Swedish Carl Gustafs Ljungman AG42B AG-42, Import Marked, Blue 25 ½” Rare Semi Auto Rifle MFD 1943 C&R
Sold For: $1,005.55
LSB#: 160808RL02
Make: Carl Gustafs, Sweden
Model: AG42B (the “B” denotes an upgrade to the rifle in the mid 1950’s)
Serial Number: 20060
Year of Manufacture: 1943
Caliber: 6.5x55mm (6.5×55 Swedish)
Action Type: Semi Auto, Detachable Magazine
Markings: The import mark under the barrel has a few partial stampings. It reads “CAI ST ALB VT” and “M42 6.5X55 SWEDEN”. The left side of the receiver is marked with the serial number, “crown / C” (a Carl Gustafs mark), “1943” (the date of manufacture) and “B” (noting the rifle has been upgraded to a Model B). The right side of the receiver is marked “SS”. The rear of the receiver is marked “crown / H”. The left side of the top cover is marked “CB” and “B”. The left side of the bolt is etched with the serial number. The buttplate is marked with the serial number. The left side of the safety lever, buttplate, bottom metal, barrel band, barrel band retainer, nose cap and nose cap retainer are all marked with a small “crown”. The top of the rear sight is marked “B”. The brass marking disk on the buttstock is marked over the “1” & “2” in the small section, over the lower “9” in the large section and is unmarked in the medium section. For more info on reading the marking disk see: http://candrsenal.com/tip-how-to-read-swedish-mauser-stock-disks/. The top of the butt is marked “1” next to the buttplate. The bottom of the grip is marked with 2 “crowns”. The magazine is marked “B” & “circled J” on the front as well as “crown” & “B” on the bottom.
Barrel Length: Approximately 25 ½ Inches
Sights / Optics: The front sight is windage adjustable post set under a protective hood. The left side is marked “+0.5” and the front is marked “+0.5”. The rear sight is an elevation adjustable “V” notched blade assembly. Turning the knob raises and lowers the assembly. The numbers can be viewed in the small window at the rear of the knob. It is marked from “1-7”.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The two piece hardwood stock has a pistol grip, finger grooves, hole for the included cleaning rod, nose cap, barrel band with sling bar, through bolt, sling loop under the butt, brass marking disk and a metal buttplate. The bottom rear of the butt is missing small portions of surface wood. The hand guard shows scratches and compression marks. The wood ahead of the barrel band has been scraped. The wood shows other scrapes and handling marks. Most have been finished over. The LOP measures 13 3/8 inches from the front of the trigger to the back of the buttplate. The stock rates in about Very Good to Fine overall condition as refinished.
Type of Finish: Blue; Black Top Cover
Finish Originality: Arsenal Refinished
Bore Condition: The bore is semi bright and the rifling is deep. There is no visible erosion.
Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 96% of its metal finish, as refinished. The top cover is refinished in black paint. Imperfections on the metal, such as scratches, show through the new finish. The bottom rails on the receiver show some thinning. The barrel shows thinning at the front, scrapes and small scratches. The bolt shows a scratch on the left. The buttplate shows scratches. There are a few other light scrapes and handling marks on the metal. The bottom screw heads show use. The markings are deep. Overall, this rifle rates in about Very Good to Fine condition, as refinished.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. We have not fired this rifle. As with all previously owned firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: The rifle comes with one 10 round magazine that shows scrapes and small scratches. It has been upgraded with the front (second) magazine retainer / release. It is in about Very Good Plus condition.
Our Assessment: This is a nice Swedish Ljungman AG42B. It is in nice shape and fires the flat shooting 6.5x55mm cartridge. These are rare rifles that will make a collector happy. For a detailed video on the rifle go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-xKTgV3xYI .
Here are some basics from forgottenweapns.com: “The AG-42 (Halvautomatiskt Gevaer 42) Ljungman was Sweden’s first standard issue self loading rifle. It was put into production in 1942, with only a one-year development period. It is a direct gas impingement design, with a gas tube feeds pressurized gas directly against the bolt carrier. Locking is done with a tiling bolt similar to a FAL or Tokarev design. The Ljungman is a relatively heavy rifle (over 10 pounds unloaded), and combined with its standard muzzle brake and relatively light 6.5×55 cartridge it has little felt recoil. However, operating the AG42 is significantly different from almost any other autoloading rifle. The rifle has a bolt carrier and receiver cover that operate together. To manually retract the bolt, one pushes the receiver cover all the way forward which locks it onto the bolt, and then pulls it back along with the bolt. Subsequently pushing the receiver cover forward a fraction of an inch will release the bolt to slam forward, either chambering a cartridge or crushing your poorly-placed thumb (anyone who complains about M1-thumb has definitely never had a digit caught in an AG42 action). The Ljungman was the standard Swedish infantry rifle into the 1960s, when it was replaced with a licensed H&K design. In 1953 the AG42 was upgraded to the AG42B model, which involved a number of small changes. The most distinctive one is the change from serrated patches on the receiver cover to round protrusions, to allow shooters a better grip. In addition, a rubber ejection buffer was added to prevent brass damage, the gas tube was strengthened, the magazine was give a more secure front hook, and a few other minor internal improvements were made. In the early 1950s, Sweden licensed production of a Ljungman variant in Egypt, where it was known as the Hakim. These rifles have a few differences form the Swedish guns, including use of an adjustable gas port and being chambered in 8mm Mauser. Egypt also produced a Ljungman-based carbine in 7.62x39mm, called the Rasheed (or Rashid).”
