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8mm Mauser
- Thread starter locobass
- Start date
Unkel Gilbey
New member
Hey Loco,
Depends on what you meant by "same as". Were you talking about performance? Size? What rifles it was/is chambered for? Availability of Ammo? There are a lot of factors here, and we might need some clarification.
For instance, of all the other cartridges that you mentioned, they all have almost the same size head at the rim. This means that a Surplus Mauser can potentially be rechambered to any one of the other calibers. I say potentially because the Aught Six (as typically loaded) will barely fit inside the magazine of an unmodified German Mauser (K98), the same goes for a .270 Win. But a loaded .308 Win might give you problems in an unmodified magazine because it's case is 6 mm shorter than the 8x57 Mauser case.
But I suspect that you are inquiring about the performance of the 8mm Mauser as a hunting round. I tend to look at it like this... This rifle was originally designed to lob a 220 gn. bullet @ 2400 fps. This means that it should be real good mojo for your typical moose. With todays slower burning powders, and improved bullet technology, I'm sure that a well built and maintained rifle should handily bring down any North American game. I wouldn't try this with the .308, or the .270.
Of course, this is my opinion. I'm sure that there are plenty of people who wouldn't think twice about their 270's or their 308's. But hopefully, this should give you something to mull over.
Good luck, Unkel Gilbey
Depends on what you meant by "same as". Were you talking about performance? Size? What rifles it was/is chambered for? Availability of Ammo? There are a lot of factors here, and we might need some clarification.
For instance, of all the other cartridges that you mentioned, they all have almost the same size head at the rim. This means that a Surplus Mauser can potentially be rechambered to any one of the other calibers. I say potentially because the Aught Six (as typically loaded) will barely fit inside the magazine of an unmodified German Mauser (K98), the same goes for a .270 Win. But a loaded .308 Win might give you problems in an unmodified magazine because it's case is 6 mm shorter than the 8x57 Mauser case.
But I suspect that you are inquiring about the performance of the 8mm Mauser as a hunting round. I tend to look at it like this... This rifle was originally designed to lob a 220 gn. bullet @ 2400 fps. This means that it should be real good mojo for your typical moose. With todays slower burning powders, and improved bullet technology, I'm sure that a well built and maintained rifle should handily bring down any North American game. I wouldn't try this with the .308, or the .270.
Of course, this is my opinion. I'm sure that there are plenty of people who wouldn't think twice about their 270's or their 308's. But hopefully, this should give you something to mull over.
Good luck, Unkel Gilbey
The 8mm has the capability of using a much heavier pointed bullet than is usually available for the .30. It is not as fast as the .270, but is faster with similar weight bullets than the .308, due to having a lot more powder. It is fully on a par with the .30-'06. With suitable bullets now available for reloading, the 8mm is more usable than ever.
Jim
Jim
Locobass. There was an article a few years back on loading the 8MM Mauser round. One of the things brought out, was that the 8MM is drastically underloaded in this country due to the early weaker model Mausers with a different bore size. Loads were given that rivaled the 30-06. I can't remember off hand if it was RIFLE or HANDLOADER Magazine, but the article was by the late Don Zutz.
Paul B.
Paul B.
Depends on which loading. In U.S. 8 x 57 mm Mauser loaded relatively lightly, due to concerns with a lot of old rifles floating around. There were also 2 bore sizes, one took a .318 bullet, the other took a .323" diameter bullet.
In Europe, where the Mauser Model of 1898 was the standard, the 8mm Mauser was loaded to about the same pressure levels as our 30-06, which does make a difference.NORMA loaded 8MM Mauser to full power specs, but NORMA is/was a european company.
In Europe, where the Mauser Model of 1898 was the standard, the 8mm Mauser was loaded to about the same pressure levels as our 30-06, which does make a difference.NORMA loaded 8MM Mauser to full power specs, but NORMA is/was a european company.
Funny you asked.....
I had a custom rifle built a while back, and after long, LONG consideration on caliber, I opted for the old 8mm Mauser.
It has been long considered "in the 30-06 class" by cartridge authorities such as Frank C. Barnes of "Cartridges of the World" fame, and I could not agree more.
Especially if you are a handloader (I would seriously consider becoming one if you are not), the 8mm is a plain awesome cartridge. With a 220gr bullet it can flatten every species in NA, while with a lighter pill you can "reach out and touch" anything pretty damn far away.
Sure, I (and probably you) have heard some ol'timer drawl: "Ifit'sjustliketheoldthirtyawtsixwhybother?"
Hey, vive la difference!
------------------
Private gun ownership is the capital sin in the left's godless religion. Crime is merely a venial mistake.
Check out these gals: www.sas-aim.org
I had a custom rifle built a while back, and after long, LONG consideration on caliber, I opted for the old 8mm Mauser.
It has been long considered "in the 30-06 class" by cartridge authorities such as Frank C. Barnes of "Cartridges of the World" fame, and I could not agree more.
Especially if you are a handloader (I would seriously consider becoming one if you are not), the 8mm is a plain awesome cartridge. With a 220gr bullet it can flatten every species in NA, while with a lighter pill you can "reach out and touch" anything pretty damn far away.
Sure, I (and probably you) have heard some ol'timer drawl: "Ifit'sjustliketheoldthirtyawtsixwhybother?"
Hey, vive la difference!
------------------
Private gun ownership is the capital sin in the left's godless religion. Crime is merely a venial mistake.
Check out these gals: www.sas-aim.org