Steyr M35 Stutzen in 8x56R

Wife gave me one (encouraged me to buy it) for CHRISTMAS. I worked for a few days developing a load, and now I have a real jewel of a utility rifle. It's powerful, accurate and reliable. It's also the lightest and handiest on my old mil-surp rifles. Recoil is stiff, but the stock design has it coming back into my shoulder without beating up my face (the way Mausers do).
So far I've been using jacketed bullets (cast is coming) with excellent results.
I shoot into a "natural" backstop in the woods, no benchrest.
From kneeling, I reliably get 2-3 inch groups at about 100 yards. [smilie=w:

I do NOT use the LEE data that came with the dies. I was getting blowback, hangfires and bullets stuck in the barrel. It seems slower powders in the range of H4350 work best.
I did find that after getting the stuck bullet out (I carry a cleaning rod as part of my "kit") the rifle functioned without a problem with the spilled powder in the action, which usually puts a bolt action out of comission. This rifle seems to be far better than the "armchair experts" rate it .

They are great rifles. Unfortunately no one is currently making the Oldfeller Frankenstein mold at this time. That is the best available mold for that rifle. Have you slugged your barrel yet? A lot of them go larger than .330". The Lee .329" mold is hopeless in most of them.

I gave up shooting mine with milsurp ammo - darned thing would nearly loosen my teeth with just one clip. gonna have to pull the loads and cut the powder charge when or if I ever get the dies...

- The groove diameter is 0.334
- The throat is 0.342
- The neck area in the chamber is 0.362

For cast boolits, I might buy some first in 0.338 and see if I can chamber the loaded rounds, and how well they shoot before I start buying moulds and sizing dies.

I'm trying to generate intrest in the oldfeller bullet in the group buy discussion area.. Dan

Dan,
How much do these moulds cost?
The family budget is temporarily depleted after buying the rifle and everything needed (reloading dies, brass, clips etc.) to go with it.

Don't know what the cost would be. I suppose it depends on who makes it. Assuming there is enough interest it would still be probably a year before it hits the mill anyway./ Dan

What does this bullet look like?
Is there a link or something out there so I can find out more about it?

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=137196

Diagram of the bullet here.

Since the Steyr has been brought up as the subject of discussion.....I have a question, for those knowledgeable about these rifles. (There is an M95 available near me, for a very good price, in very good condition.....that has been "calling to me" for some time. I thought that, if the details can be worked out, it might make a good paper-patch rifle).

Anyway, the question is : can the rifle be used WITHOUT the cartridge clips ? As in, loaded as a single- shot ? Or, is the extractor like a Mauser..... needing modification to work this way ? Mausers modified in such a way don't always extract reliably, especially when cycling the bolt quickly. I wonder about the Steyr.


That M95 is calling me still.........I can hear it in the distance now...........:bigsmyl2:

A way to "single load" the M95 without breaking the extractor?
http://www.surplusrifleforum.com/vie...?f=30&t=116443

And this is the Oldfeller Frankenstein bullet:
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/atta...2&d=1326811769

Oldfeller lubed with a gas check (sorta)

Did you put yourself down as interested?

...............There are 2 problems with the M95 Steyrs chambered 8x56R. The main one is the rather odd chamber and barrel dimensions, so far as cast lead is concerned. The barrels seem to be fairly consistent on their bores at about .316" give or take. The grooves on the other hand will run .330" (never seen or heard of one @ .329") to .335", which is the largest I've heard of. Then consider that you have a chamber that will usually very happily swallow a case loaded with a .338" boolit, not to mention some throats running .340".

So let's say you have a .332" groove and you size to .333" (Lord know's there's PLEANTY of room :-)). The lands and grooves in the barrels are close to equal width, so as that cringing .333" cast boolit see the big light and heads off into the .316" bore. On the drive bands at least you have an excess of .016" of lead, or .008" all around that has to be moved around. Where's it go? I may be one of the reasons folks firing the Lee C329-205-R @ ~.330" as cast, can do okay with a .331/.332" groove if the barrel is in decent shape. I've sold a Lot of Lee type push through type dies of .331" to .334" so I know people are also using .338" slugs too.

http://www.fototime.com/E5F797678DB6438/standard.jpg

These are the boolit designs I've shot from my M95. A: This is a 205gr Saeco special order scheutzen design that drops at .336". I dont know what it's supposed to REALLY be for. It shoots very well at 1200 - 1300 fps. B: This is the Lee C338-220-R which I lube-size .338" and then send up through a .332" die to load. C: This is the RCBS 338-205 and it treated like the Lee. D: This is the Oldfeller "Frankenstein" cast from the original mould that Mountain Moulds made. It has by far been the most accurate all around slug.

The second problem is with the trigger, and the disease is very similar to the Mosin Nagant's in being rather mushy, and nebulous as to letoff. Not a whole lot can be done to it because the mechanism to prevent firing out of battery is incorporated into it's design. So the main problem is all in the barrel. There isn't any problem with the action itself. I converted a M95/31 to 30-40 Krag and it's as accurate as several other rifles I have. I've seen photos on the web of old European sporters built on the M95 action. One was chambered 7x57 Rimmed, in a Mannlicher stock. The issue magazine was dispensed with. Another (I forget the cartridge) had the old European style paneled stock and it had double triggers.

They certainly are intriguing rifles, and considering they launched a 208gr slug at 2300+ fps from a 19" bbl they weren't pikers in the power dept either. I like the idea of the 7x57 Rimmed conversion, but the reamer might be hard to find, and $ too. I have another M95/31 with a trashed bbl. One in 40-60 Maynard would be fun :-)

..................Buckshot

Buckshot, Could you paste this info on the 8x56r frankenstien re-do thread in the group buy discussion? Thanks, Dan

Not Buckshot but I need the post count.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=137196

Buckshot, How did the LEE 338 bullets work out for you?

The Lee .338RNGC mold is the obvious choice of a 'low cost starter' mold for your M95. You will need a custom .333-.334" sizer die which you can get from Buckshot. You will also need .338" gas checks which are available here: http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...hlight=blammer
The .338 lee boolit shoots well in my m95.

Those little M95s are habit forming. The Lee mold is fine for a plinking boolit, but for top performance you will want to get in on the Oldfeller Frankenstein group buy. That boolit is magic in the M95.