7.65 Argintine - Bullet size??

Al Norris

Moderator Emeritus
Since Norma factory ammo is so expensive and an awful lot of the cheap military surplus is iffy - both on detonation and accuracy, I've been thinking of reloading my own.

I have saved every case I have shot. Dies are not a problem... But what size do I get for bullets? I'm thinking .303 caliber. Probably .311.

Am I in the ball park here, or would any .310 - .312 do the job?
 

wrcook

New member
Can you slug the bore and get an accurate bore measurement? That will determine the best bullet size. You might also want to look at loading cast bullets. These rifles seem to be somewhat inconsistant as to bore size.

Bill
 

.45 Vet

New member
I've got an older Hornady manual that recommends .312" bullets for 7.65 mm Mauser. But advises that the Argentine actions aren't as strong as the 1898 model and loaders should use caution when working up loads.

You may have a lot of good times with lower pressure lead loads. Good luck.
 

drinks

New member
Argentine

Anti;
Just get a soft lead pear shaped sinker, remove the wire and drive it down the muzzle with a plastic or brass hammer, then use a piece of 1/4" wood dowel to drive it on through, measure the largest dimension with a mike and that is groove diameter, jacketed bullets of about that size should do fine, cast bullets sized .001 or.002 "oversized, with gas checks will be able to shoot very close to or as fast as the original factory loads. 175gr rn at 2500fps.
Don
 

Al Norris

Moderator Emeritus
Thanks everyone.

The markings on the rifle say:
Mauser Modelo Argintino 1909
Deutsche Wafen - und Munitionsfabriken.
Berlin.

This gun has a true '98 mauser action.

Blueing is all gone, so I keep it pretty well oiled. The serial numbers match on every part of the rifle except the cleaning rod and the bayonet. Rifling is OK, not new, but not shot out, either. The stock has one repaired spot on it - towards the upper swivel stack. All in all, not a bad field piece.

According to what I've pieced together, the serial number indicates this rifle was part of the first shipment of that model to Argentina.
 

klw

New member
SAECO moulds

SAECO has a mould (#305 or #315, can not remember which) that is tapered. Worked well in my gun.

Two things, however, are critical. First the cast bullets MUST be made from linotype. Wheelweights just don't work (don't know why). Second, the powder charge is critical. Think I ended up using 8 grains of unique, which was WAY below the maximum listed in Lyman's handbook.

With linotype bullets and the right powder charge these guns are really great. With wheelweight bullets and/or the wrong powder charge accuracy is non-existant.
 

Leftoverdj

New member
Two things, however, are critical. First the cast bullets MUST be made from linotype. Wheelweights just don't work (don't know why). Second, the powder charge is critical. Think I ended up using 8 grains of unique, which was WAY below the maximum listed in Lyman's handbook.

With linotype bullets and the right powder charge these guns are really great. With wheelweight bullets and/or the wrong powder charge accuracy is non-existant.

Lino casts about a thou bigger than WW. That's enough to make a huge difference in accuracy in some rifles. Eight grains of Unique would give about 1000 fps. Lower pressures are more tolerant of undersized bullets.

With a GC bullet a thou or two over groove diameter and a decent bore, there is no reason not to expect 2 moa at 1800 fps with aircooled WW. The sights on those rifles are nasty so you can add a couple more MOA unless you scope it.

If all you are interested in is a 50 yard plinker, the Hornady .314 SWC over 5 grains of Uniqye with one grain of dacron should shoot under 1.5" at 50 yards.
 

Crosshair

New member
(Probably going to get flamed for saying this)

If you have some "plinker grade" .308 bullets laying around I would probably just load up a light load and see how they shoot. If the groups look like a shotgun blast, then I would probably go through the trouble of slugging the bore and getting the right size.
 

drinks

New member
7.65

.310,.311 and .312 jacketed bullets are available, molds are available for more sizes and cast bullets can be sized to almost anything.
Plain ww's with a gas check that are .001-.002 oversive will do fine at 2000fps or less, ww's waterdropped with gas check are doing 2400fps in my .35 Whelen and 2700fps in my .243, using liquid alox or LBT soft blue lube.
Going to linotype metal would likely extend the speed range to 3000fps or more, but linotype is not for hunting, it is too brittle and can shatter if hitting a large bone.
Don
 
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