Cast Bullets In 8mm Mauser
After reading the very informative article by C. E. Harris (as posted by rebertbank) I have tried to use cast bullets in my 8mm Mauser rifles, a Turkish Mauser and a Yugo M48. Both of these rifles perform reasonably well using surplus ammo, but the lower cost of cast bullets is very attractive.
I used a Lee C324-175-1R bullet, gas check, Lee liquid alox, and sized to .323. The charge is Harris’ universal load…16 gr. of 2400 powder. This combination seems to perform reasonably well at 100 yards, but I have encountered two problems.
First, there seems to be an excessive amount of gas blowback which can be felt on my face and seen by the powder residue flowing back from the mouth of the fires case. I do not experience this gas blowback when using cartridges loaded with FMJ bullets. Is the 16 gr. powder charge to small in that the case neck and mouth are not sealing within the chamber, or what is causing the blowback?
Second, the 2400 powder seems to be excessively dirty. There is a cloud of smoke when the round is fired and a large amount of residue is left in the chamber, bolt, and surrounding parts. Is there a similar powder that could be substituted for 2400 that is cleaner burning yet produce the same results?
Any ideas or suggestions which might help resolve these problems would be very much appreciated.
Cast Bullets in 8mm Mauser
First, many thanks for the suggestions to resolve the problems I experienced with cast bullet loads for the 8mm Mauser. They are very much appreciated and add to my knowledge base for this cartridge.
In response to my post in August and my original post to this thread, I was finally able to get to the range and test several 8mm Mauser loads. For what it’s worth, here are the results.
The following is common for all loads:
Rifle used: Yugo M-48
Case: Winchester
Primer: Winchester WLR
Bullet: Cast with gas check, 175 gr., sized to .324
Dies Used: RCBS X-dies for full length case sizing and reloading
Velocities listed below are the average of ten shots as measured with a Shooting Chrony.
Powder Charge Velocity
2400 16 gr. 1532.02 fps
2400 17 gr. 1549.76 fps
2400 18 gr. 1644.54 fps
IMR 4227 21 gr. 1707.83 fps
IMR 4227 22 gr. 1737.86 fps
No blowback of gas was experienced with any of the above loads. For the 16 gr. of 2400, there was a small amount of black residue on the neck of the case, but none was present on any of the other loads. At best, for all loads accuracy at 100 yards was what I consider to be bad or worse, even for my 69-year-old eyesight and open military sites on the rifle. The IMR 4227 loads did tend to show some grouping of shots but nothing I would want to show to anyone else. Overall, the accuracy for all loads was a disappointment.
So, what does all of the above prove? It tells me I’ve probably got to do some more “tinkering” with the powder charge and the bullet. I tend to believe that a little higher velocity would help improve accuracy and will try 20 gr. and 21 gr. of the 2400. Would so like to try a slightly larger diameter bullet…maybe sized to about .325…if I can find a reasonably priced mold. I will also test the loads in my Turkish Mauser as well as the Yugo M-48.
I’m not giving up on cast bullets in the 8mm Mauser, just need to try a few more different combinations. I’ve had very good results using cast bullets in the MN 91/30 and Finn M-39, the Swiss K-31, and even my .30-06 Columbian Mauser. I’ll be happy to share any improved results.
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Want to load safely for my GEW88
I'm glad this thread is still somewhat active!
I've been loading for about 30 years but have just started casting (loving it!).
i've just started casting. My pistol stuff is going quite well. Moving from 45 45 10 lube to powder coating now.
I'm also ready to start casting for my GEW88. Amberg 1890 turked. After taking it apart, I found that the barrel was replaced in the '30s although the shroud is still here.
A little pitting in the barrel but still very bright (after I cleaned her!).Slugged bore 3x and I got .323 each time. Wood is in VERY nice shape. Not much blue but a nice patina.
I've casted a few bullets with my Lee 175 mold using COWW. They drop at about .324 and weigh about 172 -173gr avereage. BHN (pencil test) is in 22 range for those PC'd and quenched. Aircooled are around 16.
I see lots of yall using filler. I've seen other places use things like cream of wheat. here, its cotton wool. I guess the same as cotton balls?
I can figure how to weigh it but for the recipe's without weights given, what do you do? I suppose filler' up to the bottom of the neck so the bullet will compress it a bit?
trying to decide on either 2400 or unique. I've used unique before in pistols.
Thanks for your time!