8mm Mauser as a hunting rifle

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brassdog

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I have a Turk Muser in 8mm that I picked up a couple of years ago. I was wondering if with minimal alterations if the rifle would serve as a decent hunting tool. The rifle looks to be in good shape, crown is clean, rifling sharp and crisp with no pitting. My only concern is the caliber ad it's availibilty. The most I can or want to do is fix the sights and maybe add a rear peep sight. I'm in a real tight financial budget so I can't go out and buy a new rifle or even a used one. So I thought I ask around and see what wiser heads than mine have to say.

Though I thought about holding off for little while and saving some cash to send it off to have it rebarrelled in 30-06 with a shorter barrel.

So, I'll take the mauser out to the range later this weekend to see how it groups and see if it is worth keeping as is.
 
I have found the 8mm Mauser round to be a most effective cartridge when used on Whitetail deer. The only (North American)game I wouldn't deliberately use it on would be the BIG bears. There is plenty of hunting ammo available with bullet weights up to 196gr.
 
A buddy of mine has been deer hunting with a Mauser his entire life. It was a WWII bring back that his Dad brought home from Germany. If it shoots where you're aiming, it will drop a deer in its tracks.
 
Indeed, the 8mm is a great round. I have a WWII era sporter I made from scraps in my shop and it's dead nuts accurate to 100 yards with open sights. Great truck gun.
 
There is not need to have it rebarreled in anything. The 8mm Mauser is an excellent cartridge in its own right.

I have a German K98 (RC) that I intend to use for hunting deer or black bear.
 
You can definitely hunt with a Mauser. And dont bother converting to another caliber. 8mm is plenty to take down nearly anything, and the ammo prices arent much different than .30-06 or .308.
 
8mm is to the rest of the world...

what the 3006 is to the USA........Why modify, aka bubba custom, the rifle. It will shoot just fine in it's military dress. IF you want a 3006, well, then buy a 3006.....chris3
 
Not a darned critter in N.America an 8mm is underpowered for, especially with full power hand loads.
8mm mauser is popular in Europe and other places much like our .30-06 and .308 is around here, 7.62x54R is powered right between .30-06 and .308, they are virtually all similiar in regards to hunting potential. You will not be undergunned with an 8mm Mauser rifle for N.American Hunting purposes.
 
absolutely no flies on the 8X57 They used to be commonplace in the North Country deer woods. I have eight Mausers at the present time, including three Turk's. One is absolutely pristine ( Huh? ) and is a fine candidate for a reciever sight and an aftermarket trigger. I wouldn't go to the expense of mounting a scope or altering the bolt, but I would consider this " Truck Gun Supreme". They deserve to be shot a lot more often. Essex
 
Not much I can add that hasn't already been said, other than American ammo has been neutered due to variations in 8mm's produced. But even the watered down 8mm is more than adequate for Bambi's daddy.

50BMG - Almost 14,000ftlbs - WOW!!! :what:
 
A cheaper alternative to rebarreling to 30-06 is to simply rechamber the rifle to 8mm-06. This can be done at home or at a lesser cost by a qualified gunsmith. In either case you end up with a restriction on the overall case length. If you stick with lighter bullets in the 150 grain range, you can probably load to the length the magazine will tolerate. Otherwise your stuck with a single shot. Assuming you are a decent shot, 1 shot is all you should need.
 
"The 8x57mmJS is superior to military .30-06 Springfield. 8mm Mauser is superior to anything the .308 can do."

Based on...?
 
I wouldn't hesitate to use an 8mm Mauser on elk. Black bear, maybe even moose (though you can go to 220gr with an '06).

196gr @ 2600 fps is definitely enough.
 
Well, based on the replies. I guess that rebarrelling is out as long as the rifle is in good shape after I get a gunsmith to look it over. Then I'll take to the range and see if it works worth a darn. This old Turk is kinda big though. Does anyone use sticks, slings or bipods with a mauser like this?
 
Most American-made 8mm Mauser is loaded pretty weak. Originally the 8mm Mauser was loaded with a .318" round nose bullet loaded to lower pressures. This round was known was the 8mm Mauser J. They then upped the pressure and started using spitzer bullets for the 8mm Mauser JS.

In Europe, you can buy ammo for either, but in the US, they assume you are an ignorant fool and load all the ammo to 8mm Mauser J specs with the smaller diameter bullet.

Get yourself some Sellier and Bellot and it'll have the larger diameter bullet which should probably give you better accuracy, and it will also have the full-power JS Mauser performance.
 
A good friend of mine and his father both hunt with bring back K98's. Both of them have taken multiple deer with those old rifles.

As others have already stated, the 8MM Mauser is a potent round!
 
Great choice, just practice a bit with cheap corrosive stuff, clean your gun and zero it with a hunting load.
You can even get a lee loader, and reload the brass cases using surplus components if you get tired of corrosive ammo.
 
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