swedush CG-63 bbl.

[porthos]

just bought a cg-63. after several days cleaning; i am very dissappointed in the barrel condition. i know that the swedes have a long throat,but this one is very long because of wear. i might try shooting it (with lead) but don't have high hopes. therefore, has anyone ever heard of replacement barrels for the cg-63. i went on the douglas barrel site. they will replace the bbl to the correct contour for $550.00 WOW!! its been a long time since i had a bbl. rreplaced

[lefty o]

slow down, and work up some loads for it. the swede's dont just have long throats, they are extremely long. despite that, most of them shoot very well

[koger]

I have built/customized close to 100 swedes over the past 35 years, I have found very few that you could seat a bullet to touch the lands and be anywhere close to the length needed to function thru a magazine. I just ended up seating them to a length where they would function thru the rifle correctly, and they all shot 1/2" or under for 3 shot groups. These rifles have a very long tapered leade, that is one of the things that makes them so accurate, the gradual transition of the bullet into the lands and not violently distorting the jacket. My advice, don't sweat the small stuff, seat them to cycle thru the mag, and enjoy.

[stubshaft]

You could also send it out and have it rebored to a larger caliber like 7X57.

[Gtek]

I think I would be fire forming some brass as we begin to know each other. Then load as long as magazine would let me and probably be pretty happy with the results. Those are some long skinny pills, they are not floating as much as one would think.

[porthos]

i'(ve taken a pound cast of all of my rifles. i have another swede called the marksman model (military configuration with target sights) the marksman starts to show rifleing at 5/16 inch and strong at 1/2 inch. the cg-63 starts to show rifleling at 7/16 in. and strong at 7/8 in. the CG throat measures .274. any bullet suggestions?? (cast)

[koger]

I have had good luck with the 140 gr Lyman mold that comes out at .266, an Lyman Orange magic lube. If you want some great jacketed loads, that have shot really well in all the 6.5 Swedes I have shot, pm me. I did extensive load development, and have settled on one powder/primer duo that will shoot great, get the best velocity, and kill deer like Thors hammer.

[Dutchman]

Carl Gustav Mod. 63 | 6,5x55SE


https://www.lothar-walther.com/drop-in-gun-barrels/rifle-barrels/mauser-98-sporthunting-rifle-barrels/carl-gustav-model-63/842/carl-gustav-mod.-63-6-5x55se-mud.610-l-29.13-cr-moly-steel?c=7

[swheeler]

Carl Gustav Mod. 63 | 6,5x55SE


https://www.lothar-walther.com/drop-in-gun-barrels/rifle-barrels/mauser-98-sporthunting-rifle-barrels/carl-gustav-model-63/842/carl-gustav-mod.-63-6-5x55se-mud.610-l-29.13-cr-moly-steel?c=7

That would take care of any barrel wear, nothing wrong with starting new! Also $200 cheaper than CR Douglas

[porthos]

thanks dutchman. called to order one, but they are closed til after new years. i will be chewing my fingernails till then

[Eddie Southgate]

$349.00 + Shipping for the barrel or $550.00 Replaced ? Think I'd go with the Douglas . Did you shoot the barrel that it came with , you didn't say ?

[W.R.Buchanan]

I find it hard to believe that the barrel is shot out. CG63's were target rifles and unless it was in a club, and not taken care of, it probably would shoot just fine. They were mostly shooting surplus ammo in Sweden in their clubs and most of the guns were owned by the shooters, and it would easily take 8-10,000 rounds + to shoot the barrel out.

If the exterior condition of the gun is nice, the barrel is probably nice too.

You really need to shoot the gun with some 140 gr jacketed bullets and see what you have actually got before spending $350 + installation Cost$ on something you probably don't need.

Also and something that is not widely known is that some GC63's had their Original Military Barrels because all CG63's were Converted X Mil guns. My gun has the original barrel and the gun was made in 1899! and it is still <1MOA. It also came with a Lyman #48 Rear Sight instead of one of the 3 Swedish Target Sights.

How about some pictures of the gun so we can see what you've got?

Randy

[porthos]

couple of things: the walther barrel is advertised as 6.5x55SE what does SE meam (swede)??. next; money is not the issue if i replace the bbl. it will be either $550 for the douglas or $350 for the walther. but, i thought that walther barrels were most excellent. do any of you know of their quality (walther) ??

[Eddie Southgate]

I find it hard to believe that the barrel is shot out. CG63's were target rifles and unless it was in a club, and not taken care of, it probably would shoot just fine. They were mostly shooting surplus ammo in Sweden in their clubs and most of the guns were owned by the shooters, and it would easily take 8-10,000 rounds + to shoot the barrel out.

If the exterior condition of the gun is nice, the barrel is probably nice too.

You really need to shoot the gun with some 140 gr jacketed bullets and see what you have actually got before spending $350 + installation Cost$ on something you probably don't need.

Also and something that is not widely known is that some GC63's had their Original Military Barrels because all CG63's were Converted X Mil guns. My gun has the original barrel and the gun was made in 1899! and it is still <1MOA. It also came with a Lyman #48 Rear Sight instead of one of the 3 Swedish Target Sights.

How about some pictures of the gun so we can see what you've got?

Randy

W.R. ,

I'd be more interested in seeing pictures of your CG63 ! Never seen a factory CG63 with a Military barrel , all have the heavy target barrel of the many I have seen . Your receiver and some bolt parts were the only thing made in should be on a factory built CG63 .

[Eddie Southgate]

couple of things: the walther barrel is advertised as 6.5x55SE what does SE meam (swede)??. next; money is not the issue if i replace the bbl. it will be either $550 for the douglas or $350 for the walther. but, i thought that walther barrels were most excellent. do any of you know of their quality (walther) ??

Porthos ,

The Lothar - Walther barrels I have had were great barrels . Your post made it sound like you could get the GR Douglas barrel installed for $550 but the price on the Lothar- Walther barrel was for just the barrel not installed . If that was not what you meant then the Lothar-Walther barrel would be a better deal but in my opinion not otherwise . Not sure what the SE means but probably you are correct and it it Swede . I'd shoot the barrel that is on it quite a bit before I would think about replacing it . Their chambers can be very weird compared to what we are used to seeing but they generally allow for the kind of accuracy we expect with Jacketed bullets although I have read posts stating this may not be the case with most cast . Good luck with your rifle mine is a tack driver even with an over generous chamber and throat .

[Stewbaby]

I’m screaming at my phone..”please shoot it first!”. I’d be very surprised if it were shot out or abused to where it isn’t sub-MOA.

[porthos]

OK i will shoot it on monday with the load that koger gave me. the walther barrel is already contoured and threaded, the muzzle is turned down to accept the front globe sight. since it is threaded, i guess that it is chambered. weather it is "short chambered" or not, i don't know.

[fiberoptik]

Or donate it the “Swede retirement hous” @ my address. I will let her retire peacefully with a collection of other old milsurps. [emoji41]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[W.R.Buchanan]

There is alot of conflicting data on what is or is not on a GC63. There were also many variations with different sights, Slings and things used to customize the guns to individual requirements. I got my info from a guy in Sweden who sold alot of surplus parts and had direct knowledge of the guns used in their clubs.

Also the factory farmed out alot of the conversions to local gunsmiths who were affiliated with large clubs as they all wanted something slightly different, and if you see one that was set up for a left handed shooter with the bolt handle bent over the top it was probably assembled by a Local Swedish Gunsmith for an individual shooter. There are lots of variations of these guns and many departures from what is normally considered a "regular" CG63 made by the Carl Gustav Factory.

There were some books out there that showed the progression of the design from Military Target Rifle to what became the the CG63 and then CG80. Lots of them were brought into this country about 15 years ago as they were dumped by the Clubs in favor of newer designs, and sold by various Surplus Gun Dealers here in the US until there were very few left in Sweden. They were originally around $500, and if you can find a decent one for less than $1500 now it is rare.

The guy who is THE Resident authority on these and other Swedish guns is "the Dutchman"

My gun also had a Walnut Stock which is not the usual thing either.

It is long gone and lives in Florida now, so I can't put up pics of it.

Randy

[porthos]

i called lothar-walther in ga. about bbl fitting. the bbls. are chambered deep. what needs to be done for proper headspacing is to face off the the rear of the bbl. and sholder until proper fit. i have a southbend that can do that. this leads to a question should i choose go that route. instead of a headspace gage could i use a new brass case?? as far as how it shoots; i have shot 2- 10 shot groups with 3031 one bullet was hornady 150 gr spirepoint. the other was sierra 142 gr boattail match. each group had a cluster of 7 or 8 in 1-1/2 and 1-3/4 in with fliers bringing groups to 2-1/2+. i believe the fliers are dueto my eyesight. i'm going to work on target size and front apeture

[Mk42gunner]

My thoughts, make of them what you will.

Headspace gauges are cheap and readily available these days; the idea of using cartridges as makeshift gauges came from the 1940's-50's when they weren't easily available. If you are spending $3-550 on a new barrel, do you really want to cheap out over $50-60?

Plus there is enough variance with the 6.5x55 brass dimensions just whose brass are you going to use as the standard?

Robert

[ulav8r]

If you want to use brass as a gauge, find/acquire brass from at least 6 different manufacturers and measure them to find the longest one. Use that one with one layer of cellophane on the head of the brass as a go gauge. Then use a very gentle touch check headspace.

[garandsrus]

i called lothar-walther in ga. about bbl fitting. the bbls. are chambered deep. what needs to be done for proper headspacing is to face off the the rear of the bbl. and sholder until proper fit. i have a southbend that can do that. this leads to a question should i choose go that route. instead of a headspace gage could i use a new brass case?? as far as how it shoots; i have shot 2- 10 shot groups with 3031 one bullet was hornady 150 gr spirepoint. the other was sierra 142 gr boattail match. each group had a cluster of 7 or 8 in 1-1/2 and 1-3/4 in with fliers bringing groups to 2-1/2+. i believe the fliers are dueto my eyesight. i'm going to work on target size and front apeture

Here is a gauge rental for under $10: https://www.reamerrentals.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=363