Military Rifle Cartridges Used By The Great Powers

[Dosing]

Plate from Hamilton's "Cartridge Manufacture", 1916.

 

[Deano]

From left to right

30-06, 7.92 x 57 (8mm Mauser), 7.62 x 54R Russian, 6.5 x 52 Carcano, 8 x 50R Austrian, .303 British, and 8 x 50R Lebel

 

[whitbyman]

The 8 x 50R Lebel looks interesting, does anyone have more info about this cartridge?

 

[Deano]

Developed in 1886 for the new Lebel Rifle. The first smokeless powder cartridge adopted by a major power (France was a major power then). Overnight, it made all the existing black powder cartridges obsolete. Germans responded with the 8mm J mauser round. Very wide case, makes it difficult for using a box magazine. ~200 grain, .323 diameter bullet moving at about 2100 fps.

 

[Andy]

.... ~200 grain, .323 diameter bullet moving at about 2100 fps.

The ones I have measure 0.326"

 

[prosper]

Google. It's tapered because it was used in a tube magazine with pointed bullets. The taper is designed so the point isn't resting on the primer of the next bullet

 

[SDC]

That taper also made it next to useless for any sort of box magazine-fed rifle or MG; it's one of the reasons the Chauchat was so bad, and why they replaced it with the 7.5x54 in the late 20s. However, some of the ammunition was known for being extremely long-ranged and penetrative; the Balle D was made from solid bronze.

 

[ben hunchak]

The French ammo was made so that you could trade sides during the war, and still shoot(if you wanted), you could change sides, drop the gun and pick it up again next time you switched allegiances.

 

[Dosing]

The 8 x 50R Lebel looks interesting, does anyone have more info about this cartridge?

There is alot of info out there on the 8X50R, in Hamiltons book he actually has an entire chapter on making the round, with very detailed information on bullet and case measurements.

 

[green]

Interesting that the obsolescent .303" MkVI is illustrated rather than the then current MkVII.