Checking Miltary Surplus Ammo Question

Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2011 6:39 am

I am pondering buying some miltary surplus ammo from a company i have bought from before. They have a really good deal on 8mm mauser ammo but and it a big but ad says

Due to the nature of this being a mixed lot, there may be a few odd cartridges of different calibers mixed in so please examine each cartridge before use

So how do i tell since surplus ammo has no marked headstamp which ammo is not 8mm if there is any different size in box I mean not like commerial ammo which has caliber size stamped on it

Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2011 8:21 am

Surplus ammo certainly IS headstamped. It might not be stamped with a caliber, but each headstamp is unique and can be looked up. Though it seems like if it's an issue of different caliber being mixed in, a close visual on size should be all you need. If you are willing to take the time to check every single headstamp, then just compare each round to a known 8mm round. It sounds to me the few odd ones should be easy to spot.

Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2011 8:25 am

Ya it 99 dollars for 486 rounds in a 50 cal ammo box mixed 8mm to good of a deal to pass up if all i have to do is run thru the box and check them all

Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2011 6:00 pm

You'll have little problem discerning non-8x57 Mauser ammo... A case gage would be ideal, but barring that, just look for the cartridge that is rimless, 57mm (~2.24") in case length and has a .323" bullet. If you find something really close, but still question it, set it aside for further evaluation. Using a known 8x57 cartridge as a comparison should get you 99% through the process.

Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2011 8:14 am

Got the ammo can full yesterday went thru all 486 round there really was 500 in the box BONUS and only found 2 that are not 8mm all rest are perfect not bad for 99 dollars including the shipping and the 50 cal ammo can i really enjoy buying from www.sgammo.com

Posted: Sun Sep 11, 2011 2:30 pm

There is an older version of the 8x57 that used a bullet of .318" diameter, usually for the old "88 Commission" rifles. I don't suppose you'd be too wrong to ignite these in your newer 98 Mauser, but not vice-versa.
http://www.gew88.com/main.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7.92x57mm_I
You may also come across some rimmed case versions of the 8x57mm, too.