Shooting 30-06 in a 8mm Mauser?

Question

I've read that the Germans used 30-06 in their Mausers when they ran out of ammo. Would you do this..Why or Why not?

FYI...I have no intentions of doing this.

Answer 1

I can't imagine someone that calls themselves a WWII military rifle collector saying that the German 8 Mauser is 8x67mm. It is 8x57mm and that means that the other answer about the Germans being a super race is correct. The 30-06 is a smaller projectile but the case is 7.62x63mm long which means it is 6mm longer than the 8x57. And buddy no one can jam or even drive that case into a Mauser chamber even with a rock. The Germans did grab any dropped rifle they could, and use it until it ran out of ammo as did the Americans.
As far as using a rifle with an ammo other than the correct ammo, the only way that could be done is when you are making improved cartridges such as 257 Roberts Ack Imp. or 35 Whelen where the 30-06 is shot in the Whelen chamber to gain new Whelen cases.
But to answer this question with safety in mind, do not use any ammunition in a rifle or pistol unless said gun is chambered for that cartridge. And you will live longer with more of your fingers and eyes still intact.
Sarge

Answer 2

I doubt very much whether an 8 x 57 Mauser
would chamber a 30-06, (about 7.62 x 62).
The chamber would have to be dangerously loose.
I do know that several serious accidents were caused
by firing the shorter 8mm. Mauser round ,
(about .32 Cal.), in the longer 30-06 chamber.

Answer 3

NO WAY.Think about it. How do you intend to shoot 30-06 ammunition out of a Mauser if the round won't chamber completely? You going to slam the Mauser bolt forward to force the longer 30-06 cartridge into the shorter 8mm chamber..Besides, How will you fire the Mauser with the bolt not quite down into the closed bolt position......

The point is obvious..You wouldn't do this.....sargeARMY is 100% correct

Answer 4

I would never do it for several reasons. One, it was a last ditch measure because it was do this, or die. I will will never see such circumstances and I can find surplus 8mm mauser ammo from time to time for a great price. Plus, if all I had was 30-06, I have dies and equipment to form the casings into 8mm brass and reload them as 8mm. Second, loss of accuracy would be great. The 30-06 is of .308 diameter. Most newer mausers have a bore diameter for .323 bullets or old ones with .318 diameter. The riflings in either gun would never engauge the bullet properly. Lastly, this would accelerate wear on the gun itself. Since I bought the gun and wasn't just issued it, I want to keep mine in working condition as long as I can. In this case, the smaller diameter bullet would pretty much bounce its way out the barrel, damaging it the whole way. The case is likely to either split or fail to seal the chamber properly; this will slowly increase throat errosion and could create a fire ring, either of which would retire the barrel.

Answer 5

Mauser 8mm

Answer 6

I dont know if it would work and I doubt the germans would have dont that.... the 8mm mauser round is 7.92 X 67 and the 30-06 is 7.62 X 63 a difference of .3 of an inch or 30 thousands.... that would be a sloppy fit and a projectile traveling at 3000 feet per second down the barrel being that loose is dangerous and crazy in my opinion.....

Answer 7

8mm Mauser Rifle

Answer 8

I have a 8mm Mauser. I at one point put the 30.06 brass in the chamber and the bolt refused to close. Now setting up a 8mm Mauser to accept full length 30.06 brass and fire 8mm rounds is something that I would like to see. I would call it 30.06 / 8mm . The 30.06 is a great round. I have shot my dad's Whetherby in 30.06 and it responds like my Mauser does. So 30.06 full length brass and a 8mm Mauser round. Powder load to compensate for a heaver round and propel it at 30.06 velocity.

Answer 9

just tried it, bolt wouldnt close due to the longer case on the 06. the opposite is possible however.
an 8x57(actually 7.92x57) will chamber in my 30-06 (7.62x63)though the bolt was a little harder to close than usual. but it would be sure to damage the gun if you fired it. as the .323 bullet would act as an obstruction in the .308 bore.chamber pressures would probably excede 80,000 psi.
you could shoot 30-06 in a 8mm mauser if you unscrewed the the barrel 4 or 5 turns but I wouldnt want to be the one to do it.

Answer 10

It would be interesting to get the person who made that one up to explain how to fit a 63 mm long case into a 57 mm chamber. Specifically, the distance from the rim to the shoulder is 49.48 mm in 30-06, 46,41 mm in the Mauser round. You could get away with ,01 mm extra headspace, but you can't fit something bigger into something smaller. By the way, the breech end of the barrel IS the chamber, so even if you could screw out the barrel a few turns, it still wouldn't fit.