8mm mauser question

[charlie.45]

hey I've been thinking about purchasing a surplus rifle in 8mm,my question is for anyone with the yugo 8mm or simular surplus rifles. how accurate is the 8mm rnd in these guns? Im not too worried about the bullet it looks big enough and deadly enough so I'm quite sure of the stopping power I just dont know about the accuracy. any comments would be helpful.

[hobocircus]

Get one with a decent bore and a tight action and it will be as accurate as you can shoot it. The 8mm is a great caliber, although the surplus supply is drying up rapidly.

[danp]

If you're looking for a sub minute of angle sniper rifle, this ain't it. But if you are looking for something that will do 3-6" groups at 100yds in its original configuration, you can have an awful lot of fun with a surplus Mauser.

Just beware, 'cause once the milsurp bug bites, you just gotta get more and more.

[Terry]

They are good minute of DEER guns, and they love being held hostage behind a pick up truck seat.

[charlie.45]

thanks for the reply's guys,yeah as far as rifles go i want the 8mm first then an sks coverted to ak mags,then an actual ak,then if i have money or a wife still after spending all of that an ar

[stolivar]

I have a Turk mauser that I have drilled and tapped, with a turn down bolt.

I have no problem getting 1 to 1.5 inch groups with handloads with mine.

Great little deer gun.


steve

[Brickboy240]

Alot of your acuracy will depend on the condition of the surplus rifle you buy. I have a K98k made in the Nazi occupied CZ factory in 1943 with a near perfect bore and it will group as good or better than my 03-A3 Springfield or Canadian No4 Enfield. My Swedish 6.5mm Mausers will usully beat the K98k...but not by a huge margin.

That said, in a Mauser of good condition, the 8x57 round is as accurate as the 30-06 and in the same power class. Any game you might go after with the 30-06 can be taken with the 8x57 round. The Europeans use that caliber on deer sized game to this day and it is probably one of the most popular big game rounds in Europe.

There are a few problems people run into with the 8x57 round in this country.

First, remember that the open sights on most 8mmsurplus Mausers are in METERs...not yards. They are also regulated for the European standard 196grain spitzer at original velocities. This means you will have to play with the sights to get a zero you can trust. Not a big deal...just know this BEFORE you burn boxes, trying to figure out where its hitting!

Second, most American made "8mm Mauser" ammo is loaded with undersized bullets and lower powder charges than the European stuff. This is done, because lawyers told the makers that someone might sue them if they blow up an early 1888 Mauser with the hotter loaded European stuff. Smaller bullets and lower powder charges means it is not as accurate and puts the 8x57 into the 300 Savage power class instead of the 30-06 power class it was designed for. You CAN get reasonable accuracy from the American 8mm stuff...but you'll have to experiment and zero it in for the lighter bullet and lower charge.

The US made ammo has bullets that usually gauge .320" wheras the true European 8x57 bullet measures .323". This CAN play hell with the accuracy depending on how tight your bore is. Mausers can very...this take some experimentation. All my 98 8mm Mausers shot better with the European loads, BTW.

The best 8mm factory loads I have found are the Norma and Sellier & Belliot stuff. S&B loads an affordable and true 8x57 load, using a 196gr round nosed soft point. Its been pretty accurate out of my 2 98 Mausers and usually my "go to" round for hunting. The Swedish Norma ammo is very expensive and good stuff...but unless you dig blowing major cake on ammo...stick with the S&B or load your own.

J&G Sales in AZ and others stock the S&B 8mm stuff....grabe a few boxes for hunting and use the cheap surplus stuff for targets and plinking. The Yugoslavian and Romanian surplus is good stuff and still around. The best surplus 8mm was the FN, Austrian Hirtenberger and the Greek HXP, but I doubt you'll find any around.

Be sure and get an 8mm rifle in as good of shape as you can find and I'll bet you will become a fan of this round as I am. I have been shooting the 8x57 round for a very long time.

- Brickboy240

[charlie.45]

Originally Posted by Brickboy240

Alot of your acuracy will depend on the condition of the surplus rifle you buy. I have a K98k made in the Nazi occupied CZ factory in 1943 with a near perfect bore and it will group as good or better than my 03-A3 Springfield or Canadian No4 Enfield. My Swedish 6.5mm Mausers will usully beat the K98k...but not by a huge margin.

That said, in a Mauser of good condition, the 8x57 round is as accurate as the 30-06 and in the same power class. Any game you might go after with the 30-06 can be taken with the 8x57 round. The Europeans use that caliber on deer sized game to this day and it is probably one of the most popular big game rounds in Europe.

There are a few problems people run into with the 8x57 round in this country.

First, remember that the open sights on most 8mmsurplus Mausers are in METERs...not yards. They are also regulated for the European standard 196grain spitzer at original velocities. This means you will have to play with the sights to get a zero you can trust. Not a big deal...just know this BEFORE you burn boxes, trying to figure out where its hitting!

Second, most American made "8mm Mauser" ammo is loaded with undersized bullets and lower powder charges than the European stuff. This is done, because lawyers told the makers that someone might sue them if they blow up an early 1888 Mauser with the hotter loaded European stuff. Smaller bullets and lower powder charges means it is not as accurate and puts the 8x57 into the 300 Savage power class instead of the 30-06 power class it was designed for. You CAN get reasonable accuracy from the American 8mm stuff...but you'll have to experiment and zero it in for the lighter bullet and lower charge.

The US made ammo has bullets that usually gauge .320" wheras the true European 8x57 bullet measures .323". This CAN play hell with the accuracy depending on how tight your bore is. Mausers can very...this take some experimentation. All my 98 8mm Mausers shot better with the European loads, BTW.

The best 8mm factory loads I have found are the Norma and Sellier & Belliot stuff. S&B loads an affordable and true 8x57 load, using a 196gr round nosed soft point. Its been pretty accurate out of my 2 98 Mausers and usually my "go to" round for hunting. The Swedish Norma ammo is very expensive and good stuff...but unless you dig blowing major cake on ammo...stick with the S&B or load your own.

J&G Sales in AZ and others stock the S&B 8mm stuff....grabe a few boxes for hunting and use the cheap surplus stuff for targets and plinking. The Yugoslavian and Romanian surplus is good stuff and still around. The best surplus 8mm was the FN, Austrian Hirtenberger and the Greek HXP, but I doubt you'll find any around.

Be sure and get an 8mm rifle in as good of shape as you can find and I'll bet you will become a fan of this round as I am. I have been shooting the 8x57 round for a very long time.

- Brickboy240

wow thanks for the info i would've ended up buying wolf ammo most likely but i'll be sure to go with the s&b stuff for less hassle zeroing