8mm Mauser suggestions

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Looking 2 buy an 8mm Mauser for under $350, and just wanted to know what I should look for. 8mm Mauser is the second cheapest milsurp rifle ammo after 7.62x54r right? Any info is appreciated. Which country of origin is best for my needs being hoghunting, target, plinking mainly?
 
I really like my Yugo 24/47. Accurate and dependable, and I don't worry about scratching it because it's not nearly as big a collector's item as German Mausers.
 
Shop around for a VZ-24; if you get a good one it will continue to be valuable, one that's beat up will still make a valuable sporter (their actions are well-regarded) either to you or someone else.
 
AimSurplus.com continues to have good prices on Romanian 8mm that is 150-gr and VERY hot. The more traditional 196-gr surplus (usually Yugo) is good at jgsales.com right now.
 
+1 to a Yugo M24/47. I got an "excellent condition" on from Samco for $200 and I could not be happier. Mine looked great (arsenal refinished so it was pretty much a new rifle) and is spot on accurate...a really handy size too as someone else mentioned, I don't have to worry about damaging a highly collectable WW2 vintage rifle. As they were arsenaled, they tend to be in better shooting shape, ie no soldiers firing them with corrosive ammo and improperly cleaning them, than the VZ-24s and K98ks (which often saw WW2 service) or even the Yugo M48s (some of which saw combat in the Balkans).

Mine likes the 150gr Romanian surplus Col. Plink mentioned alot (which is a great deal...the free shipping is awesome). I haven't tried the Yugo surplus yet as I'm still working through the Romanian cases.

All that said, I'm currently pondering buying a Persian 98/29 long Mauser but can't decide if it's worth the extra $200 between blued vs in the white. I've been very happy with my M24/47 and it makes a great starter/general utility 8mm. You also mentioned 7.62x54r and I highly recommend the extra $100 for get an M24/47 over a Mosin-Nagant 91/30...it's a totally different level of manufacturing in the M24/47. Don't get me wrong, I like my MN but the Mauser is definitely my favorite milsurp bolt action.
 
8mm hunting ammo is not cheap at all. you pretty much have to reload or pay a ton for it. but the surplus fmj stuff is cheap, yes. and get a vz24, they are great.
 
I haven't found 8mm hunting ammo to be any more expensive than most others. You usually end up paying $20/box no whether it's 8mm, 30-06, 30-30, or whatever, if it's decent ammo.

The only challenge in hunting with an 8mm is finding euro-spec ammo. The 8mm is a round on the same class as a 30-06 when it's loaded to full power. Unfortunately, Remington, Winchestester, etc. load to a very low US spec, which makes it basically a glorified 30-30.

Try Wolf or Prvi, although I think they're the same thing. If you can find Sellier & Bellot, get it. Best hunting ammo I've found for the price in 8mm. You won't find full power 8mm in a store. Order it.
 
Prvi Partizan is not all that expensive fir hunting ammo, their 196 SP can be found for $16 a box. Yes that is more expensive than milsurp ammo but so is and basic 30-06 soft point ammo. Use the Prvi for hunting and surplus for practice.

Right now there seems to be quite a few Yugo 48s on gunbroker in the 175-225 range, be a great rifle as is the 24/47. I also wouldn't hesitate to look at some of the sporterized rifles that can be found cheap. My sporter was a poorly done job when I found it and after spending a little money on it I have a great rifle for about $400.

mauser6range-1.jpg
 
another +1 for the M24/47. I had one once, and I regret ever parting with it. If you can find cheap ammo to feed it, you're set. Back when I had mine, I could only get my hands on $40/box Remington SPs, so it didn't get shot much. Too rich for my blood at the time, but shooting surplus would be the way to go to have fun with it on the cheap.
 
Virg, that's my point. you have to order it in most cases, so it's not cheap. For some reason people on forums neglect that shipping costs a FORTUNE!
I did that for a while, and yes PPU is good. so is their brass which I'm now reloading, but I was paying insane shipping every time I ran out. Therefore, those 16 dollar boxes end up costing 30.
 
I have a German 98k from 1943 and love it. It needed some cleaning but after that it shoots great. I suggest Yugo ammo over Romanian, i found better consistency with it.
 
Virg, that's my point. you have to order it in most cases, so it's not cheap. For some reason people on forums neglect that shipping costs a FORTUNE!
I did that for a while, and yes PPU is good. so is their brass which I'm now reloading, but I was paying insane shipping every time I ran out. Therefore, those 16 dollar boxes end up costing 30.
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True enough if you order 1 box at a time...I tend to order cases which makes the shipping per box much less. Ammoman is selling Prvi (Wolf Gold) soft point at $150 for 200 rounds including shipping...that is $15 a box or half of the 30 you said you paid.
 
8mm hunting ammo is not cheap at all. you pretty much have to reload or pay a ton for it. but the surplus fmj stuff is cheap, yes. and get a vz24, they are great.
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How much hunting ammo are you going to use in a year? I hunt with a couple of Enfields and two boxes of soft points I bought 5 years ago. I still have 22 of them left.
 
I actually use a lot of hunting ammo. After I'm done with it, I tend to invite people to hunt and they need rifles. Stuff like that eats it up. I can understand how a lot of people can last a year or two with one twenty round box, though.
also, once I've zeroed with the hunting ammo it is used til the end of the season, so when said people are getting used to the gun (can't prove to shoot safely, can't hunt. that's the rule.) they use that ammo too. I guess it is my decisions that make it cost so much. Either way, reloading's much cheaper so problem solved.
 
AimSurplus.com continues to have good prices on Romanian 8mm that is 150-gr and VERY hot. The more traditional 196-gr surplus (usually Yugo) is good at jgsales.com right now.
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AIM Surplus has been out of all surplus Romanian ammo for perhaps a week or two now. It's too bad, since the Romanian surplus is some great cleanly packaged stuff. The J&G surplus is all right too, but I suspect that it's 1950's Yugoslavian ammo, which is reputed to be of considerably lesser quality and is subject to hangfires.
 
courtgreene said:
Virg, that's my point. you have to order it in most cases, so it's not cheap. For some reason people on forums neglect that shipping costs a FORTUNE!
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If you're paying that much for shipping per round, your orders are too small.

Two things in this world never go down in value - Rifles and the ammunition to feed them.

Besides, I put at least 4 deer in the freezer every year. Even if I miss a few, a box of hunting ammo still lasts a long, long time.

I'm amazed by what people consider expensive. You would pay more to feed a family at McDonald's than you would on a box of hunting ammo, shipping included. That box of ammo will feed my kids much more efficiently than Ronald McDonald would. And provide much healthier meals.

If you were practicing with it, then it would be expensive. Buy milsurp ammo to practice with. Save the SP hunting ammo for bagging groceries.

Save your money for the stuff that matters. Putting groceries in the freezer matters.
 
IMG_1527.gif

Look for a Husqvarna Sporter on Gun broker or Guns America. They are generally underpriced, and are extremely well made. This one, a Model 640, made in 1948, has an FN commercial action, hand fitted stock, fabulous Husky barrel, and precisely regulated iron sights. I got it for $400.:)

If I wanted a military Eight, I would round up a minty M-48 Mauser.

PRVI is indeed good ammo. The Europeans like heavy bullets (around 198 grains) at moderate velocity. Their rounds DO equal 30/06 power. They load the Eight to 61,400 PSI. American ammo is loaded to around 35,000 PSI.

However, for average sized deer at closer ranges, the American ammo will do well, kicks less, and is easy to find at your local gun shop.

I bought 200 rounds of new brass and load mine. I LOVE MY EIGHT!!!
 
Buying ammo online can be expensive but it doesn't have to be...it's all about having a little patience and planning. AIM had that great deal on Romanian surplus that included free shipping, Century has Yugo 8mm by the case and what appears to be flat shipping (IIRC it was <$20 for a case). If you decide to buy hunting ammo and don't want more than one or two boxes, buy some for other calibers you own as well (when I buy, I just look for good deals in the several calibers I have firearms for) which spreads out the hazard fee most online retailers charge. Essentially, you just need to find a way to buy in bulk even if not buying a substantial quantity of any given cartridge).

When you buy ammo this way, it's no more (and for me usually much cheaper) than from buying at a LGS or even Walmart. Plus I can get the brand I want (some of my guns have much better success with one brand over another) and ammo for more obscure calibers the local place doesn't carry (such as 7.62x38r Nagant, actual M2 Ball, 7.62x25 Tokarev, etc).
 
Buying in case lots or even in lot's of 200 rounds like the deal I posted above also means you will have plenty of ammo of the same lot (usually). This means your scope zero should be good for that entire lot of ammo.
 
I love my 1943 K98k. Smooth action and a reasonably nice trigger.

I've fired the Prvi 196gr ammo and it groups well, just low relative to the full strength ammo. Out of my Mauser, the Prvi 196gr SP averaged 2083 fps for 1889 ft-lbs. About the power of a 30-30 with deeper penetration due to the heavier bullet.

The full strength Sellier & Bellot is much hotter. It's 196gr SP Cutting Edge (think shoulder like on a SWC) was chugging along at 2486 fps for 2689 ft-lbs. 800 ft-lbs difference. Pretty significant difference.

The point of this is that at 75 yards they had about a 4" difference in point of impact. So, make sure ya realize you may have some significant differences in POI for different loads of different velocity.
 
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