head space gage for 1891 Argentine mauser in 7.65

[stockerphil]

Anyone have or know where I can get headspace gages for 7.65 Argentine mauser? I tried Brownells.

Stockerphil

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[Patrick Chadwick]

IMOH, save your money!

a) The M1891 Argentine Mausers were manufactured decades before CIP was invented (1914). And SAAMI came even later (1926). So it is not realistic to expect such old rifes to match modern specs to a few thou - which is in effect what you are looking for if you judge the rifle by applying a modern gauge.
b) The M1891 Argentine Mausers were very "loose" in the throat compared with later models. See "Mauser Bolt Rilfes" by Ludwig Olson, who even provides a sectional drawing.
c) This means that you can forget any remarks on overall cartridge length etc provided for modern rifles.
d) What matters in a real rifle (which fires cartridges - not gauges) is the head clearance. I.e. the actual clearance between the cartridge base and the bolt face when using the actual cases you have in that actual rifle. Not a general-purpose specification.

How do I know all this - because I have an M1891 Agentine Mauser, and it took some time to establish how to feed it.

If you use the keywords "head clearance" to search this forum, the Mauser forum, the Restorer's forum, and the Ammo/reloading forum, I think you will find that I have described the procedure on more than one occasion in some detail. So I will not write it all out again here. But I can tell you at once that you will almost certainly need the long, flat-base 0.312" Hornady bullets - Interlock type 3130, 174 gn. The long cylindrical section is vital for coping with the deep throat. And if anyone knows of an alternative, I would be delighted to hear about it!

Patrick