8mm Rifle Ammunition

[fotograf]

The round in question is for the German 7.92x57 military rifle.  It appears to be a steel case with tin plated steel bullet.  The case appears to be coated with an olive drab laquer or varnish.  All parts react slightly to a magnet.  The head stamp is as follows: At 12 o'clock is the number 51, at 3 o'clock is a symbol similar to the male icon, i.e circle with an arrow, at 4 is the minus sign, -, at 8 is a plus sign, +, and at 9 is the numeral 3.  The primer is staked at two places.  Questions:  Origin, is it corrosive, is it detrimental to the bore or other parts and is there any other data availble?

[Patrick Sweeney]

I'd guess a Combloc loading.  The WWII German cases tended to have letter codes fo rthe plant of produciton, while the Warsaw pact and China used all numerical.

I'd bet it is corrosive, and if you don't care about the bore of the rifle you're shooting it in, then go ahead.  You'll probably find that even with regular cleaning your rifling will be seriously worn in a few thousand rounds.

If its free, or cheaper than dirt, and you don't care about the bore, shoot it.  Otherwise, pass on it.

[TMC]

Most ammo that is said to be corrosive is only from the primer.  If after shooting if you run a patch soaked in Windex though the bore and let it sit for a minute and then clean as normal your gun should last.  Most of the C&R rifle shooters swear by this method for shooting older corrosive ammo.  I have only shot about 100 rounds of the corrosive surplus ammo through my old Mauser, but I have followed this practice and the bore is still bright and shiny.

When you can get this older ammo for $39.95 for 760 rounds what do you want?

(Edited by TMC at 2:11 pm on Nov. 4, 2002)

[Patrick Sweeney]

Cleaning the corrosive residue out after shooting does not negate the heavy wear a steel jacketed bullet creates.  Cheap is cheap, but include the cost of replacing a prematurely worn barrel in the shooting calculations.

[TMC]

I stand corrected.  I overlooked the bullet wear issue.  

[Patrick Sweeney]

No problem.  I only know because I've done it.  I trashed a pristine 98K 1934 Mauser/Oberndorf S/42K-dated rifle by learning fast bolt manipulation and running a couple of cases of surplus steel jacketed German WWII ammo through it.  1500 rounds and the bore was so gone I couldn't stay on the old Option target at 50 yards.  When I'd started it easily did head shots at that distance.

Mauser collectors weep when they hear about it.

[TMC]

OUCH!

I've been shooting the surplus though a 1938 Turk with a bright shinny bore, I shortened it and put it in a Boyds thumbhole stock.  Neat gun, just for plinking.  $38.95 for the rifle and $75.00 for the stock on sale, kinda backwards huh?  760 rounds of ammo cost more than the rifle.  I should have bought 2.

[Patrick Sweeney]

You don't want to know what the 1500 rounds cost me in 1981.  Nor the 3000 rounds of German sT sintered iron bullet 9mm ammo I put through a Nazi-proofed tanget-sight Hi Power.

My only defense is that back then they were all inexpensive and common.