9.3X57 Mauser - Page 2

Wyosmith · August 19, 2017, 06:15 PM

Not 100% done. I still need to take it apart and do a trigger job, and I also lost the front locking screw, so I need to get a new one and put it in.
Then I must make an old style sliding buckle strap.
I will not likely get the checkering done until winter. But as of now it's ready to zero the sights at 100 meters and then the scope. I could have it ready to take hunting in a few days if I wish.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA by Steve Zihn, on Flickr

taylorce1 · August 19, 2017, 06:45 PM

Beautiful work!

Wyosmith · August 20, 2017, 10:23 AM

Thank Taylor.

huntfisheat · August 23, 2017, 08:02 PM

Looking nice wyo liberty tree have the slings you are looking for cheap like 10 bucks or so of go with a Montana for about 40

Wyosmith · August 23, 2017, 09:25 PM

Huntfisheat, who is Liberty Tree?

Wyosmith · August 23, 2017, 10:26 PM

OK I found them on another post.
Thanks
Those slings look just about perfect for what i need.

the possum · August 24, 2017, 12:22 PM

Why did you choose to shape the stock so narrow behind the pistol grip? Just curious if there was a specific reason...

Wyosmith · August 24, 2017, 05:21 PM

It's just a style that the Germans used now and then. The Brits used it a bit more, but you see it on some of the older guns now and then. I just like the look of it. Most times the toe line will run into the area at the back of the trigger guard but in this style it runs up through the center of the grip.

Other than the look of it, there is no advantage at all. It's just an older style. Rigby did this on some of their older guns, mostly single shots made on and some of the old Muzzleloaders too. There were some Sharps Rifles made in the 1880s here in the USA that used the same styling. It may lighten up the rifle, but only about 2 oz. so not enough to matter at all.
It makes for a very slender looking stock but the thin part where it meets the grip is actually about as thick than the grip itself. So it is not delicate. It just looks slim.

Wyosmith · August 24, 2017, 09:26 PM

Dang.........at the end of this long dribbling thread, I still didn't get any reports from other hunters on kills with the 9.3X57

So I guess I'll have to go kill game and report back to you all.

May take me a few years to gather up enough critters to have an informed opinion however. I'll start making plans to have those reports ready as soon as I can.

huntfisheat · August 25, 2017, 10:47 AM

I have did very good on deer drops them quick like many cartridges bigger then 35 cal i also shot a 420 pound Russian boar at about 90 yards and was dead right there with i still have the rifle looking to build some in the future just in broke right now

Wyosmith · August 25, 2017, 12:53 PM

Tell me (us) what ammo and/or bullet you used, and how the wounds were, bones encountered and so on. Did you get exits. If not, did you weight the bullets afterwords?

huntfisheat · August 26, 2017, 04:23 PM

Home loads made from 8x57 brass. Used old 300 grain hornady fn bullets i shoulder shoot all have exited all the way never recovered a bullet nice clean hole not much bigger then the bullet very little meat damage bones don't seem to stop it at all wish I still have the rifle was made by acky very early on i got it from John vanpatten before he died. He was po.ackeys shop forman when he was still in ny

Wyosmith · August 27, 2017, 10:00 AM

I am going to machine a sizing die to take .375" Bullets and bring them down to .366" in my press. I intend to try the Speer 235 grain bullets and see how well they work.

The Norma 232 grain bullets get very good reports, but are hard to find and quite expensive.
I expect if I don't like how the 235 Speer's do on game I can simply shoot them for fun and practice and kill game with the Norma's.

By taking a 7/8X14 grade 8 bolt and drilling a hole through it you can then ream about 3/4 of the hole to 375 and the last 1/4 to 366. You make a punch like a shell holder to push the bullets point upwards through the hole. The punch needs to be .364" The bullets are swedged down to .366" and pop out the top ready to load in any 9.3MM rifle.

250, 270 and 285 grain bullets are easily available now in .366, but the only "light weight" 9.3MM bullets I know of made today are the 232 Norma's and the 220 grain Fox bullets.

I have a 9.3X74R and I will soon have my own 9.3X62. I will use the 286 grain bullets in them. But for my 9.3X57 I was thinking the 220-235 grain range may be a bit better way to go. Nosler makes a 250 grain AccuBond too, but hard to get and expensive, so practice shooting can get costly.

huntfisheat · August 27, 2017, 10:37 AM

Hawk bullets make a 200 and a 235 he up to 320s very good bullets and can get custom jacket thickness for your x57 and go thicker for the x62 if needed

Scorch · August 28, 2017, 02:03 AM

Quote:

By taking a 7/8X14 grade 8 bolt and drilling a hole through it you can

Been there, done that. You can't make bullets out of other bullets cheaper or easier than just buying the bullets you need. Hornady makes 3 .366" bullets, Speer makes one .366", choose one and go shooting.

Wyosmith · August 28, 2017, 07:16 AM

No Scorch, no American maker makes a .366" bullet of the weight I am looking for. I want one at 230 to 235 grains, and the .375" Speer is as close as I can get.
That's the reason for the sizing die.

Nosler gets close at a 250 grain, but the price is too high for practice with them.

huntfisheat · August 28, 2017, 08:50 AM

Look at hawk bullets nj 200 and 235 grain

Wyosmith · August 28, 2017, 09:28 AM

Oh.....I stand corrected. Huntfisheat proves me wrong. Hawk makes the one I am looking for.
bBt I'll still make the die. Hawk bullets are 82 cents each and I can get the Speer's for a bit less then half that. So if the Speer bullet is not as good for killing game I can buy 1-2 boxes of hawk bullets and use the Speer's for practice. I'll test the Speer's from 2500 FPS to about 1600 FPS and see how well they open up at the 9.3X57 velocities at various ranges. Hawk bullets get very good reviews and I am pretty sure they will be fine, but what makes a marksman a marksman is practice and at 82-84 cents each, I can't afford to shoot them much so I'll sue the Speer's in any case for practice. If they open up and don't blow up, I'll use them for killing game too.

Model12Win · August 28, 2017, 09:53 AM

BEAUT!!!!

huntfisheat · August 28, 2017, 09:57 AM

Good point wyo it should work with the 375s are u going to make to died or try it in one shot your going to have to polish the finish die to get a perfect .366 from what i have done seems like I have to make a die up to .0002 smaller then what u need the bullets seem to spring back some after going in the die just have try some and adjust. I used some of that Cherrie red hot hardening stuff after u get the size right makes the die in side vary hard

Wyosmith · August 28, 2017, 05:48 PM

Yes you are correct. I lap the bore to 1200 grit and the actual bore size stops at .365" because the memory of the bullets bring them back to .366. Not in all cases, but it does work that way many times. PPU bullets are actually made at 365" and they shoot very well, so I figure I am safe if they come out a bit small, but I doubt they will.
The .375" portion of the die doesn't even need to be smooth as long as it's concentric. A good sharp new bit is all that is needed there. Only the sizing portion of the die bore needs to be smooth and polished.
And yes, going down the full .009" in one pass is not a problem. As long as the lead between the .375 and the .366 parts is good, and as long as the .366 part is smooth they go right through. I have done this kind of thing many times in the last 40 years and I am still using the same Rock Chucker to do it with that I was loading on in 1968

huntfisheat · August 28, 2017, 06:01 PM

Are u using a custom bit then polishing or a boring bar and polish normal twist bits are not a tru round hole

Wyosmith · August 29, 2017, 09:27 AM

I use a standard twist drill for the .375 hole. There is no need to a high finish in the part of the hole that holds the unsized bullet. I'll drill undersized with a 23/64 for the sizing portion and then ream undersized with a chucking reamer at .364". I'll then hone up to the size I want in the sizing portion of the hole and take it up to .365" with a 1200 micron finish.
The sizing portion is only about 1/2" long with the .375" portion being 1.5" long So the bullets are quite concentric when they are started into the .365" part of the die.

I have made dies in this same way for bullet re-sizing for 425 Westley Richards, 43 Spanish, 9X56 Mann/Scho, .318" 8MM for an 8X57I, and 333 Jeffery.
All worked perfectly . Ream .001" under and hone to size. Not hard to do and it only takes about 5 minutes to get them exactly where you need them.

Jim Watson · August 29, 2017, 09:51 AM

Ken Waters got a 238 gr cast 9.3 bullet up to 1600+ fps with decent accuracy for really cheap practice.

Wyosmith · August 29, 2017, 11:22 AM

That's another option I have kicked around. I don't think I'll make myself a mold for my 9.3s, but I have not rejected the idea 100% yet either.

August 19, 2017, 06:15 PM	#26
Wyosmith Senior Member Join Date: December 29, 2010 Location: Shoshoni Wyoming Posts: 2,713	Not 100% done. I still need to take it apart and do a trigger job, and I also lost the front locking screw, so I need to get a new one and put it in. Then I must make an old style sliding buckle strap. I will not likely get the checkering done until winter. But as of now it's ready to zero the sights at 100 meters and then the scope. I could have it ready to take hunting in a few days if I wish. OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA by Steve Zihn, on Flickr OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA by Steve Zihn, on Flickr OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA by Steve Zihn, on Flickr

August 19, 2017, 06:45 PM	#27
taylorce1 Senior Member Join Date: November 18, 2005 Location: On the Santa Fe Trail Posts: 8,242	Beautiful work! __________________ NRA Life Member

August 26, 2017, 04:23 PM	#37
huntfisheat Junior member Join Date: January 13, 2016 Posts: 24	Home loads made from 8x57 brass. Used old 300 grain hornady fn bullets i shoulder shoot all have exited all the way never recovered a bullet nice clean hole not much bigger then the bullet very little meat damage bones don't seem to stop it at all wish I still have the rifle was made by acky very early on i got it from John vanpatten before he died. He was po.ackeys shop forman when he was still in ny Last edited by huntfisheat; August 26, 2017 at 04:49 PM.

August 20, 2017, 10:23 AM	#28
Wyosmith Senior Member Join Date: December 29, 2010 Location: Shoshoni Wyoming Posts: 2,713	Thank Taylor.

August 23, 2017, 08:02 PM	#29
huntfisheat Junior member Join Date: January 13, 2016 Posts: 24	Looking nice wyo liberty tree have the slings you are looking for cheap like 10 bucks or so of go with a Montana for about 40

August 23, 2017, 09:25 PM	#30
Wyosmith Senior Member Join Date: December 29, 2010 Location: Shoshoni Wyoming Posts: 2,713	Huntfisheat, who is Liberty Tree?

August 23, 2017, 10:26 PM	#31
Wyosmith Senior Member Join Date: December 29, 2010 Location: Shoshoni Wyoming Posts: 2,713	OK I found them on another post. Thanks Those slings look just about perfect for what i need.

August 24, 2017, 12:22 PM	#32
the possum Senior Member Join Date: November 6, 2004 Location: Southern Illinois Posts: 555	Why did you choose to shape the stock so narrow behind the pistol grip? Just curious if there was a specific reason...

August 24, 2017, 05:21 PM	#33
Wyosmith Senior Member Join Date: December 29, 2010 Location: Shoshoni Wyoming Posts: 2,713	It's just a style that the Germans used now and then. The Brits used it a bit more, but you see it on some of the older guns now and then. I just like the look of it. Most times the toe line will run into the area at the back of the trigger guard but in this style it runs up through the center of the grip. Other than the look of it, there is no advantage at all. It's just an older style. Rigby did this on some of their older guns, mostly single shots made on and some of the old Muzzleloaders too. There were some Sharps Rifles made in the 1880s here in the USA that used the same styling. It may lighten up the rifle, but only about 2 oz. so not enough to matter at all. It makes for a very slender looking stock but the thin part where it meets the grip is actually about as thick than the grip itself. So it is not delicate. It just looks slim.

August 24, 2017, 09:26 PM	#34
Wyosmith Senior Member Join Date: December 29, 2010 Location: Shoshoni Wyoming Posts: 2,713	Dang.........at the end of this long dribbling thread, I still didn't get any reports from other hunters on kills with the 9.3X57 So I guess I'll have to go kill game and report back to you all. May take me a few years to gather up enough critters to have an informed opinion however. I'll start making plans to have those reports ready as soon as I can.

August 25, 2017, 10:47 AM	#35
huntfisheat Junior member Join Date: January 13, 2016 Posts: 24	I have did very good on deer drops them quick like many cartridges bigger then 35 cal i also shot a 420 pound Russian boar at about 90 yards and was dead right there with i still have the rifle looking to build some in the future just in broke right now

August 25, 2017, 12:53 PM	#36
Wyosmith Senior Member Join Date: December 29, 2010 Location: Shoshoni Wyoming Posts: 2,713	Tell me (us) what ammo and/or bullet you used, and how the wounds were, bones encountered and so on. Did you get exits. If not, did you weight the bullets afterwords?

August 27, 2017, 10:00 AM	#38
Wyosmith Senior Member Join Date: December 29, 2010 Location: Shoshoni Wyoming Posts: 2,713	I am going to machine a sizing die to take .375" Bullets and bring them down to .366" in my press. I intend to try the Speer 235 grain bullets and see how well they work. The Norma 232 grain bullets get very good reports, but are hard to find and quite expensive. I expect if I don't like how the 235 Speer's do on game I can simply shoot them for fun and practice and kill game with the Norma's. By taking a 7/8X14 grade 8 bolt and drilling a hole through it you can then ream about 3/4 of the hole to 375 and the last 1/4 to 366. You make a punch like a shell holder to push the bullets point upwards through the hole. The punch needs to be .364" The bullets are swedged down to .366" and pop out the top ready to load in any 9.3MM rifle. 250, 270 and 285 grain bullets are easily available now in .366, but the only "light weight" 9.3MM bullets I know of made today are the 232 Norma's and the 220 grain Fox bullets. I have a 9.3X74R and I will soon have my own 9.3X62. I will use the 286 grain bullets in them. But for my 9.3X57 I was thinking the 220-235 grain range may be a bit better way to go. Nosler makes a 250 grain AccuBond too, but hard to get and expensive, so practice shooting can get costly.

August 27, 2017, 10:37 AM	#39
huntfisheat Junior member Join Date: January 13, 2016 Posts: 24	Hawk bullets make a 200 and a 235 he up to 320s very good bullets and can get custom jacket thickness for your x57 and go thicker for the x62 if needed

August 28, 2017, 07:16 AM	#41
Wyosmith Senior Member Join Date: December 29, 2010 Location: Shoshoni Wyoming Posts: 2,713	No Scorch, no American maker makes a .366" bullet of the weight I am looking for. I want one at 230 to 235 grains, and the .375" Speer is as close as I can get. That's the reason for the sizing die. Nosler gets close at a 250 grain, but the price is too high for practice with them.

August 28, 2017, 08:50 AM	#42
huntfisheat Junior member Join Date: January 13, 2016 Posts: 24	Look at hawk bullets nj 200 and 235 grain

August 28, 2017, 09:28 AM	#43
Wyosmith Senior Member Join Date: December 29, 2010 Location: Shoshoni Wyoming Posts: 2,713	Oh.....I stand corrected. Huntfisheat proves me wrong. Hawk makes the one I am looking for. bBt I'll still make the die. Hawk bullets are 82 cents each and I can get the Speer's for a bit less then half that. So if the Speer bullet is not as good for killing game I can buy 1-2 boxes of hawk bullets and use the Speer's for practice. I'll test the Speer's from 2500 FPS to about 1600 FPS and see how well they open up at the 9.3X57 velocities at various ranges. Hawk bullets get very good reviews and I am pretty sure they will be fine, but what makes a marksman a marksman is practice and at 82-84 cents each, I can't afford to shoot them much so I'll sue the Speer's in any case for practice. If they open up and don't blow up, I'll use them for killing game too.

August 28, 2017, 09:53 AM	#44
Model12Win Junior member Join Date: October 20, 2012 Posts: 5,854	BEAUT!!!!

August 28, 2017, 09:57 AM	#45
huntfisheat Junior member Join Date: January 13, 2016 Posts: 24	Good point wyo it should work with the 375s are u going to make to died or try it in one shot your going to have to polish the finish die to get a perfect .366 from what i have done seems like I have to make a die up to .0002 smaller then what u need the bullets seem to spring back some after going in the die just have try some and adjust. I used some of that Cherrie red hot hardening stuff after u get the size right makes the die in side vary hard

August 28, 2017, 05:48 PM	#46
Wyosmith Senior Member Join Date: December 29, 2010 Location: Shoshoni Wyoming Posts: 2,713	Yes you are correct. I lap the bore to 1200 grit and the actual bore size stops at .365" because the memory of the bullets bring them back to .366. Not in all cases, but it does work that way many times. PPU bullets are actually made at 365" and they shoot very well, so I figure I am safe if they come out a bit small, but I doubt they will. The .375" portion of the die doesn't even need to be smooth as long as it's concentric. A good sharp new bit is all that is needed there. Only the sizing portion of the die bore needs to be smooth and polished. And yes, going down the full .009" in one pass is not a problem. As long as the lead between the .375 and the .366 parts is good, and as long as the .366 part is smooth they go right through. I have done this kind of thing many times in the last 40 years and I am still using the same Rock Chucker to do it with that I was loading on in 1968

August 28, 2017, 06:01 PM	#47
huntfisheat Junior member Join Date: January 13, 2016 Posts: 24	Are u using a custom bit then polishing or a boring bar and polish normal twist bits are not a tru round hole

August 29, 2017, 09:27 AM	#48
Wyosmith Senior Member Join Date: December 29, 2010 Location: Shoshoni Wyoming Posts: 2,713	I use a standard twist drill for the .375 hole. There is no need to a high finish in the part of the hole that holds the unsized bullet. I'll drill undersized with a 23/64 for the sizing portion and then ream undersized with a chucking reamer at .364". I'll then hone up to the size I want in the sizing portion of the hole and take it up to .365" with a 1200 micron finish. The sizing portion is only about 1/2" long with the .375" portion being 1.5" long So the bullets are quite concentric when they are started into the .365" part of the die. I have made dies in this same way for bullet re-sizing for 425 Westley Richards, 43 Spanish, 9X56 Mann/Scho, .318" 8MM for an 8X57I, and 333 Jeffery. All worked perfectly . Ream .001" under and hone to size. Not hard to do and it only takes about 5 minutes to get them exactly where you need them.

August 29, 2017, 09:51 AM	#49
Jim Watson Senior Member Join Date: October 25, 2001 Location: Alabama Posts: 18,537	Ken Waters got a 238 gr cast 9.3 bullet up to 1600+ fps with decent accuracy for really cheap practice.

August 29, 2017, 11:22 AM	#50
Wyosmith Senior Member Join Date: December 29, 2010 Location: Shoshoni Wyoming Posts: 2,713	That's another option I have kicked around. I don't think I'll make myself a mold for my 9.3s, but I have not rejected the idea 100% yet either.