Anyone else here a fan of the 8mm Mauser?

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troy fairweather said:
You really need a 7x57 lol. It would be great for the stuff you hunt.
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BigBore44 said:
I completely agree.
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Mr. Zorg said:
Eh, where @LoonWulf lives with the "we gotta take what we can get" availability in reloading components and ammunition, and the way Made in USA commercial 7X57mm Mauser ammunition is loaded way, way below that cartridge's potential in a strong modern action (including the Hornady Superformance 7X57mm factory ammo), a 7mm-08 would be a much better "fit" in those circumstances but hey, why weight practicality and ease highly as considerations when it comes to firearms ownership? I don't now that I can afford not to need to do so!
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troy fairweather said:
He reloads so will never be a problem.
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Yes to all of the above lol

The 7x57 (maybe AI) is on the short list. I want it in a medium action tho as it's a little long for a 2.8" box.
The 7-08s on the list too, but a few rungs below the x57. It may happen sooner tho just because of availability.
If my buddies wife keeps putting 40-80rounds thru my heavy 6.5, it may happen sooner still.
 
LoonWulf said:
Yes to all of the above lol

The 7x57 (maybe AI) is on the short list. I want it in a medium action tho as it's a little long for a 2.8" box.
The 7-08s on the list too, but a few rungs below the x57. It may happen sooner tho just because of availability.
If my buddies wife keeps putting 40-80rounds thru my heavy 6.5, it may happen sooner still.
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Just to sort out any potential confusion in my head on the definition of medium action - you're talking of something long enough to easily accommodate a ?X57mm cartridge but not accommodate a ?X62-64mm cartridge? Like a Yugo 8X57mm "intermediate" action (a term I've seen referring to that action length)?

Guessing ?X57mm brass is readily available to you in paradise.
 
I bought a K98 7.92 x 57 at WoolCo my Senior year in high school. I think I paid about $39 ( and thus got the pick of the litter from the barrel) and bought a bunch of 15 round boxes of ammo on stripper clips. I was appalled when the price went above 8 cents a round a year later! I bought one box of commercial hunting ammo and kept five rounds with the rifle in the trunk. Never shot game with it though. Basically my HS buddies and I decided we wanted a Standard Rifle among us and one already had a nice Cortuna his uncle gave him we all liked so we all got "the same thing." I think we ended up with a Spanish, Polish, Czech, and German rifles. We each made an effort to keep 60 rounds of FMJ on hand each on stripper clips. Most of our shooting was inside 100 meters and our favorite targets were water filled paint cans with the lids hammered back on for the visual effect or cut open LP gas canisters for the sound confirming a hit.

It was nice that we could share ammo and we each shot the others rifles on occasion to see how far off each was from the rest. Interestingly a 6 o'clock hold with a thin line of dirt did it for the paint cans at 50 yards with every set of eyes and every rifle... go figure.

I bought a paper reloading manual that year because paper books were so much lighter and handier than stone tablets. I looked at reloading, but at the time surplus FMJ was cheaper than buying commercial bullets.

I still have the remains of that rifle.

-kBob
 
Mn Fats said:
My first bolt action centerfire was a Nazi marked K98 when I was 17 years old. I couldn't find 8x57mm at any stores near me at the time. So I bought a Lee single stage and some books (I preferred books at the time due to my crappy dail up internet). Still nice to have print. ...
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In 1968 (I was 16) my maternal grandfather gifted me (following the intercession of his daughter, I have no doubt) a 1937 S147 (J.P.Sauer) K98k bringback that "uncle" somebody had brought him from the ETO.

Commercial ammo for the rifle was ridiculously expensive & underpowered (related to a change in the cartridge in the late 19th century) so Dad decided we would become handloaders. Happy Day! :)

I quickly learned how to scrounge for 7,92x57 boxer cases at shooting locations.

Here is a pic of how we started that endeavor (taken a few years ago):

2v2u13ahNxAW38L.jpg

My current collection of 7,92x57 rifles consists of 4 K98ks, 2 M48s and 2 Wz29s.

I would really like to find a nice G/K43 for a decent price, but so far, No Joy. :(

Of all of the longguns that I own, the one that has accompanied me for, by far, the most walkabout miles is my original K98k. :)
 
Mr. Zorg said:
Just to sort out any potential confusion in my head on the definition of medium action - you're talking of something long enough to easily accommodate a ?X57mm cartridge but not accommodate a ?X62-64mm cartridge? Like a Yugo 8X57mm "intermediate" action (a term I've seen referring to that action length)?

Guessing ?X57mm brass is readily available to you in paradise.
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Yeah 3.0-3.1 magazine box....they are around but mostly older, custom, or savage lol.

I order most of my brass and bullets, but have to get primers and powder locally. So generally I can get the necessary stuff for most anything. Some times it's impossible to get a specific powder or the correct type of primers tho.
 
I bought a number of Mauser's when the Golden Age was on, and also thousands of rounds of corrosive Military ammunition foe something like 5 or 6 cents a round on clips. I'm still shooting it. I've never had a misfire with this stuff. The Mauser's, being non- German manufactured were really cheap and in amazingly good shape. (What a nightmare getting that cosmoline off!). Being bolt action, cleaning up after the corrosive ammunition takes just a few minutes. IMG_0229.JPG
 
The 8x57mm is a versatile, competent round. The '98 Mauser action is the standard. Some actions are as strong and smooth, but Mauser is the standard. I have a (1888) commission rifle (later owned by the Ottoman Empire) in 8x57mm. And I have a sporting rifle in 8x60mm, a hundred year old 'work around'. I also have a warm regard for the .30-06 in various rifles. .30-06 Springfield is a versatile, competent round. As is .308 Winchester (or 7.62mm NATO, as you prefer.)

With all that in mind, I prefer the 7x57mm cartridge. With the old 1892 (or so) action, it is a potent enough cartridge to hunt nearly everything in the Western Hemisphere (I'd be cautious about large, dangerous critters). Should the need arise, it will suitably dispatch any belligerent. These actions are limited to less than 300 yards or so. It is not a cartridge suited to 'long range' target shooting or the typical weekend 'run and gun' match. (Neither am I, so we're matched.) The late Walter Bell used it to kill elephants, back in the day.

I'm not sure I have a favorite cartridge anymore. I am more fond of small, less recoiling rifles. I have little desire to hunt large game and probably less opportunity. On the other hand, I did buy a Ruger Hawkeye in .375 Ruger in the last couple months. One should be prepared.

So I like the 8x57mm cartridge, but I would not be thought a fanboy.
 
I would argue that the design commission that produced the GEW 88 was pretty influential, as the cartridge they developed is the direct parent of the 0.473 case diameter family- All rimless Mauser based, all .30-06 based, all .308 based. That ends-up being a pretty high % of all rifle ammunition ever developed, and all being derived from 8mm Mauser.
 
LoonWulf said:
It was never a really popular round outside of its milsurp roots rifles, and was out classed slightly by the .30-06 (at least on paper, and when compared to the original loading).
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I have been hunting with my 8x57jrs using 200NP's at 2,650fps for many years, and I've taken a LOT of big game with it, and that load. BUT, I'm here to tell you, a 30-06 loaded with 200NP's is a superior round and I don't care what it says on paper!

IF, tomorrow I was leaving on a brown bear hunt, and I had to choose between the two above, I'd take the 30-06 every time! I've hunted big bears a lot, shot a few too, and the 30-06 is just plain bigger medicine on dangerous game.

Don't get me wrong, I hunt with the 8x57 more than any other cartridge, but I know and have seen it's limitations on bigger big game.

DM
 
This is my favorite 7.92X57 rifle. I tried and tried but the Dept. of Defense won't sell it to me. I don't have a third of a million dollars lying around, anyway. That's about what one of these puppies will bring at auction. The ATF has 26 of these on their registry.

I'm too lazy to type a detailed description. Just Google FG-42 and you will get some cool videos. I'm kinda computer stupid or I would post a link, but I don't know how....:confused:. I should find a seven year old and have them teach me. :what:
 

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I like 8mm. There's always 8mm bullets and just about always 8x57JS ammo available even now. I bought some sweet 200gr ballistic tip boat tail on sale not too long ago from mid way.
 
I had a crate of Romanian steel case, two tins...and nothing to shoot it in. In looking around for an M48, I found a Yugo kar98k, a rebuilt, German Mauser in like new condition.
I wish a cache of good surplus would show up. It’s sad that saami has lowered the 8mm’s performance. Also that prvi loads to that level. S&B, at least, has full power loads.
 
amd6547 said:
I had a crate of Romanian steel case, two tins...and nothing to shoot it in. In looking around for an M48, I found a Yugo kar98k, a rebuilt, German Mauser in like new condition.
I wish a cache of good surplus would show up. It’s sad that saami has lowered the 8mm’s performance. Also that prvi loads to that level. S&B, at least, has full power loads.
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Norma's metric ammunition is also loaded to much more fully utilize cartridge potential vs the same cartridge US factory loaded ammunition for these born in Europe and / or Africa numbers.

I kinda squeezed myself out of the 8mm sporting rifle choices when I purchased a 338-06 rifle.
 
DM~ said:
I have been hunting with my 8x57jrs using 200NP's at 2,650fps for many years, and I've taken a LOT of big game with it, and that load. BUT, I'm here to tell you, a 30-06 loaded with 200NP's is a superior round and I don't care what it says on paper!

IF, tomorrow I was leaving on a brown bear hunt, and I had to choose between the two above, I'd take the 30-06 every time! I've hunted big bears a lot, shot a few too, and the 30-06 is just plain bigger medicine on dangerous game.

Don't get me wrong, I hunt with the 8x57 more than any other cartridge, but I know and have seen it's limitations on bigger big game.

DM
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What's the difference in real world performance? Which I know differs from what one reads at times
In terms of book balistics they looks pretty similar with the 200-220gr bullets, but I've never used that heavy in the 06, besides target shooting, and don't hunt dangerous game besides, so I dont have a practical reference.
 
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