Howdy. My local gun dealer called me up the other day and said he had some weird rifle with see through mounts and double triggers. This piqued my interest so I went to his shop to investigate. My heart started to race when he pulled the gun out of its soft case. I recognized it as an Oberndorf sporter from the half octagon/half round barrel, full matted rib, sling swivel stud dovetailed into the barrel, and the trim Germanic stock. Not to mention the markings "MAUSER-WERKE A.G. OBERNDORF Am NECKAR." on the top of the rib. A 4x scope marked "W. BISCHOFF BRAUNSCHWEIG" and "DINOX 4x81" was mounted in claw mounts. The cross hatch engraved bases were dovetailed into the front receiver ring and screwed onto the rear receiver ring. A folding peep sight with a flip up target insert was dovetailed into a base attached to the rear of the cocking piece. A one standing/one folding leaf sight with brass tops was dovetailed into the barrel rib. A brass beaded front sight was dovetailed into the rib at the muzzle. The floorplate was not hinged and had a push button release.

The caliber was marked as 8x60 and the proofs were B G U N all topped by crowns. The serial number was 110xxx. The buttplate appeared to be composite with the Mauser logo.

The bore is excellent. The bluing is 90% and the wood is 80%.

My research indidcates that this rifle was built in the early 30s. Anybody else have any knowledge they could share with me? How about the 8x60S round? I was debating having it rebored to 9.3x62. Would this hurt the value much?

Oh, and I got the rifle for $350.

Wow! Sounds extremly cool! I wouldnt hack it up into something else. The 8X60s is one of the finest rounds you will ever encounter, period.. Leave it just as it is. If you must have a 9.3X62 then I will gladly build or buy you one in exchange for that one. Youve got something worth keeping there. My advice is to research and relish it.

Im sure that someone more qualified than me will chime in with some specifics about your find. I wish I could find something like that. As far as Im concerned the original Oberndorf sporters are the ultimate hunting rifle.

I have an RWS cartridge brochure listing the 8x60S. The cartridge is loaded with TUG, or TIG? bullets,and H-Mantel bullets. But I do not think it was loaded with conventional soft points. The bullet weight is around 196 / 198 grains.

The round is a potent cartridge, a bit more +/- powerful than the modern .30-06 but, I surmise, more effective due to the bullet mass and increased surface area. If I remember correctly (=you must check / slug the bore!), the bullet diameter is .323inchesIt is written up in the pet loads handloading volume, Woolfe Publishing, Arizona, by Ken Waters (?). This would put it with the 8mm-06 expedient wildcat which was developed after the second world war.

The round came about as a result of the Versaille treaty after the first world war. This restricted the German state from having more than a certain number of military calibre rifles, i.e. 8x57js. The answer the Germans found was to re-bore the chambers by 3mm. The round was a fine hunting cartridge which found a useful life in East Africa between the two world wars.

WOW they are still out there.

Great deal do not change the rifle it has some value. More then what you paid for it.
Congratulations.

Cheers,

Andr�

Keep it in 8x60!!! Be careful working up handloads for it. I believe both .318" and .323" versions of the 8x60 exist. Slug the bore to be sure.

-Bob F.


from http://www.sahunt.co.za/sahunter/reload/8mm.html :

After Germany lost the First World War, the Peace Treaty of Versailles limited the number of 8 mm Mauser rifles to a mere 100,000; barely adequate for Germany's defense and sporting fraternity. Strangely enough, sporting rifles of sportsmen were included as well. To comply with the treaty and to save many rifles, it was decided to redesign the calibre, by extending the case to 60 millimeters. This was a minor change, and original barrels were simply re-chambered - everything else remained the same. So, the 8 x 60 mm Mauser became the new sporting rifle of Germany and it gained immediate popularity - not much of a choice. Luckily for us, the 7 x 57 mm Mauser escaped the same fate, and continues to be popular even till today in South Africa.

Ballistically, the 8 x 60 mm's longer case with its greater powder capacity, was capable of a higher velocity, shooting the same bullet. Its popularity spilled over to Austria, Belgium and France. The sporting version of the Mauser, model A and B, became very sought after amongst hunters the world over. K98 actions were sold to various rifle builders, including the British gun trade.

The 8 x 60 mm was dropped from production in Germany in the late 1950's, but Belgium was still making it for a good 20 years more. We should bear in mind that the Mauser factory was destroyed after WW2 and Germany was in turmoil. This cartridge was ideal for Europe's big game such as Red Stag. Bullets vary from 154 grains to 227 grains and so the 8 x 60 mm rifle could be used for both long and short range work. Another popular bullet weight for the calibre was a 185 grainer. With a heavy bullet, such as a 227 grainer, the biggest antelope everywhere could be hunted for meat. The 8 x 60 mm saw use in the former Belgium colonies in Africa as well as in the RSA and the former SWA. Belgium and French hunters were not allowed to own 30-06 Spr rifles, as it was considered a military calibre, and hence the 8 x 60 mm was the closest rival. Sadly, about 5 years ago, RWS announced that they have discontinued their factory load, firing a 187 gr bullet at 2,810 fps, which is a very hot load in my opinion. However, I did still see some RWS ammo a year ago on Formalito's shelf. Handloads with a 200 gr Nosler Partition bullet will yield around 2,400 fps at safe pressure levels.
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This article is in Afrikaans but it does list some loading data for the 8x60 using Somchem powders:
http://www.sahunt.co.za/sahunter/reload/860mauser.html

Whatever you do, please don't rebore it. If you want a 9.3, then buy a 9.3 or have one built. You cna turn a nic eprofit on this rifle and apply it to the 9.3. THe 8x60 is equal to the '06, and yes, they did make a few in .318 bore.

"I was debating having it rebored to 9.3x62. Would this hurt the value much?"

Take about $1000 or more off the value (seriously).

Ok boys, I won't rebore this classic. Paul--The rifle has double set triggers, the bluing seems to be original though I don't really know how to tell. The bore is excellent. The stock has checkering around the grip and on the forend. The forend checkering is well done but seems to be a bit different than the checkering on the grip so it might not be original. The stock has a tiny repair at the toe of the butt. No leather in the mag box. I got a set of 8x60S dies and 100 pieces of formed .30-06 brass with the deal. Any idea where to find 8x60S brass?

They are both factory commercial sporters. The prewar has a 21.5" barrel and has the QR mounts, sights and rust blue done by Griffin & Howe. The postwar model has a 23.5" barrel and obviously uses standard Brno/CZ rings on the double square bridges.

I use IMR 4350 exclusively for the 8x60, as well as the 7x64 and 9.3x62. 52 grains is about right for any 200-250 gr bullet. It is a great powder for mauser cases. If you seat your bullets to the base of the neck, it is pretty much impossible to put an unsafe amount of powder in the case.