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There are some current European rifles that are chambered for the 8x68. Quality production rifles have not been chambered for 8x57 or 8x60 for about 25 years. The last ones were by Brno, Mauser, Sako, FN and Mannlicher-Schoenauer. Sometimes you can find a recent push-feed Steyr in 8x57.

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I believe Kurt is right about the 8X60S being obsolete, but he is WRONG about there being no commercial European rifles of good quality still being made in 8X57JS!! Of course, this may depend a lot on your definition of quality. I guess there are no 8X57JS Purdys being made! But several I like are still being made by F.W. Heym in Germany. The list below was stolen from their web site (http://www.heym-waffenfabrik.de/english/S_Buechs/S_Repbue/st_Repbu.html) and shows caliber choices for their Model 30 bolt-action:



SR 30 Normal calibers

(N) .243Win., 6,5x55SM, .270Win., 7x64, .308Win., .30-06, 8x57IS, 9,3x62



SR 30 Big caliber (G) 8x68S, 7mm Rem.Mag., .300 Win.Mag., .338 Win.Mag.



SR 30 Carbine 7x64, .308Win., .30-06, 8x57IS, 9,3x62 with magazine Normal Caliber 3 cartridges, Big Caliber 2 cartridges < !--color-->



They also still make SXS doubles and combo guns in 8X57RS, if you prefer something a little more exotic (and fun), Kongy!



Mauser in Germany is still making one also!!





Basic Model - Options - Specifications Brochures - Press Information

Specifications M 98



Calibers

All common calibers from .22-250 Rem. to 9,3x64, for example ..30-06, 8x57 IS, 9,3x62. Other calibers on demand.

Dimensions

113 cm for 60 cm Barrel length (other lenghts on demand)



Weight depending on barrel length and caliber from 3.5 kg (7.75 lbs) to 3.6 kg.



I didn't think the Krauts had abandoned this caliber. They haven't!!

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in 8x57IS, it is the .318 diameter bullet. Any Gewehr 98 stamped with an I (pre 1905) or model 88 with an I is .318. however many of these were re-barreled to accept the .323 diameter bullet, or 8x57JS, which is the 8mm Mauser which all K98k's are chambered in. On double rifles, the 8x57RS or 8mm rimmed is the .318 diameter bullet. if you have a rifle you are not sure of, slug the bore. if it checks out fine, and the headspace is ok (on a lot of k98's this can be a problem with rifles used in 6 years of war and/or mismatched bolts). if no problems are found, then have a blast shooting the grandfather of all modern cartridges.

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It is the "S" suffix which designates the use of .323" bullets. In fact, the German military Gewehr '88's had GROOVE diameters of around .322" to 323", despite the fact that they were shooting .318" bullets through them. Use of undersize bullets was common practice in the early days of smokeless powder cartridges in Europe. So when the Germans adopted the "S" caliber bullet in 1905, ("S" standing for spitzer, or pointed), they merely reamed out the throats of their M88's to permit the cartridge case holding the "S" bullets to expand enough to release the bullet. This permitted the M88's so converted to shoot "S" ammo safely. These rifles were NOT rebarreled!



Now why did the Germans adopt a larger-diameter bullet when changing from a round-nose to a pointed bullet? To make their rifle bores obsolete? I think not!! I have a guess, but it is only a guess. They had decided to stop using underized bullets at about that time. So they designed one having the CORRECT, FULL-DIAMETER SIZE NEEDED TO FIT THE FULL GROOVE DIAMETER OF THE RIFLES THEY ALREADY WERE USING WITH THE .318", UNDERSIZED BULLETS!! As stated, this is merely a guess, but it is a logical one! We may never know the whole story, unless a knowledgeable person, like Carcano, fills us in. I doubt that even Paul Harvey has the rest of the story about this subject.



What has complicated matters here in the U.S. is that a number of German custom gunsmiths actually did make some 8mm "J"-bore barrels that, UNLIKE the military G88 barrels, really did have .318" groove diameters. But not all of the commercial guns did! For example, I have a J.P. Sauer double 8X60RS that was converted to 8X60RS in 1944 by Kurt Anschutz. It has "pre-1912" proof marks. The old caliber markings were stamped through and 8X60 and the conversion date were stamped next to the old designation, which is 7,8X57R! Obviously, the 7,8 is a "J" bore size designation, yet these bores slug .322", and it is apparent that the only thing done to this gun in 1944 was a rechambering job. So even when it was a 7,8X57, it had .322" bores! I'm glad. I use regular .323" 8mm bullets in it with complete satisfaction. The cases are made from RWS 7XS65R brass.