Being right in the depths of winter, it seemed like a good time to take a Scandinavian rifle out to the range. Specifically, a Swedish Ljungman AG-42B. This is one of the few semiauto military rifles chambered for a full-power cartridge lighter than the 7.62 NATO (the other common one being the FN49 in 7x57), and I was curious about whether that lighter round would really make much difference in how the rifle felt. The answer? It definitely does.

The Ljungman is a bit of a bulky rifle, with a fairly long action and stock. Shooting it is very pleasant, though. The light-ish cartridge and muzzle brake make for fairly mild recoil, and a very controllable gun. It sure does fling brass, though - close to 20 feet ahead and slightly to the right.