Making .43 Mauser Cases?

[W.R.Buchanan]

Does anyone know how to make .43 Mauser Cases out of something that is readily available?

I have a friend who has an M 71/84 Mauser and the only cases he can find are Bertram and they are $4 ea. and last about two reloads with Black Powder and Cast and then separate.

We are looking to find something he can substitute that will be a little more affordable and last better or at least be easier to replace.

Randy

[EDG]

Graf's has Jamison Brass 43 Spanish. I think they have the same base diameter but different rim.
If you have a C&R you can get a discount on Graf's $2.35 each. I hear that Jamison is real brass compared to Bertram's junk.

You might measure the actual diameter of the chamber at the head and compare the real number with current brass.
You might find a rimless or belted round that can be fired single shot.

[brstevns]

Graf's has Jamison Brass 43 Spanish. I think they have the same base diameter but different rim.
If you have a C&R you can get a discount on Graf's $2.35 each. I hear that Jamison is real brass compared to Bertram's junk.

You might measure the actual diameter of the chamber at the head and compare the real number with current brass.
You might find a rimless or belted round that can be fired single shot.

You should be able to make them from 7mm rem mag., 300 win mag. 338 win mag. 458 win mag etc. I use these to make 43 Spanish Brass. The belt needs to be removed. I use a small needle file and file them off while watching the TV. Takes awhile to do it this way. If you have a small lath should take no time to turn them off. Run case into sizer die with the expander removed. Case will need to be deprimed if once fired brass is used. Prime case then firer form with 11 gr Unique and the rest of the case filled with Cream of Wheat or Gritts etc. You will need a small retainer ring that fits extractor groove to give you needed head space and something for the extractor to grab hold of. Once form you will need to trim to correct length. You may find you need to anneal the case before firer forming if you are getting a lot with cracked necks. I anneal after sizing and before fire forming for the 43 Spanish.
For the retainer ring I took a piece of brass to my local Ace Hardware and tried different ones til I found what work. One I found the size needed I bought a 100 off ebay because it was so much cheaper. Yes a lot of work but I enjoyed making them and they seem to last forever.

[EDG]

There are a lot of companies that make C clips, crescent rings and grips rings of all sorts.
Walsdes has a good set of photos in their catalogs to help you find a type you might want to try.

http://waldestruarc.com/products.php#inchring

[GRUMPA]

I'm going to watch this thread kinda close. Not that I plan on doing this conversion but the concept of making them from the belted magnums has peaked my curiosity to where I might play around when and if I have the time. Some of the ideas that folks actually post is mind boggling to the point I wonder if some of them are even in print. The creativeness of some members is astounding.....

[justashooter]

Does anyone know how to make .43 Mauser Cases out of something that is readily available?

I have a friend who has an M 88 Mauser and the only cases he can find are Bertram and they are $4 ea. and last about two reloads with Black Powder and Cast and then separate.

I use 45-90 brass, turn the rim diameter down about 10 thousandths to fit bolt face, can't remember if I had to trim length (don't think so), run into the 43 sizing die, then load .446 bullets swaged from 300 grain .452 pistol castings over about 10 grains unique under pillow stuffing to get around speed of sound. the base diameter of the 45-90 case is about 10 thou under chamber so the case stretches to fill, and the rim thickness is a bit light, but the first firing tightens up the shoulder so neck sizing only afterwards controls headspacing and everything is GTG. fun stuff in a 71/84 rifle.

the 43 mauser was for the 71 and 71/84 rifles. the 88 commission rifle was in 8x57.

[Gunor]

http://www.trackofthewolf.com/Catego...0/1/CASE-45-90

$1.05 a piece.

Justashooter - do you also run the bevel on the rim? (probably)

[mazo kid]

I made some from 300 Win Mag., had the rim rebated on the bottom to better fit in the bolt head. On some I soft soldered a ring of 14 ga. brass wire to the base so the cases would extract. Also made some from 348 Win. cases, but these are a little short. These are pretty labor-intensive cases to make.

[bruce drake]

I'm following this thread as a buddy of mine has a M71/84 that I might purchase from him the next time he complains about the cost of shooting it.

Bruce

[mazo kid]

Just made a few more cases yesterday. Here is a photo of a box ready to load, these are made from 300 Mag and 7mm Mag mostly:

From Right to left, first 5 rows are old CIL (original factory) brass, next row is made from 348 Win ( a bit short), last 4 rows are made from the Mag based cases.

[Good Cheer]

Thank you for posting this.
The 9.5x52 is calling me.

[EDG]

Mazo
Could you describe your process for adding the rims?

Just made a few more cases yesterday. Here is a photo of a box ready to load, these are made from 300 Mag and 7mm Mag mostly:

From Right to left, first 5 rows are old CIL (original factory) brass, next row is made from 348 Win ( a bit short), last 4 rows are made from the Mag based cases.

[leadman]

I found the Lee dies push the shoulder too far down the case. I just neck size with the Lee die, then expand the case mouth with the Lee Universal Flare Die with a specially made pin that follows the Lyman M die design. The Lee die also sizes down the neck too far so I will polish this out larger when I remember to do it. I use .450" boolit rather than the .446" boolit. The bore of my 71 is .458" but the largest boolit that will go in the neck is .450".
I have been loading the Bertram brass with no problems.

[mazo kid]

EDG, I wind the brass wire on a steel rod about .444" diam, cut off with end nipper or diagonal cutter, slip ring over case to rim. I put this in my smooth faced vise jaws and tighten, twist slightly, tighten, twist slightly, etc. This sets the wire into the groove at the base. Then I soft solder the ring onto the base, gently. Next you will have to have a lathe...turn the ring to .572" diam, then thin the ring from the front of the case until the case will seat and extract. Yes, piddly work, but rewarding. I have also made cases from 45-90 brass, a bit easier but the base is small and needs to be annealed so it will swell on fire-forming.

[EDG]

Mazo
Thanks for the explanation. Do you know if the brass gets hot enough in the head to anneal it?
If you use low temp solder - do you heat with a torch or in a temp controlled oven?

EDG, I wind the brass wire on a steel rod about .444" diam, cut off with end nipper or diagonal cutter, slip ring over case to rim. I put this in my smooth faced vise jaws and tighten, twist slightly, tighten, twist slightly, etc. This sets the wire into the groove at the base. Then I soft solder the ring onto the base, gently. Next you will have to have a lathe...turn the ring to .572" diam, then thin the ring from the front of the case until the case will seat and extract. Yes, piddly work, but rewarding. I have also made cases from 45-90 brass, a bit easier but the base is small and needs to be annealed so it will swell on fire-forming.

[mazo kid]

The brass does change color just a bit, but I load low pressure black powder loads and there isn't a problem. I THINK that possibly shooting these a couple of times might work harden them.

[Mk42gunner]

The heat to melt solder, even soft solder worries me a bit on the case head.

That got me thinking about the various epoxies, glues, and sealants that are now available. A few years ago I saw a cold process way of connecting copper plumbing pipe in a store. It seemed reasonable, but since I already know how to solder copper together I didn't buy any and don't even know if it is still available. This might be an even better place for it.

Robert

[brstevns]

EDG, I wind the brass wire on a steel rod about .444" diam, cut off with end nipper or diagonal cutter, slip ring over case to rim. I put this in my smooth faced vise jaws and tighten, twist slightly, tighten, twist slightly, etc. This sets the wire into the groove at the base. Then I soft solder the ring onto the base, gently. Next you will have to have a lathe...turn the ring to .572" diam, then thin the ring from the front of the case until the case will seat and extract. Yes, piddly work, but rewarding. I have also made cases from 45-90 brass, a bit easier but the base is small and needs to be annealed so it will swell on fire-forming.

Is that just one ring end to end? Looks like two turns? Have you tried copper wire?

[Ballistics in Scotland]

I believe the German 6.5x68R case, the rimmed version of the Schuler round, could be used. The head diameter is about .520in. I have some, made by RWS about twenty years ago, which I used to make the 7.7x60R, and at the time they were cheaper within the European Community and, I think, tougher than Bertram.

[mazo kid]

When I wind the wire, I make several "rings", then snip them off singly to slip on the brass. I use a torch to heat just until the solder flows, then dunk the brass into a jar of water. In the photo of the two different brass cases, you can see the result of heating on the case on the left. I wish I had some of the Schuler brass to try!