I just acquired a sporterized Mexican 1910 Mauser. It has a full rib barrel marked "W. Forster...Berlin", and is full length bedded in an old Fajen stock. Bolt has been forged down but it hasn't been drilled and tapped for scope bases yet. The action is dated 1932.

I already have a set of RCBS dies and I'm hoping when I check the throat and slug the barrel it is close enough to .358 that I can use the stockpile of .35 cal bullets I have on hand. I even have about 500 remington 150 PCL that should make good plinking rounds or Armadillo/coyote busters.

If anyone has experience with the 9x57 I'd love to hear your thoughts. Also any help translating the proof marks would be appreciated.

Apologies for the crappy cell phone pics. My camera battery died right when I was setting up to take pics.

The barrel is a rebored 8mm barrel; 172/28 is a gauge notion that was used on 8mm's. Not uncommon. I have a 9x57 that also was rebored from 8x57.

I load mine with RL15 and 250 round noses. I also have some 200 gr round nose I use for plinking.

Given the Fajen stock and rear sight it was probably a pieced together rifle from takeoff parts.

Thanks z1r,

Makes sense that this is a pieced together rifle. The barrel has a slot for a key on the bottom that must have been for the previous stock. Also the barrel has a sling swivel built into it, but the butt stock does not have a sling stud.

I was on the hunt for a .358 or .35 whelen but my research indicates that the 9x57 basically splits the difference from a performance standpoint. I love old school guns and calibers, so the fact it is a reloading only proposition isn't a negative to me.

My plans at this point are to do a chamber cast and slug the barrel to make sure what I'm working with. Install a low swing safety and timney trigger. D&T, install a Weaver K3. It should be a great "all around" hunting rifle.

Any interpretation of the other marks?

9mm converts to .354". I wonder how easy it would be to swage your .358" bullets to .354".

There's not a whole lot of info out there on the 9x57 but most folks are running regular .358 bullets. Since this is apparently a rebore, I'm hoping the bore diameter is .356+ The bigger issue with regard to chamber pressure is the throat diameter which needs to be large enough to not pinch the bullets in the casing.

Please don't take my saying its a parts gun the wrong way. Some of my favorite rifles are parts guns. Over the years, I accumulated many nice parts, including barrels, that were just too good to toss. Nothing wrong IMHO with recycling perfectly good parts.

The 9x57 is at least as good as the .358 and feeds better in a Mauser.

The only other marking worth noting was the Nitro Proof mark. Slug your barrel, most of the 9x57's I've come across had .356" bores. Just be sure that there is sufficient clearance at the neck with a .358 projectile seated. They really seem to like the Hornady 250 RN.


One of my favorite Whelens started life as a 9x57.

Thanks z1r.

No worries. I didn't take it that way. I know you are very knowledgeable re mausers and I appreciate your insight on the rifle. I knew I was buying a mutt when I bought this rifle, and that was some of the attraction. The stock is barely finished and the metal is over buffed, but it falls into my "cool old rifle" category.

Just got to get it up and running.

I slugged the bore and it measures .356 , so I think I'll be ok running .358 bullets pending the throat measurement. Ordered some cerrosafe and it should be here in a day or 2.

My plan is to start with mild .358 win load data and work up. Not looking for a hot rod load, just a good killin load.

I've heard of guys who squeezed jacketed bullets through Lee push-through bullet sizing dies to alter diameters. I've also heard that doing so may disrupt the bond between the jacket and lead core- the gilding metal jacket "springing" back a bit and the lead core not following it. I don't know from personal experience, just throwing it out there. I would be tempted to try it though, .002" isn't much and may not effect that phenomenon.

Weagle,Hawk Bullets makes the .356". I use them in my 9x57,just have used them on big game yet.

For awhile I wanted a 9X57MM rifle but never pursued it. I understand that most rifles in this caliber wound up in Africa.

I was pretty excited to find these at the local gun show today. It's 245 gr soft nose. I'll still probably resize some 8mm, but at least now I have some ammo with the proper headstamp. I will definitely try to use these up on game after I get sighted in. They have been waiting a long time to be put to proper use.

I fired a couple of the Kynoch rounds, and .358 bullets of 4 different brands drop right in the fired brass. I don't have to worry about a tight throat when I reload with 35 cal bullets.

I love the way the rifle feels when fired; Sort of a big, authoritative shove.

Funny story, about the chamber necks being big enough. I bought this rifle as a 9,3x57.



Slugged the bore and came up with .356" grooves. The rifle came with a half box of Norma ammo and 10 fired cases. Sure, enough, a 9,3x57 would chamber and had been fired out of the rifle. Imagine, firing a .366" projectile down a .356" bore. Talk about firing forming or is that fire swaging?

Well, that idea didn't appeal to me and neither did firing .358" projectiles in a chamber with such a loose neck. So, I did the sensible thing and rechambered to .35 Whelen.

As we speak, I am deciding on a stock for my Mexican Mauser barreled in 9,3x57.

Great rifle. Not sure I could bring myself to drill that nifty crest. Not scolding you about it, as I'm a great believer in the "my rifle, my business" way of thinking. I'd check for bolt clearance. Might still need a little grinding on the handle, even with the re-forging.

Saw some nifty double-set triggers from NECGW n the Midway site yesterday. Just sayin'🤔.

Wow. I guess that's a testament to the strength of that action.

BTW that is a cool looking crest on that action. I've never seen one like it.

If you are referring to the crest on my Mexican mauser; it's already been buffed pretty hard so it doesn't hurt my feelings too bad to drill it. I definitely need a scope.

I don't think I could bring myself to drill that cool Moose crest on z1r's rifle.

I need to check out those double set triggers. My other primary hunting rifle is a Brno 22F 8x57 with set triggers and I really like them.

Receiver D&T'd, Weaver K3-1 installed. Just need to install a rear sling swivel stud and get it sighted in. Deer season opens in 2 weeks

It should knock a deer on his ass real easy!!!

What load did you settle on for it, weagle?

I haven't done any reloading for it yet. I have some factory 245gr Kynoch ammo that I'll be hunting with for now. I did get a chance for a quick site in session at 25yds. It was sort of wobbly set up so I figured there wasn't any use in trying to really dial it in until I can get down to my property and shoot it at 100, but it was easily minute of deer.

Last 3 shots at 25yds.

If you decide to use .358 bullets, I can recommend the 250 RN Hornady. It shoots well in my 9X57 and swatted a nice buck in a most effective manner. I cannot imagine that the extra .002" will be a problem for you with careful load workup. An acquaintance (and long time 9X57 shooter) from Germany shoots them regularly in his .356" bores.

I plan to shoot .358 bullets through it. I've got a ton of 35 caliber components and .358 bullets slide cleanly into the fired cases. My understanding is that if the chamber neck has sufficient clearance to cleanly release the bullet that the extra .002 shouldn't make any difference.

Right now I am thinking I will go for a .358 winchesterish load with a 200gr spirepoint for hunting once I run out of the Kynoch factory loads. I love the nostalgia of the heavy round nose bullets, but they are overkill for Georgia.

I also want to develop some plinking loads with a 150gr remington PSP since I have a shoebox full of them. Maybe also a screaming coyote / armadillo exploder with the same bullet.

I suspect that most any 358 bullet 200 gr or more will do the job. I'd also love to see some high velocity 150s rearrange a coyote's anatomy for him. However, some serious scope adjustments between loads will certainly be required.

I took the nostalgic route with mine wrt to jacketed loads....250 gr RN all the way. It will never be used for anything but whitetail. I did work up a 246 gr gas checked cast load for plinking and, just maybe, whitetail as well.

Pls keep us posted on your hunting results with this classic. But, don't leave the Brno at home by itself all season....

I'm liking your 9x57. For a couple of years now I've been debating whether or not to put a 9x57 barrel on a 1910 Mauser action I have, or to rebore and rechamber one of a pair of JC Brazilian VZ 24s with very pitted bores. The late Larry Brace (great custom gunsmith from Eugene, OR) once told me that his favorite action to work with was the Mexican 1910, and that he wanted to put one together in .358 Winchester for a western Oregon rain forest elk rifle. I never did ask him why he wouldn't just use the 9x57 Mauser chambering but with .358 groove diameter instead of .356. Taking into consideration that the 9x57 is essentially nothing more than a necked up 7x57 (not sure which came first) with essentially the same shoulder diameter (.431) and case taper, it seems likely that the 9x57 ought to feed smoothly from a Mexican 1910. FWIW, Larry said he always had Model 1910 Mexican Mausers re heat treated.

There was a good article on the 9x57 in the August, 2004 edition of The Accurate Rifle by Tom Wilder. His rifle was a large ring Model 98 Mauser, which looked to have started life as a K98 in 8mm, then rebored and chambered for the 9x57. The loads he eventually settled on where about half way between the .358 Winchester and the .35 Whelen.

Very very cool!!!

Any reports from the deer woods with this sweet old gun yet?

You guys are fortunate your 9 X 57's come in at .356. My ancient JP Sauer & Sohn slugs to .352 so guess whose swaging jacketed bullets. I worked up a cast load for it but the rifling is so washy for a few inches in front of the chamber some would shoot well and others would tumble...badly. So, 250 gr. jacketed bullets swaged to .353/.354 are what it eats. Cool old cartridge and usually chambered in some cool old rifles. I also have a Husky 9.3 X 57 with the usual tight throat and loose bore of the Husky's. I have both cast and jacketed loads worked up for it and it's a sweety. I had to turn the necks to make the cast bullets work.

4 trips and nothing so far. The bucks should be chasing in Jasper Co Ga so I hunted sun up till 4pm today... NADA. Itching to use one of those 50+ year old Kynoch 245gr bullets for it's intended purpose. I'll be back at it tomorrow.

Finally pulled the trigger on a small buck today with the 9x57. Typical .35 cal performance from the old 245gr Kynoch soft points. Both lungs and lights out.

Congrats weagle, looks to be fine eating.

Yep. Tasty.

I hit the motherload of 9x57 ammo on an auction. A full brick of Kynoch 245gr soft nose, plus 100 reloads that appear to be loaded with nosler ballistic tips. Plus I got a few bonus rounds on stripper clips.

I killed a deer last year with some of the old factory ammo, but while sighting it in I had a couple of hangfires out of 20 rounds, so I don't really trust it for hunting ammo.

My plan is to keep a couple of boxes for nostalgia, and tear down the rest of it to reload.

Very cool! I have a Wis bear hunt starting next week. That would be a great rifle for that. I'm using a Whelen but that is a neat looking round!

I shot my first handloads today. I went with a 200gr Remington RNCL and worked up to 48.5gr IMR 3031. This was a half grain under the max load from the online Hodgdon reloading page for the .358 winchester. I didn't shoot it over the chronograph, but I'm figuring 2500ish FPS from the 23 inch 15" twist barrel. My last 2 groups were 1.75" at 100 yds. I'm not going to start chasing better groups till I replace the 2 stage military style trigger. For now it's good to go for the deer woods.

Congratulations on how your 9X57 has worked out for you! Hope you make meat again with it this season.

But, don't ignore your Brno 22F.....

Still haven't put in a commercial trigger, but I did a little work on the military trigger, so I've got decent 2 stage trigger. Hopefully this weekend I get to test the handloads on a deer.

Dang, I like that rifle.
Simple straightforward hunting rifle with refinements.

Grand Old Rifle.

now that's old school t like it a lot!

Rifle looks great with that weaver on it. I like the nice uncluttered lines of a rifle like that.

Now that is a rifle, congratulations! There is nothing wrong with a good 2 stage trigger and they are bullet proof. Kill a good one this weekend.