Loading Problem with Mauser C96

[jmoore]

...The primer pocket was about three times it's original size and stretched oval. The headstamp was mostly obliterated. The primer was gone...

8mm and BREN? Meet 9mm and Sterling:

Attachment 44156



No damage to the SMG. But as a LH user, I got a wee bit of spray during a long burst of random ammo. Reloads, hollow points, lead bullets, Egyptian, and who knows what all... Not enough bothered to quit shooting, though, after a brief inspection!

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[browningautorifle]

No damage to the SMG

We used to see those occasionally when the chamber would get dirty. The case would stop and the fixed firing pin wouldn't. You get variations of burst casings and bullets in the barrel on that one. I'm sure Peter saw one or two...

[jmoore]

We used to see those occasionally when the chamber would get dirty.

In this case it seems to have been a bad load, as the SMG ran fine the rest of the afternoon. No great surprise, considering the rounds used were odds and sods. None of my reloads, I think, but the lead bullets certainly pointed to some of the ammo at least being non-factory. The lovely part is that these old beasties are tough!

Not so much C96 pistols. Have seen several that have been pounded to death. Sort of surprising, as it doesn't seem to be a Mauser trait. Locking seems fine, but the bolt retention block and supporting structure aren't all that strong, comparatively.