This Swedish Ag m/42B Ljungman was manufactured in 1943 and is chambered in 6.5x55mm.
The rifle is all matching and mechanically excellent, with a mirror bright bore and sharp
rifling. The bore disc reads 6.468; on the Swedish bore diameter scale, which runs from
6.46 to 6.59 millimetres with higher figures indicating a more worn bore, that places
this barrel at the tight end of the range. There is a small crack at the front of the
handguard which does not affect structural integrity or function.
The Automatgevär m/42 was designed by Erik Eklund of AB C.J. Ljungmans Verkstäder and
entered production at Carl Gustafs Stads Gevärsfaktori in Eskilstuna, with roughly 30,000
rifles built for Swedish military service from 1942 onward. It feeds from a ten round box
magazine and operates by direct gas impingement, a system similar to that of the later
French MAS-49. Between 1953 and 1956 the Swedish military ran a program to refurbish and
refit the Ag m/42 rifles in inventory, resolving a serious problem with rusting gas
tubes. Rifles that went through it were redesignated Ag m/42B and received a stainless
steel gas tube, large gripping lugs on the bolt cover, a rubber case deflector, a single
piece cleaning rod, a revised magazine release and modified rear sight components. The
updates were applied to virtually all rifles then in existence, so a receiver dated to
original wartime production paired with the m/42B designation reflects that later program
rather than the year of conversion.
Specifications
Model: Ag m/42B Ljungman (Automatgevär m/42B)
Country of origin: Sweden
Year: 1943
Caliber: 6.5x55mm
Matching: All numbers matching
Bore: Mirror
Rifling: Sharp
Bore disc: Reads 6.468
Condition notes: Small crack at the front of the handguard, not affecting structural integrity or function
Mechanical condition: Excellent
