Shoot 7.62x25 in your 7.63x25 Mauser?

[Dr. Sandman]

I have not been able to find any 7.63 Mauser lateley and I have heard of the idea of shooting 7.62x25 in it. I know what I think of the idea, and I thought that this would be an interesting poll. Anybody know where I can order some 7.63x25?

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

Don't Do it!

Although many c-96 chambers (but not all) will go into battery with a 7.62x25 round, much of this ammo is loaded hot for use in the PPSH machine guns, Stetchkin machine pistols, and the like....also the imperfect chamber fit willl give you a much high risk of case seperation and subsequent KABOOM- with nice c-96s going for big $$ these days, why risk it? Spring for the right stuff, I think Norma and maybe Privi Partizen make new factory 7.63..or make life easy on yourself and sell/trade it for a Red Nine 9mm version.....good luck!

 

[Onmilo]

I have no issues shooting 7.63 Mauser in a 7.62X25 chambered pistol but not the other way around for the reasons noted.
You can buy a nice Tokarev for $250.
A really nice C96 will cost you $2500 so why risk it.

Beware. There is some Interarms boxed Czech subgun 7.62X25 still floating around in glossy dark green boxes marked 7.63mm.
The stuff WILL blow up a C96 Mauser, I know.
The shop I gunsmithed for ended up buying the remains of one from a longtime customer before pulling the stuff from the shelf.
I still have a box of the stuff around here somewhere.

 

[Havok7416]

Nightlord and Onmilo are spot on. That's a great way to kill your Mauser.

 

[OilyPablo]

7.63x25 Mauser dies - can they be had?

 

[Havok7416]

7.63x25 Mauser dies - can they be had?

I seem to remember seeing some at one time, but I can't recall where. Starline makes the brass, so there must be dies available.

 

[joem1945]

I have .30 Mauser dies and 7.62X25 dies. I do load for .30 mauser and chrono my loads to around 1100 to 1200 FPS. Cast lead works vry well in my broomhandle. It's possible to sleve a .30 mauser to 9X19 but I'm not sure why one would do that except for ease of finding ammo.

 

[jonnyc]

It's not really a simple question. Between all the historical manufacturers of both 7.63 Mauser and 7.62 Tokarev ammo (really the same round) there are many pressure variations and the two will actually overlap at times. It is an internet myth that all 7.62 ammunition is automatically "hotter" than 7.63 and will instantaneously detonate your Mauser pistol. Many Mauser pistols came out of China in very bad condition, and that is an important factor to take into consideration.
Here's a good summary of the issue, with actual chrono results:
http://askmisterscience.com/1896mauserbackup/ammo.htm

 

[barnbwt]

"I have .30 Mauser dies and 7.62X25 dies."
I don't suppose they're also the same set of dies?

"Many Mauser pistols came out of China in very bad condition, and that is an important factor to take into consideration."
This is likely the real culprit for the perceived difference in capability in the two pistols. Both were designed to operate on very similar levels of recoil, after all. The difference is one was built by either German wizards or soul-possessed Chinese Boxers (hard to believe such craftsmanship as is required in even a crude C96 actually predated the garbage they put out afterward), and the Tokarev platforms were inspired by a solid fifty years of subsequent design improvements and machining advances.

It's a lot easier to make a safe, in spec Tokarev than a Mauser clone. It's not unreasonable to assume that most of the guns that blew up had one of a dozen pre-existing conditions going on that are known to plague the guns, independent of nominal action strength.

All I know, is when I shot real deal WWI-period 30 Mauser ammo in my Broomhandle, the flash, recoil, and concussion exceeded my CZ52 with Bulgarian ammo. The real reason to down-load the C96 is because it is physically painful to shoot anything significant through it. The real reason to not ever again shoot WWI-period Mauser ammo is because only four rounds of twenty lit off; at least none were hangfires or smelly, unlike Spanish 9mm Largo which holds the spot for Worst Ammo Ever.

TCB

 

[Onmilo]

I have a set of Lee .30 Mauser dies and use them to reload my 7.62 Tokarev cases.

 

[OilyPablo]

Onmilo which Tok pistol do you have?