Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 9 X 56 MM

I have a 1905 Mannlicher carbine in 9x56mm. I have new cases and 200 grain Hornady round nose soft points sized to .354. The 9x56 cases have 3.4 grains more water capacity than the .358 Winchester. Can I use .358 Win data to load this cartridge, or is it going to come unglued?

Yeah, you can--unless the bore is even smaller. Many old German rifles varied considerably in bore diameter. It might be wise to check it, whether by slugging or with a caliper gently applied to the muzzle. That would be assuming the muzzle isn't worn for whatever reason.

Wow, an Austrian mini-Whelen. Sounds cool! Sort-of like a rem 600 in 358 Win. I would call it "The Fireplug."

I asked a similar question regarding a 9x57 Mauser rifle in this forum a while back as data was scarce to say the least. I got some great info that might provide some good starting points for you with your 9x56mm. Hope this helps.


Handloading The 9x57 Mauser

UncleRupe,

Writer Ken Waters did an article on the 9x56 several years ago. And he ran into a unique set of challenges. I would suggest that you obtain a copy of the article.

If you wish, I can copy mine and send you a copy to your snail mail. But it may take me a few days to find it...

GH

The advice to slug your bore is good. The 9x56 can vary some in bore diameter. I believe .356 is the most common bore size in the 9x56 but have heard of them from .354 to .358. The MS carbines rate pretty high on the coolometer. I just found one in 6.5x54 and would love to find one in 8, 9, and 9.5x56.

Mart

I can find them.....I just can't afford them.

thats where im at....reading all the old African books they feature prominently.....the reliability of them over cheaper rifles is why they were so popular....hell the reason the 425 WR had such a bad reputation had nothing to do with the round but cause the rifles they came in were so poorly done as far as feeding reliably....the magazine wasnt set up properly, spring to weak, and other things....even though they were found in weaker chamberings cause they were so damn reliable alot of the old hunters would carry them over more powerful rounds...

9X56 Mannlicher

I used a .375 lead round ball and tapped it all the way through the bore from the chamber. The I took another one and tapped it from the chamber in about 6 inches and then back out.

I sent the slugs to Huntington Die and they made the dies to resize the .358 bullets to .354.

That particular bullet has a bearing surface of about 1 caliber in length, so the resistance shouldn't be too great. I also have .200 grain pointy nosed boat tail that have twice the bearing surface and are a bitch to stuff through the sizing die so they are out of consideration. Thanks for your help.

By the way, I have 7 Mannlichers from .243 up to 30.06 and they are all really cool. Two of them have a swiveling peep site and two of them have Griffin & Howe side mounts.

Uncle, if you want to use your 200gr boat tails find a local machine shop with a centerless grinder and have the OD's ground to your dimension. Works like a champ.

Grasshopper,

Thank you for your very kind offer. I would love to get the information however, I am a little apprehensive about posting contact information, ie: address, phone #, or email. We could get unwanted responses. If you could figure anything out, post it here.