0.316in bullets?

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Fox

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What runs 0.316in bullets? 195gr

I mixed up numbers with another batch I was sorting through, these are 195gr.

I was given a pile of bullets, it was like Christmas sorting them all out, and found some weird ones, including 125gr 8mm bullets and these 0.316 195gr bullets.

It could be that they have been pulled and would really be 0.318, so old bore 8mm, but the box is sharpie marked 0.316, so that may be what they actually are.
 
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jamesharrison said:
Any chance you swapped the last 2 digits [ie 207 grs. instead of 270 grain]? One of my oversize .303 Brit. moulds casts 0.316" 207 grain bullets when I cast them out of lino.

If not, then the only thing I can think of, would be one of Accurate's moulds:

https://accuratemolds.com/bullet_detail.php?bullet=31-260B

What does the mould look like?
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They are jacketed bullets, nickel look, round nose with a big exposed lead nose.

I did mix up the numbers, they are 195gr, the 270gr was another batch I sorted through.

Looks like they are probably for the 8x51 then, possibly Norma?
 
jamesharrison said:
They're not for the 8x51; that cartridge uses a different bullet. They're for the 7.9x57I, aka the J bore 7.9x57, not the post 1903 S bore [0.323" bullets]. That is the standard "blue pill" hunting bullet, pre TUG/TIG.
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Would they work fine in a newer 0.323 bore 8x57?

If not I should probably find someone who has a J bore.

I thought the J bore were 0.318
 
Did you actually measure them yourself, or did you just rely on what's written on the box?

Nickel plated with exposed lead nose seems to be Norma.
 
mephisto002 said:
Did you actually measure them yourself, or did you just rely on what's written on the box?

Nickel plated with exposed lead nose seems to be Norma.
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I did measure them, 0.316, look exactly like some old RN norma stuff loaded in 8x57 ammo.

It is possible that the guy sized them down, 0.316 is written on the box.

It is also possible that my caliper is off but they measure dead on with new bullets, might the size have shrunk a tiny bit if they were pulled bullets?

The guy who gave them to me said they were all odds and ends that he got over the years, he is working on purging.

It is like Christmas came early, 2 different guys threw a pile of reloading stuff at me since the first week of December, bullets, primers, factory shotgun shells, some dies.

I guess it pays to be a nice guy :D
 
Doubt they would work very well in an S bore as they are 0.007" undersize.

You are correct; J Bore grooves are nominally 0.318".

Because of the steel jackets, as well as the "new" smokeless powders, back in the day rifle makers used undersized bullets or over-size grooves, to reduce pressure.

Case in point, all of the Husqvarna M96 based rifles I have had in 9.3x57 have grooves larger than specified for the 9.3mm. One measures 0.372"! Yet all have the nominal 9.3mm 0.355" lands.

Contrast that to the 5 later manufactured M98 based Husqvarna rifles I own or have owned. The largest had 0.366" grooves.
 
jamesharrison said:
Doubt they would work very well in an S bore as they are 0.007" undersize.

You are correct; J Bore grooves are nominally 0.318".

Because of the steel jackets, as well as the "new" smokeless powders, back in the day rifle makers used undersized bullets or over-size grooves, to reduce pressure.

Case in point, all of the Husqvarna M96 based rifles I have had in 9.3x57 have grooves larger than specified for the 9.3mm. One measures 0.372"! Yet all have the nominal 9.3mm 0.355" lands.

Contrast that to the 5 later manufactured M98 based Husqvarna rifles I own or have owned. The largest had 0.366" grooves.
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I am curious though, maybe I should slug my 8mm mauser.

I have a 1918 Kar98a, if they had really deep grooves with a tighter bore they may be acceptable, there is only a handful though so maybe I should find someone with a 0.318 bore to pass them along to.
 
Just as an aside, it is not a J; it is an I for Infanterie. In Germanic type-face, the I looks like a J. The original 7.92x57, 8x57, 7.9x57 cartridge was actually called M-88, which referred to its year of introduction for use in the 1888 German Commission rifle.

As a quick check on your barrel, you can also use your calipers to measure the lands & grooves, although because of cleaning rod wear at the muzzle, the measurements will likely be off.

Unless the muzzle is VERY worn, use the inside jaws of the calipers to take measurements. Take measurements all the way around the inside of the bore. You should get, depending on the # of lands & grooves, something like 0.311x", 0.32x", 0.311x", 0.32x", 0.311x", 0.32x", 0.311x", 0.32x", 0.311x", 0.32x", 0.311x", 0.32x".
 
jamesharrison said:
Just as an aside, it is not a J; it is an I for Infanterie. In Germanic type-face, the I looks like a J. The original 7.92x57, 8x57, 7.9x57 cartridge was actually called M-88, which referred to its year of introduction for use in the 1888 German Commission rifle.

As a quick check on your barrel, you can also use your calipers to measure the lands & grooves, although because of cleaning rod wear at the muzzle, the measurements will likely be off.

Unless the muzzle is VERY worn, use the inside jaws of the calipers to take measurements. Take measurements all the way around the inside of the bore. You should get, depending on the # of lands & grooves, something like 0.311x", 0.32x", 0.311x", 0.32x", 0.311x", 0.32x", 0.311x", 0.32x", 0.311x", 0.32x", 0.311x", 0.32x".
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My understanding is that there are no military 7.92x57 rifles from Germany with a 0.318 bore after 1903, but the sporting market kept the 0.318 bore much later than that.
 
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