8mm ammo for Mauser K98?

It'll be fine with any commercially loaded ammunition. If anything the American loads are REALLY toned down in deferment to the OLD 1888s that are out there in ".318 bore still.
A brute of a cartridge: 198gr @ 2550fps or 154gr @ 2800fps

European loads are what she was originally shooting.

Just make sure she gets a through checkout. If/when she passes, fire away.

Surplus loads are a whole nother box of kettles of frog legs.
The Turk stuff is HOT.
New yugo is good.
Old 50s yugo is chancy.
Romanian Steelcase is generally ok.
British Besa was good.
^All is corrosive

Then theres surplus AP, API, spotter, incendiary, etc.

The bulk of PPU available in the US is down loaded a bit. The S&B stuff is full power. I think the Hornady stuff is pretty warm too. The FedRemWin 170 gr is like a hot .30-30.

Norma 8X57mm JS is what I'd be shooting for factory ammunition if I had a rifle chambered for that cartridge. Their factory ammunition has been just the ticket for me in other metric rifle calibers.

NECG carries some RWS factory ammunition but it's really spendy.

Geco has some good metric rifle cartridge factory ammunition often at bargain prices but it's been difficult to get since safariammo.net website went on hiatus.

Robert said:

As others have said, modern American ammo is downloaded from what it originally shot. You should be fine with anything as long as the rifle is safe.

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........... Beat me to it. And as to the M-1 Garand reference concerning modern ammo; that's based upon the semi-automatic M-1's gas system that operates the action when the gun is fired. It was designed around powders of a specific burn rate. With a bolt action your hand & arm operate the action so it's not as critical. I might also add that the 8x57 is what I call a nice handloaders cartridge if you should be so inclined. I load for mine and it beats that old hot surplus, corrosive stuff and also beats buying factory ammo.

I’ve shot Yugo, PPU, and Remington through mine. Pretty easy to handle. I also shot some Turk ammo (of WWII vintage, at least that’s what the guy said who gave me the ammo) as stated above, it was HOT! After 10 rounds, only wearing a t shirt, the steel butt plate took its toll on my shoulder and I was done with the rifle for the day.

Ditto about avoiding Turkish surplus 8mm. I usually shoot handloads or PPU, which is about all I can find locally.

Needs a cleaning rod!

8mm is in a weird spot where the commercial ammo is really weeny and the military ammo is really hot. The standard Core-Lokt factory load is 170gr @ 2300 FPS, which like another poster said is barely above a 170gr 30-30 load. The German military ammo spec was 196gr @ 2500 FPS, which is like a heavy '06. I don't have the ballistics of them, but some of the machine gun loads I've fired feel even hotter than that.

The one ammo I found and really loved was Romanian light ball. It's a 150gr bullet @ 2700 FPS and kicks about like a 130gr 270. Shot up all my stock of it and can't find any more, but if you can, that's the ticket.

Robert said:

I have some 50s Yugo ammo I'm not going to shoot. I'm not getting rid of it either. The stuff is hot, like backed out primers and hard to open the bolt hot. I'll pull the bullets one day and maybe get some brass cases and reload.

As others have said, modern American ammo is downloaded from what it originally shot. You should be fine with anything as long as the rifle is safe.

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Second this on that surplus ammo. I got some in a bandolier when I first got my 1944 DOT 98K. I don’t know what the country of origin is but it’s really hot. Hard recoil and really stiff bolt after firing. I’ve put it in a closet, can’t bring myself to dispose of it, but it won’t be getting fired out of that rifle anymore. At one time I had a Czech VZ24 that didn’t react so badly so I keep it in case I ever get another rifle.

The PPU is good stuff if you can find it or order some. I hand load only for mine now. I don’t shoot it often, so with a hundred or so empty cases I’m good for a long time. You didn’t mention it as an option so I don’t know if you’re a reloader yourself but it may be something for you to look into. It’s a self satisfying hobby and incredibly useful to a milsurp shooter / collector.

If you have the Turk ammo simple thing to do is pull it and download it 10% or so. No more over pressure, heavy recoil and it shoots closer to aim on the 2 or 300 meter minimum sight setting. That Turk was a real deal back in the day.

PRVI Partizan PPU. In 6.5x55, 30-30 and .243 I’ve found it to be slow, dirty, surprisingly accurate and the brass good for hand loading.

It would be my first choice in a rifle with an older action I didn’t want to stress.

I've shot a bit of PPU 7.62x54R for the brass, and kept a box for hunting ammo.

I have no problem with surplus ammo with the exception of 50's Yugo. Specifically 1955 from Factory 11.

AMraider said:

I have no problem with surplus ammo with the exception of 50's Yugo. Specifically 1955 from Factory 11.

View attachment 943510 View attachment 943511

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Yikes!

I have a fair amount of the Turk ammunition still.
I bought 4 1400 round crates back in the day.
Still have a couple thousand left.

In the long barreled 98's I've chronographed it at about ~3050 fps. A full 300 fps on the ww2 M2 ball and about 400 fps on the M1 ball

My k98 is one of the ones from Samco Global Arms with the “winter triggerguard” and laminated stock. All the markings on the front ring were scratched off, but it’s in remarkably good shape for a 70 year old surplus rifle.

Old P.P. Mauser must have had 20/10 vision, as the microscopic notch in the rear sight makes it almost impossible for me to hit anything with the thing.

Let us know how it shoots for you when you get it to the range .

Stay safe.

Centerfire Systems has some surplus 8mm for sale. I bought some but haven't had a chance to try it out yet.

They are calling it Czech surplus but everything that I have found indicates it is actually Bulgarian, which does not have a good reputation.

The ammo I received had a 1961 headstamp on it and is brass cased with a magnetic bullet.

It was in decent looking condition for 59 yo ammo but it is corrosive, and may have been stored in less than ideal conditions.

A T38 is the only 8mm I own and it's just a fun old surplus gun so if it goes bang I will be happy.

Cartridge on right has been polished.



Edit:

Wow, I misread the intent of your original post OP.

As long as a Mauser is chambered for the modern 7.92x57 cartridge, the lock design and metallurgy will handle any ammo that was ever factory produced.

The bolt and locking system of a normally functioning rifle will handle anything you can find including the ammo I linked above.

Is it still common practice to pour boiling water down the barrel after using corrosive ammunition?

Yes, but other stuff works as well. Also, to the op, your issue is why I started reloading and for a few years I only reloaded for the Mauser. When it got really accurate, though, I started loading for nearly everything else. It was getting expensive ordering everything online.