Anyone reload 7.65 Argentine?

S

scoobysnacker

New member
I have an 1891 Argentine Mauser, it's a sweet shooter and my son really enjoys it.
We've got a goodly supply of PPU ammo, which is reasonably priced, and more importantly, we've been saving the brass as we go.

Seems the PPU is produced in batches, and it took me quite a bit of searching to find any recently. I finally found that Liberty Tree had it in stock, bought enough to top off our supply. I have only bought the PPU new ammo, as the Hornady rds are prohibitively expensive, and the surplus ammo has a lot of bad reviews.

I believe it's finally time for me to learn to reload now. I've never done it for any ammo, don't have any tools for it. I'm looking at the Lee Loader $30 kits, trying to figure out exactly what I would need. The intent will be light, range loads, I don't need a load meant to take down an elk.

I would greatly appreciate it if you guys can lay me out a shopping list for what I would need, keeping in mind that all I currently have are spent PPU shells.

Thanks in advance!
 
Anyone reload 7.65 Argentine?
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Thanks in advance!
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Yes, I do but from the beginning I have always formed the cases from 30/06; that means there is no way a 7.65mm53 case will ever cost me more than 10¢ each and I am given the opportunity to tighten the neck and control the clearance between the case and chamber. Loads are straight t forward and from the book. The 7.65mm53 uses .311" diameter bullets, after that is the problem of finding bullets.

Anyhow; if you are interested in gearing up for reloading I am interested in selling some of the equipment I will never use.


F. Guffey
 
No, but I have data if you want it.
The Lee Loader $30 kits using the mallet are ok and you can load perfectly good ammo with 'em, but those daft scoops are calibrated in CC's. CC's are a metric unit of liquid volume. Nothing to do with reloading. Buy a scale.
.311" bullets might not be readily available locally, but can be ordered through your local shop. I'd be thinking 150 grain SP's. Speer or Sierra. What would be considered normal powders are used.
"...took me quite a bit of searching..." Anything remotely unusual is like that. Graf's is listing their own brand by Hornady at $29.99 per 20. Prvi is out of stock with them and Midway.
$61.99 per 100 for Prvi brass from Graf's. A buck more EACH for 25 pcs of Norma. Yeah. Need both my kidney's too.
 
I shoot a 7.65 mauser.
Have original 1935 ammo. Very corrosive. So cleaning cleaning cleaning.
Would love to reload it.
 
Ok... so I think I'm beginning to get a handle on it.
    • Brass: check (will have plenty of Prvi once-fired, we've got a good supply of PPU)
    • Scale: will need to get
    • dies: will need to get, Lee is available

    I've seen reference to "tumbled brass"; I'm assuming this has to do with cleaning the brass before reloading. What all is involved in doing this, what more do I need?
 
I reload for my 1891 argentine as well. Its very accurate with my reloads. I use a sierra 150gr sp .311. I use lee dies with a lee single stage press. Its a fairly light load but I do not have the data on me I can get it when I get home. I even used the rifle to take a small deer this past season. The bullet and the load worked excellent. I really enjoy the 1891 its such a smooth action and pleasure to shoot. I also have cut down and fromed cases from 30-06. I did have a problem with the lee dies though. They did not size the case enough for them to chamber in the rifle. This was even with ppu 7.65 cases. I had to file a few thousans of the bottom of the die before the sized cases would chamber right. The chamber on my rifle may be tight?
 
What all is involved in doing this, what more do I need?
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Books!
It is hard to learn this stuff one question at a time on the internet.
All the major bullet companies publish manuals that give detailed instructions.
Yes, you could turn out safe shootable ammo in a cookbook fashion by following the instruction leaflet in the Lee Loader box. But if you want to understand the process, you need to do a bit of study.
 
I would suggest stepping up just a little and buying the $30 lee bench top press and a set of pace setter dies. Add to that a cheap electronic scale, some sort of trimmer and a deburring tool and ypu should be about set. Oh and some sizing die wax.

Could cast your own bullets. But that's a whole nother bag of tricks to learn.

And as mentioned read read read.
 
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"...what more do I need?..." A Lyman manual. Lee kit comes with data but it's limited and comes from the powder maker. Usually Hodgdon.
If you're planning on buying a kit other than the Lee Loader, look into a Beginner's Kit. Partial to RCBS myself. Gives you everything you need less dies and shell holder. Comes with a manual, but buy the Lyman book too. More versatile. Don't know if any current manual has the 7.65 Argie in it. Whenever you're ready contact me for the data.
 
If all you want is light range loads, I suggest you try to find cast bullets online in the correct diameter, and load some up with about 10gr of Unique. They will be mild, with little recoil, and usually very accurate.

I have some Lee dies out in my reloading area somewhere that I don't need, but you will need to buy a simple press to put them in. You can find really nice Lee presses for way less than $100. And those would be quite a bit better than hammering them together.
 
Clo se to a light .308 load. I restocked and scoped mine in 1969. Have3 used it as a backup rifle and enjoyed shooting it. Sierra 150 grain make excellent loads.
 
Recipes, powder, primers, projectiles (use those intended for .303 British, most of which are between .310 and .312 and will be fine). And some sort of loading apparatus, whether a basic die and press set or the Lee Loader.

For the Lee Loader, a rubber/plastic/wooden but NOT steel faced hammer.

The scale is essential if you want to deviate at all from those loads provided with the Lee Loader kit. I have loaded .303 British with this, and I cross checked the scoop loads with the listed powders on a scale; I could not get anywhere near maximum without trying hard, so I decided it's reasonably safe. But the scale is extra reassurance and a valuable cross check in case powder lot densities have changed between lot numbers and you are inadvertently loading more than you think.

On the other hand, if you cannot find any of the listed powders near you and you go looking for load data anywhere else, you will need a scale. If you want to weigh loads precisely for accuracy and consistency, you will need a scale. Any way you slice it, it's nice to have a scale.

A lot of the budget electronic ones will only weigh reliably to the nearest 0.2 grains (personal experience with Frankford Arsenal scale of this type), but that's more than enough to keep you away from maximum in most 7-8mm military cartridges, where 0.2 grains is very small in comparison to the difference between minimum and maximum loads. You may not be able to hit a listed load exactly on the mark, but if you can throw the same weighed load every time that is a big help.

A good reloading manual is worth its weight in gold. Lyman have just released their latest (the 50th) - I haven't yet read it but I am looking for it. Lee's own manual carries a lot of his own pet theories, but extensive reading and cross referencing against other manuals and my own experience suggests that nothing in there is actually dangerous, even if others might debate whether he is right. Lee's philosophy seems to be to provide perfectly adequate equipment that is affordable - if you want "the best", you have to pay a lot more for it. Perhaps he is the Henry Ford of reloading?
 
Ok, so this plan is beginning to take shape. I'm currently in discussions with a forum member here to take some of his reloading gear off his hands (and thus help smooth things over with his wife!:cool:), he's drawing up a detailed list of what he's got for sale.

I've decided that if I will go the reload path, I should at least plan somewhat for reloading other calibers I own/have access to.
 
Powder Dribbler would come in handy.

Power Funnel is a must have.

A tub of resizing case lube is a must have.

Dial Caliper is a must have. Don't need a high dollar caliper this will do or one like it._ link below.

Primer hole cleaner. Another handy gadget.

Deburring & Chamfer tool is a must have when loading Flat Base bullets_ link below

Shell Holder is a must have.

Free online Reference Chart._ link below

http://castpics.net/dpl/index.php/reloaders-reference/cartridge-data-lookup

http://www.harborfreight.com/6-in-dial-caliper-62362.html

http://www.midwayusa.com/s?userSearchQuery=rcbs+17+cal+to+45+cal+bevel+cutter
 
I do, but for an '09 action. Take it easy on your older gun.

It loads about like any other rifle cartridge so you need all the same equipment. If you're starting from scratch I recommend a kit that has everything you need to get started. IMR 4064 works good in my gun... do your load data research and you're probably going to buy it or something close to it on the burn rate chart.

PS '91s had the chamber cut for roundnose bullets, you may want to try Hornady 174 gr. roundnose pills.
 
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"...intended for .303 British, most of which are..." They're .311" or .312" from the major manufacturers. .310 is far too small. Even for the Argie.
Montana Bullets is making some larger diameter, like .314", cast bullets.
 
IIRC Hornady lists its 174gn FMJ BT projectile as 0.3105", which seems unusually hair-splitting-ish, but there you go. That being said, I tended to find that the ever so slightly wider Sierra FMJBT bullets shot better in all my Lee-Enfields - but I was taking them target shooting at 600 yards, so I needed that profile.
 
"...Hornady lists its 174gn FMJ BT projectile as 0.3105"..." Yep and it's too small. Lee-Enfields are usually larger in bore diameter than .311" too. It's why you have to slug 'em.
 
Agree on the smallness. I think for my next .303 shooting session, I will load up a bunch of those I have left over a well tried charge of Varget or 3031 and burn through them.
 
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