split necks on Turk 8mm ammo

[fivepaknh]

I just went to the range with my recently acquired K98 from AIM. I had 2 bandoliers of the Turk 8mm I bought at SOG. At the range I noticed 2/3 of this ammo had split necks BEFORE firing. I didn't fire the split ones and decided to only fire 6 of the rounds that seemed intact. Of these, most were split after firing.

Are the split ones dangerous to fire? Shouldn't the K98 be able to handle the pressures from even the split necked ammo? Could the weapon "blow up"?

Sorry if these are ignorant questions. I'm new to C&R rifles and surplus ammo.

 

[Sleeping Dog]

I shoot that stuff in the 98 Mausers. The gun seems strong enough to handle the high-pressured turk ammo. And that stuff is high-pressured enough to expand the case, sealing the gases so they all go forward and push the bullet.

If the seal isn't perfect, then some gases will come back around the case, but the 98 should vent those in a safe direction. Eye protection should provide the extra insurance.

Anyway, I've never noticed any gases blowing back.

I wouldn't shoot the split ammo in a pre-98 Mauser. I have an older Turk Mauser that cocks on closing, like the Swede Mauser model '96. The older Mauser models weren't made to handle escaping gases as well, so you can end up with a face full of ash/dirt/gas/fire.

Regards.

 

[Bwana John]

Some of that Turk stuff is really bad, split necks, hard primers, loose bullets, awful strippers, ect. I have had the best luck with pre-war headstamps (38-39), Crome-plated ridged strippers, consistant ignition, and properly seated bullets, in nice bandoleers. I love opening the cases of 1400, with the spamcans ect. Living so close to J&G Sales my friends and I have went thru >10 cases in the last couple of years. The sales staff groans when they see us, and heads for the handcart. They usually have some kind of decent 308 on hand also (SA, Port, ect. Right now its Aussi, and Indian )

 

[spacemanspiff]

i inspect each case thoroughly, looking for cracks, deep seated bullets, and loose crimps. the first case i bought (of 700 rounds) had about 250 that werent shootable. another 100 had hard primers, but they all fired on a second shot.

the only stuff in spam cans i've found is romanian, from the '70s, i think. that stuffs great, in perfect condition, but isnt very hot. now i'm working on a case of jack-in-the-box ammo (no idea what it is) thats rather hot, and pretty durn accurate. very few out of the 700 were deemed suspicious.

i got a crown royal bag full of pulled 8mm bullets. the powders great for pyro displays.

 

[The Grand Inquisitor]

I have a bad experiance with this and I think it is important to say:

DO NOT USE 1945-1947 TURK AMMO

I bought 500 rounds of 1936-1939 Turk ammo with my Yugo Mauser, and yes, it's dirty and hot, but it is more or less OK. I bought a bandolier of 1944-1947 Turk ammo at a gun show in Indiana and while shooting it I found (a bit too late) that the rounds were cracked to begin with, but the cracks that were barely to the shoulder were going deeper into the brass after firing. The cracks were bad enough that it was possible to pull the projectile out of the case with little force. I found the problems after firing 4-5 rounds, but I worry that someone who didn't notice the problem could be hurt by this DANGEROUS low-quality mil-surp ammo.

Just because it is cheap it is not worth the chance to ruin your nice 8mm rifle, but even worse, don't risk your hands, face, or even life because of cheap ammo.Throw this garbage away and tell any honest dealer to check ANY 1940's Turk 8mm ammo to see if the stripper clips have damaged ammo.

 

[jefnvk]

I respectfully disagree with the above statement. I have shot hundreds of rounds of the 47 Turk out of my M48 mauser, with no problems. The key is, as with any old surplus ammo, to check it before firing. I've only had a few split necks after firing, and it didn't seem to affect accuracy at all.

 

[cracked butt]

Turk ammo of any year isn't exactly match grade ammo. Cull the bad looking shells and shoot the rest. The mauser 98 action is made to eat stuff like this up and protect the shooter from harm from a few split cases.

 

[telewinz]

The cracked necks are caused by a lack of case annealing. The Turks didn't anneal their brass until sometime after 1950. I shoot Turk ammo in my Hakim and properly ajust FN49, no problems.