Old German Ammo question

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David1974

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I was shooting the mauser this weekend and was using some RWS E37 head stamped ammunition. The reason why I am asking about this ammo is that it was drilling clean holes right through .5" steel plates at about 80 meters. Is this AP?

Here is a picture.

IMG_0757.jpg


First shot center crater was from a 300 Magum.
Second shot crater top left was from a .303 British
Third shot crater middle right was from SKS
Forth shot top left hole 8mm RWS E37 ( thought it was a fluke )
Fifth shot hole 8mm RWS E37
 
I did some searching and found that RWS E37 was made by Rheinisch-Westfälische Sprengstoff A.-G., Nürnberg-U. Germany for export to Portugal. Judging by the holes it is obviously armor piercing.

Since this was made in 1937 it will be corrosive so I hope you're treating it as such.

Most likely a S.m.K round. "Spitzgeschoss mit Kern" or "Pointed bullet with steel core".

Some good info here: http://www.mausershooters.org/k98k/8_ident.html
 
I fired some WWII surplus AP stuff from a semi MG-34 with the same results. Tore through steel at 200m like a hot knife through butter. Impressive considering the age.
 
RWS is the manufacturer.

E37 is for Einheitshulse 37: Standard Casing Number 37.

This stuff is hotter'n hell itself, went through a chunk of B-25 belly armour as if it wasn't even there.

I have no idea what the pressure levels must be.

I was told by someone who should have known that this was WW-2 Luftwaffe stuff for the high-speed MGs on the 109s and in the He-111s.

Primers were RWS ROSTFREI: rust-free.

Nasty stuff; I wouldn't use it in a rifle, ESPECIALLY an old rifle such as the Gew '88 early model with the light barrel. The Gew 88nm had a MUCH heavier barrel.
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I don't see it as that impressive. Shouldn't Mk7 .303B punch through 1/2" steel as well? Heck for that matter, shouldn't any other WW2 ball ammunition do the same?
 
The RWS E37 MG ammo also has a deeply-recessed primer, if you care to check them. It's not just hard, it's DEEP.

THAT is what twigged us originally to the fact that it is ammo for a high-speed MG which operates so fast that drive-in as the round chambers is a sufficient problem for the manufacturer to take precautions. The recessed primers were to ensure that the stuff did not fire as it was being chambered and the extra firing-pin protrusion on the MG-FF took care of that little problem.

In my opinion, the stuff should be kept clear of rifles. Hang onto it for after we get machine-guns back on the ranges in this country, then go shoot up a chunk of armour-plate with it.


In World War One, the Tanks Marks I through III were made of rivetted three-eighths steel plate. They were proof against the Mark VII Ball round as well as against the 7.92mm JS loading. The JsS loading was developed particularly to deal with these early Tanks and was restricted to heavy MG use only; it was NOT issued for Rifles.

The logical thing then happened: the British upped the armour-plate on the Tank Mark IV to half an inch and improved the type of steel used.

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3 shallow divots, and one cleanly punched hole (discounting the one that slid off the edge).
Yeah, the clean drilled hole was an AP round.
 
pics of the cartridge

Here you go Gaff and everyone who is interested.
Smellie there is a pic of the resessed primer and the red primer seal.
I don't have the orginal boxes, bought them loose in two lots. I have almost 300 of them. No signs of pressure. Cases are excellent, no sticky bolt.. nothing.



IMG_0774.jpg

IMG_0773.jpg

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Great stuff to hang onto for more sensible times to come.

The deeply-recessed primer CAN give problems if your firing-pin protrusion is on the low side of safe. A strike will look as if it were a very hard primer, although it is no harder than a lot of others. A second strike generally will fire it if it doesn't "go" on the first strike. I had a couple of hang-fires in one rifle not in the others.

I STILL would not fire it in a Gew 88 which is NOT marked "nm". The original 88 was famous for lifting chambers out; the "nm" mod was a factory fix for the problem: more steel for about 8 inches of the barrel.

It really IS beautiful ammo.

Hope this helps.
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