the safety in the fire position grasp the knurled ring and pull and turn counterclockwise, it gets a little hard getting around once you get the knob off you can slide the rear part off the fiting pin rod. Look at the rear of the forward part of the bolt and there is a collar around the firing pin rod with two small slots on either side. I took a 4"x 1"x1/4" peice of aluminum stock and drilled a hole just large enough for the rod to slip into it and drilled another small hole right next to the original hole so i could pass a small jewlwes screwdriver through it. I used this tool to back out the collar. Once it is out the rod and spring slide right out. There was no great tension on the main spring so i did not have to worry about it shooting out to one of the dark corners of my gun shop. As i said i am sure the grease was 1920s vintage.
pls1911
The only place I have seen these on the web and available is Simpsons Limited. they have a couple of model 25s in 32-20 and one model 26 in 25-20 one model 45 in 45-70,the one model 35 in 30-30 is on hold. They do come up there from time to time. Seen a few ended sales here and there on gun broker and Guns International from time to time as well. They are not often available but if you keep looking you might find one.

[Mk42gunner]

They are a very neat little rifle. Like Jeff, I don't think the .45-70 is the best chambering for one, mine is a No 26 in .25-20.

I was lucky; I bought mine at an estate auction, and the bore was clean. The only bad thing about mine is the bubba'd sights -- The front has been replaced with a bead that is soldered into the dovetail, and the two leaves of the rear sight were soldered together.

Why can't American Bubba's figure out readily adjustable iron sights?

Robert

[Chicken Thief]

Can you lot clear one thing up for me?

I talked to a Husqvarna collector who have a #26 25-20 in mint that i might get for a very nice price ;-)
He said the rifle is 25-20 SS not 25-20WCF, i think he got them mixed up as he said that they split cases when fired.

So what is the exact chambering in your rifles?

[mdevlin53]

Chicken Thief
If you go here
http://www.skydevaaben.com/allhvamodels/info.xml
you will se a list of all the Husqvarna rifles it shows the Studsare Nr. 26 as a 25-20 Win.

[Chicken Thief]

Got'ya, thanks mate.

[Chicken Thief]

Hey Jeff those pics didnt last long.

I got hold of a gent that has a model 26 in mint condition, i stole it from him at $250 with some factory ammo.
Now my question is: what boolit to get a mould for?

[Mk42gunner]

Chicken Thief,

Sorry I didn't see your question until today. I have been having internet problems.

My No. 26 is chambered for the .25-20 WCF. It is marked on top of the barrel Kal. 25-20.

$250 sounds like a great price for you. Save your brass, it is rather tough to find at times.

Robert

[TheGrimReaper]

Very neat little rifle!