8MM Mauser

CWLONGSHOT

Well-Known Member
Thinking of jumping into 8MM casting.

i picked up a 7.65 Argentine very early shrouded barrel that needs light loads 1400 fps) and I have had good luck shooting Saturday. Its bore is really good.
I have told of my poor results with 30 cal. (Mostly a 300 BO. But some 30/30 as well.)

i have two Military 98’s one sporterized and one “factory”. 41&43 year guns.

Id need molds and sizers.

Is anyone casting for these. Can anyone offer suggestions?

CW
 

Bret4207

At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
I use the 8mm Karibiner, still available from Mid South IIRC. Shoots great in anything with a decent barrel so far. But if you are shooting a 7.65 Argie you want .312-.315, not .323-.325. Maybe I'm confused on what you're asking.
 

CWLONGSHOT

Well-Known Member
Yea sorry for confusion. I have many 30/31 cal molds. I have one fat louverne that drops .318/319 but nothing yet in 325 range.
I just committed to a mold IDEAL #323470 from S mac
CW
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
that 470 will do fine.

remember that the 8mm's have what you'd call a saami specification
[I actually have one that's close,,, only the chamber is cut off center to the bore]
and then there is the ones that have the same throats your 7.65 argie has... only sometimes bigger.
and others that are sort of more in between those two someplace,, just usually closer to the Argie's side of things.
 

CZ93X62

Official forum enigma
The Lee 8mm-175 shoots WONDERFULLY in my G98/40. On those rare occasions that I actually won a Burrito Match when centerfire rifles were the selection, the 8 x 57 shooting the Lee bullet was the star of the show. I won a couple of the NCBS Military shoots with it as well. 16.0-18.0 grains of 2400 gave 1550-1700 FPS close by the muzzle.

The 8 x 57 as loaded in the USA is a pale imitator of its worth as a service and hunting caliber. European loadings run the 150-155 grain-class j-words to the 2900 FPS level. It is every bit of a 30-06 in performance. It was this 154 grain .323" JS load that prompted the USA to drop the 220 grain bullet initially adapted from the 30-40 Krag and install the 150-152 grain M2 loading for the M1903, M1917, and M-1 Garand.
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
the way I run mine is exactly the same as I run the 0-6, a 150gr flat base jacketed bullet at 2800 fps.
I'd use it more but I get mentally hung up on using a 1-1/2" rifle when I have a perfectly good 3/4'" rifle that has the same ballistics sitting right next to it.
 

Tomme boy

Well-Known Member
I had a custom 8x57 with a 1" muzzle diameter tapered from 1.25" at the action. It shot extremely well. It to this day was my most accurate rifle I have owned. 0.2" groups at 200 yds were common. At 100 yds it was almost every time you shot. It had an extremely short throat. But it shot so well I just shot it. The 200 gr Sierra hpbt were AWESOME! So were the Nosler 180gr ballistic tips.

The only problem was they did not get the scope base holes in line with the bore when it was D&T. You had to run the ZEE rings with inserts to get the scope inline more to be able to adjust it. I never shot cast in it.

Remington brass is the thinnest brass and should be avoided. Winchester was too hard and had split shoulders on the first firing. The brass it liked best and held up the best was from Mitchel Mauser of all things. I am thinking it was PPU. Otherwise I made my brass out of 3006. H4350 and Varget were two top powders.
 

CWLONGSHOT

Well-Known Member
I tried Varget for the first time two years ago. One load was under a 150 G 8mm. YES it shot well!! I was gifted five hundred 150g Speers. Never having used or wanted to try such a light 8mm I just wanted a fun good shooting load I could enjoy the rifle with. Varget worked very well

later I found a 223 W/65g Sierras made tiny little holes while traveling at nearly 2800 fps using Varget... Now that the sole use for this powder. ;)

CW
 
Last edited:

CZ93X62

Official forum enigma
In the dim and distant past I had designs upon a Steyr-Mannlicher Professional in 8 x 57 JS. Alas, after the dust-up between S/M and the U.S. State Department c. 2005 S/M no longer makes or exports the fine SSG or Professional turnbolts. They instead offer some SBS ("Safe Bolt System") bolt rifle that is both hard to locate and pricey once found. Ya snooze, ya lose.
 

CZ93X62

Official forum enigma
All of the Mauser calibers are efficient, capable cartridges. I have the 6.5 x 55 Swede, the 8 x 57 JS, and the 9.3 x 62. The 7 x 57 and the 7.65 x 53 would be nice to have as well, but the three I have on hand do yeoman work. That 30-06 is no slouch, either.
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
I have been working on a full set of X57 cases over the years.
the 22 and the 27 as well as the 9.1mm versions have kind of not been on my radar since I have others in that realm.
but it wouldn't take much of an arm twist to get me on board with any of them if given the chance.

a decent 22-24" 6.5 barrel that would screw on a large ring Mauser is on my radar ATM.
a blank would work too since I want to build another 6.5X257 [or a 6.5-06 for me, or a 6.5 C-More for the G-boy] and have the donor rifles.