Rechamber 8mm m98 to 325 wsm ?

[asmart]

Has anyone tried or thought about this. The 325 actually use 323 bullets according to articles I have read. Doing this to a m98 long barrel gun with a scope would make an interesting gun.

[z1r]

There are too many other good rechamber candidtaes in 8mm to warrant messing with the 325 WSM. Feeding will be your biggest problem, that and lack of magazine capacity. The 8x63 8x64, or 8x68 are all better candidates in MHO. The first two being practically plug and play and offering 5 round capacity. The 8x68 requiring a bit more effort but no where near as much as the .325 will. I think the 8x68 easily beats the 325 performance wise.

[Jimro]

z1r,

 

Is the 8x68 a 300 win mag opened up to accept .323 diameter bullets? I can't remember...

 

Anyways your advice is right on the money, too many good wildcats to bother with a feeding problem that the WSM's bring to the table, especially when the cost off ammo means you'll be handloading anyways. The 3200 Hawk looks like a good candidate.

 

Jimro

[roscoedoh]

Jimro,

 

The 8x68s is its own case and actually pre-dates the 300 Win Mag by several years. Moreover, its a beltless case that is ~ 5mm longer than the 300 Winnie. Its more on par with the 8mm Rem Mag. It looks something like a huge 30-06 case.

 

--------------------------------------

 

On the WSM and WSSM cartridges: at what point do bolt thrust and other such technical issues become serious issuses with working on Mausers? And don't the short mags operate at higher pressures than the cartridges we generally rechamber for?

 

Jason

[Jimro]

The Mauser action can handle much harder kickers than the WSM's, I do not know the engineering specs as to when you are approaching "dangerous" levels, but pressure levels are on par with other magnums. The WSM's don't improve on the performance of their older brothers, they just do the same job with less powder because of a smaller more efficient case.

 

Jimro

[asmart]

I know there are other hand load ammo that will work but I really can not hand load. I don't have the time or the place to setup for it. I wish I did. Is there any other 8mm/.32 ammo that would be relatively easy to purchase off the shelf that would work?

[724wd]

what's wrong with the 8mm mauser? it can do anything an '06 can, and ammo is available almost anywhere.

[Doble Troble]

Anyone can get set up for reloading. You can even find small, workable scales cheap.

 

 

[z1r]

If you want to handload chew on this: It will cost you far less to get setup to handload then it will to rebarrel or even rechamber.

 

The simplest answer is to buy European made 8x57 ammo, not US made. While S&B ammo is not the best, it is loaded much hotter than the wimpy US made ammo. And, it is cheap. Like some one already said, the 8x57 will do anything the .30-06 will do. Just don't tell my -06 that!

[asmart]

1. I have a hard time finding time to shoot much less hand load.

 

2. I know 8x57 is strong enough to do most any thing. This especially true with Euro or surplus ammo. Surplus ammo is corrosive and you can't go to just any store to pickup Euro or surplus ammo.

 

3. I was just thinking of doing something a little different in 8mm if possible with as little work as possible. The idea cartrige would also be widely available.

[Doble Troble]

The only 8 mm widely available is the 8 x 57.

 

[richp41]

The 8mm-06 is an old wildcat that goes back to the end of WWII. All it take is to have a gunsmith lengthen the chamber with the appropriate reamer and you're in business. It eliminates the very long throat of most Mausers and I've made cases from 30-06 and 35 Whalen brass. Both of these are still dirt cheap. Slugs from 125 grains to 250 grains are available and velocities that slightly exceed the 30-06 are possible with no greater pressures. Dies are not expensive either and I got a set from Redding. Rich P

[z1r]

Well, if you are looking for factory ammo then the 8x57 S&B is the way to go. If you still need more whallop and want an 8mm then the .325 could be the answer but you'd be better off just getting a new winchester for $400. It would cost you much more to have a barrel fitted to a mauser an dthen have all the feeding issues ironed out.

 

If you think 8x57 ammo is hard to find, just try finding .325 wsm. You can easily mail order S&B. I think even Cabelas has a 50 cal ammo box full of the S&B. The others are even harder to find or as in the case of teh 8-06 a handload only proposition.

[Clark]

It seems to me that the reduced to full loading of the 8x57 Mauser is all I need in recoil and noise.

 

It never leaves ME wanting any more.

http://www.realguns.com/loads/8x57mmjs.htm

 

If I can get 2700 fps with a 200 gr bullet, what more will the 325WSM do?

http://www.westernhunter.com/Pages/Vol06Issue07/325wsm.html

I guess it will do 2950 fps.

 

 

I guess some want that extra 250 fps.

It is like standing 100 yards closer.

[Jimro]

Once again z1r has given good advice, you really can't beat S&B.

 

http://www.sb-usa.com/rifle_pages/sba85703_spec.htm

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/template...0839&hasJS=true

 

Lapua, RWS/Norma, make 8x57 JS full power hunting ammunition as well, but for cost S&B is impossible to beat. You really only need full power loads for Elk, since the anemic American loads work just fine for deer at 30-30 ranges. But with the price of the S&B from Cabelas it doesn't make sense to buy American ammo.

 

Jimro

[Horsefly]

Cheaper Than Dirt has Sellier Belliot shells at a good price,and I have shot a lot of different calibers and have never had a single problem.Guns and Amo did a show on the S&B factory,and it's one of the oldest in the world and has been the no. 1 ammo factory in Europe since gunpowder was invented.I have Cabela's 4 miles in one direction and Cheaper Than Dirt 4 miles in another,so I'll be shooting S&B for a long time.At 7 bucks for a box of 20 for 6.5x55 Swede,I'm not going to reload anymore.Jerry

[z1r]

The S&B brass is apparently not the best for reloading but since we are talking about only factory loads I believe it to be a good deal.

[mimic]

I have about 200 or so rounds of factory PMC that I bought for a steal at a gunshow, been reloading it ever since, with near max loads, and I'm over 8 times loaded on the brass without any signs of wearing out yet. What do you all think about annealing the necks? I've had to trim some of them, and not others.

[Jimro]

annealing brass is the solution if your brass starts cracking at the neck because it became work hardened. I wouldn't anneal just to anneal.

 

Jimro

[Clark]

I have never reamed a smaller diameter rilfe chamber out to a bigger one, but will the pilot reach?

 

If the 325 pilot does not reach, the reamer could get off center.

[z1r]

There are many ways to skin a cat. It is pretty easy to ream out to a larger case size if your setup is good to begin with. Some folks will use various implements including boring bars to enlarge the chamber enough so that the pilot will reach the bore.

 

My more imediate concern would be with the case lengths. Not having looked at cartridge drawings I'd be concerned that teh Short Mag would be long enough to clean up the existing chamber. Width is not an issue but length could be. Worth verifying of course.