153 gr 8mm Mauser

[Lashenden]

Hi
I want to replicate the German 1903 S patrone for my 1902 G98 - 9.9 grams (153 gr) spitzer bullet, 0.323 in dia, muzzle velocity of 878 m/s (2,880 ft/s). As far as I know, no-one manufactures an 8mm, 153 gr FMJ spitzer commercially and I can't use expanding ammunition on MOD ranges in the UK, so the only other option will be to cast bullets.

Has anyone on the forum ever seen or used a 153 gr 8mm mauser bullet mould? Any information would be very useful as I'm considering having a custom mould made.

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.

[Sunray]

"...can't use expanding ammunition on MOD ranges in the UK..." Suggest you bold this.
Not seeing any molds that are even close to 153 grains. There any weird loading component importing rules?

[bob q]

The S ammo bullet was .321 dia with an open base . Turk ammo has the same bullet made on German machinery , if you can get that ammo or pulled bullets there . If you try and shoot a cast bullet at that velocity all you will do is launch lead plasma out the barrel .

[Parashooter]

For a cast bullet, consider Lyman 323470, one of Loverin's excellent designs. Nominally 165 grains but lighter with hard alloy like Linotype.

Double Cavity Rifle Bullet Mould #323470 8mm 165 Grain by Lyman

[Calif-Steve]

Try to find the Turk 8mm round. A clone of the WWI German cartridge and a very hot load.

[Lashenden]

Sunray: not using expanding ammunition is just another local inconvenience; I use FMJ for everything else anyway. There are always weird importing rules: what did you have in mind?

---------- Post added at 12:45 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:41 PM ----------

Bob q: The local cast boolit guys here disagree with you, but I do see your point.

[bob q]

As a military rifle gunsmith who has spent over 25 years cleaning lead from barrels put there by hot cast loads that " did not lead barrels " , I disagree with them . There is a reason They switched to jacketed bullets with smokeless powder velocities . Lead has a very low melting point , pressure and friction make heat . Just watch some high speed film of jacketed lead tip bullets , the lead tip is flowing as it comes out the barrel . I have seen some that so the bullet stopping [ getting stuck ] right at the end of the barrel and the lead core squirting out like rain drops . There was a local guy who wrote a ton of " articles " about shooting cast on the old Milsurps website at high velocity with no leading . In real life he could not hit the broad side of a barn after about 3 shots . I spent days cleaning the lead out of his rifles for his widow before they could be sold off .

[Lashenden]

Fair enough.

[Bruce_in_Oz]

"Can't use expanding ammo on MoD ranges"?

Like 40mm grenades , for instance? Now, there is a proper, shoulder-fired "expanding round".

81mm mortar, 66mm and 84mm AT weapons? The Armoured Corps will be a bit miffed, too. So much for practising for the Two-Way Range!

By "expanding", do they possibly mean bullets that distort significantly upon impact with "soft-ish" objects? You know, the ones that have very short ricochet distances and stay within the range safety template?

Or is this just another brain-fart from some jobsworth who has never done any serious shooting OR study of exterior ballistics and who was specifically selected for their job BECAUSE of their carefully-cultivated ignorance?

[Sunray]

"...weird importing rules..." Stuff like the U.S. not allowing components to be exported without their State Dept permit. Reloading equipment is OK(to here at least), but not components. Thought there might be something equally weird importing bullets/reloading components into to the UK. Mostly just curious.
Still not seeing 150 grain 8mm bullets anyway.