8x60 Waffenbrik Mauser-Obendorf

cigarswhiskey@aol.com

I recently accquired an 8x60 Waffenbrik Mauser-Obendorf (sporter?) that my father brought back from Europe after WW II.
I have hunted deer in NY State with a shotgun and muzzleloader for 35 years.
Regulation changes now allow the use of centerfire rifles and I would like to hunt with this rifle. Is ammo available? I assume it is an S bore .323. The barrel is pristine and it is in generally excellent condition.
Should I have it re-chambered? What caliber?
Mike

Herschel

The book Cartridges of the World by Frank C. Barnes says the cartridge came in both rimmed and rimless versions. Also could be either had in both bore diameters (.318 and .323). I would first slug the bore and measure to get bore diameter then go from there.

nononsense

Mike,

Whatever you decide to do, please do NOT re-chamber this rifle. This is a fine cartridge for hunting just about anything that you might desire on the N.A. continent as long as you use a bullet appropriate for the game.


This cartridge was designed to be used to save the rifles of the German people after WWII when all rifles were being confiscated if they were chambered in a military cartridge. The 8x60 cleans up the 8x57 military chamber and allowed the regular folks to hang onto their hunting rifles. It became popular enough that it was chambered in custom rifles also.

As noted, be sure to slug your barrel to determine what the groove diameter is: either 0.318" or 0.323"(S). There are 3 loads available from RWS: standard, Magnum and Magnum-Bombe. The 8x60 is considered to be the equal of the 30-06 Springfield. Velocities run between 2550 FPS. and 2850 FPS. with muzzle energies running up to nearly 3300 ft./lbs. on the Magnum-Bombe load.

This is a classic cartridge in a classic rifle and definitely worth hanging onto.

Best.

Buffalo Arms has the ammunition in stock:

http://www.buffaloarms.com/browse.cfm/4,3932.html

ADDED:

I found this in my notes:

"After Germany lost the First World War, the Peace Treaty of Versailles limited the number of 8 mm Mauser rifles to a mere 100,000; barely adequate for Germany's defense and sporting fraternity. Strangely enough, sporting rifles of sportsmen were included as well. To comply with the treaty and to save many rifles, it was decided to redesign the calibre, by extending the case to 60 millimeters. This was a minor change, and original barrels were simply re-chambered - everything else remained the same. Amazing you might say, the perception to control or the illusion to control the German Folk. So, the 8 x 60 mm Mauser became the new sporting rifle of Germany and it gained immediate popularity - not much of a choice. Luckily for us, the 7 x 57 mm Mauser escaped the same fate, and continues to be popular even till today in South Africa.

Ballistically, the 8 x 60 mm's longer case with its greater powder capacity, was capable of a higher velocity, shooting the same bullet. Its popularity spilled over to Austria, Belgium and France. The sporting version of the Mauser, model A and B, became very sought after amongst hunters the world over. K98 actions were sold to various rifle builders, including the British gun trade. It is estimated that overall, more than a 100 million standard military Mauser 98 actions were built and about 126,400 sporter Mauser actions were built by the Oberndorf factory. Today, the custom built rifle trade is thriving, particularly in Europe - The Model 98 Mauser action is still the undisputed choice for hunting rifles. The ingenuity of the Mauser design is what makes it so special, such as controlled round feeding, secure extraction and its excellent gas deflection system.

The 8 x 60 mm was dropped from production in Germany in the late 1950's, but Belgium were still making it for a good 20 years more. We should bear in mind that the Mauser factory was destroyed after WW2 and Germany was in turmoil. This cartridge was ideal for Europe's big game such as Red Stag. Bullets vary from 154 grains to 227 grains and so the 8 x 60 mm rifle could be used for both long and short range work. Another popular bullet weight for the calibre was a 185 grainer. With a heavy bullet, such as a 227 grainer, the biggest antelope everywhere could be hunted for meat. The 8 x 60 mm saw use in the former Belgium colonies in Africa as well as in the RSA and the former SWA. Belgium and French hunters were not allowed to own 30-06 Spr rifles, as it was considered a military calibre, and hence the 8 x 60 mm was the closest rival. Sadly, about 5 years ago, RWS announced that they have discontinued their factory load, firing a 187 gr bullet at 2,810 fps, which is a very hot load in my opinion. However, I did still see some RWS ammo a year ago on Formalito's shelf. Handloads with a 200 gr Nosler Partition bullet will yield around 2,400 fps at safe pressure levels."
http://www.sahunt.co.za/sahunter/reload/8mm.html

captkirk3@dslextreme.com

NONSENCE has spoken....Listen to what he's saying.....