Shooting Igman 8x57 loads - k98 safe ?

BeaverMeat

BeaverMeat

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A few questions about what to look for when it comes to shooting hot loads from a K98... also an excuse to show it off. It's Yugo capture by the way. The bolt and receiver match.

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I know the rifle is good to shoot as It held up to PPU FMJ and Winchester ammo. The bore is still excellent. I know it's important to check the head spacing. I have Forster gauges on the way. But what else should I check before I decide to shove some potent loads through it. The bolt is a late war version with the circular gas vents. Waffenamt 77, so it's most likely a Steyr-Daimler-Puch part.

Any K98 experts around? I would take it to a gunsmith but there are non in close proximity to where I live.
 
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By hot loads, do you mean CIP specification cartridges, as loaded in Europe? There should be no issues whatsoever. Good idea to check headspace.
 
tiriaq said:
By hot loads, do you mean CIP specification cartridges, as loaded in Europe?
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Yup, exactly. Igman 170 grain. I hear the numbers on this round are very high. Also, some vender at a recent gun show told me that Igman 8x57, along with all Euro rounds are loaded for a machine gun and will blow your bolt-action over time. That is why he doesn't sell any hot 8x57... sounds like BS to me, but... got me thinking about my 70 year old rifle made from late late war steel parts.
 
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Apart from some discussion of hot ammo from turkey, There is no such thing as hot European 8x57IS. in the USA there 8mm ammo is loaded to a lower power level for what reason, some will speculate as not to out power the 30-06. 8x57IS is the European identification for the 8mm Mauser round and it good to shoot in any rifle in good condition designed to do so. You can read about more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7.92×57mm_Mauser
 
My clan shoots 6.5 X 55 and I agree with the low powered US manufactured loads.
Read about a European based rd in a US reloading manual; again, same deal. They lowball it pretty hard.
The 30-06 is THE round but that lil old 8mm thang? Weak and underpar'd compared to the '06...BS I say.
I'm 'merican on dad's side but that good old ( to the tune of Halls' of Montezuma ) everything from the US is No. 1 thing gets old.
 
Yo yall aint shud be shootin da hot loads in dat oldass gun cuz it finna blow up in yo face. Yall gots ta use da safe loads wit da right pressure son
 
If you are shooting factory loaded ammo, you can't buy anything that will even dent that thing. BTW, the Yugo milsurp is not what I would call a light load.
 
With bigotry aside... In all seriousness I know sh!t all about ammo. And I would appreciate some "constructive" criticism. I will try to be more accurate with my terminology.

Yes, CIP spec 8x57 IS that is "hot" in comparison to American loads. And I have been beaten in the head by John at Marstar about the ramifications of Turkish surplus ammo. I am looking for some reassurance that I wont blow my face off.

So I guess I will rephrase my question. Has anyone shot Igman 8x57 170 gr. soft points in their Mausers?
 
I shot loads of the stuff through my WWII Russian Capture. At least 200-300 rds

SAAMI limits are so low for 8mm ammo because of the older round nose load for the original Gew88 and early Gew98 rifles with .318 bullets. All WWII K98k rifles are setup to shoot the .323 bullets. Go nuts.
 
copy and paste from a post i made in the ammo section a few years back:

Igman 8x57 velocities
took the chrony out today and checked the velocity of some igman 8x57 ammo that i have kicking around.

150 grain 2730 fps average
170 grain 2590 fps average
180 grain 2480 fps average
198 grain 2415 fps average

the 170 and 198 gr stuff is in igman boxes, headstamp some sort of 2/? symbol inside a semi-circle.

the 150 and 180 grain stuff is in bell boxes, headstamp IK.

temperature was around -3 C (typical hunting weather i think).

for comparison, remington 170 factory stuff averages 2190 fps.
 
MiG25 said:
copy and paste from a post i made in the ammo section a few years back:

Igman 8x57 velocities
took the chrony out today and checked the velocity of some igman 8x57 ammo that i have kicking around.

150 grain 2730 fps average
170 grain 2590 fps average
180 grain 2480 fps average
198 grain 2415 fps average

the 170 and 198 gr stuff is in igman boxes, headstamp some sort of 2/? symbol inside a semi-circle.

the 150 and 180 grain stuff is in bell boxes, headstamp IK.

temperature was around -3 C (typical hunting weather i think).

for comparison, remington 170 factory stuff averages 2190 fps.
Click to expand...

Factory specs from I scrounged up for a pleasant day in Bosnia

8x57 IS - SP 170 grain

Pressure psi
49313

Velocity ft/s
0 2789
100 2450
200 2136
300 1847

Energy ft lb
0 2931
100 2264
200 1719
300 1286

Rivaling the good ol 30-06

My concern of a Igman .223 round that caused a KB in a AR-15
 
even those Igman loads are less than what was shot thru it during the war.

read up on some of the wiki specs. Most of it is 2600-2700fps, even with heavier bullets.
 
A 198 gr bullet flying at 2600fps was the military load, so Inman is somewhat underpowered with 2400fps. The 98 Mauser action is much stronger then what is needed.
 
North American's have always loaded European calibers lightly. Especially the the 8x57. The Mauser is a very strong action. Most of our limits for light loads are a result of N.American litigation. If you compare loading manuals from the same manufacture, the suggested max loads have decreased significantly over the last 50 years. What do you know, when I load my 1950's 30-06 ammo to within 1950's loading data it is way over the max load data in my most modern manuals. The same goes for my Wby300, Wby 257, etc.

Those Ingman loads shot fine out of my K98...and I am not surprised. My European 9x74 commercial loads pack way more punch than most North American loads. We are just lawsuit shy.
 
SAAMI spec 8mm is loaded lower to take into consideration the weaker action on the Gew. 88 rifles which were chambered in that caliber, and the first rifle to be as well.
 
David1974 said:
Don't worry about Igman. I have the 198gr's. I find the load is medium and sooty! :D If you really want a full power load shoot S&B or RWS!
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Got some (allot) of the S&B 196 SPCE would like some FMJ, tracking down some RWS. That stuff look seriously... German. Wanting to reload initially but will have to test the factory waters to see what works and get a good brass collection.

I have to stop believing the BS some people feed me about 8x57 Mauser. Properly loaded it will out perform 30-06.
 
Properly loaded, it DID outperform the .30-'06.

Original specs for the 7.92x57 JS loading was a 154-grain slug at 2881 ft/sec.

Priginal specs for the .30-'06 was a 150-grain slug at 2700 ft/sec.

The 8 mil slug was 4 grains heavier and almost 200 ft/sec faster. Pressures were actually LOWER, too!
 
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