I've been asking a few questions lately about the 8mm Mauser.

It was given to me in immaculate condition, shinny bore no rust and will shoot 1 1/2 min with factory ammo.

There is a 44D stamped on the barrel, so I think it was manufactured in 1944.
The factory ammo both remington and winchester shot well and the brass showed no signs of fatigue above the rim, so I think the headspace is good.

My acctual question is of pressure, is the load data published low (powder charges and muzzle velocity) because of fatigue on militay actions that have fired thousands of rounds?

Does anyone have a formula to figure out pressure (CUP) with bullet weights and powder charges?

Does anyone know what the max pressure for the Mauser mod 98 action is in good condition.

I feel the load data has been compromised by the legal system. I see no reason why an 8mm (.323) cannot reach muzzle velocities of a 30.06 for the bullet of the same weight. I load my O3A3 sprinfield to 2700 fps (180 g) and it was made in 1943 and is no worse fore wear.


Why can't the 8mm launch a 170g bullet @ 2700 fps. Is the data corrupted by the age of the firearms for which it is used in, or is it a case of the original design of the action not able to withstand a certain level of pressure?

Thanks

quote:

Originally posted by PETEM:



Why can't the 8mm launch a 170g bullet @ 2700 fps. Is the data corrupted by the age of the firearms for which it is used in, or is it a case of the original design of the action not able to withstand a certain level of pressure?
Thanks

The commercial offerings of 8X57 American made ammo are predicate on the fact that there was also an 8x57 that had a .318 grove dia. It was a little built in safety factor. roger

PETEM

"Does anyone know what the max pressure for the Mauser mod 98 action is in good condition."

SAAMI MAP (Maximum Average Pressure) is very low for the reason bartsche mentions. I recently pressure tested some German surplus, sseveral lots of Turk and Equadoran surplus using a M43 Oehler. Thre rifle used was a 24/47 M98 with and excellent barrel and very tight headspacy. The MAP of the surplus ammo tested ranged from 56,000 psi up to 59,500 psi(M43).

My reloads for the 150 gr Hornady and 175 gr Sierra are within the limits of the Lyman Loading Manual. My 150 gr loads run in the mid 55,000 psi(M43) with a velocity that matches the German and Turk milsurp (2850 fps).

"Why can't the 8mm launch a 170g bullet @ 2700 fps."

It can. My load for the 175 Sierra SP runs 2725 fps and also is in the mid 55,000 psi(M43) range. It also is within the range of loads listed in Lyman's manual. Remember that Manuals are a guide, not the gospel (according to Larry).

I provide this for your information only. I also suggest you look at loads listed in the Lyman Reloading Manual (1st edition of #43).

Larry Gibson

In addition to the fact that there are some "8X57mm" rifles with a smaller groove diameter than the "S"-bored rifles, (.318" vs .323") the heat-treatment of M98 Mauser actions varies widely due to the fact that they were produced in almost every country in the world at one time or another, including such exotic places as China, Thailand & Mexico.

Many thousands were made under extremely challenging conditions, such as in Germany during 1944 and 1945, when the Krauts were using slave labor to make them in factories that we were bombing on a daily basis. This kinda makes for poor quality control!

IF you have a GOOD 8X57mm rifle that you KNOW is as strong as any other modern rifle, the 8X57 round can be loaded to the same pressure levels as any other round of a similar design, such as the 6mm Remington, etc.

The Remington M 700CDL in 8X57 is a superb rifle in all respects, as are any of the current ones being made in that caliber in Germany & Austia.