1914 Mauser 7.65 Cal + Buffalo Bore Ammo

[Cannon Breach]

I own one of the above-mentioned pistols and carry it from time to time. Much has been said about the lack of power behind the .32 ACP so thought I would order some Buffalo Bore to use when carrying. I don't have the ammo in front of me but recall that it advertises a muzzzle velocity of 1100 fps vs. the standard 7-800 fps if I recall correctly. Is this too much bang for this pistol to handle? Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all.

 

[Jim Watson]

Sellier and Bellot 7.65/.32 ACP is listed at 1043 fps which is about as hot as I would care to go on an old gun like that.

 

[Cannon Breach]

Thank you Jim. Wasn't aware S&B had a round like this and, being European, they know .32 acp pretty well.

 

[Jim Watson]

I keep some S&B or Fiocchi .32s for my Keltec. European 7.65 is generally faster than US.

 

[jar]

I generally stick to Geco, S&B or Fiocchi in my 32acp/7.65mm except for the Beretta Tomcat.

 

[Tallball]

Does it look like this?

Mauser 1914

• Tallball
• Jul 4, 2018

 

[Dave DeLaurant]

I like .32s but personally I pick something more modern and taking a cartridge with more oompf to carry. The .32 ACP doesn't have the best rep for reliable bullet expansion, and older guns tend to prefer round-nose FMJs for reliable function.

That said, I'd also check the actual velocity from your pistol before taking Buffalo's numbers as gospel. If they prove genuine in your Mauser, then you can decide whether the extra FPS are worth the additional recoil, muzzle flash and wear on the gun.

This Josef Nickl Mauser design was probably as strong as any other .32 when it was made, but that was at least 90 years ago. You'll have to judge its condition today

 

[Tallball]

I looked up the serial number on mine to learn the year (1915-16), and figured out that one of the markings meant it had been accepted into German Imperial service for WW1, which is kinda cool. It was easy to do, IIRC.

I'm not at all a gunsmith, but I wouldn't put anything past regular loads in any of my handguns that are that old. The European ball ammo like S&B or Fiocchi tends to work best in European 32acp pistols, or that's been my experience, anyway.

At closer ranges, a normal velocity FMJ load will probably put a tidy .32" hole through someone just as well as a high powered one.

 

[Cannon Breach]

Does it look like this?

Mauser 1914

• Tallball
• Jul 4, 2018

it does (

Does it look like this?

Mauser 1914

• Tallball
• Jul 4, 2018

Yes. Technically challenged or i would include a picture. It has a chrome finish.

 

[Jim Watson]

Lots of chrome and nickel plated wartime souvenirs out there. The GI didn't think about collector value when he was old and grey, he just wanted it SHINY.

There is a plating shop here, best known for car bumpers, that did a pretty good business in guns. I don't know if they had a FFL for the work or just slipped it in on the side. But you could tell a "Graves' Job" at a glance by the well rounded corners and stylishly dished screw holes.

I had a high school teacher who was just too young for WWI. He made money on the side by setting up a plating bath at college and prettying up pistols and trench knives for veterans. He silver plated them. He charged $3.00, payable in silver dollars which he used as the anode.

 

[halfmoonclip]

Jim, I recall some of those chrome plated Lugers from childhood, supposedly taken from a high German officer.
No GI ever born was immune to a little BS.
I'm certain a lot of those guns were pretty rough, and were treated to a wire wheel job before going in the tank.
Do have a hardchromed P5, and that came out really well.
Moon

 

[jar]

I have a 1941 AC (Walther) P-38 that is still in fair shape other than being SHINY. I've changed out the return springs (actually get someone else to change out the return springs) every decade or so and it's still fun to shoot.

Did I mention that it's SHINY?



My 1926 Mauser is in white though and doesn't seem to have been blued.

 

[WestKentucky]

Y’all’s 1914s look a lot better than mine. I do have a complete spare slide and barrel for mine because the originals were so pitted you really couldn’t read the S/N and even though that’s not the only number on the gun, it’s by far the most visible so I didn’t wish to explain the effects of oxidation on 100yr old steel to a man with a badge, or to explain why that wasn’t the serial number they should be looking at.

 

[halfmoonclip]

I have a 1941 AC (Walther) P-38 that is still in fair shape other than being SHINY. I've changed out the return springs (actually get someone else to change out the return springs) every decade or so and it's still fun to shoot.

Did I mention that it's SHINY?

So yah know, a buddy was considering buying a P-38 from a friend. We took it along down to camp to try it out, with some really warm 9mm handloads. These promptly broke the locking wedge; he told his friend, thanks, but no thanks.
My point, don't feed old guns modern hot ammo.
Moon

 

[jar]

So yah know, a buddy was considering buying a P-38 from a friend. We took it along down to camp to try it out, with some really warm 9mm handloads. These promptly broke the locking wedge; he told his friend, thanks, but no thanks.
My point, don't feed old guns modern hot ammo.
Moon

Yup. Doing stupid things seldom ends well.

 

[halfmoonclip]

Yup. Doing stupid things seldom ends well.

Running hot ammunition in old guns does fit that description...
The sad thing; the guy who loaded the ammo is really knowledgeable about most things (ask him!), he is an old and dear friend, and simply should have known better. He, inexplicably, assumed that military guns should be able to use hot ammo.
Even if it is not 'hot', it is often a challenge to get old designs to run anything but ball. It was only when S&Walther was making them that the design of the PPK was revised to allow hollow points.
Back to the OP's question; be gentle with old guns. As regards the .32, it was considered an adequate police cartridge, in Japan, recently. Perhaps it still is.
Moon

 

[Cannon Breach]

Thanks to all. The consensus comes down on the side of a common sense regard for the capabilities of old steel vs. modern +p types of loads.

 

[film495]

should be good to fire Euro 7.65 Browning if that is how it is stamped. I've had good luck with Fiocci and it is not too pricey. S&B I think has the highest published velocities, but who knows - test barrels and lenght and my guess is they are all very similar loads. I don't have one of those, so my reference is a CZ-70, so not quite apples to apples.