8mm Ammo
- Thread starter jithaca
- Start date
heavy_mech
RKI- Reasonably Knowledgable Individual
I often wonder just how viable this stuff is. I don't have experience with this particular ammo.
heavy_mech
RKI- Reasonably Knowledgable Individual
Yeah WW2 German lacquered steel case. Probably related to what Peter wrote above, I'd heard some of the chemicals in the powder deteriorated over time and rusted/rotted the cases from the inside out. As I said in my 1st post, I don't have first hand experience with this stuff.... well shooting it anyway.
Yep you are correct, the Germans skipped a step in the acid treating process. I read somewhere that the Germans had plans for any of this rushed ammo to be recycled once it hit 5 years old.
Muncher 1953
Senior Member
during ‘43 they changed the powder making process by eliminating a rinse step which left the powder acidic, leading to the rounds corroding through the steel from the inside. I don’t recall what the resource trigger was (shortage of something) I hadn’t read that they had a plan. I’ve had good luck with the 1940 steel cased ammo I got from Mowzerluvr, no rust through’s & 100% ignition so far.
I imagine it would, it could vary from manufacturer too manufacturer tho. I've got some 1944 brass case ammo made by Aye that still has shaky powder and no corrosion.
Peter S
Senior Member
Not sure, the std velocity 7,9x57 uses a flake powder, the 7,9x57 -v- loads and the 7,9x33 use an extruded powder.
heavy_mech
RKI- Reasonably Knowledgable Individual
As others have said, I think it would matter who made it. when, and what their compounds were. I could see them being anything from junk to fine.
heavy_mech
RKI- Reasonably Knowledgable Individual
Not to go down some rabbit hole, but it's the same thing we see with steel. Their loss of certain critical compounds, i.e. chromium, molybdenum, etc. really effected the quality of the steel they could produce.
luftpirate
Well-known member
Why risk it. PPU is around 20 bucks a box if you shop around. I think it is a cool collectors item.
Firebug90
Well-known member
I am an engineer at Hornady and I shot some 1940 steel cased MG ammo one day over our doppler radar head to get drag data on the original 7.92 German bullet (curiosity mostly. FWIW it's about a .545 G1 BC). Of the 10 rounds I fired there were 2 audible hangfires and about 400fps variation in muzzle velocity (wet/compromised powder most likely). 85 years is a long time to properly store ammo and war-time is when all the corners to make proper ammunition get cut in trade for making more faster. IMO not worth the risk to shoot the stuff regularly.
Firebug90
Well-known member
Luckily for that portion of things, the steel used to make cartridge cases is a half shade away from pure iron ( like 0.05% carbon content) with almost no other alloying elements, but you are right in that the quality of raw materials degrading doesn't help. Extra impurities and even lacking the correct type of lubricants (or running tooling longer than it should because you don't have replacements) to draw the cases can cause longevity/quality issues that never get better with time.
Muncher 1953
Senior Member
I guess I’ve been lucky so far, no non-fires or hang fires in my 1940 made German steel cased ammo, and it is of various ‘P#s’ as well. Sadly no way to tell of storage conditions, and that may be key to results.
I noticed something in the post#1 photo, the ammo pictured is marked ‘fur MG’. A fellow in my collector’s club tells folks not to shoot ‘fur MG’ ammo because “it’ll blow your rifle up” , I’m pretty sure this is BS, but he keeps on with it.
Muncher 1953
Senior Member
I would have sworn that I’d chrono’d some 1940 rounds, but I just looked through my sheets & didn’t find any, though I seem to remember 2550 fps. Of course I don’t have a pressure test rig at home !
alunsy21
Member
I bought some of this a few weeks ago when centerfire systems had it on sale. $240 delivered for 600 rounds. I’m going to put the best condition sleeve back to collect and shoot the other. The rounds that I did check had loose powder inside. I can’t remember if it’s 42 or 43 production