Commission 88

[neilwest]

1. Cleaned and tung oiled this one. It is a work in progress. Shultzeman. Give me the particulars on the reload on my PM when you get a chance. 8mm with a light load? My buddy is trying to get me into reloading. This might be a good time to learn.


http://album.gunsnet.net/data/tammywest/90_p933.jpg

[Skip]

Neil, The 20 April edition of Shotgun News has a two page article on the Gewehr 88.:D

[Schuetzenman]

Here's the skinny on commission Modle 88 rifles and cartridges. After reading through the chapter on them in Olson's book, third addtion called Mauser Bolt Rifles this is what's not safe about them.

They are of a "Small Ring" size on the receiver. They do have front locking lugs as do all Masuer designs foreward to present, but they are not all that big.

The 88 ammo was .318" in diameter. The bullet was a 227 gr. round nose copper plated steel jacketed lead core projectile. The powder was a nitro cellulose cut in a flake pattern. Bullet speed was 2,034 fps.

Groove diameter was .003 bigger than the rounds so they were a .321" nominal.

Now modern 8 mm Mauser ammo is based around a .323" diameter bullet as I said in the last post. It is 198 grs and the nominal speed of this round is 2,575 fps.

Conclusion, the reason why people are cautioned not to shoot modern 8 mm ammo in the Commission 88's is due to the bigger bullet in modern ammo that will give excessive high pressure spiking when it tries to shove it's way down a .321" bore. The higher speed due to more powder also contributes to the pressure problems, like 25% more initial bullet speed over the old 8 mm round for the 88 rifles. So one is likely to damage the rifle and ones self if they shoot new style 8 mm ammo in them.

I imagine that hand loads of lower pressure and the use of hard cast gas checked bullets would allow easy and safe operation of a 88 Mauser. Possibly .321" diameter bullets as used in .32-40 rifle rounds could also be used if you wanted a jacketed round or one could get a swagging die made up and run .323 bullets through them to reduce them to the old .318 diameter or at the least to a .321" nominal groove diameter.

I don't have any specific load information to share Neil I was speculating. I'd take a minimum charge for 8 mm of a bulky powder and maybe go down 10% form there. Stay with Stick powders as they are less prone to funky detonation problems in smaller quantities than Ball powders.

There's an Accurate Arms powder that's made as a smokeless equivalent to black powder for early black powder typ chamberings. Don't quote me but I think it's called 4475 grade. It's real low pressure and very bulky so it's might to be good for a small ring Mauser and yet it will fill up the case readily.

[Skip]

Originally posted by Schuetzenman


There's an Accurate Arms powder that's made as a smokeless equivalent to black powder for early black powder typ chamberings. Don't quote me but I think it's called 4475 grade. It's real low pressure and very bulky so it's going to good for a small ring Mauser and yet it will fill up the case readily.

AA XMP 5744. I use it in my 45/70 Springfield. It doesn't burn completely in such a large case.

[Schuetzenman]

Thanks for the powder info Skip. Looks like I had the right numbers but in the wrong order! :D