1895 hungrian steyr

[pakmc]

I have a couple of Hungrian steyrs in 8x56R. two rifles and two carbines. I put scout mount scopes on one rifle and one carbine. I took the rifle out yesterday. with some reloads(nobody wants to shoot 1938-39 German ammo in these rifles), I started with 19gr.s of Red Dot and a few people on this list said that was not a good idea.(it might be a little over loaded.)
My bullet mold is suppose to be a 205gr. bullet for this caliber. it pours with pure lead about 215gr.s(and yes, with a gas check.) what I had was these bullets with 9, 10, 13 gr.s of red Dot. a friend shot the 10 gr.s of red dot and got about a 3 inch group at 50 yards. he also got about a 3 inch group at 100 yards with the same load.(this is all bench rest shooting.) I didn't do quite a good but I was fairly close to the same size groups. what was interesting was the rifle(scope!) was dead on at 25 yards, it was about 2-3 inches high at 50 yards. and point of aim at 100 yards.(and about 3 inch group)s so it looks like my midrange is 50 yards. this was the most accurate grouping I've very seen with this gun. I might have to start reloading this case again. and yes, these rifles load with a 5 round clip(just like a M-1 garand but it's an 8 round clip). the recoil with these loads is like a .22mag. not like a pile driver with the "factory" ammo. it was a good day at the range!

[Der Gebirgsjager]

There's a lot to like about these old rifles, and the prices being asked for them are slowly increasing. I like your approach with the reloads. I've still got a case of the Nazi ammo, and shooting it, especially in the short rifles is a memorable experience. Glad it's working out for you.

[pakmc]

I can't take the recoil of the factory ammo any more. so the lead bullets are the way to shoot these things. but now I can't find someone who pours the bullets for it. It's looking like another custom mold from accurate molds.

[Ballistics in Scotland]

These are excellent rifles, strong, reliable and compact in the action. Parts availability from Numrich is good, and you won't often need any. I would call them the equal of the rather expensive modern straight-pull actions, the only real snag is that I have never been able to cycle one quickly and quietly. You don't say what bullet diameter you use, but the Hungarian round needs .329in.or so. That is a great nuisance, but once you have a mould it is bearable, and I would call this cartridge, with its longer neck, a better one than the original 8x50R Austro-Hungarian.

Red Dot is a shotgun or pistol powder, and while it would be fine for gallery loads, I would feel happier with a heavier charge of slower powder, such as 3031 or Reloder 12. Especially if I used a heavier bullet, which I think isn't a bad idea with cast. I have a NEI 245gr 330GC round-nose mould which I found very satisfactory in the 8x60R Portuguese. Current NEI production isn't what it used to be, but there should be similar ones elsewhere.

I also sized down Speer 275gr. jacketed .338 bullets in a simple ring die. People will tell you not to do this, as the jacket springs back a little towards its former diameter, and the core doesn't. But I got a sized diameter only a thousandth over what the same die produced in lead alloy. If the core moved the maximum that would allow, it would be half a thousandth, and mathematical calculation would put the point of impact a single-figures number of inches off at a thousand yards. But the core won't do it, for the bullet has a long and unsized nose which doesn't get sized. A boat-tail bullet would be even less impaired.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Lee Precision makes a mold for it. Mine drops right at .329". I think that I have also seen them commercially cast, but don't recall exactly where.
Try sorting through the big selection of cast bullets at Midway USA's website.

[pakmc]

I slugged the barrels of all four guns and I need a .332 or .334 dia. bullet . the load i'm shooting is a good 100 to maybe 150 yard load. and it very easy on my old shoulder(if I had my drugers, I would be shooting M-1 garands or M-14's) like I carried in the MC. but that was 55 years ago. I'll probably need to order a mold from Accurate molds. Tom's molds, can't be beat , I'm not trying to get factory specs. on the ammo just some thing I can hit with out to maybe 100 yards or so, I think a 215gr spire point bullet that's still moving will do some damage to it's target! If I don't use Red dot, I'll use 4198. it's a great powder and it would work with my AR's in 6.8spc and my 7.62x39 uppers

[Wayne Smith]

Several on this board designed the Oldfeller Frankenstein boolit for these rifles. I think NOE has the current iteration.

[KCSO]

I lapped the mould for mine to drop at 331 and saw better accuracy. I use a max of 12.5 of Red Dot.

[pakmc]

I used 13 gr's of Red dot as my max load. but 9-10 gr's works pretty good too. but I had a resizing die for .332 and thats the one i used most of the time. I think Lee cut me a .330, 332 and a .334 resizing die. you can resize after the bullet has been powder coated. I might just get a .338 mold and get a die and resize to .332.
KCSO, do you use gas checks on your bullets?

[Intel6]

I use the NOE Frankenstein bullet in my Steyr and have had great results with it. in the pic below you can see it as cast, HiTek coated and GC'd and then loaded in a case. I size them to .334" and seat them long to fill the throat and they shoot well. Going to try powder coating the bullets next to see how they shoot compared to the HiTek.

[Wayne Smith]

How do you load them seated that long? Do they pass through the action on the clip?

[Ballistics in Scotland]

I slugged the barrels of all four guns and I need a .332 or .334 dia. bullet . the load i'm shooting is a good 100 to maybe 150 yard load. and it very easy on my old shoulder(if I had my drugers, I would be shooting M-1 garands or M-14's) like I carried in the MC. but that was 55 years ago. I'll probably need to order a mold from Accurate molds. Tom's molds, can't be beat , I'm not trying to get factory specs. on the ammo just some thing I can hit with out to maybe 100 yards or so, I think a 215gr spire point bullet that's still moving will do some damage to it's target! If I don't use Red dot, I'll use 4198. it's a great powder and it would work with my AR's in 6.8spc and my 7.62x39 uppers

That's larger than most references say, but I believe you. If you are laying out quite a bit of money on a mould, especially on a rifle for which you might sometimes want to use really hard alloys, it would be a pity to go for an undersize one.

[fivefang]

Pakmc, I know this is strange, but I have had very good accuracy with the .338" Lee bullets sized .338", it did not show Hi-Pressure, you may want to make a chamber -casting to see if the Throat will handle the .338" + wall thickness of case-neck, I have .002" clearance, those "Bohler- Steel "barrels do heat up rather fast, a clean burning powder is a must for those chambers, Fivefang

[pakmc]

Pakmc, I know this is strange, but I have had very good accuracy with the .338" Lee bullets sized .338", it did not show Hi-Pressure, you may want to make a chamber -casting to see if the Throat will handle the .338" + wall thickness of case-neck, I have .002" clearance, those "Bohler- Steel "barrels do heat up rather fast, a clean burning powder is a must for those chambers, Fivefang

I tried .338 bullets and they wouldn't go into my bullet seating die thats why I used a .332 or .334 sizing die.(Lee dies). I did have one rifle that needed a .338 bullet. but it's gone now. I'm still trying to fine someone who will pour me some .332 or .334 bullets. but I want to powder coat my next batch. I love the powder coating which I got from someone on this forum; and you and size them with the powder coating.(I did it and the coating didn't come off.)

[pakmc]

I looked at NOE molds and I didn't see any thing about oldfellow frankenstein molds.

[Intel6]

How do you load them seated that long? Do they pass through the action on the clip?

They are loaded that long in an attempt to fill up the throat. The round has a short neck anyway and they do fit in the mag well in the rifle and load and shoot fine.

[Intel6]

I looked at NOE molds and I didn't see any thing about oldfellow frankenstein molds.

http://noebulletmolds.com/NV/index.php?cPath=33_239

[Bjornb]

I took Buckshot’s advice and had him make me a .335 push thru sizer. Sizing down the Lee 338 bullet makes a perfect fit for my 1895. Shoots great with 18 grs 4227.