7.63 Mauser Load Data
Posted: 14 Nov 2018 19:08
Hi everyone,
I have been a long time lurker and this is my first post, so be gentle
This post is going to be long, but entertaining, so grab a pint and sit back…
A bit of background before I present my question.
I have been responsibly using firearms since I was a wee lad, about 47 years ago. My dad (God rest his wonderful soul) was with the 90th Infantry “Tough ‘Ombres” Division at Utah Beach on D-Day, so collecting and using firearms is in my family blood. I have fired everything from .22 Derringers, 1911 .45 ACPs, 22-250s, .357s, .44s, side-by-side coach guns, Thompson Commandos, M1 Garands and more. In my youth I have hunted (mostly ground squirrels at a cattle ranch), shot trap and skeet, and a boatload of paper targets. I now own a Taurus PT-908, Browning pump 12-gauge, and a Winchester .30-.30. My prides and joys, though, are a couple of pieces my dad picked up while he was over in France during the war.
During one of the actions that he received one of his three Purple Hearts (two with Oak Leaves…I’m lucky to be here!) he acquired a beautiful 7.63 Broomhandle Mauser with the wooden holster/stock. Later on, he horse-traded some other captured items for a Red 9 Broomhandle. Both he brought home as war prizes (I still have the official US Army paperwork for the 7.63), and he acquired a wooden stock/holster for the 9mm shortly after his return from his European vacation (which it was anything but…only man I know that has been shot at by the same King Tiger twice and lived (barely) to tell about it, but that’s another long story).
Dad passed away back in 2009 (pours a libation of Wild Turkey), but before he did, he bequeathed to me the two beautiful Mausers, several stripper clips and a small supply of ammunition. Until recently, I kept them in secure storage, not giving them much thought. Recent world events have caused me to consider them again, and I thought I should at least take them to a reputable gunsmith and have them inspected to ensure they we safe for light use. I toddled down to a gunsmith my dad had used, lo so many years ago, and had them thoroughly disassemble, clean, oil and certify both pistols safe for firing. The gunsmith reported that despite some very light barrel pitting, both weapons could be used.
Having received a clean bill of health for my treasures, I figured I would need some ammunition more recent than the 200 rounds of 7.63 from the 1950s. One of the name brands on the old boxes was Fiocchi, and I was pleasantly surprised to discover that they still produced occasional batches of 7.63, but to my dismay, importing to the highly restrictive state in which I live means the gunsmith adding a substantial surcharge to a previously inexpensive box of ammunition…and it gets worse in July of 2019. So, effectively, the state in which I live has forced me to load my own.
I have been responsibly owning and using firearms for pretty much my entire 60 years. Never have I had to “show my papers” to purchase ammo. Thus, I have made the decision to reload my own, as buying brass, bullets, powder, and primers is still (so far) pretty easy. One of my fondest memories from when I was a teenager was that during summer break from school, dad would have us kids sit at the workbench and reload hundreds of .45, 22-250, .357, and 12-gauge rounds for our hunting and camping excursions. Thus, I am no slouch when it comes to reloading, just a little rusty.
I have done a TON of reading, especially on these forums (thank you prior posters!). I recently invested in a Lee Precision Turret Press, 30-caliber pistol Mauser dies, 9mm dies, and lots of essential accessories, such as a digital powder scale, trickler, lube pad, and more. I picked up 500 rounds of Starline 7.63 Mauser brass, Sierra 85 grain FMJ bullets, Unique powder and Winchester SPP. I have both the Lee reloading book, and the Lyman 50th reloading book. I have read everything I can find, both in books, internet, and the information which accompanied the dies on the range of loads for the 7.63 Mauser (I’ll get to 9mm loads in another post). I have compiled all of my findings in a spreadsheet.
So, finally, this brings me to the point of the post…
Before I seat even one bullet, I wanted to verify and validate my assumptions and findings with someone else to ensure I wasn’t going off half-cocked (pun intended).
Lastly, local gun stores where I can go and pick people’s brains have all but disappeared. One where dad use to shop, in particular, after having been at their location for over 60 years, closed their doors.
First, foremost, and always, I want to ensure safety. I want whatever load I put in these pistols to not blow up a priceless piece of personal family history, and reliably cycle the action without any FTEs or breaking the bolt stop.
Again, just to recap, I am using the following:
Starline 7.63 Mauser brass from Graf & Sons (#SU30MSR)
Sierra 85 gr .308 RN bullets from Graf & Sons (#SRA8005)
Unique powder (local reloading store)
Winchester SPP
After lots and lots and lots and lots of reading, comparing loads, bullet weights, and powder types, I have reached the following loads, and I hope folks will double check my math and tell me if I am wrong. Reminder, I am leaning towards starting out with light loads with the expectation of FTE and manual cycling of the action, but please correct me. I intend to load two rounds of each of these and perform tests at a local outdoor range.
I will start with 5.2 grains (1003 fps), then…
5.4 grains (1026 fps)
5.6 grains (1049 fps)
5.8 grains (1072 fps)
6.0 grains (1095 fps)
According to what I have read, I have a Do No Exceed of 6.8 grains (1187 fps), but I am not sure there is even enough room in the cartridge for that much, so I am going to stop at 6.0, for safety’s sake.
I genuinely appreciate any feedback. Once I hear back from folks, seat a few bullets, and conduct my field tests, I’ll report back here with the results.
I have been a long time lurker and this is my first post, so be gentle
This post is going to be long, but entertaining, so grab a pint and sit back…
A bit of background before I present my question.
I have been responsibly using firearms since I was a wee lad, about 47 years ago. My dad (God rest his wonderful soul) was with the 90th Infantry “Tough ‘Ombres” Division at Utah Beach on D-Day, so collecting and using firearms is in my family blood. I have fired everything from .22 Derringers, 1911 .45 ACPs, 22-250s, .357s, .44s, side-by-side coach guns, Thompson Commandos, M1 Garands and more. In my youth I have hunted (mostly ground squirrels at a cattle ranch), shot trap and skeet, and a boatload of paper targets. I now own a Taurus PT-908, Browning pump 12-gauge, and a Winchester .30-.30. My prides and joys, though, are a couple of pieces my dad picked up while he was over in France during the war.
During one of the actions that he received one of his three Purple Hearts (two with Oak Leaves…I’m lucky to be here!) he acquired a beautiful 7.63 Broomhandle Mauser with the wooden holster/stock. Later on, he horse-traded some other captured items for a Red 9 Broomhandle. Both he brought home as war prizes (I still have the official US Army paperwork for the 7.63), and he acquired a wooden stock/holster for the 9mm shortly after his return from his European vacation (which it was anything but…only man I know that has been shot at by the same King Tiger twice and lived (barely) to tell about it, but that’s another long story).
Dad passed away back in 2009 (pours a libation of Wild Turkey), but before he did, he bequeathed to me the two beautiful Mausers, several stripper clips and a small supply of ammunition. Until recently, I kept them in secure storage, not giving them much thought. Recent world events have caused me to consider them again, and I thought I should at least take them to a reputable gunsmith and have them inspected to ensure they we safe for light use. I toddled down to a gunsmith my dad had used, lo so many years ago, and had them thoroughly disassemble, clean, oil and certify both pistols safe for firing. The gunsmith reported that despite some very light barrel pitting, both weapons could be used.
Having received a clean bill of health for my treasures, I figured I would need some ammunition more recent than the 200 rounds of 7.63 from the 1950s. One of the name brands on the old boxes was Fiocchi, and I was pleasantly surprised to discover that they still produced occasional batches of 7.63, but to my dismay, importing to the highly restrictive state in which I live means the gunsmith adding a substantial surcharge to a previously inexpensive box of ammunition…and it gets worse in July of 2019. So, effectively, the state in which I live has forced me to load my own.
I have been responsibly owning and using firearms for pretty much my entire 60 years. Never have I had to “show my papers” to purchase ammo. Thus, I have made the decision to reload my own, as buying brass, bullets, powder, and primers is still (so far) pretty easy. One of my fondest memories from when I was a teenager was that during summer break from school, dad would have us kids sit at the workbench and reload hundreds of .45, 22-250, .357, and 12-gauge rounds for our hunting and camping excursions. Thus, I am no slouch when it comes to reloading, just a little rusty.
I have done a TON of reading, especially on these forums (thank you prior posters!). I recently invested in a Lee Precision Turret Press, 30-caliber pistol Mauser dies, 9mm dies, and lots of essential accessories, such as a digital powder scale, trickler, lube pad, and more. I picked up 500 rounds of Starline 7.63 Mauser brass, Sierra 85 grain FMJ bullets, Unique powder and Winchester SPP. I have both the Lee reloading book, and the Lyman 50th reloading book. I have read everything I can find, both in books, internet, and the information which accompanied the dies on the range of loads for the 7.63 Mauser (I’ll get to 9mm loads in another post). I have compiled all of my findings in a spreadsheet.
So, finally, this brings me to the point of the post…
Before I seat even one bullet, I wanted to verify and validate my assumptions and findings with someone else to ensure I wasn’t going off half-cocked (pun intended).
Lastly, local gun stores where I can go and pick people’s brains have all but disappeared. One where dad use to shop, in particular, after having been at their location for over 60 years, closed their doors.
First, foremost, and always, I want to ensure safety. I want whatever load I put in these pistols to not blow up a priceless piece of personal family history, and reliably cycle the action without any FTEs or breaking the bolt stop.
Again, just to recap, I am using the following:
Starline 7.63 Mauser brass from Graf & Sons (#SU30MSR)
Sierra 85 gr .308 RN bullets from Graf & Sons (#SRA8005)
Unique powder (local reloading store)
Winchester SPP
After lots and lots and lots and lots of reading, comparing loads, bullet weights, and powder types, I have reached the following loads, and I hope folks will double check my math and tell me if I am wrong. Reminder, I am leaning towards starting out with light loads with the expectation of FTE and manual cycling of the action, but please correct me. I intend to load two rounds of each of these and perform tests at a local outdoor range.
I will start with 5.2 grains (1003 fps), then…
5.4 grains (1026 fps)
5.6 grains (1049 fps)
5.8 grains (1072 fps)
6.0 grains (1095 fps)
According to what I have read, I have a Do No Exceed of 6.8 grains (1187 fps), but I am not sure there is even enough room in the cartridge for that much, so I am going to stop at 6.0, for safety’s sake.
I genuinely appreciate any feedback. Once I hear back from folks, seat a few bullets, and conduct my field tests, I’ll report back here with the results.