A 1916 Erfurt Small Ring project

[Clayton]

It won't be long now and you will know how it shoots.

 

[nztimb]

It won't be long now and you will know how it shoots.

yep yep yep yep yep yep yep !!!

 

[nztimb]

It was just above freezing today but clear with no wind and the snow we got over the weekend was starting to thaw back up into the higher elevations so I spent a little time getting the first few shots down range with the 65x57. 30 jacketed and 40 cast just to warm it over a bit and was more than a little pleased with the way it shot. Ony at 25 yds as I had no idea if the tall front blade was going to be anywhere near correct with the aperture sight as I expected I would have to dress it down some but it was about an inch high and about an 1 1/2 right so a little windage adjustment and it should be close for to right for a 150 yd hunting zero but will get to that later on. For now I am really pleased with how it went as it bodes well for the testing sessions that wil come next.

 

[nztimb]

Life and a few projects has been in the way of getting the definitive load testing completed but a friend from down south is coming to join me for a hunt into the high country next week so today I thought I had better get out and sort a load for the 6.5x57. I had 123gh A-Max, SST, 120gn TTSX and 139gn SPBT Privipartisan bullets and chose to go with the Privi bullet. I loaded up 10 at the starting load of 42gn ADI 2209 (H4350) to get the scope dialed in but that only took 4 to have it sitting 1 1/2 high at 100 yds.
My ladder test loads were in .4 gn increments from 42 up to 46.4 which according to QL would give me 2812fps at 57K psi.
Normally I like to do the ladder test at 200yds but thought I would get a reasonable reading at the shorter distance and it proved to be the case. You can see that shots 1 through 7 are hitting high which means that the bullet is leaving the barrel at the top of the oscilation, shot 8 is at the bottom of the vibration swing but shots 9to 12 are in the center where the barrel is "at rest" There is every possibility that there is some shooter induced windage error as this is not a target trigger but even so to have 11 of 12 shots go into 1 1/2 x 1 5/8 with a varience of 4.4gn of powder is a reasonably good result (or at east I thought so. I have loaded the remaining brass at 46.2gn which should get me right on 2800fps and that is not a bad velocity for the 139gn bullet which should deal handily with the goats and be good to go for deer up to wapiti size if the accasion arrises.
Shots 10, 11 and 12 (with different powder charges) have gone into a 1/2 inch so confidence is reasonably high that this build has been a real sucess.

 

[stug]

Looking good to go.

 

[DM Shooting]

Shoots good looks good let's see it hunting.

 

[John A Flaws]

I am really impressed with your work, and I wish you were my neighbor.

 

[mdwest]

I am really impressed with your work, and I wish you were my neighbor.

+1!

I just started down the path on a small ring mauser project.. Ive got an old small ring 1893 action that I intend on either making a 7x57 or a 6.5 sweede out of..

I'll most likely take a much more "outsourced" approach and will have a local gunsmith to the barrel work and put the final finish on the gun (probably going to go with an old rust bluing.. but am still undecided..).. and will install a timney trigger, dayton safety myself.. and then drop it into a boyds stock..

I'd love to have the skills you do though VonG and be able to do more of the work myself... you do some very nice work..

 

[nztimb]

Thanks guys. It is one of the great pleasure in life fo me to be in the shed "making things" and rifles and knives are right at the top of the list.

 

[cagkt3]

Everyone needs a @Von Gruff in their lives!

 

[nztimb]

Awe shucks

 

[Rob404]

+1!

I just started down the path on a small ring mauser project.. Ive got an old small ring 1893 action that I intend on either making a 7x57 or a 6.5 sweede out of..

I'll most likely take a much more "outsourced" approach and will have a local gunsmith to the barrel work and put the final finish on the gun (probably going to go with an old rust bluing.. but am still undecided..).. and will install a timney trigger, dayton safety myself.. and then drop it into a boyds stock..

I'd love to have the skills you do though VonG and be able to do more of the work myself... you do some very nice work..

I recently did a 1895 Chilean Mauser,I put a 7x57 Green mMountain 22 Barrel and a Boyds stock that I actually ordered thru Midway, I had to Mod the stock to accept the external trigger but out side of that the stock dropped right in. Right now it just needs Blued, but I'll wait for winter to set in here in Minnesota before I take it in