8.56x56R Surplus

[Brad in Idaho]

A friend gave me this ammo a few years back. I was wondering if anyone here could give me some info on who made it, where, etc. It is in excellent shape for 1938 vintage and appears to have been stored well. Two 5 round clips in a cardboard box. It shoots fine but I'm sure it has corrosive primers. It has the Nazi eagle over a ball (waffenampt?) with a swastika on the headstamp along with the date and the roman numeral VIII. Including some pictures if they'll help.

[Tuna]

Made in Austria for the 8mm I think it's the M95 rifle and carbines? Corrosive primed and the bullet is about a .329 diameter and not interchangeable with the German standard 8X57 Mauser. Berdan primed and not easily reloadable for the majority of people who do reload.

[gtodan]

Used in Steyr m95 rifles converted in 1930 to M95/34 carbines ONLY.......

Please let me know if you want to sell it.

[Brad in Idaho]

Used in Steyr m95 rifles converted in 1930 to M95/34 carbines ONLY.......

Please let me know if you want to sell it.

Thanks for the info. It is the only ammo I have for my M95 carbine and works fine in it so I'll be using it.

[Hecklerusp45]

When I worked in Big Stone Gap Va there was a pawn shop in Coeburn that I went into on a regular basis. There was a large quantity of that ammo for sale in that shop, still in the same boxes you show in your picture. I always wondered how so much of that stuff ended up there.

[RCS]

8x56R training cartridge

There is also a training or short range gallery load for the 8x56R, easy to I.D. by the two step bulletP1010018.jpgP1010019.jpg

[Tuna]

I think Germany rearmed Austria with the 98K by 1940 so the ammo just sat for many years and when the surplus rifles were finally sold, so was the ammo. Not as many rifles sold as there were many who felt the recoil was too much in the carbines so there has been quite a bit of the ammo still around.

[androck14]

I just came across a receipt from AIM dated May of 2003 when I bought 60 boxes of that stuff for $1.95 per!

[NuJudge]

Save the clips the cartridges came on. They are reusable.

The brass cases are very nice. I reload Berdan primed cases, and they reload very well.

There is Boxer primed ammo and brass available.

[androck14]

I tried to decap some of those bastiges with a berdan decapper tool I bought. Very frustrating. Tried filling a case with water and whacking a dowel in the case mouth, no joy. What's the secret to getting them out?

[NuJudge]

Adjustment of the Lachmiller/RCBS tool for decapping is quite finicky. I'm sure there's a better explanation on line than I can give, but start with the decapping pin too deep in the tool to successfully hook out a primer. Hold the case in a seating die, not the case holder they supply. Use the allen screw to advance the decapping pin gradually, until primers come out. You will not get 100% of them. I break a de-capping pin every several hundred cases, but you can resharpen.

The early Nazi-era cases I have used do not have a primer crimp or sealant. Some makers crimp and seal their Berdan primers such that you will not get a significant fraction out.

Hydraulic removal works. There are a number of ways to do it. One is with a hand-held ram, but it has to fit the neck tightly. You can probably get away with putting the fired case in a ordinary case holder. I have had machinist friends make a number of rams for me. Another hydraulic method is to remove the recap pin from a full length size die, size the case neck only, fill the case with water, insert it in the press ram's shell holder, raise the case until the neck expander starts to enter the case mouth, then move the ram up smartly. Much the same can be done with an appropriate sized "M" die. There are also specialized hydraulic tools such as my friend Shlomo made several of for me, God rest his soul. All of these are best done outside in warmer weather.

[androck14]

Thanks, maybe i'll try again