7x57 Mauser

M

montana09

New member
I traded for an old unaltered 1895 Chilean Mauser, overall it's in excellent shape for a gun that's 100+ yrs old. Knowing how expensive factory ammo is I bought some dies and the owner threw in a big box of mixed brass he had for it. The brass was all mixed brands some head-stamped 7mm Mauser, some with just random numbers that looked like old military rounds, and some 6mm Remington plus .257 Roberts brass (they both use the 7x57mm as a parent case). The brass was mixed some fired, some sized and deprimed, and some with fresh primers. I'm a bit paranoid trusting someone else's handiwork for reloads, even if he seemed competent; and I picked out all the brass stamped 7x57mm which turned out to be primed. Is there any easy way to deprime live brass safely or just run it through the gun and snap the primers? I ask because with the pandemic closing everything, I live in an apartment and can't get anywhere that popping off rounds wouldn't aggravate the neighbors/get the cops called. I'm only planning mild loads as it is an old gun nothing barn burning. I also bought 3 boxes of factory ammo to use as my own for handloads too.
 
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You are smart to ask about whether or not to use someone else's reloads- even resized and primed cases, or to pull them apart for components. I'd pull all the ones you were given and start over.

You can safely deprime live primers in most presses if you do it very slowly. Wear safety glasses and take your time. dispose of the live pulled primers in a safe manner

I was recently in your position- but the rifle in my case was a 6.5 x 50 type 38 arisaka. All the ammo that came with it was pulled apart and then I reloaded them to my specs.
 
Be careful, smooth, and deliberate; and use appropriate protective gear*.
Decapping live primers does have its risks, but can be done safely. I've done several hundred in various cartridges.
You don't want impacts or jerky, jarring, or fast movement. But, other than that, it's simple and easy.


In some instances when I knew what the primers were, I saved them and reused them. Two of the most consistent loads I have ever tested actually used 'pull-down' WLR primers from some .220 Swift brass that I sold. (I never pass reloads on to a stranger, so I pulled down all loaded ammo first.)

*Some say full face mask, leather apron, welding gloves, hearing protection, and more. Personally, my safety gear was notably less. The only primers that I've popped "accidentally" (or negligently) were during priming.
 
Thanks guys, luckily none of these rounds are loaded it's just primed brass so primer removal would be the only step needed, with proper gear of course.
 
It's not a bad thing to not trust someone elses handiwork. After all, it's you face that's going to be close to the breech, not his.

Most Chilean 1895 Mausers are in pristine shape, Chile only participated minimally in the South American border wars. Most I have seen are really nice. Just keep in mind that it's still a small ring Mauser when you choose loads.
 
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