I just recently aquired a K98 Mauser BCD 4, but am confused on the exact caliber…I didn’t purchase this as I inherited it from my father-inlaw (also my best friend) whom lost his battle with brain cancer at a ripe age of 52…Sold most of his collection to pay medical bills.
After a little google-foo, it can be either 7.92…or actual 8mm.
I looked over the rifle and didnt see any caliber type markings.
Would any of you have an idea, or point me to a good resource for K98’ers?
Most of what I’ve come across is gun auctions sites and other crap…but nothing really hardcore about k98’s
It was manufactured in caliber 7.92X57
It may not be in that caliber now… many K98s were rechambered in 8mm '06 to make use of plentiful '06 brass.
It is probably still in 7.92X57… the only way to be positive is to do a chamber cast.
One of the best references you will find is “Backbone of the Wehrmacht The German K98K Rifle, 1934 -1945” by Richard Law and published by Collector Grade Publications. In it, he covers the k98k in depth: the inter war period, pre world war 2, the world war 2 years, productions totals, telescopes, accessories and more. The presentation of the materials and quality of the photographs is just outstanding! Anyone looking for any information on the k98k will be well served to start here as the material is throughly researched and documented.
Just my .02
Caliber 7.92x57 aka 8mm Mauser.
If any further doubt, we’re talking about the 8mm Mauser with the .323" bullet, not the earlier one.
Make sure you clean out the corrosive if the ammo you shoot is corrosive. Don’t forget about this!
The only K-98s off the top of my head that I know that are 30/06 are the Norwegian rifles.
To remove any doubt, the importer probably stamped the caliber somewhere on the firearm. Look on the receiver or right in front of the bayonet lug.
To clarify my earlier post…
There was a time when bulk 8mm Mauser/7.92x57 wasn’t very common for the average shooter (especially in the pre-internet age). Some enterprising gunplumbers (this was popular post WW2) ran a 30-06 chamber ream into Kar 98s to produce 8mm-06 (the rifle had 30-06 chamber with .323 bore)so folks could use cheap 30-06 brass… they just bumped the neck of the case to .323 and use a .323 projectile and they were back in the shooting business.
In the post WW-1 era many Mausers were rechambered to 8x60 to comply with the disarmament provisions of the Versailles Treaty and the numerous other treaties between the belligerent parties… the changing of calibers for the Mauser 98 has been going on for a long time.
The most commonly encountered 7,92x57mm ammunition is the sS type(sS for Schweres Spitzgeschoss meaning heavy pointed bullet) with the 197.5 gr projectile.
If there is ANY question as to what caliber the rifle is chambered in, you will need to do a cerrosafe chamber casting.
P.S. If the rifle is a RC or other recent import, it is most likely still in 7.92mm. My previous statement stands as to proof positive.
Shows what I know … I’ve got a G.33/40-based hunting carbine chambered in the same caliber, and the German Buchsenmachermeister that built it for me told me that 7.92x57 was the original/technically correct European designation for the cartridge, while 8mm Mauser JS (IS) is simply the commercial/SAAMI designation for the same round.
AC
Chief
8X57 IS is the Commission Internationale Permanente pour l’Epreuve des Armes à Feu Portatives (C.I.P.) designation of the cartridge, meaning Infanterie Spitzgeschoß or Infantry Pointed Bullet.
The majority of 7.92x57 on the market is 7.92×57mm Mauser s.S. Patrone with the 198 gr projectile… i would venture to guess that it accounts for 85% or more of the surplus 8x57.
thanks
I think I found the marking on the top, right before the reciever.
7.9 so I think I just might grab a box of 8mm mauser an see how she works but…i’m still having smith look it over first.
Yes, the K-98 and most later 98 Mausers in 8x57 shoot better with the European made ammo…not the US made “8mm Mauser” stuff.
Why?
Well, many US ammo makers were nervous about lawsuits if someone blew up an early 1888 Mauser, so they loaded the domestic 8mm Mauser with bullets that were .320 in diameter. They also backed the charge down and put a 170gr bullet in their offerings. This actually puts the US made 8mm Mauser loads in the 300 Savage/30-40 Krag power class…not in the 308/30-06 power class that the European 7.92 Mauser was originally.
This also means that your K98 will not be nearly as accurate or hit where the sights read. Basically, US made 8mm Mauser ammo is the wrong size bullet, underloaded.
Thats ok, because Sellier & Belliot and other Euro ammo makers still make quality 8x57 Mauser ammo with the proper .323 diameter bullet in 196 grain weight and with the proper charge.
I only run European made 196g ammo in my K-98, G33-40 and Czech VZ-24 and so should you. Unless you dig inaccuracy and lower power.
-brickboy240
No problemo!
Most people do not know anything about the various “8mm Mauser” ammo types floating around.
I found most of it out while paying around with several K98s, VZ-24s and a G33-40.
-brickboy240
All of those are fine choices.
You might also check for some of the 1970s Yugo surplus ammo that is floating around. It is corrosive but shoots great. Unfortunately, gone are the heydays of the cheap and good surplus like the Austrian Hirtenberger stuff or the FN Belgian surplus 8mm. Stay away from the Turkish 8mm surplus from the 40s…it is cheap but lots of duds, hangfires and it is not very accurate.
That is a very nice looking K98 Mauser! Does the serial number on the bolt match the one on the receiver? If so…your headspace should be GTG. If not, you might want to have a smith check the rifle’s headspace.
Also, if you DO ever shoot US made 8mm Mauser with the .320 diameter 170gr bullet that is loaded lightly…don’t be surprised if you see your primers backed out slightly after shooting. It is not dangerous…just what happens when your ammo is underloaded.
Stick to the Euro made 8x57 and you will never see that problem. The US made 8mm Mauser is the wrong sized, wrong weighted bullet, underloaded.
-brickboy240
Yes all numbers are matching.
From the front band, to the mag plate, bolt handle,reciver, safety etc.etc all the same number.
Just ordered the Sellier & Bellot 8mm Mauser Bulk Ammo 100
SO It’s now just a waiting game until it arrives.
Here is another I just got cleaned up…the 1909 Argentine 7.65 mauser…
Do you have a Swedish Mauser?
I swear…the M1896 Swedish Mauser Long Rifle in 6.5x55mm has got to be the nicest shooting military bolt gun out there. Very well made and very accurate.
I have two of them and they are my favorite Mausers…no doubt.
The 6.5x55 also kills whitetails like lightning while not tearing up your shoulder.
-brickboy240
FWIW, I’ve tried some 1949 Turk 8mm out of mine and it was fine. Kind of on the hotter side, but it wasn’t a problem.
Here is a pic of mine:
bnz45 “kriegsmodell” that was reconfigured by the Russians to the normal wartime style/layout. There is no RC mark or crappy finish on the wood, but there is electropenciling. This one still has all the eagles and stuff on it. Nice gun.
Unfortunately, being a last year of production, the chamber is rough and leaves concentric burrs all over extracted casings. (It will be polished soon). Also, the receiver has been filed on someplaces just to get the action smoothed out. It also got a trigger job. Once I put a decent front sight on it, it will be a very good shooter.
I have only shot surplus 8mm through it thus far, but I think I will learn to handload for it soon. Sierra makes .323" bullets…I’m thinking a 200gr pill would sound about right for this bad boy. (twist is 1:9.4").
To be pedantic, the Gewehr 88 is not a Mauser. It was designed by a military commission, stealing liberally from Mauser (bolt), Mannlicher (magazine feed) and Lebel (Barrel).
The Gew 88 changed cartridges and barrels several times, and was still in use by the Turks in the 1950s.
It is true that the pressure specs for the original ones are 2/3 that of the later Mausers. This is due to a combination of chamber size predominantly, barrel wall thickness, and weapon design. The bore diameter is the same for most, at .311. The groove diameter changed from .318 to .323, but there are other variations as well. The bore on MOST variations is not nearly as significant as the chamber, but there are some Czech barrels that are down around .314.
And yes, that’s the reason US ammo is loaded so lightly. Just in case.
Here’s my new Commission Sporter
My Steyr contract military
An oddball Haenel Karbine in 7mm
and a Turkish 1938 rearsenal that will shoot almost anything
/hijack and back to the awesomeness of Mausers.
Reading through this thread makes me want to go shoot my Mauser. Sadly, I have not had the chance to upgrade it like I want/need to.
I just want to say thank you for this post. I inherited a sporterized Gewehr 98 from my grandfather. The bore diameter is .323 (and barrel stamped with an “S”), so I thought I was good to go with 8x57 IS ammo. If I hadn’t read this, I could have been in for a surprise. Gotta get me some Cerrosafe!
