Mauser 1891 Argentine

G

gwa1967

Inactive
I was given this rifle as a sporter. The rifle has a bad barrel. I want to get a new barrel in a caliber that will still use the same magazine. I though I would try here for ideas and maybe where to get the parts. I would perfer the smallest caliber possible as I am very recoil sensitive.
Thanks
George
 
Finding a cartridge that uses the same magazine is the least of your worries, the 1891 Argentine fires a cartridge that uses standard head size. Your biggest issue will be finding a cartridge that will not overpressure that 120-year old action. 300 Savage would work well. whatever you do, do not chamber it for a modern cartridge based on the 308, I can guarantee you would have issues.
 
The original 7.65 x 53 Argentine is a fine cartridge. Factory ammo is available from PPU and Hornady. What you end up doing depends most on what you wish to do with the rifle. There are several posts dealing with the Model 1891 and shooting the 7.65 at www.ataleoftwothirties.com.
 
I saw a website where a guy was converting them to shoot .45ACP and take M1911 mags. That sounds like a lot of fun to me. If I ever get something like that, I'm going to also pop for the fees to get a suppressor...

Tony
 
Be advise the 1891 is NOT as strong as the model 98 Mauser. The choices of cartridge that will work in the magazine within the pressure capabilities of the action are limited. You might consider the 300 Savage if you don't want to stick with the 7.65 Argentine.
 
The magazine of the 1891 has springy lips which admit a round simply by pushing it in and retaining it with the spring tension. This works quite well with the 7.65, which has a shoulder diameter of .429." The .300 Sav, on the other hand, has a shoulder diameter of .447" and is a considerably shorter cartridge. The shortness and the almost .02 greater diameter of the .300 causes me to wonder about how it would function. You could try a .300 case and easily find out, I guess. The .300 Sav offers no ballistic advantage over the 7.65 and factory .300 is quite pricey. I have bought factory PPU ammo for about $16 per box.
 
The 1891 Argy action is well made. However, it is a small ring and being one of the very early made mauser rifles should be limited to cartridges like the: 257Roberts, 7x57, 250 or 300 Savage, and 6.5x55 Swede. Rebarreled my teenage years deer hunting 1891 Argy around 6 years ago and I'm 65 now. I had my 91 Argy rebarreled to 257Roberts, a flat shooting cartridge on the low recoil side. 257R is actually a necked down 7x57 mauser and the 7x57 is on the lower recoil side too. Not a fan of recoil either, may explain why I have maybe 8 rifles in either 257R or 7x57. I have no problems with feeding of 257R ammo from the 7.65x53 magazine, so the 7x57 should feed just as well. FWIW, there is factory 257R + (plus) ammo availiable to buy and its not recommended to use in a 91 Argy due to its higher pressures.
 
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