Old mauser tips....

[Blucollar]

Need help/advice with a old mauser 7x57.
Don't know much about this rifle other than its older military.
Just want some ideas before jumping in!

[Phoneman]

What kind of mauser?

[zasxcd]

What sort of tips? Restoring? Sporterizing? Handloading? Identification? Tell us more and we will tell you more.

[Blucollar]

Sorry about the lack of info.
I'm running down some information on the rifle now, but not complete.
Reloading info mainly needed, looks like a spanish mauser (1916 maybe).
Just didn't want to load anything too hot.
More info coming as I find it out, Thanks.

[iiranger]

Mauser started making bolt actions about the time of the US civil war. Before the 1898 model they cocked on closing... That made them close harder--you were stretching the firing pin spring. 93 Spanish, 94/96/36 Swede. Mexicans. Spain continued to make these into WW II. Obviously the steel from the pre WW I era is not the quality of steel from post 1930 or so. Some fo the later rifles were rebarrled to .308.

Since there are so many early 7x57s in US loads for the older guns are kept way down and should be safe in anything you have. Factory or "rolling block" loads. If you can ID the gun as made in the 1930s on, then it should be safe with any factory load or manual loads for '98 Mausers. but do your homework first. HAPPY HOLIDAYS. Luck. Happy trails.

[coyotejoe]

The Spanish rifles were not of the best quality and the m-93s don't have the 98's shooter protection features.  I would be inclined to keep loads in the moderate to light range. A 150 grain bullet at 2500-2600 fps will do anything you may need done out to 200 yards or a bit more.  If you think about it, even lighter loads will still beat anything you can get from a 30/30 and that has killed more North American game than any other cartridge except perhaps the .22 rimfire, but we won't talk about that.

[John Traveler]

I've reloaded for many years for my M1893 and M1916 Spanish Mausers.

The loads I've settled on were relatively light loads, as recommended in "starting loads" in the loading manuals.

I've had the most success using Horrnay 139 and Sierra 140 grain spitzers and 40.0 grains of IMR 4895.

Yes, I know.  These are mild loads as modest velocities, but they are safe to shoot in my old surplus rifles.

As far as factory loads, the Federal 139 grain is relatively hotter, and the 175 grain Remington and Wnchesters are very mild.

Avoid European factory ammo as a rule.  They load to the upper end of SAAMI standards, and do strain the old M1893 actions a bit, as do the surplus military loads.  I've some FN cupronickle military ball that consistently give flattened primers in my '93.  I now save them for the '98 mauser with it's superior gas handling design.

HTH
John

[zasxcd]

Many years ago when I started shooting military surplus rifles, I had a 6.5 Jap rifle. Becoming familiar with the accuracy and trajectory of Norma ammo, I could not help but observe that a guy would be a LOT better off with a milsurp rifle and good ammo than with the average .30-30. This of course applies to the 7x57. The old standby 175gr round nose soft nose at about 2400fps is still an extremely effective deer load, and to use 139/140 gr bullets will flatten trajectory to more modern numbers. A GREAT old cartridge, use it and enjoy it!