K98 problem

[bad64chevelle]

First off, I would like to say that I am still learning here, and any information would help me greatly.

While at the range this afternoon, my K98 decided to give me an issue. Many of the casings were coming back half black. I finally noticed it when I got some debris that hit me in the face while shooting (felt like getting hit with sand) The gun was cleaned last week, and shot about 30 rounds today perfectly fine before this happened. All the same ammunition (Aim Surplus Romanian) that it has had about 400 through it since I bought the rifle. I immediately stopped firing the rifle, and took a picture of one of the casings.



Any thoughts?

Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.

[kar98k]

looks like there may be excessive headspace. if that's the case, do not fire that rifle anymore and have a competent gunsmith look it over

[jmoore]

Looks like incomplete powder burn or low pressure to me. Any hangfires or duds in that batch of ammo?

[bad64chevelle]

None so far have seemed wrong. I am about 60 rounds or so into this batch, 30 of them fired about a month ago with no issue whatsoever and 20 yesterday with no issue. The last 10 I was watching carefully and they started coming out like this.

[JBS]

Squib loads. Not enough pressure to upset brass for complete seal of front of chamber. Do not fire anymore of the stuff. Most common failure of Squib loads is a bullet stuck in the bore and firing another round behind it causing catastrophic barrel failure.

[Patrick Chadwick]

I agree with JBS. Whatever was in that case, it was no longer good nitro powder. There's not even a good soot mark on that case.
And I see no reason to suspect head space. Excessive head space would not have stopped the case upsetting. The typical symptom is rather a bright ring about 1/2 from the base, where the brass is being stretched well past the elastic limit and becoming crystalline.

I had a stuck bullet once with a long-range 45-70. From factory ammo. The bullet went a couple of inches into the bore, and there would have been no resistance to loading another. If I had not wondered about the lack of recoil, it could have been very, very nasty.

Quite simply - try a different type of ammunition!
And, being a cautious kind of experimenter - you could try just one round in another Mauser. If that turns out the same, you will have to "bite the bullet" and bin the ammo.

Patrick

[Pattern14]

I had a stuck bullet once with a long-range 45-70. From factory ammo. The bullet went a couple of inches into the bore, and there would have been no resistance to loading another. If I had not wondered about the lack of recoil, it could have been very, very nasty.

I had the same thing happen with a pre-WWII Turkisk 8mm round and the soot reached more than half-way up the case. Squib!

[Gun Surfer]

FIRST, check the bore and ensure you dont have a stuck bullet!! Then if you want to play it extra safe, take to a gunsmith who is qualified and get the rifle checked. However I agree with the guys here, not nec a symptom of bad headspace or bad rifle, but bad ammo. If ammo is not powerful enough to make the brass upset and adhere/seal to the chamber, then that prob also explains the crap being blown back. 9 will get you 10 that bad junk inside the brass is causing the problems outside. If you can stomach not going to a gunsmith, then as Patrick says, try some good quality modern factory ammo in the rifle, bet it functions just fine then.

[Dutchman]

Old milsurp ammo is often deteriorated and/or in the process of deteriorating.

Best advise: Don't buy old military ammo. Learn to handload.

Dutch

[blackcat_attilio]

Old milsurp ammo is often deteriorated and/or in the process of deteriorating.

Best advise: Don't buy old military ammo. Learn to handload.

Dutch

I agree with you.