Recently got into the k98k mauser's and know nothing about this caliber. Brief me in on how it performs? What's the nature of this round, and what kind of damage can it do at what distances?
Hotter than .308, close to 30-06. A superb battle round, and one of the best bolt action designs in history.
Not real popular for hunting because of limited modern ammo availability. Great fun at the range with surplus ammo which, until the panic, was pretty cheap and readily available.
I have a couple of these, and a bunch of surplus ammo. One thing to make sure of before you shoot it, is whether your ammo is corrosive or not. Almost all surplus ammo is corrosive, and requires proper cleaning the day you shoot. If you wait until tomorrow, look for red hair (rust) in the bore.
http://forums.gunboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=6
This is a good source of information on the K-98. I believe one of mine to have been a Russian capture from Stalingrad. CB
Not real popular for hunting because of limited modern ammo availability. Great fun at the range with surplus ammo which, until the panic, was pretty cheap and readily available.
I have a couple of these, and a bunch of surplus ammo. One thing to make sure of before you shoot it, is whether your ammo is corrosive or not. Almost all surplus ammo is corrosive, and requires proper cleaning the day you shoot. If you wait until tomorrow, look for red hair (rust) in the bore.
http://forums.gunboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=6
This is a good source of information on the K-98. I believe one of mine to have been a Russian capture from Stalingrad. CB
Try this link: http://forums.gunboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=6
Modern commercial ammo will be loaded weak. If you reload you can extract good performance from the 8mm. I get about 2600fps with 175gr bullets and have shot groups .25 MOA
Modern commercial ammo will be loaded weak. If you reload you can extract good performance from the 8mm. I get about 2600fps with 175gr bullets and have shot groups .25 MOA
Sounds fun.... How is the damage downrange though?
What are the ballistics? Is it a superior round for big/medium game? What is the range effectiveness?
This!! Plus if you reload and cant find brass, you can turn your 30-06 into 8MM Mauser
The 8mm Mauser was an old full power battle rifle round, intended to reach out to 1000 yards. Ballistics were comparable to the .303 Enfield, .30-06 Springfield, and 7.62 Russian MN. If I remember correctly the military load for the Mauser was a 180 gr bullet which was a bit heavier than the 147 gr .30-06. The 8mm caliber (actually 7.92mm) works out to .32 inches so the Mauser gives a slightly bigger and slightly heavier round in the military load. Military surplus 8mm ammunition can be fairly hot - with the eastern European stuff (Czech, Yugoslovian) being very stout.
US commercial ammo is very mild. Older Mausers built back in the late 1800's - before the 1898 models used in WW1 and 2, will chamber the later ammunition. Most experts believe that the earlier guns aren't very strong. I don't know that there are a lot of the early guns out there - I've only seen one and that was owned by a collector friend who knew what he had and never shot it. However the lawyers got their way and that's why you can't buy a decent 8mm load from a US manufacturer.
If you have a good WW1 vintage or later Mauser you have a strong rifle that will handle a hot load. If you reload you can go with a 200 grain bullet and get some good energy out on the target. There were a lot of very elegant sporting rifles built by Mauser between the wars chambered in 8mm and they were capable of taking all sorts of game. I don't think that I'd go after an elephant or cape buffalo with one, but I believe that a hot 8mm Mauser round would serve you well for just about anything you'll find south of Alaska.
Yes they do kick - all of the old full power service rifles will "put whitecaps on your bladder." A lot of that's due to the shape of the stock and the lack of a recoil pad. In grandpa's day they didn't have much to compare them to so they shut up and soldiered.
US commercial ammo is very mild. Older Mausers built back in the late 1800's - before the 1898 models used in WW1 and 2, will chamber the later ammunition. Most experts believe that the earlier guns aren't very strong. I don't know that there are a lot of the early guns out there - I've only seen one and that was owned by a collector friend who knew what he had and never shot it. However the lawyers got their way and that's why you can't buy a decent 8mm load from a US manufacturer.
If you have a good WW1 vintage or later Mauser you have a strong rifle that will handle a hot load. If you reload you can go with a 200 grain bullet and get some good energy out on the target. There were a lot of very elegant sporting rifles built by Mauser between the wars chambered in 8mm and they were capable of taking all sorts of game. I don't think that I'd go after an elephant or cape buffalo with one, but I believe that a hot 8mm Mauser round would serve you well for just about anything you'll find south of Alaska.
Yes they do kick - all of the old full power service rifles will "put whitecaps on your bladder." A lot of that's due to the shape of the stock and the lack of a recoil pad. In grandpa's day they didn't have much to compare them to so they shut up and soldiered.
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