loading for the Gew. 88 in .318

jonk

So I got one of the 1888 Mausers, really nice shape, and I want to shoot it. I know I need a .318 diameter bullet. But how do I get this bullet in a case? I know I can use standard 8mm Mauser brass. I also imagine that a standard 8mm Mauser seating die would work fine. However, the resizing die has me concerned. It seems to me that I would have to resize at least the neck to the .318 diameter, because if I used the standard .323 die, the bullet would be too loose in the case. Someone gave me the following advice:Jonk,You can load the 8X57J cartridge useing standard 8X57JS dies by changing the expander button to one ment for the .32 Winchester Special or the .32-40 Winchester. I have loaded several thousand rounds useing this method and R.C.B.S. dies. If you want a cheap bullet for the 8X57J, use the 170gr. bullet ment for the .32 Special. My 1888 rifles have groove diameters of .319-.321 and have never had any pressure problems. Also, these rifles shoot cast bullets very well if you have a smooth bore. Try bullets of around 200-210 grains. As was pointed out before, just watch your pressures and don't try to hotrod the cartridge.Sounds ok, but I still have a few questions. First, can I do this with Lee dies? Second, are the expander rods for these other cartridges long enough to use in this die? I don't need them to decap really as I have a universal decapping die I can use for this... Third, and most importantly, it seems to me that the expander isn't even really the issue, but rather the die itself is. The expander opens up brass; however, the brass is already going to be open too far to accomodate the .323 bullet, so it seems to me that what is needed is a die with a slightly constricted neck sizing area, coupled WITH the smaller expander. My point is I don't want to get a new die set if I don't need to, but will if I have to. Any ideas?

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"...hit your enemy in the belly, and kick him when he is down, and boil his prisoners in oil- if you take any- and torture his women and children. Then people will keep clear of you..." -Admiral of the Fleet Lord Fisher, speaking at the Hague Peace Conference in 1899.

Tailgunner1954

Jonk never tried loading for that round but here's a little experament for you to try.Remove the 8mm decap/expand rod and than size the case, measure what the inside dia. of the neck is than that should give you a good idea if it will size down enough.Worst case would be to scrap out a 32 spl sizing die saving only the neck portion / expander (homemade neck sizer)As long as the top of the expander is below the case neck when fully into the die it's long enough if you are not worried about the decapping step [This message has been edited by Tailgunner1954 (edited 03-06-2002).]

woodsrunner

If I were you 1st thing I'd do is slug the bore. Then I'd see if the bolt will close on a piece of brass sized in a standard 8x57 die. If the answer is yes but the bullet is still loose when seated, I'd order a factory crimp die from lee. I just mic'd up a Speer 32 special bullet .3206" . If your bore slugs up alot smaller than that I'd stick with cast bullets.WOODS

jonk

I have a factory crimp die from Lee already. While I may use cast bullets, I see no reason not to use jacketed, they are available in .318 if you look hard enough. I may also order a .319 Lee mould as a thousandth of an inch oversize may not be great for regular bullets, but is good for cast bullets. I have slugged the bore but couldn't get a good reading. It distorted the .323 slug so that I couldn't get an accurate measurement, but a .315 just dropped through the bore; so I am under .323 and well over .315. I'm thinking .319 or so is just what I have.

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"...hit your enemy in the belly, and kick him when he is down, and boil his prisoners in oil- if you take any- and torture his women and children. Then people will keep clear of you..." -Admiral of the Fleet Lord Fisher, speaking at the Hague Peace Conference in 1899.

oneshy

Many of these were rearsenaled to accept the 323 bullet. Just thought I'd mention it if you didn't know. There will be a notch present on the front receiver ring above the chamber if it has been. Do not, however use a modern full charge. Reduce it by 25-30%.

jonk

Well thanks for that info, but I already knew it; also if this were the case the .323 slug would have gone through much easier than it did. Finally, I thought those which had been altered were stamped "S" for Spitzer to indicate the rechambering.

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"...hit your enemy in the belly, and kick him when he is down, and boil his prisoners in oil- if you take any- and torture his women and children. Then people will keep clear of you..." -Admiral of the Fleet Lord Fisher, speaking at the Hague Peace Conference in 1899.

oneshy

I didn't know about the S, however, before I even knew about the notch I bought it form a person who was also uneducated and was firing modern ammo. He sold it to me because he couldn't zero it because the round was hitting too high,about 2ft. Now I know why, high pressure. Anyway, as I was saying , I personally fired another 75-100rd of modern ammo before realizing the difference and other than surrounding personnel at the range putting down their rifles and moving away, I had no problems, except a stiff bolt upon extraction.[again high pressure] If your rifle has been re-arsenaled, and you use a reduced charge you shouldn't have any problem with the 323. I think tight bullets in a barrel made for that bullet will hold tight enough to have to be banged through with a rod. I have had squibs stick in a 38 revolver barrel and they were not easy to push through with a ram type rod. I just looked at my Numrich catalog, and it mentions the S on top of the receiver ring. The S pertains to chamber length for the longer pointed spitzer bullet that was used later.[This message has been edited by oneshy (edited 03-06-2002).][This message has been edited by oneshy (edited 03-06-2002).][This message has been edited by oneshy (edited 03-06-2002).][This message has been edited by oneshy (edited 03-06-2002).]