8mm Mauser 30-06
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Bigdog57
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????? 
If you mean converting the .30-06 case to 8mm Mauser, it's quite simple.
1) Use calipers to mark the cut line - .30-06 is 62mm long, 8mm Mauser is 57mm long.
2) Then I use a small tube cutter to cut off the required 4mm (I leave a bit to make sure not to over-shorten).
3) Lube well, including inside the mouth - but NONE on the shoulder.
4) Run it through your 8mm Mauser Full Length sizer die. It will take more effort than normal, as you are moving the shoulder back a fair distance.
5) I use the Lee Case Gauge and case trimmer to bring it to correct length.
6) I double check the first couple in my Mauser rifle's chamber to make sure it chambers well.
Then load as per normal.
This can be done with .270Win also. Some guys anneal the cases before sizing, but I have had no problems.
I also converted many .243Win cases to .308Win during the failed 2008 Immaculate Deception, when .308 brass wasn't available new. Still works fine.
Also converting .284Win to 7.5 Swiss for my K31.
If you mean converting the .30-06 case to 8mm Mauser, it's quite simple.
1) Use calipers to mark the cut line - .30-06 is 62mm long, 8mm Mauser is 57mm long.
2) Then I use a small tube cutter to cut off the required 4mm (I leave a bit to make sure not to over-shorten).
3) Lube well, including inside the mouth - but NONE on the shoulder.
4) Run it through your 8mm Mauser Full Length sizer die. It will take more effort than normal, as you are moving the shoulder back a fair distance.
5) I use the Lee Case Gauge and case trimmer to bring it to correct length.
6) I double check the first couple in my Mauser rifle's chamber to make sure it chambers well.
Then load as per normal.
This can be done with .270Win also. Some guys anneal the cases before sizing, but I have had no problems.
I also converted many .243Win cases to .308Win during the failed 2008 Immaculate Deception, when .308 brass wasn't available new. Still works fine.
Also converting .284Win to 7.5 Swiss for my K31.
ssyoumans
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What Bigdog57 said... plus
I'd add, don't use Hornady OneShot case lube. Use a good lube, like RCBS or Lee case lube. Hornady's lube doesn't cut it when doing this type of resizing.
Emphasis on making sure you put some inside the mouth (I use a q-tip).
Finally, I suggest a minimum to mid-range charge the first time you load as you are fire-forming the load, this will blow out the shoulder to the exact right size and complete the resizing operation. I would not load past mid-listed charge on this first firing.
Finally, after completing the initial firing, I then anneal my cases for longer case life. All of this puts a lot of stress on the brass, and if you anneal them, they should last much longer.
One final note, I mark all of the case heads with a RED sharpie so that it is easier to seperate 30-06 & 30-06 converted to 8mm Mauser.
I converted around 100 cases earlier this year. Takes a little while to do, but I had the time. No problems with them.
I'd add, don't use Hornady OneShot case lube. Use a good lube, like RCBS or Lee case lube. Hornady's lube doesn't cut it when doing this type of resizing.
Emphasis on making sure you put some inside the mouth (I use a q-tip).
Finally, I suggest a minimum to mid-range charge the first time you load as you are fire-forming the load, this will blow out the shoulder to the exact right size and complete the resizing operation. I would not load past mid-listed charge on this first firing.
Finally, after completing the initial firing, I then anneal my cases for longer case life. All of this puts a lot of stress on the brass, and if you anneal them, they should last much longer.
One final note, I mark all of the case heads with a RED sharpie so that it is easier to seperate 30-06 & 30-06 converted to 8mm Mauser.
I converted around 100 cases earlier this year. Takes a little while to do, but I had the time. No problems with them.
denton
Member
If you anneal your cases before sizing, going a little farther down the body of the case than usual, they should size easily.
I made a small batch of 8x57 out of some 270 brass just a couple of weeks ago. I just annealed, then popped them in the 8x57 die. That results in a very long neck, which I trimmed with the Lee trimmer. So now I have 8x57 that says 270 on the headstamp. They are loaded with full-house loads, and shoot just fine.
Observe the hints that others have offered, and it should be an easy process.
I made a small batch of 8x57 out of some 270 brass just a couple of weeks ago. I just annealed, then popped them in the 8x57 die. That results in a very long neck, which I trimmed with the Lee trimmer. So now I have 8x57 that says 270 on the headstamp. They are loaded with full-house loads, and shoot just fine.
Observe the hints that others have offered, and it should be an easy process.
I had a 8 mm/06 made up many years ago as boxer primed 8 mm brass was scarce back then. IIRC, would fling a 150 bullet well over 3,000 fps
Had the chamber reamed 30-06, fire formed the cases with 5 grains Bullseye and cream of wheat and was good to go.
Just an aside. Was loading the 8 mm with a Lee whack'em loader. Lee had not been in business long, sent letter to Lee and asking if they could ream it out to 06. Lee said yes, so sent it in, got it back in about a week at no charge. That was customer service way beyond the norm and I have used a lot of Lee products since.
Had the chamber reamed 30-06, fire formed the cases with 5 grains Bullseye and cream of wheat and was good to go.
Just an aside. Was loading the 8 mm with a Lee whack'em loader. Lee had not been in business long, sent letter to Lee and asking if they could ream it out to 06. Lee said yes, so sent it in, got it back in about a week at no charge. That was customer service way beyond the norm and I have used a lot of Lee products since.
I am the fan of the forming die, in the beginning I purchased 30/06 military surplus cases, I did not talk about acquiring cases, I purchased them, one batch, 1,400 for $14.00 dollars, thousands of pull down NM for $.08 cents each, point being??? With a forming die, after it is paid for a case cost me no more than .08 cents each. When forming 8mm57 froim 30/06 with a forming die, trimming is accomplished with a hack saw and finished with a file. The amount of trimming when going from 30/06 to 8mm57 the formed case requires .254++ trimming each, that is 25.4 inches of trimming, with a hack saw that can be turned into short work.
When 30/06 cases are used to form 8mm57 most choose to use fired (multiple fired cases) cases, that plan has failure designed into it, when forming cases new cases should be used meaning new cases are as good as it gets and down hill from there, then there is annealing (annealing is more than just waving the case over a fire).
Then the difficult part, knowing when to quit forming, anyhow I use the companion tool top the press the feeler gage.
Then there are the failures, failures are cases that crease/fold and dent, there are those that have never formed cases claim creases/folds and dents will pop out. I had a few cases with dents and creases at the range, the shooter next to me said “Tell me you are not going to shoot those cases”, I did as he instructed, I then shot the cases and he said “I thought you said you were not going to shoot those cases” and I said “ “You told me to say I was not going to shoot those cases, so said I am not going to shoot those cases”. Most of the dents and creases in the shoulder popped out like they knew what they were doing, some did not. After returning from the range I ordered a forming die, when fire forming time is a factor.
If I had one forming die it would a 308 W, the 308 W forming die is the versatile forming die.
F. Guffey
When 30/06 cases are used to form 8mm57 most choose to use fired (multiple fired cases) cases, that plan has failure designed into it, when forming cases new cases should be used meaning new cases are as good as it gets and down hill from there, then there is annealing (annealing is more than just waving the case over a fire).
Then the difficult part, knowing when to quit forming, anyhow I use the companion tool top the press the feeler gage.
Then there are the failures, failures are cases that crease/fold and dent, there are those that have never formed cases claim creases/folds and dents will pop out. I had a few cases with dents and creases at the range, the shooter next to me said “Tell me you are not going to shoot those cases”, I did as he instructed, I then shot the cases and he said “I thought you said you were not going to shoot those cases” and I said “ “You told me to say I was not going to shoot those cases, so said I am not going to shoot those cases”. Most of the dents and creases in the shoulder popped out like they knew what they were doing, some did not. After returning from the range I ordered a forming die, when fire forming time is a factor.
If I had one forming die it would a 308 W, the 308 W forming die is the versatile forming die.
F. Guffey
denton
Member
This all sounds much more complicated than what I do: Anneal, form, trim, load and shoot. Trimming the resulting long neck with a Lee trimmer takes only a couple of seconds. The whole process is not much different from forming and trimming 06 or 270 cases.
The key is annealing first. Then you don't get the cute little pleats in the shoulder.
The key is annealing first. Then you don't get the cute little pleats in the shoulder.
soloban
Member
Here's my procedure...
* Use the 8mm FL Resize/Decap die to open just the neck of the .30-06 case to .323
* Use a Lee 8mm Case Gauge Trimmer and a drill to knock the .30-06 down to the 8mm length
* Run the now stubby .30-06 case into the FL resize die, using Redding Imperial Sizing wax, go slow and the shoulder will get set back
* Trim to length with the Lee trimmer one more time and you're good to go.
* Use the 8mm FL Resize/Decap die to open just the neck of the .30-06 case to .323
* Use a Lee 8mm Case Gauge Trimmer and a drill to knock the .30-06 down to the 8mm length
* Run the now stubby .30-06 case into the FL resize die, using Redding Imperial Sizing wax, go slow and the shoulder will get set back
* Trim to length with the Lee trimmer one more time and you're good to go.
Again, When 30/06 cases are used to form 8mm57 most choose to use fired (multiple fired cases) cases, that plan has failure designed into it, when forming cases new cases should be used meaning new cases are as good as it gets and down hill from there, then there is annealing (annealing is more than just waving the case over a fire).
Trimming, again, when forming 100 30/06 cases to 8mm57 each case must be trimmed .250 thousands, that is 1/4” inch, 100 cases X .250 (1/4”) is 25 inches +++. Most have neck sizers, bushing dies, collet dies, the line is long, I have the forming die, and the hack saw and finish with a file.
Then there is the advantage forming has over all the other methods and techniques like fire forming.
F. Guffey
Trimming, again, when forming 100 30/06 cases to 8mm57 each case must be trimmed .250 thousands, that is 1/4” inch, 100 cases X .250 (1/4”) is 25 inches +++. Most have neck sizers, bushing dies, collet dies, the line is long, I have the forming die, and the hack saw and finish with a file.
Then there is the advantage forming has over all the other methods and techniques like fire forming.
F. Guffey
and there is the military surplus case, LC, SL, DM, TW, etc., no confusion, no head stamp 30/06, just a date and arsenal identification, then the caution? military cases are heavier because they are thicker, at best, that is only a half truth.
F. Guffey
F. Guffey
Twmaster
Member
I use the above simple procedure to make 8MM out of .30-06
The only real difference is I do not anneal before pushing the neck back. When I did anneal I managed to ruin a couple of necks by collapsing them once softened.
The only real difference is I do not anneal before pushing the neck back. When I did anneal I managed to ruin a couple of necks by collapsing them once softened.
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