8MM powder ?

[Texas Gun]

Does anybody know what powder they used in the German or Czechoslovakian http://castboolits.gunloads.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=269966&d=1603426129

[jimkim]

That looks like the same powder I pulled from some Egyptian 8mm ammo.

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[15meter]

I've seen a lot of that square flake powder. I recycle the scrap brass from my club's range and there are usually a number of milsurp duds in the brass bucket. I disassemble them before selling the brass to the scrap yard and that square flake is pretty common.

A WAG but I'm guessing that it is rolled out into thin sheets not unlike cookie dough then die cut into the squares before final drying.

My understanding is that gunpowder is processed wet during mixing, forming/extruding.

As a paste I suspect it could be rolled fairly easily. Not much different than pasta.

Just a little more BOOM! When done.

Doubt if it was any one specific powder, I've seen variation in color over the years.

[haak48]

The standard German service powder for the 7'9x57mm (Nz. Gew. Bl. P.) measured: 2mmx2mmx.045mm. It was used in all ground gun loading's for all projectile types. Many European military 7'9x57mm cartridges are also loaded with a similar sized propellant. They was a HV propellant utilized in special 7'9x57mm aircraft ammunition, but it was tubular not flake. Regards, JH

[MostlyLeverGuns]

I have a bunch of very old 8x57, 1929, 1930's, 1940's stuff. All are cupro-nickel, 150 gr +/- and have flake powder of green grey appearance similar to what is shown.

[sharps4590]

I too have seen it in Mil-Surp German ammo. Kept some for a while to show around to friends then used it for fertilizer.

[alfadan]

8mm turk is loaded with the same stuff. Hotchkiss Flake powder or something like that. I weighed and averaged the loadings and reloaded about 15 % less.

[Uncle Grinch]

8mm turk is loaded with the same stuff. Hotchkiss Flake powder or something like that. I weighed and averaged the loadings and reloaded about 15 % less.

I did the same with several hundred Turk 8mm rounds. I averaged out the powder load, made a label showing this as the max load with the original bullet weight and stored it in a plastic coffee tub with a snap on lid.

Couldn’t see throwing it away!

[Texas Gun]

Hello again I just found out what does powder is it is referred to as PC 88

Now I just need to find a place to buy some

[725]

I've always liked 4320 for the 8mm.

[alfadan]

I dont think you'll find any. Any mid range powder would work great, like 4320 above which I started to standardize on for all like-cartridges but they just discontinued it.

[Eddie Southgate]

Had a good load with 3031 back when I was shooting a lot of 8mm .

[Eddie Southgate]

Now I just need to find a place to buy some[/QUOTE]

Really ?

[littlejack]

IMR 4064 works very well in the 8x57 cartridge. That's the powder I use in my 8mm-06 Ackley Imp. as well.

[Larry Gibson]

It's Nobel powder. As mentioned commonly loaded in metric cartridges for many, many years. No idea where to get it or even if still commercially available. I have used it as "pull down" from many different kinds of cartridges over the years. Burning rate of different lots has always been really close to 3031 and 4895.

[TNsailorman]

Looks like some pull down powder from some 1950's Turkish 8mm cartridges I bought some years ago. I reloaded the powder, used new primers and R-P cases as bullets with the bullets. I weighed each powder charge as I pulled it down. I took the total weight of powder and divided the number of cases into the total powder weight and cut the charge by 1 grain of powder. Turned out to be some of the most accurate military type 8mm ammo I ever shot thru that old Turk. Standard deviation on the handfull of cases I measured was very low. I was also very impressed with the very small variance of the weights of the individual charges of powder. james

[15meter]

Was just gifted a 1/3 lb. of Alcan 8, looks a lot like your 8mm powder. Can said it was, if I can remember correctly, manufactured by Bofors.

270484

Going to try it in 45 ACP, found a load for it in 45 Autorim, found other references claiming to use starting loads for Blue Dot, going to check on those loads and then load up a couple to shoot.

Around a corner with my safety glasses on and my legs crossed................

And tried 4 this morning, fired, cycled the action and the empties made at least 2 1/2" above the gun before rolling off my wrist. Certainly not going to have to chase brass. May add another 1/4 grain to make it cycle with a little more authority.

Current load:
WLP
7.0 grains of AL-8
Ideal 452460, 218 grains with two coats of Ben's Liquid Lube. Current references say this is a 200 grain boolit. Not this 4 cavity mold.

Going to up the load to 7.25 grains and try it again.

Not bad for a 50 year old powder.

[Freischütz]

4064 works very well for me.

[BentSprings]

4064 has proven to be the go to powder for my 8mm's also.

[Geezer in NH]

Looks like fertilizer to me.

[straphanger]

Second!

Years ago when Turkish was cheap (and of suspect quality) I bought a case of 3400 or so for about 4 cents a round. Tore it all down and reloaded it w 10% less powder in 500 round lots in 8mm Portugese boxer brass for my MG34. Gun chattered with glee and I didn't have to sweat an immediate cleaning session after shooting! Wish I had more!

I have done the same over the years w surplus Bulgarian, Czech, Egyptian, Romanian and Yugo that were mis feeds, mis fires or lots that had too high an incidence of bad primers or hang fires.

[Hamish]

Ian McCollum has several videos on Egyptian, Turk, Ethiopian, etc., varieties of surplus 8mm (and other chambering) on his “Forgotten Weapons” channel on youtube, and actually illustrates the components.

[farmerjim]

I haven't loaded 8mm in years, but when I did I always used IMR4350.

[sharps4590]

In the 8 X 57....well, in all the 57mm cases based on the 8 X 57, I've had good results with both 4895's and IMR-4064. They all worked equally well in my 8 X 65R Brenneke double and I'm curious to see how they do in my Merkel, O/U double in 8 X 60R Magnum. It might need a slightly slower powder.

[John Boy]

http://stevespages.com/318.html

[tew45]

I have several hundred rounds of Egyptian 8MM Mauser ammo I bought several years ago. I started trying to use it recently and found all the primers had failed. I pulled some rounds and checked the powder. I started using it in my '219 Zipper and after several loads tried the powder seems to be very similar to 3031. 24 grains in my .219 gave excellent results with no sings of excess pressure and was a strong load. I have no idea what the fps or pressure was but I wouldn't increase the lode more than 24 grains. I am pleased with the performance of the powder plus I have many 8MM FMJ bullets to sell in this hard to get bullet time. Also brass cases to recycle. It is a pain to pull so many bullets but the powder is defiantly a very good benefit. I will sell the bullets very cheap on the for sale forum here.

[TNsailorman]

I have used 4895 mostly in the 8mm but did try some 4064 with 170 and 175 grain bullets but eventually went back to the 4895 and it is my standard now. james

[dougader]

The only powder I ever used in 8mm Mauser was IMR 4064 and it did everything I wanted it to do.

[725]

4320 was a good one for a 180 bullet. Alas, it is no longer made.

[tew45]

I have been using pull down powder from some Egyptian 8mm that the primers went bad to where there were no firing at all. I have been using 23 grains with a 55 grain spire point in my 219 Zipper and it is accurate and clean. 23 grains may be a little hot for my Falling Block Works K frame as far as a case tends to stick some and extraction is slightly difficult at times. I think I will drop the charge to 22.5. This square flake powder seems to be near to 4198 in performance. I will check the velocity in a couple of weeks.

[458mag]

Looks like fertilizer to me.

powder dont start showing up that we can afford we'll be using fertilizer.

[perotter]

The standard German service powder for the 7'9x57mm (Nz. Gew. Bl. P.) measured: 2mmx2mmx.045mm. It was used in all ground gun loading's for all projectile types. Many European military 7'9x57mm cartridges are also loaded with a similar sized propellant. They was a HV propellant utilized in special 7'9x57mm aircraft ammunition, but it was tubular not flake. Regards, JH

From the data I have the standard thickness was 0.050mm. But they varied it between 0.045mm to 0.055mm depending on the linear burn rate of the input product. This was done in 2750 pound quantities.

What I don't know is if the various thickness’s where mixed together when they blended the 22,000 pounds of powder together to make up the single lot of powder for loading.

FWIW. Each batch of powder used for input for a given size was blended from 10 different individual batches of NC. So by the time the powder was loaded it was a blend from 80 different batches of the raw input.

[perotter]

powder dont start showing up that we can afford we'll be using fertilizer.

You can get a high grade and tight tolerance raw nitrocellulose for $16.00 a pound currently. Just have to process it into the desired powder.

For a bit lower grade the price is around $1.00 a pound plus shipping in 40# quantities.

So the knowledgeable and thoughtful reloader is still ok for some time to come.

[8mmFan]

I've always liked 4320 for the 8mm.

+1 I use 4320 to get velocities in 8x57 with a 180g Nosler Ballistic Tip that I would never share on the ‘net. No signs of high pressure, as far as the brass/bolt lift methods are concerned.

8mmFan

[8mmFan]

Did NOT realize that 4320 is no longer made...that’s a bummer.

[tew45]

It is a very good powder close to 4198 and 3031 I am using 23 grains in my 219 Zipper with a 55 grain bullet. I'm not sure of the velocity yet but the accuracy is fantastic!

[Geezer in NH]

We had 2-3 pallets delivered from CAI at 3 cents a round, used lots in my 1919A4 burnt out 2 barrels with it. Top covers would blow every 5-6 K rnds bent the crap out of them but flattened back out on an anvil they went back to work. God bless JMB!

For bolt guns I would pull bullets and reduce by 5 grains or so as that was powerful ammo.

I always paid for the rounds fired with the sale of the bandoliers crates and brass strippers sold on GB. Sorry but the golden days of surplus is over it seems

[wilecoyote]

... They was a HV propellant utilized in special 7'9x57mm aircraft ammunition, but it was tubular not flake. Regards, JH

... I don't have the book at hand now, and memory can betray me, but was that what Kent referred to as "53 grs. load of nitropenta"?

[YippyKiYay]

I used 3031 and 4064 in my 8x57 loads using the cheap 185gr Rems from Midway. They seemed soft and I couldn't imagine using them in 8mm Mag.

[tew45]

I have been pulling some 8MM bullets from Egyptian cartridges with bad primers. I have been using it in .219 Zipper and .223 with very good results. It burns clean and so far all loads have been very accurate. Power seems to be inline with 3031 and possibly a little stronger. I have a few more loads to check for pressure signs. I haven't been able to test for velocity but will soon. I needed the powder very much and still have 4 or 5 hundred rounds to pull for powder. I will report velocity readings when my Caldwell chronograph gets here and testing starts.

[Hamish]

https://www.gibrass.com/gunpowder.html

I’m surprised no one has posted a link to Jeff’s website. WC872 works very nicely in 8mm.

[GONRA]

GONRA sez - if itsa 8mm semiauto use IMR 4895 .