.43 Mauser Range Trip

[Kurachan]

As the owner of 1886 Mauser 71/84 in pretty decent condition, it was just begging me to be taken to the range, Shoot me!, Shoot me!, it said!!
For shootin’, we need ammo, so this is what I did. First a mould was made, this one is made out of an old Lyman .38 wc mould (at the suggestion of another member). It was turned into a nose pour with a base plug. Cast in pure lead, the boolits base measures about 0.430”, weighs 386gr and is tapered like an original. Because of the boolit taper, the patch is tricky, it’s now not a true shape… Patches are printed out on a laser printer using a CAD program so as to get the right shape and also so you can figure out which ’round it is before you start rollin’. As with any paper patch boolit, you have to decide which way to wrap them.... This proved counter intuitive and contrary to most information out there. I found they worked better (shot better) edge away from the direction of spin… Original Mauser boolits are wrapped this way too. Or at least they are in the pictures I have.
The paper is then licked (yes that’s right!) and rolled, nothing is done to the base until they are nearly dry. Then, the boolit is firmly pushed base first into a simple hand die that forms a kind of rosette. So far, so good. The paper is just plain 80gsm copy paper and the finished boolit is 0.446" at the base. This rifles barrel is about 0.432” in the bore and 0.447” in the groove and the chamber is revolver style with no step for the neck…
To the loadin’, Bertram brass, Remington primers, 69g worth of GoEx giving about 0.100” compression using a 0.020” over powder wad. Then an “Oreo” cookie of 0.040” card and 0.100” beeswax. Using a press mounted wad punch (0.447” dia.) and by feeding it alternately “two of cardboard” and “one” of wax, out the top came those little cookies! Into the case with those, and seat the boolits.
Off to the range! The pic is the first 5 shots (probably in 30 years) at 25 yards. One shot is standing, 4 off the bench. The 4 from the bench form the diamond. Since then, I have been improving and can get mostly black at 300 metres. Still to try, is Swiss powder, more or less compression, different paper etc. etc. There's plenty of paper confetti to be found out in front of the firing position, the occasional over powder wad, but I have yet find any cookie wads...

[NSP64]

Good job. Where are the shot target pics? did I miss something?

[Kurachan]

Previously up loaded into the ether, the missing target pic!

[Red River Rick]

Kurachan:

Excellent information and great thread. This answers a lot of questions, thanks.

RRR

[bandit7.5]

I know this is cast boolits BUT with out the rifle these are just fishing sinkers.
LETS SEE SOME PICTURES OF A CLASSIC RIFLE ----------------------please.
mine is a 1888 spandau71/84

[docone31]

You be makin some stylin patches.
Good grouping.
WAY TO GO!
I should be so good.

[Kurachan]

Details: 1886 Spandau (the most common kind), 8 shot 11.15 x 60R (.43 Mauser) 1:21 or 1:22” twist. The bluing under the woodwork, almost perfect! Hard to believe for a rifle 123 years old. The trigger pull is the sweetest I have found on any military rifle, equalled only by a genuine .303 No1 MkIII sniper rifle. The sights are 100 metres straight over the top, 200 metres on a flip up leaf, and then mysteriously, it starts at 400 metres on the ladder and finishes optimistically at 1600 metres (1 mile) with notch at the very top. Why it has no 300 metre setting, who only knows, but I can state this, that blunt nosed boolits trajectory is starting to get interesting at that particular distance! It also seems to shoot a little to the left, but I will leave that issue until the loads are fully sorted.
The picture of the bore fails show the mirror bright finish shooting paper patch boolits gives, but the style and sharpness can be clearly seen
History unknown, but it carries the unit markings 3.G.G.R. and E.3.100. what ever that means. Numbers don’t match, but all the numbers on the rifle match and all the ones on the bolt match. Neither group look like they have seen much if any use. Water marks on the stock (not particularly obvious) suggest it may have been stacked in the open for a time.

[Kurachan]

Pictures were in the preview, just never made it to the internet...
Here's another try!

[dpaqu]

That is gorgeous! I want one.

Do you have a picture of the paper patch before you rolled it?

[Kurachan]

Here is pic of the patch. The top and the bottom are parallel. But each end is at a slight angle to the other so as to allow for the taper of the bullet. The top and bottom edges should really be slight curves to be true, but when damp the paper has sufficient stretch and the taper is not that much anyway. As well, curved would be too hard to cut. The “top edge” (closest to nose) is about 0.040” or 0.060” shorter than the bottom so that it lines up with the lap and does not overlap at the top or the bottom. The line is so I can roll it on straight, as we are stretching a little as we go. The triangle corner mark is so I know which corner to start as the inner part of the wrap. These ones are wrapped onto the bullet clockwise when viewed from the nose. The rifle has conventional RH twist.

[dubber123]

That is gorgeous! I want one.

Do you have a picture of the paper patch before you rolled it?

Me too! Nice looking bore on the old girl.

[Gunfreak25]

You have a truely nice example of a 71/84 in all matching shape. Other rifles in similar condition usually sell for well over $950 to $1000. The 71/84 is an awesome rifle capable of some really nice accuracy with the right loads. Absolutely great write up on your range report, good loads and great shooting! If I remember too, I can translate the unit markings for you later. Mine is also a Spandau, but an 1888 dated example. The 71/84 never did see actual combat, in most cases anyway. They were shot very little and well taken care of.

The above picture of the target, what distance was that shot at?

[bandit7.5]

very nice pictures. mine has a more used appearance, darker wood, rough finish, same clean bore, the bore was the deal setter for me.
I wish I had a digi cam to show my baby off with

[Lead pot]

Nice.

I would like to see a picture from the chamber end or a Chamber cast if you have one.

[Kurachan]

Pretty average chamber cast. It used all my cerrosafe, every drop! I put the “throat” diameter on the pic, it is 0.471” at that point. There is about 11/2 thou. taper in that section. When loaded to OAL length of 76.5mm (3.025”) the ogive is well up in the tapered lead you can see and the patch is just at the start of the rifling.

[Lead pot]

Kurachan.
Thank you very much.
I was interested to see if it had the lead bullet chamber or the chambers they now use.
Thank you again.

Lp

[405]

Could that be where Glock and others got their idea about polygonal rifling Me likes it!

Nice gun, bore's a beauty and excellent write up!! That chamber cast also clearly shows the tapered throat that is seen in so many (most all?) of the older guns.

Gun shows coming up and just looking at this may cost me more money

[TAWILDCATT]

search"71/84 mauser and there are pictures and takedown and all.centerfire sold barreled receivers and parts some time back 2007/8 $29 with stock $7.
99 just barrel/receiver.I have two.shells can be made from 45/90 or 45/70.I have one case I got with 2 boxes of 1887 loaded rds.I shot all but this one in my carbine in 1956.