Question about ammo for my Mauser 1909 Argentine

[TheArchDuke]

This gun belonged to my friend's late father. They have no knowledge on this gun and neither did I so I read all about it on the internet. I guess the cartridge it takes is 7.65x54. That ammo is pretty expensive so I wanted to see if it could possibly be in any other caliber before I spent the money. 8mm doesn't fit. Just out of curiousity I *gently* tried inert .308. It fit but the bolt wouldn't close. No surprise.


Anyway I'm fairly convinced it's 7.65x54. I found some cheap ammo online ($65 for 500 rounds...which was a steal) but I wanted to know, is there any other round that it might possibly take? Is there any other round that is close enough to 7.65x54 that this ammo physically fits in the chamber but isn't the right size?

Since I know nothing about these guns, I want to make sure i'm perfectly safe.


Thank you.

 

[TheArchDuke]

Sorry for originally posting this in the general forum, mods.

Thanks for moving it. I just can't get the hang of this forum thing haha

 

[atblis]

7.62x54

If it is 7.62x54, that would be odd. It is a rimmed cartridged so I doubt it.
7.65x53 is the Argentine caliber I believe.
Sometimes you'll see 7.62x54 called 7.62x53

Take it to somebody who knows what they are doing. That doesn't automatically mean a gun store BTW. They can be spectacularly incompetent at times. There's probably somebody in your area from THR who would look at it for you.

 

[TheArchDuke]

Mmm no not 7.62x54

7.65x54

Also known as 7.65 argentine


I've also seen it called 7.65x53 but then again, when I ordered my 7.62x54r it came in a box that said 7.62x59


The names seem to change a bit.

EDIT: oops. I typed my post before you editted yours.

 

[Larry Ashcraft]

7.65x54R if I'm not mistaken

DO NOT try to fire another caliber in that rifle. Nothing else will work, nothing else is safe. 7.65 is .311, .762 is .308. 8mm isn't even close.

If you can't get the right ammo (and it is still available), DON'T shoot the rifle.

 

[TheArchDuke]

I guess my question is this, I already ordered the 7.65 argentine and it will be here on Tuesday. If it fits, is it ok to shoot or is it possible that my gun is in a different caliber that is so similar to 7.65 argentine that they both fit my gun but the argentine ammo would be dangerous?


Also, if it doesn't fit, who needs 500 rounds of 7.65 argentine? hahaha

 

[Larry Ashcraft]

7.65 Argentine Mauser, 7.65 Argentine ammo.

You should be good to go.

 

[TheArchDuke]

No I didn't try to fire anything through it yet. The .308 I used was inert. It seemed to fit but the choke point on the shell seems to be alittle different because the bolt wouldn't close all the way. The 8mm fit in to the magazine but that's about it haha.

I just tried it because 8mm and Mauser go hand in hand and I didn't know anything about this gun until I looked it up online. She's a beauty though, I'll tell ya what.

 

[TheArchDuke]

Thanks for the help guys.

 

[dfariswheel]

You need to hold up here until you KNOW what cartridge your rifle takes.

A LOT of these Argentine 7.65 rifles were re-chambered to use the 30-06 cartridge.
Since the 7.65 Argentine is very close to the same size case as the 30-06 importers simply ran a chambering reamer into the chamber to lengthen it to use 30-06.

This is safe and works, but the smaller .30 caliber bullet is a very lose fit in the larger .311 barrel, and accuracy is typically not too good.

Shooting a 7.65 Argentine cartridge in a rifle that's been re-chambered to 30-06 is NOT something you want to do.

If nothing else, see if a 30-06 cartridge will chamber.
Also, look on the barrel for any stamps indicating a re-chamber job, and look on the top of the rear receiver bridge for a "30" stamp.

 

[No_Brakes23]

I have a Modelo 1909 Argentine Mauser.

7.65 ARG
7.65 x 54
7.65 x 53 Belgian

All nomenclature for this ammo.

I rarely fire it because the Graff & Sons Hornady ammo is pricey, and the surplus is corrosive.

7.62x54R is not the same thing. Mosin-Nagant/Dragunov ammo IS rimmed, Argie Mauser ammo IS NOT rimmed.

Here is a photo I took comparing the two.

 

[Cosmoline]

7.65x54R if I'm not mistaken

There is no such beasty, unless you count some of my .313" x54R handloads! The 7.65x53R is a very rare version used for drillings, and is NOT repeat NOT the one used for standard Argie Mausers.

Nobrakes has it. Unless some briight boy reamed it out to fire something different (always get a chamber cast of these "grandfather" rifles!!), the '09 Argie Mauser fires standard 7.65x53 Belgian/Argentine Mauser. The ball ammo widely available is spitzer for the '09 Argie and should work fine, but IIRC it is corrosive. The cartridge is very easy to make IIRC. You should check but I believe it can be made out of other cartridges in the Mauser line. 7.62x54R is totally, utterly and completely different in every possible respect.

 

[No_Brakes23]

Cosmo, how does one get a chamber cast?

BTW, my dad got this rifle, because a customer left it with him and never picked it up. It is sporterized by some old WW2 vet who took deer with it. I am 3rd or 4th in line of hand-offs for this rifle, and my dad reluctantly gave it to me as a wall-hanger because he was using 8mm Mauser head space gauges and thought it was off. Some C&R storeowner in Yuma, AZ named Rick was the one who clued me into the Argie ammo. It shoots just fine.

 

[Cosmoline]

If you've already shot 7.65 Argie out of it, don't worry about a chamber cast. What happens is sometimes someone way down the line will have changed the chamber without marking anything on the rifle, creating a real safety hazard. All a cast does is verify that nobody has messed with it.

 

[Robert Esswein]

My Mauser 7.65 argintine

I have a 7.65 argintine mauser, I have had this gun for 25 years, I used this gun every deer season for years and with the open military sites it was dead on, The longest shot taken was approx 225 yds 1 shot for a six pointer. I used this gun on a shark fishing trip to kill a 300lb mako, with all the excitment the barrel had been splahed with salt water and pitted real bad, I sent the gun to a gunsmith to have the barrel blued, Since then the gun never shot straight so I deceided to make a wall hanger out of it, I am now going to try and shoot this gun again, I used to buy Norma 7.65 cartridges for $21.00 a box, I have not attempted to purchase any this year but I am going to start looking now, I thought maybe a 308 caliber might work, But by reading some responses on this forum I am not going to attempt it.

 

[aka108]

Nice thing about the 7.65 Argentine is that you don't have to worry about the supply of ammo if you reload. Cases can be formed from 8mm Mauser, 7 mm Mauser, 270 Winchester or 30-06 brass in a 7.65 sizing die and trimmed to length. Use 303 British bullet and you are good to go. Lee has the dies and trimmer. About 30 bucks for these. Don't ever put anything in that rifle that is off caliber.

 

[phishisgroovin]

where is the best (customer service oriented) place to purchase this 7.65x54 ammo?
Heres my baby i have never shot and i want to.

I would really like to find a reliable source for ammunition soon, then save and reload as much as possible. but most likely just fire it a few times and put it back in the safe.

and my Enfield 30-06, ammo is plentiful for this one.

 

[MONSTERMAUSER 7.65x54]

7.65x54 Ammo (The Arch Duke)

Arch Duke, do you still have the 7.65x54 ammo for sale or can you tell me where you purchased it for such a low price. I have shot both 7.65 Norma and 7.65x54 rounds through my remodeled 1891Mauser Modelo Argentino rifle.

 

[Fullboar1]

Arch Duke, do you still have the 7.65x54 ammo for sale or can you tell me where you purchased it for such a low price. I have shot both 7.65 Norma and 7.65x54 rounds through my remodeled 1891Mauser Modelo Argentino rifle.

Hi Monster
Don't know if you realized but this thread is around 2-1/2 years old?

 

[MONSTERMAUSER 7.65x54]

old post

Unfortunately yes I realize it. I didnt see a posting from The Duke wether or not if the ammo worked for him or not and I wasnt sure if I was pissin in the wind by enquiring so late in the posts. Thanks anyways.