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I have a 9,5x57 M.Sch. and I have used .30-06 cases to make ammo, (and 9,3x57 Mauser). No problems there. I use a set of long tapered expanders that I got off CH-4D tool and die company. This expands the neck, in stages, so that there's no neck splits.

It's not a bad idea to expand the neck slightly oversize, then use the FL die to establish a new false shoulder, (a little step in the neck). Move the FL die down 1/8th turn at a time and check at each 1/8th turn if the bolt will close on it. When you can just close the bolt, but still feel a very LIGHT resistance as the bolt is closed, you have eliminated most of the headspace. The case will form a new shoulder where the small step, the false shoulder, was on the neck. It might be that the FL die is all the way to the original shoulder, in which case there will be no false neck. Hope this all makes sense. Your brass will last longer if you do this, to get the die set up right, because the brass expands much less rearward and this stretching is what eventually causes head separations. You might need to repeat the process with the reformed brass to get the FL die setting just right. You now have brass that's perfect for your chamber, but only your chamber. It might not now fit another M1910.

To establish if the chamber is oversize, you could simply measure the fired case diameters, at various points, and then compare with the re-sized case when it comes out of the F-L die. There will be some differences, of course, but are they excessive compared to other cartridges? Also measure the fired case at various points, then roll it 90 degrees and measure again to see how round the chamber is.

Without looking at my reloading log, 2,000 Ft/sec sounds OK, even with the longer barrel, but there should not need to be any forcing of the bolt. Different powders will have different speeds and pressures, (meaning, the case might stick less or more), but don't expect 2,500 ft/sec or anything like that. Remember, this cartridge first appeared in 1910. Hodgdon's H4895 works well for me in my long-barrelled 9,5x57mm using 260 grain Nosler accubonds. But beware, some 9,5x57 M. Sch. don't feed pointed bullets well.

Regarding bullet jump, again, that's quite normal for that period. Cartridge manufacture was not all that standardized then and so it would have been safer to have a longer jump. Also, most bullets today are more streamlined, so they fit deeper into the lead before they touch it. The idea of "touching the lands" is to make the case fire-form evenly so that it's a good fit in the chamber. Personally, I don't like doing this, because of the pressure involved. Instead, I use a tool called a Hornady concentricity tool. This straightens the bullet so there is just 1 thou runout. When I set the FL die and the bullet concentricity right, the case fire-forms much better in the chamber. However, I wouldn't rush out and buy one just to achieve this, unless you want to of course. The concentricity tool certainly helps accuracy.

I have a friend who nearly sold his grandfather's shotgun but I talked him out of it and now he's grateful. A rifle is a pretty nice heirloom.

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