1909 Argentine Mauser range report

[Calfed]

Last year I got a pair of Argentine Mausers--a 1909 long rifle and a shorter Cavalry carbine. I finally got a chance to work on a reload for the long rifle.

Here's the long rifle:







And here's the target:


40 grains of 4064/174 gr .311 SMK/CCI 200 primer/2.875 OAL @ 100 yards off a sandbag rest

IMR 4064 has become my defacto favorite powder. I experimented with 40 to 43.5 grains of 4064 with a .311 SMK seated to 2.875 OAL. Took me 4 rounds to get the seating depth correct (first 4 were seated too deeply). Those 4 went high and a little wild. The next 6, all seated to 2.875 OAL, grouped together.

I'm figuring that the bullets seated too deeply may have reduced the case volume and caused a minor pressure spike.

Information

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[Badger]

Very nice shooting ...

Thanks for posting the pics ....

Regards,
Badger

[jon_norstog]

Calfed,

that is a beautiful rifle. The '09 ARgy has to be one of the most desirable milsurps ever. I had one for a while, but it was a dog compared to yours. Also, you seem to have found out how to make it shoot. Good going!

jn

[Calfed]

Thanks, guys.

My sons and I shoot in a military rifle silhouette match at a local range. Chickens, pigs, turkeys, and rams @ distances of 220 to 550 yards.



My oldest son liked this Argentine Mauser so much that he switched from the K31 that he had been using to this one, firing Prvi Partizan ammo. The Prvi did fine, but I think he will like these loads better.

[Badger]

Damn ... I'd love to be able to shoot out on that range ...

Looks terrific ...

Regards,
Badger

[Calfed]

Thanks, Badger--it is a very nice range. Here's an aerial of the complex:


You can see the silhouette range in the middle, with the staggered berms. The 1000 yard range is on the far left and between the 1000 yard and the silhouette range are tactical, law enforcement and a cowboy town for the cowboy shoots. To the right of the silhouette range are a small bore, 50 yard pistol and 100,200, and 300 yard target ranges. Skeet and trap ranges are down near the road.

[Calif-Steve]

The "story" is the Germans wanted the Latin American contracts. But they were over-whelmed by the huge Turkish contact. So they had their commerical shop produce the Argentine rifles. The trigger guard is a pure commerical guard. The Argentines wanted 7mm Mauser caliber, but the Germans did not have enough barrel blanks on hand, but had piles of 7.65mm due to the Turkish contract. So the Argentines said 7.65mm would be fine. They ended up being the first Latin American country with 7.65mm rifles. This all took place around 1908-1910 timeframe.

[Calfed]

I think the 7.65 x 53 is a great round. It is so close to the 7.62x51 in performance, it is difficult to understand why Uncle Sam spent so much effort inventing the Nato round.

[Patrick Chadwick]

It is so close to the 7.62x51 in performance, it is difficult to understand why Uncle Sam spent so much effort inventing the Nato round.

Because no committee can justify its existence year-after-year merely by approving what already exists. Also known as the "Not Invented Here" syndrome.

Patrick