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| Article written by: Bob Shell | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Gun Shows are great for a lot of things. Among the most important is being able to find old guns. I am always looking for rifles, made between the years 1870 and 1940, which I don’t already have in my collection. One of my most recent finds was an 8x50R Austrian Mannlicher straight pull. On the outside it looks ratty and has some pits and dings but the rifling is pretty fair and the action is solid. The 8x50R Austrian was originally a black powder cartridge though it soon was produced using a semi-smokeless powder. Shortly afterwards the 8x 50 cartridge was loaded with smokeless powder. The first rifle to use the cartridge was the Mannlicher model 88. Using a hinged block action, the model 88 when compared to modern military rifles wasn’t particularly strong. It was made to shoot the 8x50R Austrian loaded with black powder. The 8x50R Austrian was replaced by the 8x56R Austrian in the early 1930s. The 8x56R Austrian has a longer case and a .329 diameter bullet compared to the standard 323 bullets. |
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The big question for me was whether or not I could shoot my new find. Wall hangers, while nice to look at, really don’t interest me. If I can’t shoot it - then I don’t want it. As with any older gun it’s important to check it out for safety and proper caliber. If you’re not sure then have a gunsmith check it out for you. A few dollars of safety is better then thousands of dollars of misery. |
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| In common with other obscure calibers ammo doesn’t grow on trees. But to me that’s what makes these guns interesting to own and collect. Some research revealed that the 7.62 X 54 Mosin-Nagant case is similar although longer. The important measurement, body diameter, is virtually the same as the 8x50R Austrian. I took some commercial cases and trimmed them easily in my Forrester case trimmer. After I chamfered the case mouths then a pass through the 8x50R Austrian dies and I had some good cases to reload with. The case length is 1.975”. The nice thing is that there is plenty of commercial brass available for the Russian round and the price is fairly reasonable. The 8 mm bullets come in various styles and are easy to find. If you have the older hinge block action it’s very important to stick with the lighter loads. One thing that you can do is fill the case to the bottom of the neck with H-4831 or a similar powder and seat the bullet. It shouldn’t develop enough pressure to hurt the gun especially if you use a lighter weight bullet. While not the top loads they are generally consistent and safe. But, don’t load them with faster powders. My rifle likes cast bullets, especially the heavier ones. The 210 grain resembles the original bullet in shape. Maybe that’s why it so accurate. A couple of good things about cast bullet ammo that is loaded with mild loads - the cases last practically forever and they are more economical to shoot. Also there is no strain on the old rifle. They would be useful for editable small game hunting. If you desire to hunt deer or black bear with the heavier loads there is no reason why you can’t. If you have a clip or two then you have a nice handy repeating rifle for short ranges. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Here are some loads that I tested in my rifle. While they are safe in my rifle I suggest that you start with the minimum loads and work up cautiously. That is especially true with the older model 88. While other powders work well I like 4895 for cases of this size as I usually get consistent results with full power loads. Some of these loads may seem pedestrian to some so can they be increased? Sure they can, but what’s the point? The gun is old and in fair shape but the rifling isn’t in the greatest shape so why strain it? |
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| So, I will shoot and enjoy this old timer with light and safe loads. I have plenty of other 8mm’s that can shoot a bullet faster if necessary. I made up 50 cases for this rifle and during this test some of them were shot 4 or 5 times. I had 2 split necks and that was the extent of the case loss. I will take that anytime. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The gun is handy and easy to shoot. The sights however are relatively poor at least to my eyes but at 50 yards I can look forward to 2 to 3” groups. I don’t plan on using it as a hunting rifle and with the design of the sights I won’t be shooting at anything at long range. The barrel is 20” long which is another limiting factor in velocity. There is little doubt that the rifle can do better with a top load and younger eyes. Hitting tin cans at 50 yards wasn’t much of a problem though most loads shot high. A 6:00 hold took care of the cans in most cases. The trigger is a typical military two stage affair which to me isn’t a problem. It’s those new fangled ones that sometimes get me. The safety locks up the bolt and prevents the gun from firing. While it works ok I don’t trust any safety 100% so common sense gun handling is always a must. Anyway the gun is fun to shoot and in certain situations I might take it hunting for small game with cast slugs. |
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| Article written by: Bob Shell | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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