7.92x57 mm Mauser
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[edit] Summary
The 7.92 x 57 mm Mauser cartridge was designed by the German Rifle Commission for the Model 1888 Commission Rifle and later used in Mauser bolt-action rifles. While commonly called the 8mm Mauser the cartridge was not designed by Mauser; it was its widespread use in Mauser rifles that earned this cartridge its "Mauser" tag. The cartridge's history, loadings, and applications span well over a century, virtually every conceivable application, and extensive adoption by various governments including Turkey, China, Egypt, former German African colonies, and of course, pre-NATO Germany. It continues in use today primarily as a sporting cartridge. It shares an unusual similarity with the 9 mm Parabellum cartridge of being manufactured and used by both the Allies and Axis during World War II, being used in the British BESA armored-vehicle mounted machine gun.
Now known in Europe as the 7,92 x 57 mm JS, in the USA as the 8 mm Mauser or 8 x 57 mm JS, in Germany as the 8 x 57 IS, this cartridge was originally adopted by Germany in 1905 as the 7,92 x 57 IS. (IS stands for 'Infanterie, Spitz' or 'Infantry, Pointed'). The IS cartridge was a further development of the 1888 round - the 7.92 x 57 I - which used a round-nosed bullet, and was developed to be top-loaded into a rifle's magazine via disposable charger clip in the Gewehr 88 (or Commission 88) rifle. The 7.92 x 57 IS bullet was lighter, pointed, and 8.2 mm (.323 [inches]) in diameter instead of 8.08 mm (.318 inches) with a improved ballistic coefficient. The new cartridge allowed for far greater range and accuracy. It was mainly used in the Axis rifles and machine guns, and its use continues today in former Yugoslavia. It is very widely used in European hunting.
A highly efficient cartridge, it is tremendously popular among European sportsmen, and especially with German and Austrian shooters, alongside broadly similar cartridges such as the 6.5 x 55 Swedish, 7 x 57 Mauser and 8 x 68 S. The 7.92 x 57 cartridge's performance makes it well suited to the shooting of large European game such as deer, chamois, moufflon, wild boar and bears.
[edit] 8 mm or 7.92 mm? I or J?
The European commercial arms standards body CIP (Commission Internationale Permanente Pour L'Epreuve Des Armes A Feu Portative - Permanent International Commission) currently designates two 8 mm cartridges of 57 mm case length, following the original military practice. The 7.92 x 57 mm J denotes the original cartridge with a .318-inch diameter bullet and moderate pressure limits (Piezo CIP Pmax = 380.0 MPa). The 7.92 x 57 mm JS designates the later, higher pressure (Piezo CIP Pmax = 390.0 MPa) cartridge with a .323-inch bullet. The letter 'J' is actually not a 'J' at all, but an 'I' for 'infanterie'. However, at the time the German printers were using a typeface in which the letter 'I' looked like the modern 'J'. The letter 'S' stands for Spitzgeschoß (pointed bullet), and the English word "spitzer" is derived from this German term.
The American standardizing body for sporting cartridges SAAMI designates this latter cartridge as the 8 mm Mauser, also known as 8 x 57 mm JS. However, the SAAMI pressure limitation for this cartridge is taken from the older 7.92 x 57 I and is limited to (Piezo SAAMI Pmax = 241,317 MPa [35,000 psi]) or 37,500 CUP. This is done for safety, in case the .323-inch bullet is fired in an 'I' bore (.318 inch) rifle. European manufacturers generally only load to the lower pressure limit for 'I' bore cartridges; and the US based Manufacturer Hornady followed their lead in their (now discontinued) EuroSpec brand 8 x 57 JS load.
To avoid potentially serious accidents, it is impossible to over-stress the vital need for distinguishing clearly between cartridges loaded for these two different bullet diameters, and only firing them in appropriately chambered/barrelled rifles. (This important general precautionary principle applies to all firearms & ammunition use.)
[edit] Specifications
- Actual bullet (and barrel groove) Diameter: IS 8.2 mm (.323 in), I 8.08 mm (.318 in)
- Diameter of barrel, land to land: (both) 7.92 mm (.312 in)
| Name | Year | Caliber | Weight | Length | Rim | Base | Shoulder | Neck | OAL | Muzzle velocity | Muzzle energy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.92 x 57 I | 1888 | 8.08 mm (0.318 in) | 14.6 g (226 gr) | 57 mm (2.24 in) | 12.0 mm (.473 in) | 11.9 mm (.469 in) | 10.95 mm (.431 in) | 8.89 mm (.350 in) | 80.5 mm (3.17 in) | 639 m/s (2'095 ft/s) | 2983 J (2'200 ft·lbf) |
| 7.92 x 57 IS | 1905 | 8.2 mm (0.323 in) | 9.9 g (154 gr) | 57 mm (2.24 in) | 12.0 mm (.473 in) | 11.9 mm (.469 in) | 10.95 mm (.431 in) | 8.76 mm (.345 in) | 82.5 mm (3.25 in) | 878 m/s (2'880 ft/s) | 3857 J (2844 ft·lbf) |
| 7.92 x 57 IS | 1934 | 8.2 mm (0.323 in) | 12.8 g (197 gr) | 57 mm (2.24 in) | 12.0 mm (.473 in) | 11.9 mm (.469 in) | 10.95 mm (.431 in) | 8.76 mm (.345 in) | 82.5 mm (3.25 in) | 760 m/s (2,493 ft/s) | 3697 J (2,727 ft·lbf) |
[edit] Additional information
In 7.92 mm caliber, the Germans had many military round versions, and they never stopped development of different variations until World War II was officially over. The bullet lengths varied a great deal through the different types, but all were loaded to an overall length of 80.5 mm (3.169 in). The Germans had started using steel cases in World War I, and by the end of 1943, most German ammunition had that type of case.
The German standard sS (schweres Spitzgeschoß / heavy pointed bullet) ball bullet was 35 mm long (1.378 in) long, boattailed, and very well made. It was lead filled, had a gilding-metal-plated jacket, and weighed about 12.8 grams (197 grains). It offered the best aerodynamic efficiency and ballistic performance of all standard rifle balls used in World War II with a ballistic coefficient (G1 BC) of 0.557 to 0.584 (ballistic coefficients are somewhat debatable). At 760 m/s (2493 ft/s) muzzle velocity the standard sS ball bullet retained supersonic velocity up to 800 m (875 yards) (V800 ~ Mach 1.17) under ICAO Standard Atmosphere conditions at sea level (air density ρ = 1.225 kg/m³). Even by contemporary (2007) standards 800 m (875 yards) typical effective range is quite remarkable for a standard military rifle round.
German Luftwaffe (Air force) 7.92 mm high velocity machinegun ammunition loaded with the 12.8 grams (197 grains) sS ball bullets reached a muzzle velocity of 840 m/s (2756 ft/s) due to a more powerful smokeless powder charge. The regular German infantry units were not allowed to use this round; however German snipers sometimes used this high velocity round to gain an extra 150 m (164 yards) effective range.
German tracer bullets were the best put out by any country — beautifully streamlined and with excellent ballistics. German armor piercers were also very good, being very stable and accurate at long ranges. The commonest type of armor piercer had a hardened-steel core with plated-steel jacket and weighed 11.5 grams (178 grains). Other types appeared which used tungsten carbide and combinations for cores. Sintered iron and mild steel cores also came into use in ball ammunition.
The HE incendiary, called the observation bullet by the Germans, had a pellet in it which exploded on contact with any target, however frail. The Germans maintained that it was used mainly for observation and range-finding, but observers report having seen them in rifle clips and machinegun belts.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] Bibliography
- Barnes, Frank C CARTRIDGES OF THE WORLD 3rd Edition pgs 49, 191 1972 Digest Books, ISBN 0-695-80326-3
- de Haas, Frank BOLT ACTION RIFLES Expanded 3rd Edition, pgs 32-38, 1995 DBI Books, ISBN 0-87349-168-8
- Olson, Ludwig Mauser BOLT RIFLES 1976 F. Brownell & Son Montezuma IOWA, ISBN 0-88935-265-8
