Help identifying cartridge in Swedish in 8x??mm

6.5x55 versus 8x54 - vastly different bullet weights, different bore sizes - what would make you think that the loading data would be similar?? You need to find accurate 8x54 data!!

Edited to add: Also, reading "Cartridges of the World" - you will want to verify whether your "8mm" barrel is groove size for .318" bullets, or for .323" bullets. Not bore size, but groove size - maybe you have already done that??
 
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I am quite sure that an experienced hand loader would probably be looking at Tiriaq's suggestion - knowing the difference between I and IS bore (J and JS). There are also some "ballistic rules", etc. that can be used to come up with safe start loads - but, so far as I know, most all is predicated on knowing bullet weight, groove diameter and case internal volume?? Without those numbers, at minimum, I suspect is more like WAG??
 
I use 8x57 Mauser load data MINUS 5% just to be on the conservative side. Always begin with START loads and work up from there. Been working ok in my rifles but every rifle is different so just use some caution when loading for this cartridge.
 
Having reviewed my reloading tools it appears that I need to buy a full length sizing die for 6.5 Swede. Anyone know anywhere in country that stocks just the single full length die without having to rebuy The other dies I already have.
 
OP - your last post is sort of non-sequitur to your thread about 8x54 cartridge - hoping that you understand that a sizing die for a 6.5x55 Swede has nothing whatever to do with sizing a 8x54 KJ case?? Even though the 6.5x55 is apparently the parent case? To load the 8x54 KJ, you will need facsimile dies (some other 8mm x ?? that can be used), or actual 8x54KJ ones.
 
Here's some Krag Jorgensen 8X54 dies in stock, this company does ship to Canada

https://www.buffaloarms.com/8x54-krag-die-set-4d-4d854krag

Shell holders they recommend are sold separately. If you are considering these items the dies and shell holders I would contact the seller to make sure they are compatible with your reloading presses just to be safe. I have no experience with CH4d reloading dies so I am unable to recommend them. Of course they're probably great dies and compatible with most presses but I just don't know. There's probably also other options out there but this is a start. Good luck
 
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Potashminer said:
OP - your last post is sort of non-sequitur to your thread about 8x54 cartridge - hoping that you understand that a sizing die for a 6.5x55 Swede has nothing whatever to do with sizing a 8x54 KJ case?? Even though the 6.5x55 is apparently the parent case? To load the 8x54 KJ, you will need facsimile dies (some other 8mm x ?? that can be used), or actual 8x54KJ ones.
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From the reading I've done, I'll be able to fire form them from 6.5 cases but my once fired 6.5 needs to be full length sized back to 6.5 spec before they'll chamber. Then it's simply a matter of necking them up and fire forming.
 
I will describe how I am doing the similar process converting 8x57 brass into 9.3x57. I first opened the necks up to make a nearly straight case - so it became significantly larger than 9.3 on the inside - .420 or something like that - I had made a tool for that, that goes into a Lee Universal neck expander body. Then, that overly large necked brass was worked slowly down, in a 9.3x57 die - checking for length into my rifle's chamber until I just was able to close the bolt - so my re-sized cases, now had a "partial" shoulder that is tightly against the chamber shoulder when the bolt was closed. In that state, the cases will be fired as "want-to-be" 9.3x57, to blow out the shoulders to final form within the chamber. At no point was a die for the parent case - the 8x57 - involved. You sound like you might have a different approach. Good luck.

FYI - that initial opening of the neck was not done in one step - I first used the elliptical expander ball on the Hornady 9.3 sizing die - set much further out than normal, so that the neck went from 8mm to 9.3 mm on the upward stroke of the press ram, without that case neck going into the neck sizing area of the die. Then, my tool in the Expander Die body opened that neck from that 9.3mm (.366"?) ID to that .420" or so ID. Then back to the Hornady 9.3 die, without the expander stem, to establish that "0" headspace false shoulder - at that point, I did re-install the expander ball and opened up the neck to accept a 9.3mm bullet with normal neck tension, although the "false shoulder" was eliminating virtually all headspace. I can find no references to correct headspace dimensions for 9.3x57, nor can I find any gauges for it, so the solution is to fit the brass to the chamber, whatever dimension it might actually be.

If you do not have an elliptical expander to 8mm, you might find you will need to open your 6.5x55 necks in steps - perhaps like with a 270 Win expander or something like that as an intermediary expander? So you are starting at about .264" ID and want to get to .323" ID - perhaps might need to go .277 and then .308 as in-between steps to avoid collapsing shoulders and other mishaps that I have experienced. You will have to decide how you will establish your headspace control. Once complete and fire formed, I will be annealing these brass to restore some flexibility to the necks. I will not be surprised to yet loose a few to splitting when they are fire formed. I did start the process with factory new PPU 8x57 brass, so hopefully they will "hang in there"...
 
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Potashminer said:
I will describe how I am doing the similar process converting 8x57 brass into 9.3x57. ....

....Once complete and fire formed, I will be annealing these brass to restore some flexibility to the necks. I will not be surprised to yet loose a few to splitting when they are fire formed. I did start the process with factory new PPU 8x57 brass, so hopefully they will "hang in there"...
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Potashminer, this is really interesting. This is an aspect of this hobby that shows a high level of ingenuity in order to make something happen that isn't straight forward. I've loaded 6.5X55 for some time and some years ago well after I started to reload for 6.5X55 I could have purchased another very nice M96 this one chambered in 8X54 for very little money but unfortunately I passed on it because at that time I didn't understand or realize what the possibilities were and I didn't see a path forward to reload for it. That's one reason why I am so interested in this thread and your post shines a light on the mystery.

I see that at this time Tradex has 7 sporterized M96 Mausers chambered in 8X54 for sale, interesting...
https://www.tradeexcanada.com/search/node/8X54
 
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RVG_Don said:
Potashminer, this is really interesting. This is an aspect of this hobby that shows a high level of ingenuity in order to make something happen that isn't straight forward. I've loaded 6.5X55 for some time and some years ago well after I started to reload for 6.5X55 I could have purchased another very nice M96 this one chambered in 8X54 for very little money but unfortunately I passed on it because at that time I didn't understand or realize what the possibilities were and I didn't see a path forward to reload for it. That's one reason why I am so interested in this thread and your post shines a light on the mystery.
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I did not invent any of this - CGN'r WhyNot had commented on this process and directed me to postings by a "Daryl S. (?)" (I found it on on Gunboards), for converting the 8x57 brass into 9.3x57, where there is not a lot of information regarding "standard sizes" - in the end, the point was to create nearly "0" headspace cases without the case body having been stretched by firing to do so. If I have screwed up describing the process, that is on me - those guys have done this many more times than I have.

The rifle itself is made up from components of at least three different rifles: the receiver is of the M96 commercial style with the bolt that came with it, the barrel (from a different rifle) is made by Husqvarna, I cut it to 20 1/2" long, and is stamped 9.3x57 on the chamber, and my intent for it is to lob 285 grain gas check flat nose cast bullets - probably at gophers in the pasture with the aperture sights, but who knows what might be unlucky enough to get caught in its bullet path??

I had read the process can also be done by starting with longer cases - like 30-06, but almost always the result has necks that are too thick and must be thinned - apparently, actual measured neck and "ball seat" (aka freebore) dimensions are all over the map, so I had done a cerrosafe casting of the chamber shoulder to lands areas to get some dimensions that I had to meet. Converting from 8x57 and using these cast bullets seem to give me a .002" to .003" "space" in the chamber neck, although they are a bit shorter than I had hoped for, certainly much shorter than my chamber was cut for.

To add a bit of "spice" to the conversion, the chamber casting showed me that these 285 grain "bore rider" cast bullets will have left the cartridge case mouth, well before the "groove" dimension on the bullet has reached the leade - so this one will need to rely on a good fit in the "freebore" area (aka "ball seat") to keep it going straight before it engages the barrel's rifling. Another person reviewing this project had commented that I probably do not want "normal" cast bullets - I want about 1" or 1.125" long .366" diameter lead rods, so as to have the rear end still within the case neck when the front end of the "fat" part of the bullet hits the leade!!!
 
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Thinking of another way. As per OP's idea to just "fire form". I bought several bags of previously fired 7mm Rem Mag brass. I think it was 12 grains of Unique (? - not sure, but about that much) went in, then a 1/2" x 1/2" square of toilet paper on top of powder to keep it separate from the filler, then filled case nearly to the brim with Cream of Wheat cereal. Dribbled some melted wax from a candle into the case mouth to hold all in there. Chambered into my 458 Win Mag, pointed barrel straight up and fired it - extracted 95% formed 458 Win Mag brass. Resized nicely with RCBS 458 Win Mag dies - for loading and shooting cast bullets. Have read that others have done similar from 300 Win Mag cases, but result may be overly long and require trimming back to 458 Win Mag length. The process is referred to as COW fire forming - relies on the belted brass to headspace on the belt rim within the chamber. If OP can get his 6.5x55 to snuggly chamber within his 8x54 chamber, he might be able to use that COW fire-form process to get re-sizable brass?? NOTE: this process uses ONLY very fast burning shotgun or pistol powder - do NOT try it with normal "rifle" powders, and the process does NOT use a bullet - the Cream of Wheat compresses enough to force out the case shoulders and neck to very nearly the finished size....
 
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