The
7.92x57mm cartridge was designed by the German
Gewehr-Prüfungskommission (G.P.K.) (Rifle Testing Commission) for
the Gewehr 1888 and later used in
Mauser bolt-action
rifle. This cartridge was originally adopted by Germany
in 1888 as the
M/88 7.92x57mm I (I stands for
Infanterie or "Infantry"). Germany adopted a new version
of the M/88 cartridge in 1905 as the 7.92x57mm IS (IS stands for
'Infanterie, Spitz' or 'Infantry, Pointed').
The 1905 pattern
cartridge was the German service cartridge in both World Wars and is now known in Europe as the 7.92x57mm IS (German
military designation) or the 8x57mm IS (C.I.P.
civil designation) and in the USA
as the
8x57mm JS or 8 mm Mauser
(the widespread use in German military Mauser rifles caused the
"Mauser" tag, though Mauser had nothing to do with the development
of this cartridge).
Background
The government-developed 7.92x57mm IS cartridge was a further
development of the M/88 7.92x57mm I - which used a round-nosed
bullet, and was developed to be top-loaded into a rifle's magazine
via charger clip in the
Gewehr 1888 (or
Rifle 88) rifle. The 7.92x57mm IS
bullet was
lighter, pointed, and 8.2 mm (.323 inches) in diameter instead
of 8.08 mm (.318 inches) with an improved
ballistic coefficient. The new IS
cartridge had a flatter trajectory, and was therefore less critical
of range estimation. It was mainly used in the
Gewehr 98 and the later
Karabiner 98k rifles and
medium
machine guns. The rimless
cartridge cases have been used as parent cases for several other
necked down and necked up cartridges. Also rimmed
8x57mm
IR and
8x57mm IRS variants were developed
for break barrel type rifles.
Note: It has been declared that the common "J" reference (7.92x57mm
J and JS) was a miscommunication with American intelligence, and it
ended up sticking.
Military use
Due to the
cartridge's high performance and versatility it has been adopted by
the armed forces of various governments, including Turkey
, China
, Egypt
, former
German African
colonies, and pre-NATO
Germany. Its
military use continues today in the former
Yugoslavia in weapons like the
Zastava M76 sniper rifle and the license-built
MG-42 copy, the M53 Sarac machine gun.
It shares
an unusual similarity with the 9x19mm
Parabellum cartridge of being manufactured and used by the
opposing Allies and Axis powers powers during World War II, being used in the British
Besa machine gun
armored-vehicle mounted machine
gun.
Civil use
It is tremendously popular among European sportsmen, and especially
with German and Austrian shooters, alongside broadly similar
cartridges such as the
5.6x57mm,
6.5x55mm, 6.5x57mm,
7x57mm
Mauser and the
6.5x68mm and
8x68mm S magnum hunting cartridges. The 7.92x57mm
cartridge's performance makes it well suited to the shooting of all
large European
game such as
deer,
chamois,
mouflon,
wild Boar and
bears. It cannot be used in countries which ban
civil use of former or current military rifle cartridges.
Beside the 8x57mm IS rifle cartridge also a rimmed version for
break-action rifles exist. The rimmed
8x57mm IRS variant is offered as a chambering option in European
break-action rifles.
8 mm or 7.92 mm? I or J?
Original German military designations
The
7.92x57mm I denotes the original military
cartridge with a diameter bullet and moderate pressure limits
(Piezo C.I.P. Pmax = 380.0 MPa). The
7.92x57mm IS
designates the later, higher pressure (Piezo C.I.P. Pmax = 390.0
MPa) military cartridge with a bullet.
European civil designations
The European commercial arms standards body C.I.P.
Commission Internationale Permanente pour l'Epreuve des Armes à Feu
Portatives (Permanent International Commission for portable
firearms testing) currently designates two 8 mm cartridges of
57 mm case length. Following the original military
nomenclature C.I.P. assigned the
8x57mm I and
8x57mm IS civil nomenclature to these
cartridges.
American civil designations
The American standardizing body for sporting cartridges SAAMI
designates the 7.92x57mm IS latter cartridge as the
8 mm Mauser, also known as
8x57mm
JS. However, the SAAMI pressure limitation for this
cartridge is taken from the older 7.92x57mm 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 modern cartridge is fired in an 'I' bore rifle that has a
narrower throat diameter, to avoid excess pressure in that area.
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 8x57 JS load.
The letter 'J' is actually not a 'J' at all, but an 'I' for
Infanterie (
infantry). 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.
To avoid potentially serious accidents, it is important to
distinguish clearly between cartridges loaded for these two
different bullet diameters, and only fire them in appropriately
chambered/barrelled rifles.
The 7.92x57mm ("8 mm Mauser") and 7x57mm ("7 mm Mauser") cartridges are not
interchangeable; attempts to do so may cause damage or potential
injury.
German military ammunition
- Actual bullet (and barrel groove) Diameter: 7.92x57mm IS =
8.2 mm (.323 in), 7.92x57mm I = 8.07 mm
(.318 in)
- Diameter of barrel, land to land: 7.92x57mm IS = 7.89 mm
(.311 in), 7.92x57mm I = 7.80 mm (.307 in)
| Name |
Year |
Caliber |
Bullet weight |
Length |
Rim |
Base |
Shoulder |
Neck |
OAL |
Muzzle velocity |
Muzzle energy |
| 7.92x57mm I |
1888 |
8.07 mm (0.318 in) |
14.6 g (226 gr) |
57 mm (2.24 in) |
11.95 mm (.470 in) |
11.94 mm (.469 in) |
10.95 mm (.431 in) |
8.99 mm (.354 in) |
80.5 mm (3.17 in) |
639 m/s
(2,095 ft/s) |
2983 J (2,200 ft·lbf) |
| 7.92x57mm IS |
1905 |
8.2 mm (0.323 in) |
9.9 g (154 gr) |
57 mm (2.24 in) |
11.95 mm (.470 in) |
11.94 mm (.469 in) |
10.95 mm (.431 in) |
9.08 mm (.357 in) |
80.5 mm (3.17 in) |
878 m/s (2,880 ft/s) |
3857 J (2844 ft·lbf) |
| 7.92x57mm IS |
1934 |
8.2 mm (0.323 in) |
12.8 g (197 gr) |
57 mm (2.24 in) |
11.95 mm (.470 in) |
11.94 mm (.469 in) |
10.95 mm (.431 in) |
9.08 mm (.357 in) |
80.5 mm (3.17 in) |
760 m/s (2,493 ft/s) |
3697 J (2,727 ft·lbf) |
- The data for the 7.92x57mm I and the 7.92x57mm IS of 1905 is
for rifles with 740 mm (29.13 in) barrel length
- The data for the 7.92x57mm IS of 1934 is for rifles with
600 mm (23.62 in) barrel length.
- This data is for standard issue German infantry rifle rounds.
The stated muzzle velocities are relatively low compared to typical
modern hunting loads with similar bullet weights. This is mainly
because rifle cartridge propellants
have evolved since then.
Cartridge Drawings and Dimensions
7,92x57mm I / 8x57mm I
The 8x57mm I cartridge has 4.03
ml (62
grains) H
2O cartridge case
capacity. The exterior shape of the case was designed to promote
reliable case feeding and extraction in
bolt
action rifles and
machine guns
alike, under extreme conditions.
8x57mm I maximum C.I.P. cartridge dimensions. All
sizes in millimeters (mm). Americans would define the shoulder
angle at alpha/2 ≈ 19.1 degrees. The common
rifling twist rate for this cartridge is 240 mm
(1 in 9.45 in), 4 grooves, Ø lands = 7.80 mm, Ø grooves =
8.07 mm, land width = 4.40 mm and the
primer type is large rifle.
According to the official C.I.P. (
Commission
Internationale Permanente pour l'Epreuve des Armes à Feu
Portatives) guidelines the 8 x 57 I case can handle up to 380
MPa (55114 psi) piezo pressure. In C.I.P. regulated countries every
rifle cartridge combo has to be
proofed
at 125% of this maximum C.I.P. pressure to certify for sale to
consumers.
7,92x57 IS / 8 x 57 IS
The 8 x 57 IS cartridge has 4.09
ml (63
grains) H
2O cartridge case
capacity. The exterior shape of the case was designed to promote
reliable case feeding and extraction in
bolt
action rifles and
machine guns
alike, under extreme conditions.
8x57mm IS maximum C.I.P. cartridge dimensions. All
sizes in millimeters (mm). Americans would define the shoulder
angle at alpha/2 ≈ 19.1 degrees. The common
rifling twist rate for this cartridge is 240 mm
(1 in 9.45 in), 4 grooves, Ø lands = 7.89 mm, Ø grooves =
8.20 mm, land width = 4.40 mm and the
primer type is large rifle.
According to the official C.I.P. (
Commission
Internationale Permanente pour l'Epreuve des Armes à Feu
Portatives) guidelines the 8x57mm IS case can handle up to 390
MPa (56564 psi) piezo pressure. In C.I.P. regulated countries every
rifle cartridge combo has to be
proofed
at 125% of this maximum C.I.P. pressure to certify for sale to
consumers.
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.
7.92x57mm Mauser in stripper
clip.
1941 Turkish military production.
The German standard sS (
schweres Spitzgeschoß/heavy
pointed bullet) ball bullet was 35.3 mm (1.389 in) long,
boat-tailed, 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 bullets 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
International Standard
Atmosphere conditions at sea level (
air density ρ = 1.225 kg/m
3).
Even by contemporary (2007) standards 800 m (875 yards) typical
effective range is quite remarkable for a standard military rifle
round.
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 most common 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.
German
Luftwaffe (Air force)
7.92 mm high velocity
machine gun
ammunition loaded with the 10.15 gram
(157 grain) PmK (
Phosphor mit Stahlkern/phosphorus with
steel core) ball bullets or the 10.85 gram (167 grain) B
(
Beobachtung/observation) ball bullets, which achieved 15%
more muzzle velocity than standard sS ball bullets due to a more
powerful
smokeless powder charge.
The PmK ball bullets were armour-piercing incendiary bullets; the
HE incendiary B ball bullets contained phosphorus and had a pellet
in it which exploded on contact with any target, however frail. The
B ball bullet was like any other high explosive or incendiary
bullet, illegal for anti-personnel use according to the
Hague Conventions. The
Germans maintained that it was used mainly for observation and
range-finding, but observers report having seen them in rifle clips
and machine gun belts. 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 and cause horrendous wounds. The standard issue
Karabiner 98k rifles handled these
higher pressure cartridges without issues.
8 mm cartridges compared
Maximum muzzle velocity comparison in % of the probably most
proliferated European and American 8 mm rifle cartridges out
of 650 mm (25.59 in) long barrels loaded with relatively light
to heavy 8 mm bullets to their
C.I.P. or
SAAMI (Sporting Arms and Ammunition
Manufacturers’ Institute) sanctioned maximum pressures.
| Bullet weight gram (grain) |
8.23 g (127 gr) |
9.72 g (150 gr) |
11.34 g (175 gr) |
12.96 g (200 gr) |
14.26 g (220 gr) |
Case capacity (%) |
| 7.92x57mm Mauser (8x57mm IS) |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
| 8x64mm S |
102.7 |
102.7 |
102.8 |
102.9 |
102.9 |
110.3 |
| .325 WSM |
108.7 |
109.1 |
109.0 |
109.3 |
111.1 |
131.7 |
| 8x68mm S |
108.4 |
108.5 |
108.7 |
110.5 |
112.3 |
136.5 |
| 8 mm Rem. Mag. |
111.9 |
112.3 |
114.5 |
115.3 |
116.0 |
157.1 |
This comparison is not totally objective since the
8 mm Remington Magnum and
.325 WSM operate at 448.16 MPa (65000 psi), the
8x68mm S at 440 MPa (63817 psi), the
8x64mm S at 405 MPa (58740 psi) and the
7.92x57mm Mauser at 390 MPa (56564 psi) maximum chamber pressure.
Higher chamber pressure results in higher muzzle velocities.
The 8x57mm as parent case
This was the parent case for many other later cartridges, such as:
See also
References
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