.....before we start,I had a portuguese vergueiro action,an old lee enfield 303 barrel and a pile of reloadable 8mm mauser cases.....now, my question is....would there be much difference in the loads for these four cartridges? I'm thinking of using 180 round nose bullets.....any ideas on powders,amounts, etc. would be helpful......anyone got one of those ballistic/reloading programs ??

Roger

Does the portugese action have an open top, like some of the Schoenauers?

I'd really enjoy seeing a picture.

The 303 British will want a .311 to .316" bullet.
The 8x57, could be either a .318" or .323" actual caliber.
The 7,7x57 is likely the small bore, about a .315"-.317" bullet.

You may want to look at the www.castbullets.com forum. There is a tremendous amount of information there on these cartridges and suitable cast bullets and starting powders/charge weights.

enjoy,

Rich

?......you misunderstand me....because I have the afore mentioned parts,I am going to combine them into a rifle and make a cartridge with a 7.7 (.311 or 303 cal ) projectile in a 57mm Mauser case.....the question is, can I use load data for 303B, 8X57 OR 7.7X58 Jap to load my 7.7x57



Vergueiro action..originally in 6.5, but most were rebarrelled to 8mm Mauser.

Roger

Yuma, not being personally familiar with that action were it me, after measuring the internal capacity of all cases and a careful comparison of all data, I would start with the 303 British data as it is generally loaded to the lowest pressure among those you mention. That and the single lug SMLE action isn't as strong as the double lug Mauser/Mannlicher actions so the lower pressure data would seem safe to me. It appears you know what you're doing so you could watch for pressure signs and go up accordingly. Mind you that isn't a recommendation, merely what I would do.

To my way of thinking, if I'm using a standard 8x57 case with a standard 180gr projectile, albeit fractionally undersized, I could possibly use 180gr 8x57I or IR starting load data.....maybe?

.312-303B/7.7
.318-8mm I and IR

Roger

I would suggest using the starting load data listed for the 7.65x53 Mauser.

The answer is yes.

Thank you gentlemen, it's all go from here.

Roger

Make it shorter so its not possible to fit a normal 8*57(.318-323) cartridge.