Thanks to years of improper cleaning after shooting corrosive ammo, most surviving Mauser C96 "broomhandles" pistols have oversized chambers and bores with little or no rifling. The way to get these guns shooting like new is to have them relined with a new chamber and bore - and there is now a service in CANADA that does this (i.e. no more risk of huge US fines or US criminal charges for sending your upper to the US and back for relining).
However, not everyone want to pay for a relining job in Canada.
If you reload for your older C96 with an oversized chambers and worn out bore you know that cases crack in the neck and shoulder area after a firing or two - due to the oversized chamber. You also know that bullets tumble and keyhole with no real accuracy.
Try making your own brass from 9mm magnum cases or IVI 9mm blanks. The brass is thicker (and in the case of 9mm IVI blank derived cases - also a bit softer and less brittle than Starline brass or Fiocchi/ Sellier and Bellot recovered hulls). Then, change your expander ball to a .311 one and reload with "32 cal" bullets. Try the new ones from Campro (the 85 grain, fully plated ones). These can be resized with a cheap Lee bullet resizing kit to .310 or .309 - if that suits you gun. Groups will shrink and cases will generally stop splitting.
If you later get a relining job you can bring the bases of your now-oversized brass back to original spec with a 38 auto carbide sizing die. Your standard 7.63x25 dies don't resize the case head area enough to effect this fix.
PM me for more info.
However, not everyone want to pay for a relining job in Canada.
If you reload for your older C96 with an oversized chambers and worn out bore you know that cases crack in the neck and shoulder area after a firing or two - due to the oversized chamber. You also know that bullets tumble and keyhole with no real accuracy.
Try making your own brass from 9mm magnum cases or IVI 9mm blanks. The brass is thicker (and in the case of 9mm IVI blank derived cases - also a bit softer and less brittle than Starline brass or Fiocchi/ Sellier and Bellot recovered hulls). Then, change your expander ball to a .311 one and reload with "32 cal" bullets. Try the new ones from Campro (the 85 grain, fully plated ones). These can be resized with a cheap Lee bullet resizing kit to .310 or .309 - if that suits you gun. Groups will shrink and cases will generally stop splitting.
If you later get a relining job you can bring the bases of your now-oversized brass back to original spec with a 38 auto carbide sizing die. Your standard 7.63x25 dies don't resize the case head area enough to effect this fix.
PM me for more info.
Last edited:
