[sizzlin bacon]

I own two Mauser K98s (German manufacture) and I am wanting to reload for them. I am looking for confirmation on my assumptions please. My plan is to buy a reloading die (8mmx57) along with the tool I can squeeze 30-06 shells into and trim to length. I assume that the 7x57 die is wrong despite the Mauser being 7.92 and therefore I need an 8x57 die for the bullets in .323 diameter.

Is there any advice I should know before I attempt to saw down perfectly good brass for an odd round? I am excited as I have not been able to shoot my Mausers for a while due to the lack of ammo.

What does one use a 7x57 die and 7mm ammo for when it comes to Mausers?

Thanks from a newbie to reloading.

 

[22WRF]

My plan is to buy a reloading die (8mmx57) along with the tool I can squeeze 30-06 shells into and trim to length.

Why? 8x57 brass is not hard to come by or expensive.
7x57 has no relationship to your 8mm

 

[JLA]

8X57 is the same as 7.92X57. just 2 different names for the same round. There was an early bore diameter of .318 called a J bore, but the ammo still was called 8mm mauser.

You will need a reloading manual first and foremost, and you will need to read it, thoroughly. Then you will know where you need to proceed from there. Any set of 8X57 dies will work, I recommend a LEE pacesetter set. Comes with a 8X57 Full Length sizer die and a dead length bullet seater die, and a shell holder, and a data card and the LEE dipper appropriate for the 8mm mauser. It is perfectly safe to use .30-06 brass to make *mm mauser brass, and it is indeed as simple as running a lubed .30-06 case into a FL die and trimming. But 8mm mauser brass is readily available, relatively cheap, and doesn't involve the labor intensive, hard on your press and dies part of forming the brass from -06 brass.

 

[sizzlin bacon]

Why? 8x57 brass is not hard to come by or expensive.
7x57 has no relationship to your 8mm

I have had zero luck finding a consistent supply of 8mm casings, hence my choice to make my own. Ammo is too pricey to buy and shoot just for the brass. The reason I asked about 7x57 is I heard the export German manufacture rifles were made in 7x57 while German made rifles for German use were manufactured in 8x57.

 

[JLA]

German manufactured mausers were made for the German army. As they age or are phased out by new and improved weaponry they are surplused out all over the world. 7X57 was replaced by 8X57. The vast majority of 7X57 german mausers enbded up here stateside and got sporterized into your grandfathers deer rifle. 8X57 german mausers generally got rebarreled to .243 , .30-06 or .308 after WW2. That's why its increasingly more difficult to find honest to god german mausers in original condition these days.

 

[22WRF]

Germany exported tons 7x57 to S. American countries and later 8x57. I have a Styer arsenal with a Chilean crest. It was 8x57 but now it's 6.5x55
The Spanish turned out many many 7x57's

 

[JLA]

so did the mexicans

 

[22WRF]

Better not leave out the Turk 38's

 

[JLA]

Excellent Mauser variants, the turks. Long barrel and sight radius makes them some of the most inherently accurate of all the mauser variants

 

[sizzlin bacon]

I am lucky as both of mine were vet bring backs. One is in too nice of condition to shoot and the other I am planning on refinishing. The original finish is long gone. They shoot the .323 diameter bullet aka 8mm, right?

 

[jim brady]

I haven't looked for a while, but new 8X57 brass by Winchester or Remington is available. What I do (and it works well for me) is to buy that cheap surplus 8X57 Turk or German ball ammo, but it is dirty and not always sure-fire because of age. I size and prime my new commercial cases, then pull the bullets and powder from the old ammo and reload them into the new cases.

I've done this a lot with that dirty Turk ammo, and as I've lucked into a large supply of 1935 - 1936 German ball ammo, the same with that. The new primers solved the hang fire and misfire problems, and I've done away with the corrosive primer problem. This ammo has proven extremely accurate in my WW2 K98. I recoup most of my expense by selling those Berdan primed cases, and of course I tell the buyers to expect some hang fires and misfires, but they seem to love the stuff.

I have reformed 30-06 cases to 8mm, but the brass in the necks are often too thick. I'd think it would be a good idea to use a neck turning tool to reduce that thickness to avoid extremely high chamber pressure on firing if you decide to reform cases like that. Just much easier to buy a couple hundred new cases in bulk. My two little pennies.

 

[WHSmithIV]

I guess this is as good a place to ask as any... Anyone know of Swedish Carl Gustav Mausers that were chambered in 7.62 x 39? I have a possibility to buy one though I don't yet know what price I can get it for. However, it may be less than $300 and it is in wonderful condition. It has a 30" barrel and the original cleaning rod also.

 

[zant]

WHSmith-if they have 2-I'd love one....I've been on a buying spree on Mausers and haven't found a 7.62x39 yet...

 

[22WRF]

WHSmithIV

Someone rebarreled that bugger. the Swede 96 and 38 were 6.5x55. Why would anyone would do that? The 6.5 is an amazing round.

 

[JLA]

yep. 7.62X39 was a common rebarrel in Europe. And not a better platform to put it on than a swede.

 

[Alpo]

I missed this one yesterday, but better late than never.

When I got my first rifle (308) I cut down a lot of ought six brass. Yes, 308 brass was readily available, but I had picked the ought six up at the range for free. Buying new 308 brass cost money.

When I got my k98, I could find lots of old, corrosive, Berden, 8 mil, but new non-corrosive boxer was kinda non-existent. And, again, yes the new brass was available. But I'm cheap. That's why I started loading in the first place. I remember being so happy, seeing two kids at the range, with a Mauser rifle and two boxes marked PMC. Hot Damn!! Commercial ammo. Hey guys, y'all mind if I pick up your brass? Nah, dude. Help yourself. 30/06

 

[22WRF]

Nobody has mentioned what they are pushing down the barrel of those 8x57's.
My 24/47 Yugo loves the Sierra 150 gr Game Kings pushed with 48gr of IMR 4895

 

[soundguy]

I have had zero luck finding a consistent supply of 8mm casings, hence my choice to make my own. Ammo is too pricey to buy and shoot just for the brass. The reason I asked about 7x57 is I heard the export German manufacture rifles were made in 7x57 while German made rifles for German use were manufactured in 8x57.

my local gander mountain has I THINK.. remington 8mm mauser on the shelf. it's only the odd stuff they have in right now. no more expensive than the 3006 you will be cutting up.

that brass will make for fun to shoot then re-use. probably way easier then making your own..

 

[WHSmithIV]

Thanks guys! If I get it I'll let you know and post pics

 

[Twicepop]

The 8x57 or more correctly the 7.92x57 was first put in the Commission Rifle, Mod. '88 and was as previously stated the J bore at .318" in diameter. It was later changed to and standardized at .323", than known as the S or JS bore. The 7x57 and 8x57 cases have a very slight difference in overall length, although both have the same 12mm case head diameter, but after that slight differences arise. The 7x57 has a 20 degree, 45 minute shoulder angle and a longer neck. The 8x57 has a shoulder angle of 20 degrees, 48 minutes, with a shorter neck which gives more internal case capacity. The 7x57 came about after Mauser had full manufacturing capability, and was able to produce rifles for military export. You could make cases from 30-06 brass, but pressure problems could arise because of the necks being to thick. Usable cases could be made from 7x57 brass, but it would need to be necked up to about .33 caliber and then sized back to standard 8x57 specs. in order to have a small shoulder to head-space upon. Or have the bullet seated tightly into the rifling to prevent the cases from moving forward when the firing pin strikes.
The use of corrosive primed cases as was noted in a previous post, I wouldn't use them. Several years back I had some WWI issued 30-06 ammo that was primed with corrosive/mercuric primers. The brass literaly fell apart because of the effects of the primers on the brass. With the surplus ammo, you have virtually no way of knowing the chemical composition of the priming compounds, or the conditions that the ammo was stored in or for how long.