8mm Mauser
- Thread starter Commander Guineapig
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Cosmoline
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The domestic production 8x57 is grossly downloaded per SAAMI regs because someone might put it in an ancient Commission Mauser. The rules are about half a century out of date. The good stuff is foreign manufacture. Privi, Norma, S&B and the others all make it. The surplus is around but not in the same quantities it used to be. But the cartridge is very easy to load for. It's shorter OAL than .30'06 but packs a similar punch and has a wider bullet. M2 ball was actually less potent than 8x57JS ball.
Not the best option these days...
Then it's really a concern, because you're relegated to handloading a wildcat cartridge and a permanently-modified chamber. You can just as easily load standard 8x57 and save yourself the brass-forming and chamber reaming hassles these days.
Back after WWII, many 98 Mausers were brought home, only to find a dearth of 8x57 ammo and brass. Enterprising gunsmiths reamed those chambers to 8mm-06 dimensions, allowing handloaders of the new wildcats to use standard .30-06 brass, necking it up and allowing them to shoot their rifles.
Since then, 8x57 has been loaded here (albeit downloaded closer to .30-30 Winchester power levels) and imported surplus and commercial ammo has become available.
The 8mm-06 was probably a good idea at the time, but for the handloader in 2007, making European-spec 8x57 is no real challenge. The brass is a lot easier to come by these days - you can even buy the underloaded RemFedChester 8x57 and save the fired brass, worst case scenario.
Before I accumulated several hundred pieces of 8x57 reloadable brass, I even trimmed back .30-06 brass and resized it. It wasn't a big deal with a cordless drill attached to my case trimmer.
Then it's really a concern, because you're relegated to handloading a wildcat cartridge and a permanently-modified chamber. You can just as easily load standard 8x57 and save yourself the brass-forming and chamber reaming hassles these days.
Back after WWII, many 98 Mausers were brought home, only to find a dearth of 8x57 ammo and brass. Enterprising gunsmiths reamed those chambers to 8mm-06 dimensions, allowing handloaders of the new wildcats to use standard .30-06 brass, necking it up and allowing them to shoot their rifles.
Since then, 8x57 has been loaded here (albeit downloaded closer to .30-30 Winchester power levels) and imported surplus and commercial ammo has become available.
The 8mm-06 was probably a good idea at the time, but for the handloader in 2007, making European-spec 8x57 is no real challenge. The brass is a lot easier to come by these days - you can even buy the underloaded RemFedChester 8x57 and save the fired brass, worst case scenario.
Before I accumulated several hundred pieces of 8x57 reloadable brass, I even trimmed back .30-06 brass and resized it. It wasn't a big deal with a cordless drill attached to my case trimmer.
jimmyraythomason
Member
My 8x57mm Mauser
The 8x57mm Mauser is one of my favorite deer cartridges. I currently have two 8mm sporters that I built personally. The one pictured is an Oberndorf built in 1899 and is responsible for several whitetails making it to the freezer.
The 8x57mm Mauser is one of my favorite deer cartridges. I currently have two 8mm sporters that I built personally. The one pictured is an Oberndorf built in 1899 and is responsible for several whitetails making it to the freezer.
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jimmyraythomason
Member
Aim Surplus Add
Aimsurplus just got in some 7.92 M75 ammo.http://www.aimsurplus.com/acatalog/copy_of_8mm.html
Aimsurplus just got in some 7.92 M75 ammo.http://www.aimsurplus.com/acatalog/copy_of_8mm.html
MCgunner
Member
Plentiful and cheap???? I see 8x57 occasionally, but plentiful and cheap are two adjectives that I would not use for a description. And, as stated, most of the surplus stuff is corrosive.
I don't shoot a lot of it anyway. I have an old 88 Mauser rebarreled to 8x57S (original bore was .318", 8x57S is .323") for the back ups, Hitler Youth, etc. And, I have an old Hakim rifle in 8x57 that I have to be careful to stay away from Turkish ammo with. The old 88 ain't too strong compared to a 98 and is really a Manlicher style action rather than Mauser. It doesn't have the gas management and extra locking back up of the 98, though when I got it I bought 400 rounds of Turkish ammo not knowing any better and it didn't blow it up. I've got dies now and can reload for ether weapon if I want to fire them for some odd reason. The 88 collects dust, but the Hakim is kinda fun and I take it to the range on rare occasion. It's quite accurate, but pretty worthless for any real use other than just fun. It weighs more than a 105 howitzer and it's longer than 16" gun on the Iowa. LOL I gave $37.50 for the old 88 Mauser and $80 for the Hakim. The attraction was the price, LOL.
I don't shoot a lot of it anyway. I have an old 88 Mauser rebarreled to 8x57S (original bore was .318", 8x57S is .323") for the back ups, Hitler Youth, etc. And, I have an old Hakim rifle in 8x57 that I have to be careful to stay away from Turkish ammo with. The old 88 ain't too strong compared to a 98 and is really a Manlicher style action rather than Mauser. It doesn't have the gas management and extra locking back up of the 98, though when I got it I bought 400 rounds of Turkish ammo not knowing any better and it didn't blow it up. I've got dies now and can reload for ether weapon if I want to fire them for some odd reason. The 88 collects dust, but the Hakim is kinda fun and I take it to the range on rare occasion. It's quite accurate, but pretty worthless for any real use other than just fun. It weighs more than a 105 howitzer and it's longer than 16" gun on the Iowa. LOL I gave $37.50 for the old 88 Mauser and $80 for the Hakim. The attraction was the price, LOL.
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