Help me ID this Rifle Cartridge

C

cobra81

New member
I found these rifle cartridges in a box with some other stuff, at first glance I pegged them for .30-06, and then noticed the short neck, nope. That got me curious, so I got out the micrometer to measure case and bullet dimensions.
Bullet is 174 gr., and mikes 0.323" at the ogive. Powder is square cut (never seen that before!) and charge weight was 39.3 grains.
OAL is 3.023".
Case length is 2.234".
Headstamp is FN40. I am now guessing 8mm Mauser, but would like to hear from those who might recognize it.
IMG_7158.jpg


IMG_7161.jpg


IMG_7164.jpg
 
P

plainsman456

New member
It does look like 8mm ammo.With 40 on the headstamp it is as old as some of the military 8mm rounds I have,mine are steel jacketed though.Good Luck
 
5

5whiskey

New member
It has to be 8mm mauser. Probably quality ammo (quality by mil-surp standards) as well. Oh my, what the 8mm could be with a boat tail bullet
 
S

Sport45

New member
What happened to that pulled bullet in the top picture?


Would that square-cut powder be old mil-surp? Never seen any like that in all the powders I've used.
Click to expand...

It is now. When it was loaded in that case it was no doubt brand spanking new powder. :)
 
N

NWCP

New member
8mm Mauser made by Fabrique Nationale. As for the 40 that would appear to be date of manufacture perhaps?
 
C

cobra81

New member
What happened to that pulled bullet in the top picture?

'Looks like a crimp from a collet-type bullet puller.
Click to expand...

Yep. Had to make do with my largest collet, which is .30 cal. Really had to put the squeeze on it.

Thanks for all the input!
 
M

Mike Irwin

Staff
The only problem with that ammo is...

It's not military.

The soft point bullets.

My best guess?

Someone pulled the original bullets and put hunting bullets in thier place.

Not uncommon at one time.

That ammo is almost definitely corrosive primed.

As for the powder, cut flake nitrocellulose powder was fairly common in Europe between the 1920s and 1950s in military ammo. It may still be.

British Mk. VIIz .303 ammunition used cut flake powder. The z denotes that it is loaded with nitrocellulose powder instead of the normal cordite.
 
C

cobra81

New member
It's not military.

The soft point bullets.
Click to expand...

Good point Mike. I would hazard a guess along the same lines as you that someone pulled the FMJ and loaded a hunting bullet.
As to the powder, it lacks the acetone smell we normally associate with fresh propellant; however, it's not got that acrid odor you get when powder breaks down, either. Actually, it has almost no smell. My bet is that it would go bang.
 
M

Mike Irwin

Staff
According to my Munhall and White, the headstamp corresponds to typical Fabrique National headstamps used at the time, so it's Belgian manufacture.

Question is, was it made by the Nazis, or by the Belgians before the Nazis invaded and seized control in May 1940.

The Belgian army was still armed with 7.65mm weapons at the beginning of the war.

However, they had a thriving arms trade with many nations, which included supplying millions, if not billions, of rounds of ammunition.

Most likely it's either 7.92 Mauser (7x57) or the 7.65x53 Mauser used by the Belgian military.
 
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