GEW 88 Commission Rifle Chamber Question

[clement1]

ARE THE EXTERIOR DIMENSIONS OF AN 8X57 J (The original 8mm ammo for a GEW 88 Commission rifle) DIFFERENT THAN A modern 7.92 8MM CARTRIDGE. I would like to find out why a standard 8mm cartridge BRASS, not loaded ammo, would not fit in my Gew 88 commission rifle. Now I know that the ammo is different...I know about I and J and JS ammo...318 vs .323, etc (please no further info needed on that topic thank you)...But my question is...Why would a round not fully chamber...I can get a round into the chamber up to about .235 from the end of the brass...no bullet in the brass...it just won't go any further, you can not close the bolt on it. Is it becasue the diameter of the bullet is .323 and the exterior of the case mouth is too wide for the chamber??...if so why do 323 diam. bullets regularly fire in the GEW 88...is my chamber irregular, or could it have shrunk (I know this is ridiculous)...so what are the plausible reasons for a modern 8x57 JS or 7.92 8mm cartridge not seating all the way in the chamber. Unfortunately I have not been able to find any original 8x57 I/J ammo.

My GEW is an original, non-S refurbed rifle. It is still in its original "I/J" configuration...I am sorry I should have stated that. It is all original German and not converted to the S cartridge. And the brass used is a modern Russian or Eastern European ammo that I removed the projectile from...unfired though.
Thanks.

 

[Onmilo]

Neck length is likely too long.
Do a Cerro-Safe chamber cast and check dimensions to be sure.

 

[dirtyjim]

i would say that your necks are just slightly to large in diameter to allow the case to chamber.
chambers varied a lot more at that time than they do now and you may be trying to put a maximun sized neck into a minimum sized chamber.
you'll need to cast it to be sure.

 

[jaimeshawn3]

You could size a case like Milo and dirtyjim suggest, but if that doesn't work - Clean chamber well and give it a look with a small mirror - something like the dentists use. Look to see if there is the front part of a case already in the chamber because a quarter inch is about how far out a case will fail to chamber if a previous case has seperated near the shoulder. You may need a broken shell extractor.

 

[wrench]

Are you feeding from the magazine, or just dropping the brass in the chamber area?
Some GEW88s are controlled feed, and the extractor won't snap over the cartridge unless it's fed from the magazine.

 

[dirtyjim]

turk'ed 88's feed from the magazine and the rest feed from the clip but all 88's are pushfeed

 

[wrench]

all 88's are pushfeed

Early GEW 88s were pushfeed, and had some problems in the field. The bolt was redesigned, (half moon bolt head), these rifles are controlled feed.
I think these bolts are less common, but are still around.

 

[dirtyjim]

the extractor is still the same and still pushfeed.
opening up the bottom of the bolthead does not change it to control feed.
i've yet to see an extractor on a 88 that would hold the casehead on the boltface.
if you can show me one i'd like to see it