Went to a gun auction yesterday and dammed if an old Mauser rifle didn't follow me home. It is a 9x57 rifle with a 24 in barrel. 3 leaf rear site & a nice front blade. It has a Lyman peep site installed also. The action has the Mauser name on the top of the receiver ring . It is drilled and tapped for scope mounts and if not done by the gunsmith who built the rifle it was done by a skilled smith. The plug screws are still installed and they look like they have never been removed. The bolt handle is the turned down (almost 90 deg) version that doesn't really clear a scope. Bore is very good. Stock is very trim and not cracked. All in all pretty good shape. Would like to hear comments from any who know a bit about them. Also anyone who has loading data for the 9x57.

I would slug the bore and be sure what you have, might get lucky and have a .358+ bore.
I have load data for mine it has a .355 bore.
Cartrages of the world had some reloading data using imr 3031.. I will see if I can find the data
these are from po Ackley.
upload a gif

Would you happen to have a photo?

Is the serial number stamped on the bottom of the action behind the lug and on the back wall of the bottom metal/magazine?

Serial # is on the left side of the receiver ring. Sorry I can't post any pics.

quote:

Originally posted by snowman:
Serial # is on the left side of the receiver ring. Sorry I can't post any pics.

I was just curious. It seems like most guild guns were made on military actions, but quite a few were made on Commercial Oberndorf action, which makes such guild guns more of a prize. While the commercial actions have the serial number on the left of the front ring, they also typically have the serial number stamped on the bottom of the the action just behind the action lug and on the rear wall of the bottom metal, as well (stamped in three places). Oberndorf commercial action production, which includes those used on Oberndorf commercial spotters and those sold to custom makers, only numbers in something like 130k-ish total. Is the bolt handle knob round or pear shaped? Unaltered commercial bolt handles have a pear shaped knob. Is there a makers name on the barrel?

Snowman:

I have what was an original Oberndorf Type C Army Hunting Rifle in 9x57 that followed me home a few years ago. It was rebuilt and reproofed in Germany in 1961. It now sports a rather angular '50s' European-style stock, and the rear sights were removed and replaced with a Lyman SME57. Serial number indicates it was originally made in the mid-20s. Except for the commercial Oberndorf stamping on the left receiver rail, and the sporter style 9mm barrel (groove diameter mikes .359" BTW), it looks like a sporterized military rifle, with a sling swivel hole in the front of the trigger guard and a turned down bolt with large round ball, as shown on p.227 of the 3rd edition of Ludwig Olsen's "Mauser Bolt Rifles". Note that with the SME sight, operating the bolt the 'American' way will gouge a good chunk of flesh out of the right trigger finger!

The only modern loading data that I have been able to find is on the ADI and Hodgdon websites (same data, just that the former uses the Australian powder names and the latter the American). Note: last time I checked the Hodgdon website, they still have the loads for the 250 and 280 gr. bullets transposed - the ADI site has the loads listed correctly.

So far I have only tried Varget and the 250 gr. Hornady RNSP. In reformed norma 8x57JS brass, I was able to duplicate the velocity of KYNOCH 245 gr. factory loads (my goal) at 2 gr. below ADI maximum. In lighter Privi brass (also reformed 8x57), velocity was 110 fps slower with the same load. Note: if you should come across any of the old KYNOCH factory ammo, and decide to fire it, make sure you've got your glasses on! One box I fired worked fine, but I had 2 longitudinal case splits from the second box, resulting in a couple of facefulls of powder gas.

Hope this helps, and that you're not in the way of the floods!

Cheers, Al

quote:

Originally posted by ColoradoMatt:

quote:

Originally posted by snowman:
Serial # is on the left side of the receiver ring. Sorry I can't post any pics.

I was just curious. It seems like most guild guns were made on military actions, but quite a few were made on Commercial Oberndorf action, which makes such guild guns more of a prize. While the commercial actions have the serial number on the left of the front ring, they also typically have the serial number stamped on the bottom of the the action just behind the action lug and on the rear wall of the bottom metal, as well (stamped in three places). Oberndorf commercial action production, which includes those used on Oberndorf commercial spotters and those sold to custom makers, only numbers in something like 130k-ish total. Is the bolt handle knob round or pear shaped? Unaltered commercial bolt handles have a pear shaped knob. Is there a makers name on the barrel?

The serial number has the letter C in front of a 5 digit # 424xx. There also appears to be a small # 29 stamped below the serial # just above the wood line. There does not appear to be any markings on the barrel. I have not had a chance to pull the barreled action out of the stock. (We have company and the wife gets a little pissy if I start working on guns when her relatives are here). The bolt handle is round with the stock side of the ball flattened and serrated. I have never seen a military action with the Mauser emblem on the receiver ring so I'm thinking this is a commercial action...but I'm hopping those with more knowledge can help.
Al your rifle sounds very similar. Since I can't post a pic is there any chance you could post a pic of yours ? If they are the same/ similar that may help.
Al we are high and dry where we are but less 10 miles from us there are people leaving their homes due to flooding. Thank You for your concern.

Snowman:

Glad to hear that your feet, and your rifles, are high and dry.

I can't post pics either (I'm one of those technologically challenged old farts; logging on to AR is pretty much my limit), so I'll describe as best I can.

My rifle does not have the Mauser banner on the receiver ring; it's just bare metal. On the left side of the receiver ring it has the crowned U and crowned B proof marks followed by the 5-digit serial number; no letters in the serial number. The left receiver rail is stamped "WAFFENFABRIK MAUSER - OBERNDORF A/N". The left side of the barrel has the serial number, and the calibre "9,0 H". When it was reproofed 9x57 was stamped on the right side of the barrel. The last 4 digits of the serial number are on top of the bolt handle, at the root. The last 2 digits are on the trigger, extractor, safety, firing pin shroud, and the tail of the cocking piece. Out of the wood, the serial number is duplicated at the rear of the magazine box, and the last 2 digits are on the rear of the military style floorplate and the left side of the trigger mechanism. I am by no means a Mauser expert, but my understanding is that the Type C models were based on military actions pulled off the line and made into inexpensive sporters for military officers who wanted a Mauser sporter that functioned exactly like their issued rifles. Therefore, they did not have the pear shaped bolt knobs or hinged floorplates that were found on the more typical commercial models.

In addition to the new stock and sights, my rifle differs from that illustrated by Olsen in that it has a sporter profiled barrel rather than a stepped barrel, and it does not appear to have ever had a barrel band sling swivel.

Hope you find out more about your rifle.

Cheers, Al

Mine has a sporter barrel as well. NOT the stepped barrel.

Is the serial number stamped on the barrel as well as the receiver? Is the Mauser banner small, or really big, taking up most of the space on the top of the front ring?

Matt I do not see the serial # on the barrel. The mauser banner on the receiver ring is approx. 5/8 inch wide and approx. 3/8 inch high

Where are the photos?! Without pics it doesn't exist.

I wish you could post pics! The fact that there is a letter in front of the serial number, along with the "small" variant banner suggests that the action may be from a commercial K98 from the early 30's that Mauser was allowed to export, and sell to civil authorities and shooting clubs etc. These rifles included "Standard Modell", post office, railroad, and others. If only the rifle could speak. The left wall of these actions were typically stamped "Standard Modell" or "Mauser Werke a.g. Oberndorf a.n". I've seen a couple of last ditch late war manufacture K98's with the small banner on top the front ring as well.

Mauser model B 9x57

another. marked 118/35 under the barrel

quote:

Originally posted by ALF:


Mauser model B 9x57

Relatives gone. Pulled the stock off.
1/ There are no marks on the bottom metal. Appears to be std military metal with locking screws.
2/ Bottom of barrel.No serial #. About 1 1/2 inch in front of the receiver there is a number 60. Closer to the receiver next appears to be a half circle with TT inside the circle. next marks closer to the receiver is 87 m/r. next is 7.27 . Closest to the receiver ring is 199. Sling swivel soldered to the bottom of the barrel. The rifle looks very much like the pic that Alf posted except the rear site is not a ramp site like Alf's. Mine is a 3 leaf site. Centre leaf fixed and the front and rear leaf flip up and down.
3/ Action right side of receiver ring has a small sun? 5mm in diam. Left side has the same mark with 29 under it. Left side also has the serial # C424xx
4/ top of the extractor has a 46 on top
That is all the marks on the metal.
Slugged the barrel. Best I can measure is a snug .357 & .349. The brass and loaded ammo (formed from 8x57)had some 358 cal bullets loaded and .357 pistol bullets. There were about 30 empty fired cases. .358 cal bullets pass freely through the neck of the fired cases.
Any input on what or where this rifle came from are appreciated.

Nice old guns, and the 9x57 is balistically a .358 Win. and that's good..I always grab the ones with a solid rib barrel..sometimes I rebore them depending on the caliber..A 9x57 to a 9.3x62 or 375x62 as a rule,but they are a bit on the light side and that adds a bit more recoil. Bullets in 9mm are hard to come by and some folks shoot .358 bullets in them, but I never liked that idea, I would sure slug the barrel before I did anything..There are a couple of companies that sell loaded custom ammo and I suspect they are using 358 bullets. the ones I bought were that, I shot them up and they seemed fine, but I wasn't happy with that in my unslugged barrel. It was a bit careless on my part but they assured me all was fine!! big on my part however.

The barrel is a snug .357 so I am going to try some 358 cal 220 gr Speer bullets. Along with the approx. 70 cases,some empty some loaded came came some load data for a 260 gr cast bullet,a 158 gr pistal bullet and 250 gr Hawk jacketed bullets using 3031. There is data in Ackley's handbooks as well I have a couple old Lyman load manuals that list data for the 9x57.

quote:

am going to try some 358 cal 220 gr Speer bullets

One can always swage 358 dia. bullets down to the right sized

Shooting a .358 bullet in a .357 bore is a cakewalk, you will be just fine..I would however just to be safe, start with the starting loads in a handloading manual and work up..You should be able to go quite a ways as the books sure play it safe on the 8x57 and the 7x57 because of the old martinis, Mauser 95, Mauser 96s and what not..

Lucky bugger!!!!


Hawk Inc., http://www.hawkbullets.com/maintest.htm, has 9mm bullets in .353, .354, and .356 - 200 and 250 gr round tips that do very well for game.

x57 cases run ~63-65 gr H2O, 308-358 run ~57+ H2O all depending on brands and caliber. Several sites have reloading data like Reloaders nest and Ammo Guide.

At .357" slugged, that barrel won't even notice a .358" size difference as I'll bet the bore has only a short portion that runs .357", the rest could be larger. I've measured 0.001- 0.002"difference in bullet size in some of the seconds I've shot and not much of a difference in velo or accuracy as long as you measure separate and keep/shoot them segregated as to size...and you'll be hard pressed to determine any differences in hunting accuracy mixed or not...sometimes insignificant to hunting accuracy POI change.

LUCK

Mostly that's because that slug doesn't take a proper fit until its smoothed out and polished as it goes downbore.

Well I hope to have some first hand experience to share with everyone within the next few days.I wasn't happy with the ragged crown on the rifle so I had it re-crowned.Rifle just came back yesterday. About 70 rds of loaded ammo/brass came with the rifle with a variety of headstamps. I've started with a new batch of Rem 8x57 brass and necked it up to .366 in a couple steps, then sized it back down in my 9x57 until I can just close the bolt on a case with some resistance.Going to start with 220 gr Speer bullets and IMR 3031.