Argentine mauser won't chamber reloads 30-06

[ahandgunner2]

Thanks rc, I'll try that.

Maybe I'll take Matt's advice and try a few 308 bullets and see if anything works well.

Jim K - I was able to (barely) stick a 311 bullet in the fired 06 case from this rifle. That told me that I should have enough neck room to fire 311 bullets. I was going to try one and look for pressure signs (loaded to starting loads of course). Is this still not a good idea?

Just as FYI - I reload straight wall pistols and neck sized only 35 Rem for my contender so rifle handloading is fairly new to me and hence my questions. I appreciate everyone's advice. Rifle might someday be made into a 25-06 if I find the right price on a barrel and stock, but in the mean time I wanted to be able to let someone hunt with it or use it at the range for fun if I can get anything to shoot out of it - even minute of deer!!

 

[fguffey]

I would suggest someone suggest you check the contour of the barrel, if the barrel does not have a military contour the rifle is chambered to 30/06.

If the barrel has a military contour then consider the chamber was a 7.65mm Belgium that has been chambered to 30/06.

F. Guffey

 

[jdh]

At any rate, I'm not real sure a 30-06 would fit in the 91 Mauser straight magazine?

rc

Just tried. M2 ball will not.

 

[bigjoed]

Wow,
Been away from the site for awhile, thanks for all the responses. You guys are totally correct. i was using the Lee Reloading dies and they didn't fully resize the body. A machinist friend of mine went totally thru the chamber and said everything was perfect. He told me to buy a full body resizer. I listened this time and it worked. Thanks again, I back shooting

 

[Jim K]

Hi, ahandgunner2,

Let me explain a bit on the neck business. When a cartridge is fired, one of the first things that happens is that the gas from the burning powder moves forward (it moves in all directions, but let's look at the front end for now). It pushes out on the case shoulder and neck. That leaves the bullet floating in a stream of gas, held in place for an instant by its own inertia. Gas flows around it for that instant and it is that gas that causes throat erosion.

But the case neck must expand to release the bullet, which means it must have room to expand. If the bullet loaded into the case expands the case neck far enough that there is no room for it to further expand, pressure rises pretty dramatically. (It takes more force to get your foot into a tight shoe than into one that fits properly.)

So, in a normal .30-'06 chamber, and a .308 bullet, the case neck will have room to expand. But if the bullet is larger, even though the case will chamber OK, if the neck doesn't have room to expand, the result will be high pressure. In the case in point, the chamber was reamed out with a .30-'06 reamer; the original chamber neck was cut away, so its diameter doesn't matter. So a .30-06 case with a .311 bullet will be tight. Too tight? I don't know, but it is not good to find out the hard way.

Jim