7x57 Mauser

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I have been trying to find "reasonably" priced 7x57 Mauser ammo, like PPU or S&B. I tried everywhere listed on AmmoSeek and nobody seems to have it in stock, or if they do, it turns out to actually be 7x57R (gunbuyer.com). J&G has Venezuelan surplus - I just ordered a box - good deal but they reamed me on the shipping. I'm not always in the mood for the obsessive cleanup that I do after shooting corrosive primed ammo, hence the search for Slavic ammo. Their 7.62x54R seems to be very good quality for the price. Anybody have suggestions for either mailorder or stores within 50 miles of Cincinnati?

-J

Re: 7x57 Mauser

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atxgunguy wrote:Not sure what your price-point when it comes to, "reasonable", but I tend to go through Gunbot to find the best deals.

http://gunbot.net/ammo/rifle/7x57mm/

Looks like 7mm Mauser is backorderable from Cabela's, which would allow you to ship to store and save on freights costs.

http://www.cabelas.com/product/shooting ... s?slotId=1
Thanks for the tip on Cabela's :thumbup: I should run up there this week and take a look just in case they have any on the shelf. Ship to store is a great idea - I really hadn't thought of that. I did check the other listings on gunbot (did that before ammoseek), but everybody seemed to be out of stock. As far as "reasonable price", I had to recalibrate my brain a bit for this caliber. I think if I can keep it under a dollar per round, I won't feel quite so bad taking the Mauser along to the range. When PPU or S&B is in stock, it seems to be about $15-16 per box of 20, or about half the price of other commercial ammo in this caliber. I've shot quite a bit of PPU in other rifle and handgun calibers (7.62x54R, x39, and x25) with no complaints.

Re: 7x57 Mauser

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CDFingers wrote:Reload S&B brass for best results, and inexpensive, too.

CDFingers
Ah, the temptation to reload. That's something I haven't tried before, but I am interested. I need to set up a better workshop space to accommodate reloading. I wonder if LGC could host some sort of hands-on demo of reloading at one of the national meetings?

Re: 7x57 Mauser

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I ordered two boxes of the Venezuelan surplus from J&G; It will be arriving today. Postage was $17. I have heard this may be subject to duds,misfires, and fizzes. Worst case scenario is I'll have components for someone to reload.
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Re: 7x57 Mauser

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JColville wrote:I ordered two boxes of the Venezuelan surplus from J&G; It will be arriving today. Postage was $17. I have heard this may be subject to duds,misfires, and fizzes. Worst case scenario is I'll have components for someone to reload.
I have arisaka ammo like that. Exciting times at the range.


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Re: 7x57 Mauser

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I don’t think it would be very easy to reload Venezuelan milsurp ammo. It probably uses Berdan instead of boxer primers. I guess the climatic conditions for ammo storage are a bit suboptimal in South America. I have shot about 400 out of 800 rounds of mid-50’s Bulgarian milsurp (7.62x25) and all have gone boom so far. We’ll see how it goes. I did manage to back order some PPU from Cabela’s. It should ship in 2 weeks. PPU is reloadable.

Re: 7x57 Mauser

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Check out the reloading forum. You'll get all sorts of help from other LGC folks who are vectors for the reloading virus...

7x57 Mauser is an easy cartridge to reload, and you can often find used dies for cheap.

A couple things to think about before getting into reloading. Not a comprehensive list.

Make sure you have time to pursue it. Reloading requires undivided attention to critical details that can affect the health and safety of yourself and fellow shooters. Being in a hurry at the loading bench is not in your interest. If picky little details are not your thing, best to stick to factory ammo.

Follow the load tables, even better to verify loads by checking multiple sources.

Start slow with a one stage press or a Lee Loader.

Best of Luck!

:crockett:
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Re: 7x57 Mauser

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joemac wrote:
drigeba wrote: Start slow with a one stage press or a Lee Loader.
:crockett:
I have heard Lee Loaders are like a gateway drug...
I think a good number of the folks I know who reload started with one....

Just like CZ pistols, once you have one you are all in around here. :whistle: :whistle: :whistle:
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Re: 7x57 Mauser

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Marlene wrote:C'mon man, all the cool kids are doing it
Yep, it's only a matter of time ;) . I'll start looking to see what my used vs. new options are. It sounds like a new Lee press isn't all that expensive, particularly considering the cost and lack of availability of some of the more "interesting" rifle cartridges. I'm an engineer, so the precision aspects of reloading have a certain apeal that goes beyond self-preservation.

Re: 7x57 Mauser

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The 7x57mm Mauser surplus ammo from J&G came in. It was advertised as 173 gr. FN Venezualan surplus ammo from 1936. I also found an old box of 7mm Mauser in a local gunshop. The proprietor picked it up at a gunshow. Box is marked Remington UMC. It appears to be repackaged 175 gr. FMJ spitzer ammo from FN. I'm assuming from the headstamps that it is 1946 production. All of this is corrosive-primed. Photos below:

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It almost seems a shame to shoot this stuff considering its age, but the price was right.

Re: 7x57 Mauser

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Save a couple rounds and those boxes for the hell of it!

I think the Mosin shooters who shoot corrosive ammo carry a small spray bottle of windex to neutralize the corrosive salts from old primers. I don't recall if following up with a patch is needed or if it's ok to wait for doing that when you get home to clean the rifle.
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Re: 7x57 Mauser

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I do plan on keeping a few of each round and the boxes. I have shot corrosive-primed ammo in my other firearms (Mosin-Nagant rifle, Zastava M57 pistol) although I find it's not worth the bother of post-shoot cleanup and I have been using commercial ammo lately. I use a generic version of Windex ammonia/water based cleaner for neutralizing the corrosive salts from the primers. I saturate a couple of pieces of cloth and run them through the bore on a jag until they come out clean, then I finish cleaning with Hoppe's as usual. If I'm shooting corrosive ammo, I try to do at least an initial cleaning at the range, then I do something a bit more intensive once I get home. I have heard it is a good idea to wait a few days after the initial cleaning and hit the bore with an ammonia solution again since the salts can absorb into carbon deposits and desorb back out over time.

I did manage to finally get some commercial PPU ammo at a small local gunshop (and I have 2 boxes backordered with Cabela + free shipping). I'm curious to compare old vs. new and spitzer vs. round nose.

Re: 7x57 Mauser

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joemac wrote:
Ah, the temptation to reload. That's something I haven't tried before, but I am interested. I need to set up a better workshop space to accommodate reloading.
If you haven't seen me recommend the Lee Hand Press in other threads, I'll do it here. Slow, but way faster than a Lee Loader and no pounding noise. When I started, ALL my reloading gear except the manual fit in a 10" x 14" x 6" box: hand press, 50 case plastic MTM rack, cheap digital scale, pulling hammer, calipers, a pound of powder, a box of bullets, a home-made bottle of lanolin/Ethanol case lube, die set, funnel, a few homemade dippers and check weights, a tiny plastic bowl to dip powder out of, maybe even the empty brass. I think I stored the primers elsewhere just because I was scared to store them next to the powder.

You can work anywhere, but I would suggest not doing the brass prep (decapping, mostly) anywhere that involves food prep or eating, since dusty residues contain lead.
I wonder if LGC could host some sort of hands-on demo of reloading at one of the national meetings?
Is there anyone local here to you? Reading the front section of a reloading manual is usually enough to get someone started. And asking for clarification online, of course.

Edit: I just did a search for "reloading rifle" on YouTube and found a rash of 15 to 60 minute videos. Anything they say should be true for the hand press, you just need to juggle the thing. Since I don't reload for rifles (other than my revolver-caliber rifle) I'll suggest you find one that seems useful, then ask others here to watch it and vet it for you, if you want to be super-cautious. I'd hope any big errors would be mentioned in the comments, but...

I kinda doubt our little annual meetings would have many people attending at the "interested in starting reloading" stage of their shooting life. Probably zero or one.
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Re: 7x57 Mauser

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A couple years back we had a reloading class at the annual meeting if my memory serves me.

I think there are some LGC members in the WA chapter that are very seasoned reloaders.

You may be able to get a class happening by badgering your chapter president...
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Re: 7x57 Mauser

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We are unfortunately in a far redder state that WA - I live in KY, just across the river from Cincinnati. I have been reading good things about the Lee Hand Press in the LGC Forum and I will take a look at the youtube videos.

By the way, the 1946 FN ammo shot like a champ - more or less on par with modern PPU ammo. I only have 2 left (souvenirs). I fired 3 rounds of the 1936 FN and decided to stop. Each was click...wait...wait...BOOM. I'm closing the box and putting the remaining 97 rounds back on the shelf.

Re: 7x57 Mauser

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Round nose vs Spitzer; I finally settled on the Spitzer, though for brush, the heavier & usually slower round nose make me feel a little more confident. Either will go through 2 deer if they're standing properly.
While the penetration is more than adequate, the 7x57 rounds tend to expend more of their available energy in the target, rather than zipping right through like a faster round that doesn't have a chance to transfer its energy more completely before exiting. That's how a 7mm Mauser can hit harder than a 7mm magnum. ;-)
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