8mm Mauser

Get a rifle

A very good all purpose round. What ammunition were you given? If military, watch for corrosive primers. Also, if military, it will probably be full metal jacket and unsuitable for hunting in most states and jurisdictions.

The 8mm and the .30-06 have overlapping fields. Both are general purpose for the chap who prefers to only own one rifle.


Kevin

I've had a few 98 Mausers over the years. Never did have one that would shoot under 2 1/2". Getting reloading components is no greater problem than for any other common cartridge. 8mm is a very capable cartridge, but it is not one that you would enjoy shooting 100 rounds.

I bought a few Czech and Yugoslavian "Mauser's" during the Golden Age of C&R's. Also some 4,000 rounds of Military FMJ at 5 cents a round. It's corrosive but the rifle's clean easily just don't put them away dirty. Actually pretty accurate for Military bolt actions. Certainly enough for Whitetail hunting.

matttric said:

I was recently given a few hundred rounds of 8mm Mauser ammo. I don’t have this caliber rifle, and neither do any of my friends.
My question for those of you who own one:
1) do you shoot it often
2) are you able to find ammo/reloading components
3) what is your primary purpose (hunting, fun, target)
4) pro/cons
I’m debating picking up a rifle, curious what owners think if theirs. Thanks!

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I would agree, 3006 and 8mm close enough to the same to call it the same.

Fairly often I shoot mine, I have two, one yugo one german. As to how accurate it is, on par with condition, most are military rifles, so keep in mind that.

I just target shoot with mine....they are a thumper.

In the surplus days that cartridge was cool, JG guns sold 1000 rounds for $43 dollars plus shipping. Cheap rifles and Ammo and alot of shooting.

I no longer have any ammo nor rifles, my favorite was my Egyptian Hakim.

Accuracy of any surplus rifle will be 5 inches or less at 100 yards with surplus ammo.

Handloads around 2 inches

Components are no more complicated to obtain than anything else.

I would not buy a rifle for only a few hundred rounds, I would just sell them and invest into your passion

If you can find a Mauser for a decent price, buy it and have fun.

Once you go through the ammo, reload and repeat! That's the best part of shooting.

I've got German, Czech, Spanish, Romanian, Yugo and civilian Belgian rifles in 8mm Mauser.
There are others.
Pick one, buy one and shoot up that ammo.
You'll have fun.

I used one to shoot rusted out gas cans as full of pond water as I could get them, when I was a kid. Once on a squirrel. My Grandmother kept it in the kitchen closet.

matttric said:

I was recently given a few hundred rounds of 8mm Mauser ammo. I don’t have this caliber rifle, and neither do any of my friends.
My question for those of you who own one:
1) do you shoot it often
2) are you able to find ammo/reloading components
3) what is your primary purpose (hunting, fun, target)
4) pro/cons
I’m debating picking up a rifle, curious what owners think if theirs. Thanks!

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I've had two K98s, down to one now. Just like the Garand, the Arisaka and the Lee Enfield, it is an awesome historical rifle. I mainly use mine to shoot 200-300 yard steel, it makes a great "PING". I wouldn't call it a tack driver but on a good day it's capable of 2 MOA groups with surplus ammo and 1 MOA with handloads. The hardest part for me is the rear sight; it's a tiny v-notch which is hard to see with my multi- focal lenses.

Mauser is MY middle name practically . The Wehrmacht would be envious of MY arsenal !.

I agree with KY Dan DON'T buy a rifle or pistol ,because someone gives you ammo ,that's just plain foolish !.

Now IF you reload already and could find a deal on something YOU LIKED ,that's totally different .

8mm Mauser's wear steel Butt plates and AREN'T gas operated are they fun to shoot , OH Hell Yes provided you have a shoulder pad after #2 boxes of ammo . DON'T wear a tee shirt or your shoulder will resemble a surgical procedure the following day . 198 Gr. - 226 Gr. extracts a toll even with the weight of the Rifle .

I don't know about it being foolish to buy an inexpensive milsurp - even if no one gives you ammo to go with it... .

I've always liked the 8mm and the Mausers they rode in on.
I sure wish I'd grabbed more than one out of the barrel when they were 60 bucks.

it's the kind of rifle you can like so much, that even when you know it's going to hurt, you line it up and fire again anyways!

theotherwaldo said:

buy an inexpensive milsurp

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There are not many inexpensive surplus rifles on the market now.
Trade the 8x57 for something you already have.

IMHO it really comes down to the OP's interest.

If he is interested in this "family" of rifles, and just never had the money or got lucky in finding the "right" one, go for it. If he just is not "into" these old fudd guns, fine as well.

I have friends that are "gun people" that just hate all things old, and with the power of these old rifles. We all like different stuff.

I bought my first revolver after a friend gave me a box of ammo -- it happens sometimes, and in my case it was for the best.

The 7.92x57 is a good cartridge with many good rifles made to chamber it. Reloading is no more difficult than any other rimless cartridge; dies are relatively plentiful. My observation is that .323" bullets are not as common in US gunshops as other diameters, but I've not had any particular trouble finding them online.

I have two 8mm Mauser rifles at present that seem to shoot well, but I've only used them at short range so far.



The cartridge is as accurate as the individual rifles and handloads are capable of making them. Be advised that there is a lot of old, indifferent quality surplus ammo floating around. There's some Turkish surplus that has been recorded as producing dangerous overpressures.

https://www.forgottenweapons.com/why-we-dont-use-turkish-8mm-surplus/

The accuracy of steel cased wartime Nazi era ammo was a sore point with German snipers. Check out the discussion here beginning at the 31.30 minute mark:

I was gifted a bring back K98 from my father in law, which got me shooting 8mm Mauser. It kicks like a mule but is fun. Once I started reloading for it, and I was hunting with a sporterized 303 British Enfield, a friend busted my balls asking me when I was going to break down and shoot a modern rifle. After pondering that I did some research and found that 8mm is still very popular in Europe, and both Sako and Tikka make rifles chambered in this caliber. So, I bought a Tikka for a reasonable price (back a few years) and never looked back. Now I hunt almost exclusively with it,it's a tack driver, still reload for it, and I couldn't be happier. I still have the K98 as it's a family heirloom, and I bought a 1918 Enfield #3*, which I still scratch the historical itch. Now I just need a Garand lol

Also, my experience is that components, ie brass and bullets, are widely available, and not wildly expensive, at least the last time I purchased some. All decent reloading manufacturers make dies etc for this caliber too. You can use a variety of powders. As with everything, the choke point is primers

Retired MSG said:

I was gifted a bring back K98 from my father in law, which got me shooting 8mm Mauser. It kicks like a mule but is fun. Once I started reloading for it, and I was hunting with a sporterized 303 British Enfield, a friend busted my balls asking me when I was going to break down and shoot a modern rifle. After pondering that I did some research and found that 8mm is still very popular in Europe, and both Sako and Tikka make rifles chambered in this caliber. So, I bought a Tikka for a reasonable price (back a few years) and never looked back. Now I hunt almost exclusively with it,it's a tack driver, still reload for it, and I couldn't be happier. I still have the K98 as it's a family heirloom, and I bought a 1918 Enfield #3*, which I still scratch the historical itch. Now I just need a Garand and a Type 99 and a Carcano and a Mosin, and a Johnsonl

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Fixed that for ya.

I have three rifles in 7.92x57 mm at the moment. They are all Mauser based hunting rifles and are fantastic in that role. Not an ideal target round but they can be thus used should one so wish. One of my rifles, a sporter built in the sixties from a Persian M49 is remarkably accurate for a milsurp sporter and with handloads is sun MOA.

the nice thing about used rifles is that if you don't ruin them, they are worth the same money tomorrow as they were yesterday. So if you think a mauser would be interesting to you, buy one, shoot your ammo, and if it turns out that it didn't do anything for you then you can just sell it and not be out on anything.

denton said:

Never did have one that would shoot under 2 1/2"

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That will drop a deer, elk, moose or black bear every time.