7x57 Mauser target load for my M1 Garand

Bruce Drake

Active Member
Yes, its not a typo. I rebarreled a M1 Garand with a 7mm Mauser short-chambered barrel a few years back to replace a worn out barrel (for collectors, it was a mixmaster from Blue Sky Imports that my Dad bought in the 80's so no harm was done and the barrel was a very welcome birthday gift). As well as replacing the barrel, new oprod spring, stock and an adjustable gas plug, I finished chambering the barrel after I had a gunsmith in Michigan (http://shuffsparkerizing.com/services/m1-garand/) do the barrel replacement and timing the barrel to the receiver.

Well, for the last couple of years, its been fed a diet of 38.5gr of IMR 4895 with 140gr Remington spirepoint jacketed bullets for NRA rifle matches but in my goal to shift over to shooting more cast bullets, I finally sat down and developed an initial starting load for it with cast.

Lyman 287405-150gr Louverin design gas checked with two coats of Eastwood PC Paints (one before and one after the bullets are gas-checked and sized at .285)
Winchester 30-06 cases (brand-new and trimmed down and resized at 57mm.
Winchester LR Primers
31.5 gr of IMR 4895
reduction formula from Lee's Modern Handloading put this load at 2100fps.

9035
offhand target at 50 yards. It even fully-functioned with the gas plug set for the previous jacketed load I mentioned earlier. No leading or excessive fouling either.

I will try to do another shooting test on this for 100 and 200 yards before the end of the summer.

Bruce
 

Ian

Notorious member
You had me at 7x57 M1, what a neat idea.
Good shooting from your hind legs there, too.
Any particular reason for powder-coating twice?
 

Bruce Drake

Active Member
You had me at 7x57 M1, what a neat idea.
Good shooting from your hind legs there, too.
Any particular reason for powder-coating twice?

to ensure the gascheck stays put. I still size both of the powder coats to allow them to fully chamber.

And the bore is as clean as a Whistle now

Bruc
 
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Bruce Drake

Active Member
I'd bet he is trying to get to 286.
I'd love to find an Original NOS rifle barrel from a viable importer or have the old barrel rebarrel rebored to 35 Whelen.

I liked the idea of the 276 Pederson cartridge. Not too big, just on the right side BUT brass would require a new 10 round clip that is no longer in production and neither is the cartridge itself The cartridges came in a 10 round clip and the cartridge was based off the 6.5x54 Mannlicher Schoneour. I chose 7x57 as it was a gift from a friend. I plan on bringing him a bowl full of targets shot with the barrel. The 276 Pederson is a 7mm cartridge except in loading department. It is also predicated if the original cases were oiled which meant dirt would be attracted to it which also leads to excessive wear and turn on the rifle.
The Barrel is Barnett steel. Not sure if Barnett is still around but Lothar Walther in Atlanta offers Garand barrels in the bores that you choose.
Bruce
 
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Bruce Drake

Active Member
Yeah, no doubt that oiled cases is a total loser.

Bill
well, it only required oiled cases in the original .276 Pederson Rifle but Garand had designed his prototype SA rifle to be functional without oiling the 7mm cartridge and was able to shift to a different cartridge when so dictated much easier than the Pederson rifle because of it. The rifle is very pleasant to shoot as a 7x57.
 

CZ93X62

Official forum enigma
Bah, collectors. A pox on their house. That Garand/7 x 57 idea is a very sound one, and the caliber is a GREAT one. I have palavered around since forever, and didn't buy either a Ruger 77R or a CZ-550 when both companies were turning them out. One day soon, I might scare one up.
 

Pistolero

Well-Known Member
My first centrifire rifle was a 93 Mauser for about $12 mail order. I got ripped off at that
price because there bore was GONE. Threw everything sideways at 10 ft.
My second try was $35 for a mint (NRA Ecellent, and it was at least that good) 95 Chilean
Mauser that I still have, although it has picked up some wear and tear over the last 50+ years
in my use. Really enjoyed that rifle, and my first handloading with it.
My most used hunting rifle is a Ruger 77, tang safety, in 7x57 and it went to Africa and did an
excellent job on kudu and down, and has accounted for one elk, plus multiple deer, too.

Great cartridge.

My first time shooting a centerfire rifle was an 1903 Springfield owned by a friend of my
father. I was about 13 or so and and remember that it kicked HARD. I was happy that
the 7x57 a few years later did better, although the 95 Mauser stock design is awful.

Bill
 

Bruce Drake

Active Member
And in the very odd chance I ever burn out the throat of this barrel, I can always have it re-chambered to .280 Remington (7mm-06 was the wildcat before Remington picked up for production)

Bruce
 

CZ93X62

Official forum enigma
That 280 Remington is a GREAT caliber. The guys that used to cut my hair were hunting fools, and both swore by the 280 as deer and elk medicine. They closed the shop for 2 weeks twice each year (depending on which tags and states they drew), so you had to start asking in August about closure dates. Fun bunch, they used to give me a raft of guff about my 30-06 being an "Army howitzer" and rot like that. I would counter with "If recoil concerns you, maybe a 270 might work for you?" THAT stirred the pot BIGTIME--"That %$^*$# Jack O'Connor was a fraud and a poser!" The rant continued for a minute or two, then they settled down and allowed that the deer I had taken with the 30/30 the year prior wasn't a bad deal at all. I never brought up the 7-30 Waters, and wondered then what they would say about that. They were an opinionated pair, for certain.
 

Bruce Drake

Active Member
Well, what do you know....the new Handloader magazine has an article about modern 7x57 loads. Heck, i've been using 7mm-08 loads in my Garand since I rebarreled...

Bruce