8mm WW1 Mauser

[jellyrug]

Anyone here shoot one of these?

I have one as a collector’s item and played with it on the range this weekend.

No scope, but in all it’s crude look it performs pretty much the same as my 30-06.

Would have been interesting to see how ammo made at the end of the 1800’s compares to what we shoot through these rifles today.

Fun to shoot, makes one realize that for bolt action rifles, other than optics, not much has changed in the last 130 years.

 

[Bumblebee]

I fired a 98K (WW2 model Karabiner), pretty much the same rifle, only slightly more modern.

It was OK, in my opinion it was similar to the Lee Enfield family of rifles as they all shared the Mauser action.

I believe the German army adopted the Mauser in early 1900.....I'd imagine those rounds were a little lower velocity to the ammo we used today.

Cartridge propellant has gone through quite a few changes over the years.

 

[jellyrug]

I fired a 98K (WW2 model Karabiner), pretty much the same rifle, only slightly more modern.

It was OK, in my opinion it was similar to the Lee Enfield family of rifles as they all shared the Mauser action.

I believe the German army adopted the Mauser in early 1900.....I'd imagine those rounds were a little lower velocity to the ammo we used today.

Cartridge propellant has gone through quite a few changes over the years.

I use to reload like crazy, not for cost, for bench rest accuracy. Spent hours testing different propellants. All the data is available, but when it comes to long range accuracy and tight groups, it is a different story. Still have all my stuff, but have not touched it for the past 10 years.

Not sure what the difference is between a sniper and bench rest competition?

LOL when I moved from CA to NC, there were a few gallons of gun powder the movers did not want to touch. Made buddies with the truck driver and when they offloaded, I asked home “where is my gun powder?”. His reply, “Huh, what gun powder?”.

He had me hanging in until just before driving away, and then sneaked it out of the truck.

 

[Bumblebee]

I use to reload like crazy, not for cost, for bench rest accuracy. Spent hours testing different propellants. All the data is available, but when it comes to long range accuracy and tight groups, it is a different story. Still have all my stuff, but have not touched it for the past 10 years.

Not sure what the difference is between a sniper and bench rest competition?

LOL when I moved from CA to NC, there were a few gallons of gun powder the movers did not want to touch. Made buddies with the truck driver and when they offloaded, I asked home “where is my gun powder?”. His reply, “Huh, what gun powder?”.

He had me hanging in until just before driving away, and then sneaked it out of the truck.

Although I've carried and used firearms pretty much all my life, I never really got into reloading or experimenting with different propellants or projectile grain weight.....I understand it and know how the mechanics of it though.

I hung around with our weapon techs a lot and gained a lot of knowledge from them...most of them were heavily into the mechanics and most of them shot competitively...

I also hung around and employed snipers within our unit and I was qualified on their firearms mostly for a just in case circumstance where I might have to use them.

An interesting thing to note...when my dad died, I found a few .50 cal paper/copper wrapped Spencer rounds which I took to the weapon techs to de-activate......even though these rounds were from the mid 1800's the black powder was still good and when we lit it, it blew up with vigor....

 

[jellyrug]

Although I've carried and used firearms pretty much all my life, I never really got into reloading or experimenting with different propellants or projectile grain weight.....I understand it and know how the mechanics of it though.

I hung around with our weapon techs a lot and gained a lot of knowledge from them...most of them were heavily into the mechanics and most of them shot competitively...

I also hung around and employed snipers within our unit and I was qualified on their firearms mostly for a just in case circumstance where I might have to use them.

An interesting thing to note...when my dad died, I found a few .50 cal paper/copper wrapped Spencer rounds which I took to the weapon techs to de-activate......even though these rounds were from the mid 1800's the black powder was still good and when we lit it, it blew up with vigor....

Did the snipers get provided with their own rifles and ammo, ready prepared for accuracy, or did they have to do some of their own development? 1.000 yard stuff?

I went as far as plotting the barrel harmonics sine curve, to optimize load accuracy. I guess like anything in life, the last couple of percentage improvements takes a whole lot more effort. One of my many projects was buying a $350 Savage 30-06 from Walmart, replacing the barrel and modifying it, to where it grouped as well as the gun smithed $5,000 rifle I purchased.

 

[Bumblebee]

Did the snipers get provided with their own rifles and ammo, ready prepared for accuracy, or did they have to do some of their own development? 1.000 yard stuff?

I went as far as plotting the barrel harmonics sine curve, to optimize load accuracy. I guess like anything in life, the last couple of percentage improvements takes a whole lot more effort. One of my many projects was buying a $350 Savage 30-06 from Walmart, replacing the barrel and modifying it, to where it grouped as well as the gun smithed $5,000 rifle I purchased.

All ammunition and weapons are provided and none can be modified in accordance with the Geneva Convention.

They use only match rounds.....the optics and rifles are matched and undergo lots of bore sighting, they use targeting computers which takes the earth's curvature into effect.

Up to a little while ago one of our snipers held the world record for the longest kill shot...I think it has been surpassed recently by a Ukrainian sniper who took out a target at 3.8kms.....

 

[jellyrug]

All ammunition and weapons are provided and none can be modified in accordance with the Geneva Convention.

They use only match rounds.....the optics and rifles are matched and undergo lots of bore sighting, they use targeting computers which takes the earth's curvature into effect.

Up to a little while ago one of our snipers held the world record for the longest kill shot...I think it has been surpassed recently by a Ukrainian sniper who took out a target at 3.8kms.....

Amazing to be accurate to that distance. That is over 4,000 yards.

 

[Bumblebee]

Amazing to be accurate to that distance. That is over 4,000 yards.

It's amazing to see these guys work....most of them are shy and unassuming individuals who never boast.

Canadian elite special forces sniper makes record-breaking kill shot in Iraq

Sources say the sniper killed an Islamic State insurgent from a distance of 3,540 metres in a feat one a military insider says may ‘never be equalled’

www.theglobeandmail.com

 

[WuzzaCBXRider]

Yeah, over two miles. I’d like to have the optics that made that shot possible.

 

[Bumblebee]

Yeah, over two miles. I’d like to have the optics that made that shot possible.

They don't come cheap......

 

[jellyrug]

New, project.

Put a scope on the Mauser and start working on it for a good 300 yard group on a year 1908 rifle.