Does anyone have any experience with this grand, old, obsolete cartridge? (Obsolete according the "experts". The more "obsolete they are the more I like them). I have a fine looking old Mauser sporter on its way to my house and it is chambered to this cartridge and am curious as to others experiences.

I am working with one now that I built on purpose on a left handed montana short action.i used a .358 barrel as opposed to a true 9mm barrel and put the proper pilot on the reamer that I got from mr kiff. the dies are a catalog item with redding. I have made cases from 8 mm mauser and also from 30/06. doesn't seem to matter, they both work. I just started and haven't worked up to a working load and have yet to chronograph anything. my guess is that it will fall between the 358 win and the 35 whelen in the modern gun. what else would you like to know.

That's a good start for now....about what I figured. I expect the questions will get more specific once the rifle arrives. Thanks!!

I recently picked up a 1924 vintage Oberndorf Type C (23.6" barrel) that was reproofed in Germany in 1961, which is presumably when it lost its original rear sight and acquired a Lyman receiver sight and a '60s style stock. Groove diameter turned out to be 0.359", so I can use regular 0.358" bullets.

Ten rounds of KYNOCH 245 gr. factory loads averaged 2125 fps. while 9 rounds of RWS 281 gr. loads averaged 1838 fps (all velocities at 15').

ADI, the Australian manufacturer of Hodgdon's Extreme powders, lists data for AR2206 (H4895) and AR2208 (Varget) with 250 and 280 gr. bullets. Note that in the data for European cartridges on the Hodgdon website the bullet weights have been reversed; the higher max charges should be for the lighter bullet.

So far I have worked up to 47.0 gr. Varget behind a 250 gr. Hornady RNSP, sparked by WLR primers, in new Privi 8x57 brass, for a velocity of 2040 fps. With 46.0 gr. the velocity was 1985 fps, so ADI's suggested max load of 49.0 gr. should slightly exceed the velocity of the KYNOCH factory loads.

To form the brass I first ran the 8x57 cases into an RCBS .35 Whelen die with a tapered expander ball for necking up .30-06 brass. They were then full length sized in a Redding 9x57 die, and trimmed to uniform length (2.22" +/-). I've also done the same with once fired HIRTENBERGER and norma 8x57 brass with no problems.

Cheers, Al

Thanks Al. That's good stuff.

You're welcome. Have fun with your classic!

Cheers, Al

Kinda running behind as I've had the rifle since shortly after the first post. The bore is as was stated, "showing some wear". I can't get any cast bullet to shoot in it. I may try the Saeco 245 gr. gas check a friend sent over a charge of Unique. It could be that with the higher charges of slower powders the bullet is stripping the rifling, given as shallow as the rifling is. 250 gr. Hornady and Speer it likes over IMR-3031 or 4064. I haven't tried H-4895 or Varget and probably won't. 43 grs. of IMR3031 shoots so good, given the bore condition, I don't believe it can be improved on at least with me behind the rifle and shooting open sights. Velocity at 2100 fps give or take just a bit. Very consistent load and pressure signs are mild, nice round primers and zero resistance on bolt lift.

Bore and chamber are TIGHT. Groove dia. is .352 and forming brass from Remington -06 cases I had to take just a few thousandths off the case body and head to get the bolt to close. I had to make a swaging die for the bullets to get them to .353-.354. Here's the rifle.

Nice looking rifle

I started slowly down this trail a few years ago when I bought a cruddy greasy VZ-24. Then I found a set of new old stock Pacific dies.
I guess I could have the existing barrel rebored or buy a new blank and go at it.

Unless you already have one, I would not go with the 9x57; too many problems with bullets and brass. Just go with the 9.3x62; far more popular and very easy to get components, a more capable round, and will fit any 98 Mauser without mods.

'll encourage you to go for it. At one time I had 5 Mausers (all original Mauser commercial sporters) in that 9x57 (9m/m Mauser rifle chambering. I never had any trouble at all keeping them well fed. I bought them all at auctions in old Blighty after they had come to England after years of servitude in Kenya, Rhodesia, and Tanganyika.

(There was also a 9m/m Mauser handgun chambering around the beginning of the 20th century. It was provided in Mauser semi-auto pistols IN ADDITION TO the 9m/m Parabellum and the .30 Mauser rounds. (Obviously a whole different kettle of fish...)

Despite all the pissing and moaning one reads about needing .355" or .356" diameter bullets for them, mine all worked wonderfully well with .358" diameter 250 grain bullets, which aren't normally too tough to find...usually easier than 9.3 bullets of any weight. Cases were a piece of cake to make from 7x57, 8x57, and .30-06 brass. For an experienced handloader, there is more potential there than in a .358 Winchester...the 9x57 case is 57m/m long, while the .358 Winchester brass is approximately 51 m/m in length. Same case head size for both.

They are a fun cartridge and rifle, with power about midpoint between a .358 Winchester and a .35 Whelan, without having to use hot loads at all to achieve that performance.

I am not sure why the 9X57 would be a problem.

Using a .358 barrel cures the bullet problem and brass is every where in the the disguise of .270 and .30-06 cases.

I am more interested in a lead bullet rifle than a hunting rifle though, I know I could buy a 9.3mm for less money than building anything.

If I liked the rifle itself then I'd go with the 9.x57 its a decent deer, elk, Moose rifle IMO..same as a .358 Win. 348 Win. and fairly close to the 35 Whelen..otherwise I would also prefer the 9.3x62, one of my all time favorite cartridges, but you can't rebore a 9x57 to a 9.3 but I did rebore one to a 375/9.3x62 and it surprisingly duplicated a factory loaded 375 H&H. A real nice wildcat.

Sometimes I wonder why when Jack OConnor tried to describe his idea of the ideal "brush" gun why he didnt just say 9X57.. ?? It seems to me that is pretty much what he had in mind.

I have several 9x57's. Bore sizes can vary, be sure to slug the bore (properly).

Two have .356" bore which I shoot .358's through. Both are open sights and will shoot about an inch at 100 yds. the necks are sufficiently large that the "oversize" bullet is not an issue.

I have another that started out as a 9x57 but was reamed to 9,3x57 despite having a .356" bore. It was fired that way many, many times. I have enough 9,3x57s so I rechambered that one to .35 Whelen to clean up the neck. Shoots like a dream, again, with .358 bullets.

I tend to favor the Hornady 250 gr round nose in these.

It is a fun cartridge and loves RL15.

If it won't shoot cast try jacketed.

Since my last post on this rifle and cartridge combination I've done some more experiementing and load development. The final load I settled on with jacketed bullets was 43 gr.s of IMR-3031 beneath either a Speer or Hornady 250 gr. round nose. Very accurate given the condition of the bore.

I can't leave cast bullet alone and a friend had recommended starting with 13 grs. of Unique and a filler. I prefer the open cell foam fillers so that's where I started. Voila"!!! 3 round under an inch at 50 yards, benched. That was after I had tried some hotter loads for cast and the bullets tumbled, obviously stripping the rifling. I am now up to 15 grs. of Unique with the same filler with 0 pressure signs and accuracy maintaining itself. This weekend I'll try a couple more loads of Unique increased one grain at a time and run them across the chrono. I believe if I can get to 1500 fps with a 250 gr. cast, gas checked bullet while maintaining the current accuracy I may dump the jacketed load and just shoot the cast....once I acquire a mold. A friend sent me the cast bullets I am now using and they work good!

Here are my cases made from Remington 30-06 brass. 9 X 57 in the center, 30-06 on the ends. The chamber in my rifle is also tight so I had to take .002-.003 off the case head so they would chamber. How so little meant so much...wow. Regarding the 9 X 57 cartridge I believe I prefer it to the .358 WCF, not that there is any great shakes difference, for all intents and purposes they're so close to equal as to be nearly meaningless. Any reasonable handloader shouldn't have any problems with bullets or cases.