Thinking about picking up one of these rifles, but dont
want to go broke on ammo. Any input? Regards, Jericho

Reloading is the cheap way out. Easy to neck up 8x57s.
Load data available in Big Bore Cartridges from Wolfe publishing.

http://www.riflemagazine.com/catalog/detail.cfm?productid=76&subcategoryid=8

Slug the bore as most will work fine with standard cup and core 35 caliber bullets.

Here is some data from another site:

"9X57 is a much lower pressure rating than the .35 Whelen.... CIP's rating is 2800 bar (40 500 PSI).

250 grains / H4895 (AR2206) / 45 grains / 2250 fps
250 grains / Varget (AR2208) / 49 grains / 2250 fps

280 grains / H4895 (AR2206) / 41.50 grains / 2100 fps
280 grains / Varget (AR2208) / 45 grains / 2100 fps"

It's also a great cast bullet cartridge as a long heavy slug
+-300 gr can be pushed as fast a lead can (+-2000 fps) and will penetrate for a day and a half. We have had excellent results in our single shot based on the so called Mauser 88 (really the Commission rifle) with NEI mold 358-268-GC-DD

http://www.neihandtools.com/catalog/index.html

Keep a classic shooting!

I checked all the likely sources of ammunition I could think of and there was no 9x57mm listed. Empty brass is available. Looks like it will be a handloading proposition.

That's what I found.

If your bore is a true .356 then you can get good .356 jacketed bullets from Hawk bullets:

http://www.hawkbullets.com/

Or .357 lead from a number of sources incl Beartooth. Lead is the safest and most effective way to go with these old beasts...IMHO.

Personally, I wouldn't shoot .358 jacketed bullets in my 93 Mauser, but I know some folks do. A lot depends on the condition off your rifle, but running larger bullets than the bore will increase pressures. IF you have a 98 Mauser, then that's less of a concern.

Remember, the 98 has excellent gas handling safeguards for a case separation or pierced primer...the 93's and 95's are not as good. So ask yourself how many fps gain is your eyesight worth?

here you go....a little pricey, but how many do you need to have enough cases to keep her shooting forever. still cheaper than .257 Roy factory ammo.

http://www.buffaloarms.com/browse.cfm/4,4667.html

Buffalo Arms stuff works well, too -- and they sell .356 diameter bullets, which look a whole lot like Hornady bullets. I have a commercial 1908-made model '98 in 9x57, and it shoots .358 diameter bullets with no problem, but I have no intent to shoot TSX or suchlike bullets in it, either. A 250-gr .356 or .358 diameter Hornady round-nosed bullet launched at 2250 fps will happily kill anything I can shoot at iron-sight distance anyway, so there's really no issue.

Cool old rifles, and making ammo is quite easy.



Old factory ammo...



I like it a lot...

Dennis

Quality Cartridge offers custom ammo as well.