8mm surplus ammunition
I would like to hear from my fellow trusted members of this forum regarding 8mm mauser surplus ammo. Mainly what has worked well and what hasn't. I will start off by saying I just bought 150 rounds of yugo surplus that I will be trying soon. I do know that the Turkish ammunition has worked very well for me and the egyptian ammo is an absolute disaster with a misfire about 1 out of every 4 rounds. Id love some input whether you agree or not. Thanks as always!
I agree with you 100%. I've never had any problems with Yugo or Turkish Ammo. The Egyptian stuff I have shot sucked as well. I don't shoot too much 8mm any more, my shoulder really doesn't like it.I've always made fun of people that shot their K98 with an slip on recoil pad, in the future, I may have to do the same. Maybe the Yugo and Turkish stuff has just been stored in a more conducive atmosphere for ammo over the last 50 to 70 years.
Jay
I had good luck with the Yugo ammo, just make sure it's not MG ammo, there was a lot of that floating around when the lower pressure was around. The MG ammo came in a cardboard box with a label, and had red wax around the primer.
From watching gun videos on youtube the Yugo stuff always seems to get a thumbs up!....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vi72iOaxXQ
What was the main difference in the yugo mg ammo? Also, I ran into some Greek surplus rounds last weekend but didn't buy any just because the seller wanted too much.
The MG ammo runs at a higher pressure, I was talking to a guy selling the MG ammo (He had some Class 3 guns on display too) he said it would knock a bolt gun loose. At the time I had 4 sealed tins so I figured it wasn't worth the risk. I had an M48, M48A and a real early one that was built with left over K98 parts, some of the parts still had eagles on them. I with I still had that one.
I need to check because I wasn't aware of different pressures of yugo ammo. Although I have read about not using any high pressure rounds in the egyptian Hakim semi auto rifles.
In general, we're pretty spoiled with access to quality 7.92 ammunition in the USA. I've fired and still shoot the following types, with a little commentary on each. All of the following are Berdan primed and unquestionably corrosive:
-Turkish LB: This was available at scandalously low prices for quite awhile. I'm still sitting on a bunch of it in bandoleers and crates. Several users reported problems with 1947 dated ammo, but I've never encountered any of that year. I've shot many other types, with no problems at all. This is c.150 grains, high velocity and with very consistent ignition. It excels in long barreled rifles like the Czech 98/22 Mauser.
-Turkish HB: Same as above, with the exception of reported problems with the 1947 batch, and it being about 198 grains.
-Romanian LB: This is the green, 150 grain, steel cased ammo you've no doubt seen at the range. It has a red bullet/primer sealant and is very reliable. I used to run this reliably in my Hakim until I got sick of shouldering a railroad tie, and sold it.
-Royal (pre-WWII) Yugoslavian: This is excellent ammo, 196 grains, but is best kept to a collection since they're definitely not making it anymore from that era.
-1950's Yugoslavian: Like most everything else at that point in a devastated country trying to rebuild itself after a world war, some of the early 1950's Yugoslavian is hit-or-miss in terms of quality, especially with regard to primers. It's not as good as what came before and after. 196 grains.
-1970's-1990's Yugoslavian: I've had nothing but excellent-outstanding results with this ammo. 196 grains and with brass that looks like it was made yesterday, it's monotonously reliable and very accurate. I tend only to shoot this in my more accurate 24" barrel Mausers.
-Mid-1930's - 1940 German: All of my ammo from this source/period has been outstanding, and was available VERY inexpensively for at least a year or two, during which I made sure to order many different varieties and types. Most I won't shoot anymore due to the collector value, but my source at the time offered bulk amounts of P635 (Hirtenberger) loose and out of the boxes, in .50 ammo cans. At that point, the collector value is gone, and you may as well enjoy it in a quality rifle. That's the type I'll still shoot, and with excellent results every time. 196 grains and exceedingly high quality.
I can't say I've ever had an issue with 'hot' MG-marked ammo. Most of the time the 'fur MG' stamp simply means that the ammo was packed loose and not on stripper clips, facilitating easier loading onto belts and links. The 'fur Gewehr' marked ammo is the opposite, it's already loaded onto stripper clips.
Hope this helps,
Pat
Last edited by PRE; 01-14-2017 at 03:22 AM.
The guy I was talking to had this on his table and told me it was what he shot in is own MGs, and told me it was higher pressure than the "normal" Yugo 8mm. This was all before the interwebs, and I had talked to him before, so I took what he said at face value. I can't read the Cyrillic though.
There are tons of different headstamps for these rounds. Most of mine are 12/53 which are defined as ball ammo GM 406 grain.
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