I have been thinking of getting some form of 8MM Mauser to add to my collection. However, I seem to recall hearing or reading of a review in which the author is quoted as saying "the 8MM is the most horribly inaccurate weapon ever made". With 8MM ammo being as cheap as it is, I'd like to have one, but if you can't hit anything with it then why bother. Also, which models are the best and does anyone make commercial ammo?
8MM Mauser Accuracy?
- Thread starter Hammy
- Start date
Art Eatman
Staff in Memoriam
Well, you can find a gun-author who will say something good about any horrible piece of trash, or bad-mouth any perfectly good gun.
If they were all that bad, I rather doubt there would have been some 20 million or more made and used around the world. And the Nazis weren't noted for wilfull stoopid.
So: The particular gun you get may not be a tack-driver "as is", but if it's in good, clean condition, it will shoot better than you can hold it, off the benchrest.
FWIW, a popular post-WW II conversion was to 8mm-'06. They worked well. The main drawback is the lack of a variety of bullets from which to choose, depending on your purposes. For just casual shooting, hey! Cheap ammo is good!
Off the cuff, I'd guess the pre-1943 German-made 98s were among the best.
Regards, Art
If they were all that bad, I rather doubt there would have been some 20 million or more made and used around the world. And the Nazis weren't noted for wilfull stoopid.
So: The particular gun you get may not be a tack-driver "as is", but if it's in good, clean condition, it will shoot better than you can hold it, off the benchrest.
FWIW, a popular post-WW II conversion was to 8mm-'06. They worked well. The main drawback is the lack of a variety of bullets from which to choose, depending on your purposes. For just casual shooting, hey! Cheap ammo is good!
Off the cuff, I'd guess the pre-1943 German-made 98s were among the best.
Regards, Art
8mm K98 @ 100yds 10 rds fired 8 rds in the black the other 2...well you know where the horiziontal and vertical meet in the middle of the target 2rds in almost the same hole! using old ammo(corrosive stuff on stripper clips) stock iron sights 4:30pm sun behind and to the left of me. very impressed. picked it up as a convert to .308 but in the interim found an israeli 308 made off an fn receiver.
another member of this board now is in possesion of the 8mm. but i am kind of missing it so i may pick up another one. found a romainian K98 in excellent condition. mmmmmmmm...
another member of this board now is in possesion of the 8mm. but i am kind of missing it so i may pick up another one. found a romainian K98 in excellent condition. mmmmmmmm...
Authors write whatever will put supper on their tables. The 8mm Mauser round, loaded to proper European pressure levels, is no less an accurate cartridge than our own .30-06. Where you run into trouble is having a less than good condition of the action and barrel, compounded by low quality ammo. Then you;ll be lucky to hit the broadside of a barn from inside, but that's true of any rifle/ammo combination. I received an 1917 Amberg 98 Mauser in a horse trade that had been sporterized years ago. I finished the job, free-floated the barrel, installed a Timney trigger, glass bedded the action, 11-degree crown, nice scope, etc. Handloaded 170gr Speer spitzers ahead of 46.0 grains of IMR4895 grouped into as small as 3/4" at 100 yards, which is absolutely phenomenal for a 83 year-old reincarnated infantry rifle. To date, it's taken whitetail and elk, and even though I have other rifles that are completely original, collectible, or cost well into the 4-digit prices, that old Gewehr98 has remained my absolute favorite. (Hence my nametag) You know the feeling, it's kinda like that comfy old flannel shirt that your wife wants to get rid of, but you ain't gonna do it...
Read McBride's RIFLEMAN WENT TO WAR for a rather rather more solid take on the 98 Mauser and the 8X57 round.
Much of the perceived problems with a good 8X57 rifle is the mediocre surplus ammunition available--not to mention parts gun Mausers to begin with.
Try some of the Norma or RWS commercial loads and, I'm fixing to experiment with some Federal Classic commercial loads in a right minty BRNO Model 22 as soon as I get delivery.
Surplus ammo can be a real crap shoot though. I've had a tack driving 06 with one brand of commercial ammo and reloads that did 3-3.5" groups at 100 with USG Lake City Ball. Given the zero cost, though, it was still useful to practice offhand shooting at informal targets like cans once one had the different point of impact down pat.
Much of the perceived problems with a good 8X57 rifle is the mediocre surplus ammunition available--not to mention parts gun Mausers to begin with.
Try some of the Norma or RWS commercial loads and, I'm fixing to experiment with some Federal Classic commercial loads in a right minty BRNO Model 22 as soon as I get delivery.
Surplus ammo can be a real crap shoot though. I've had a tack driving 06 with one brand of commercial ammo and reloads that did 3-3.5" groups at 100 with USG Lake City Ball. Given the zero cost, though, it was still useful to practice offhand shooting at informal targets like cans once one had the different point of impact down pat.
Chad Young
New member
"Speaking of cheap 8mm amunititon, what manufacturers currently load this cartridge?"
Winchester still loads a 170 grain Power Point load, although it is loaded down in case someone shoots it in the old JR type (.318 inch) bore instead of JS (.323 inch bore).
Sellier and Bellot make both 196 grain FMJ and SPCE (Soft point, cutting edge) rounds loaded to full power. These rounds were very accurate for me and quite reloadable. If you shoot these in a JR bore, though, chances are you will have problems.
A brief story on 8mm Mauser -
Borrowed a Turkish Mauser, 8x57, and took it to the range to shoot. Set up a 2 litre soda bottle full of water on top of the target stand at 100m. Went back to the firing line and dropped in 5 rounds of S&B 196 grain SPCE. I wanted to see if I could get a nie big 'splat' off the soda bottle.
Well, I set the rifle on the sandbag, took careful aim dead center. A couple of fellows to my left were watching, waiting to see if the old gun could do it. I carefully squeezed the trigger, gun goes off, and the bottle is fine, but the cap on the bottle spins right off the top and flies off, leaving the bottle itself completely untouched.
Those guys thought I was Joe Sniper to pull that shot off. I did not tell them, of course, that I was aiming dead center at the time and the sights were off.
Oh, I did hit the bottle later, just had to aim about 6" low. Turkish mauser sights tend to be waaaaaay off.
Winchester still loads a 170 grain Power Point load, although it is loaded down in case someone shoots it in the old JR type (.318 inch) bore instead of JS (.323 inch bore).
Sellier and Bellot make both 196 grain FMJ and SPCE (Soft point, cutting edge) rounds loaded to full power. These rounds were very accurate for me and quite reloadable. If you shoot these in a JR bore, though, chances are you will have problems.
A brief story on 8mm Mauser -
Borrowed a Turkish Mauser, 8x57, and took it to the range to shoot. Set up a 2 litre soda bottle full of water on top of the target stand at 100m. Went back to the firing line and dropped in 5 rounds of S&B 196 grain SPCE. I wanted to see if I could get a nie big 'splat' off the soda bottle.
Well, I set the rifle on the sandbag, took careful aim dead center. A couple of fellows to my left were watching, waiting to see if the old gun could do it. I carefully squeezed the trigger, gun goes off, and the bottle is fine, but the cap on the bottle spins right off the top and flies off, leaving the bottle itself completely untouched.
Those guys thought I was Joe Sniper to pull that shot off. I did not tell them, of course, that I was aiming dead center at the time and the sights were off.
Oh, I did hit the bottle later, just had to aim about 6" low. Turkish mauser sights tend to be waaaaaay off.
I have 5 8mm Mausers, 3 Czech Brno, and 2 Yugoslavian, 3 of them were in unfired condition, one is a little beat up, but with good bores, none are parts guns, they all shoot quite well with S & B and cheap surplus ammo. They all shoot around 2 inches at 50 yds, with iron sights, so if scoped (God forbid) they would surely do 2 inches or better at 100 yards.