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Experimental AG-42B Conversion to 7.62mm NATO (Ad-free)
🕑 Added 2025-04-14 12:00:02 +0000 UTCCirca 1954, Sweden was starting to look for a new self-loading rifle to adopt for its infantry. The 6.5x55mm cartridge was a good round, but the idea of having ammunition compatibility with its neighbors was appealing, and NATO was standardizing on the new 7.62x51mm round. This rifle is an experimental conversion of a Ljungman to the NATO cartridge, which included replacing the original simple gas impingement system with a short-stroke piston. It's unclear why that change was required given the successful Egyptian use of 8x57mm Mauser in the Ljungman system, but possibly it was needed in order to keep the gas block in the same place and reduce the cost of converting existing rifles should the system be adopted.
Comments
Forgotten Weapons
Changing to a gas piston does remove that problem, yes.
Baron Engel
Question Ian. Did they change the gas system perhaps to address the issue you mentioned in an earlier video of the rigid gas system effecting the accuracy?
Thomas Batha
I'm guessing that the letter I is the serial "number" which would equate to No.9. I further speculate that the "30" prefaced by a period, refers to the bore size. The second zero appears to have been struck later. Experimental Trapdoor Springfields in the propsed new .30 Krag round were lettered A thru I think L, so the alpha id system for experimental guns is not new.
Guido Schriewer
very seldom I say such about some wood and steel but that looks rather ugly compared to the 42. so DI vs piston like 70 years ago. funny. that is still going on in the ar world then, isn't it.
