Small ring mauser action. calibers to chamber?

I

Idaho 45 Vaquero

New member
I have a small ring 93 Spanish Mauser action. I have a .243 Win. chamber reamer that has been used once to make a sporter on a 98 mauser. I am aware that .243 is rated at 52,000psi by SAAMI specs. According to what I heard, SAAMI thinks that small ring mausers are only good for up to 50,000psi, even though military Spanish 7x57 cartridges already were at about 52,000psi. The CIP Europeans rating seem to rate the small ring Mausers at capable of almost 60,000psi, and plenty ample for .243.

Would it be just fine to chamber a small ring mauser in .243 win?
Can I save some money and not get another reamer?

I would love it in 6.5x55 or .257 Roberts, but I also really like the .243 and already have the reamer for it, cost $150 or so for another reamer.
6.5x55 Swedish is rated at 46,000psi (however it has a substantially bigger case capacity over .243):confused:
 
SAAMI and CIP .243 is 52000 CUP but 60000 piezo psi.
SAAMI 7x57 is 46000 CUP but 51000 psi.
CIP 7mm is 49000 CUP but 57000 psi.
You need to compare like units.

I think that is too much for a Spanish Mauser and would load .243 down if I had the combination for some reason.
 
The issue as I see it is not so much small ring vs large ring, the issue is the poor heat treating of the Spanish rifles in particular. I have a DWM 1893 that would probably handle 243 just fine (it's not a 243, trust me), but Spanish Mausers have issues with heat treating and therefore lug setback and action damage from high pressure rounds. Play it safe, choose something a bit tamer. There are many options, like 257 Roberts, 7.62X39, 7X57, 6.5X55, 6.5X57, 9X57, 300 Savage, 7mm IHMSA, and so on. What all these have in common is lower operating pressure.
 
I'll add that the cartridges based on the 7x57 round,such as the 257 Roberts,will stack in the magazine and feed like the rifle was made for them.Not necessarily true for 308 derived cartridges.

I have not owned or built on a 93.I recall reading that Mr Mauser himself lost the vision in his right eye due to the shortcomings of the 93 Mauser in handling gas from a blown case or primer.

I suggest making sure the firing pin hole in the bolt face is in good shape,and that the firing pin tip is good.

Perhaps someone has figured out a vent for the bolt to diminish pressure.
 
Agree on Spanish materials.
Kimber rebarrelled a bunch of Swedish 96s to .243, .308, .22-250.
I haven't heard of any failures or rapid wear.
 
Perhaps someone has figured out a vent for the bolt to diminish pressure.
Click to expand...
Yes, the Spanish vented their bolts and receivers in the 1916 upgrade, other countries that used the 1893 action did likewise about the same time.
 
Just to complete Jim's point, CIP puts the .243 Win at 4150 bar (60191 psi) and the 7×57 at 3900 bar (56565 psi), or 6% lower for a channel transducer apples-to-apples comparison. Those more exact conversions don't mean much when you consider they are averages that allow individual rounds they are comprised of to vary as much as 15% (CIP) or 18% (SAAMI) above that number, but the pressure in the .243 Win is averagubg about 6% higher as their equipment measures it.

More complicated are the actual dynamics of firing. For reasons having to do with total impulse duration and inertia of the bolt and case brass, it's actually possible the higher pressure 243 could apply lower peak bolt thrust than the 7×57. The problem is that it takes a fairly sophisticated analysis or specialized measuring equipment to know one way or the other, putting it beyond the average gun owner's ability to ascertain. So we are usually stuck with pressure alone as the indicator.
 
Mr Mauser himself lost the vision in his right eye due to the shortcomings of the 93 Mauser in handling gas from a blown case or primer.
Click to expand...

Mauser lost an eye while developing a semi automatic rifle. That does not mean a shooter has not lost an eye because of the design. The small ring Mauser rifle does not have a third safety lug with one exception, the Chilean Mauser.

http://dutchman.rebooty.com/1895Chile.html

Again, I was given an Argentine 1891. I was told when I picked it up it was a 308 W. Something I do not do is disagree with old friends but on that day I disagreed. I told him it was a 7.65mm BM. He gave me 7 rifles on that day. When I got back I started checking the chambers, I was surprised the Argentine 1891 was a 308 W.

I called him to tell him it was in fact a 308 W. I asked him what he used it for, he said he used the rifle as a loaner, he said when someone showed up without a rifle he loaned them the 308 Argentine. In all appearance there was no way to tell if he used 7.65 barrel. I separated the action from the stock, the barrel was a .308 barrel that started out as a M1917 or Springfield barrel. I should have made it to the range by now and I have to decide if I want to leave this rifle to someone that would have no clue about what they could be getting into.

F. Guffey
 
Thanks all,

I will probably end up doing .257 Roberts as I've wanted a rifle in that caliber for some time. It kinda classic, and I plan to stock the rifle with classic wood and engrave it a little. Maybe, 6.5x55 Swede if I find a sharp reamer easier and much more cheaper.

I'm kinda thinking that .308 Win based cartridges (.243, .22-250, .308) would probably stand up ok in a small ring mauser, but I don't want to necessarily chance it, particularly because I want to enjoy a little flexibility in my hand-loads.
 
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