Dear Eric,

one of our most competent German-language gunwriters, Helmut Eller, owns and uses a 9,5x57 MS, and has written about it various times. He has also published loading data, including the new South African "Impala" bullets. I would suggest that you contact him; he will certainly be glad to help. I'll try to email or PM you his email address.

Best regards,
Carcano

Carcano:
Many thanks for the offer, which I'll gladly accept. The reloaded ammo I received from the owner (270-grain Hornady RN with 44 grains of IMR 3031) chronographed right at 2000 fps. I also just got back from SCI Reno and noted that Kynoch offers factory ammo.

Not as engraved as Kurt's, but not bad is my M/S. It, too, is a takedown in 9.5x57 or 9.5x56 or .375 2.5" or whatever you want to call it this week. This one has the flip up peep in the tang and the original case, too!







I was lucky enough to get 11 boxes of brass from OWS for $5 per box.. Mbogo375 stole five of those from me, though!



What's a good starting load with a Speer 270 grain RN with something besides IMR4064?

My records show that 49 gr of RL-15 behind the 270gr Speer gave me ~1900 fps in my M1910 rifle. I worked up from there, but switched to Hornday 270 gr (55grs for ~2200 fps).

Hope this helps,
Chris Ebert

So Eric, have you decided what hame you're going to use this rifle on?

George

JudgeG,

The most remarkable aspect of your rifle is that tang sight. For those who have never had the pleasure of seeing one in person:

When not in use, the sight is perfectly inletted flush in the wrist of the stock. You flip a little latch and the sight pops up. It has two elevation settings, to correspond with the two rear barrel sights. When you pull the bolt back, the sight retracts as the bolt glides over it, then returns upright as the bolt is pushed forward.

Imagine what it would cost today to have one installed on a rifle.

Has anyone tried lighter bullets in the 225-232 grain range? I'm wondering if it's possible to get velocities in the 2300-2350 fps range. I'm thinking of the equivalent of the .358 Winchester but with bigger diameter.

Kurt:



I'm a little confused about the tang sight. It seems that the purpose is not that of a conventional "peep", it's amazingly effective as a device to make your eye "define" the leaf and front sights. I say that, because that's what it seems to do for me. It's not really adjustable (except to elevate to the second leaf), and since 100 yard leaf won't fold down, looking through it does nothing else other than making the conventional sights much more usable for these old eyes.



Did the above make any sense... I hope so... In any event, the rifle is as slick as I've ever seen. With factory S&B ammo, a 270 grain round nose of some kind) it will put every bullet in a 6" target at 200 meters, with those outside of 4" always called as flyers. I can't wait to use it in the field.



My only problem is that I'll lose 30 minutes of hunting at morn and twilight because I don't get the light gathering help from a scope. But just holding the rifle will be a fair trade off.



I reckon a 270 grain bullet at 2100 or so would do just fine on anything smaller than a buffalo... Anyone got a lion that needs a "traditional death"????

If that's what you are looking for, Eric, the Impala 200 grains might be excellent.

Regards,
Carcano

Ernest,

That is exactly what the aperature sight is for. Back then the barrel sights were for speed and the aperature was used in conjunction with them for added precision. I couldn't find a spare tang sight to add to this 9.3x62, so I went with the bolt stop peep. It can be folded back out of the way if I just want to use the barrel sights. It is not as streamlined as yours, but it will do the trick.



Eric,

The problem with lighter bullets is that they do not fit the profile of the cartridge rotor and magazine area. You can load 2 or 3 rounds, but you will most likely not be able to load 5. The post war models solved this problem by putting a band around the magazine at the cartridge neck, making bullet shape less critical. It is visible in this photo of the above rifle without the stock. Look about 1.5" forward of the bolt handle.

If you can find a light bullet with a round ogive, and load it to the same OAL as the 270 gr, it may just work.

KurtC:

I've heard that bullet length and shape were critical to good feeding, which is why I asked about the shorter bullets. Thanks for confirming what I heard previously.

Mbogo375... or Jim:

Let's promise to have a M/S hunt next fall. BTW, have you loaded any of the 9.5x56? I'll need to borrow your dies next trip. I only have one box of S&B left and can find no other source.

Keep the Cogswell & Harrison happy. It needs hugs. I'll be back to get it soon, and bring the "new" M/S with me.