[Airelite12]

If I were to get a firearm in 8mm is the ammo cheaply and readily available? The only cheap ammo I can find is surplus and I am unsure when/if it will dry up in the near future. I am leery that once the surplus ammo dries up I will be forced to buy the expensive commercially made ammo which is twice the cost or more per round than surplus ammo.

Thanks

 

[Maximus Slade]

Plenty of surplus still out there, mostly Yugo stuff. If you dont want to shoot commercial, why not reload?

 

[Shoobedoo]

Ammo Engine is one place to look http://www.ammoengine.com/find/ammo/8x57mm_Mauser

Wideners has Yugo surplus, supposedly very good stuff, but like just about all milsurp you'll encounter in this caliber, it's corrosive, while not necessarily a big deal if you know how to clean up after firing corrosive ammo, some people prefer not to use it.

Boxer primed non-corrosive ammo in this caliber is fairly expensive but Sportman's Guide & Target Sports USA both have a pretty good selection.

 

[Franz 1796]

The 8mm Yugo surplus (50's dated) at about 20 cents per round is the cheapest out there. Once that dries up - you will be stuck with commercial ammo costing 2 to 3 times as much. Reloading will help, but still won't be as cheap as surplus since new bullets cost 25 cents each and then you have to buy powder and primers etc. The only way you can guarantee the current surplus cost is to stock up on the currently available surplus ammo.

Just ask the 303 British and 8x56R shooters out there (cheapest available is 80 c/rd and over $1 per round on gun-deals.com). These are two of the rounds that have dried up most recently. Once it's gone .... your options for cheap plinking are limited.

 

[Airelite12]

That is what I was afraid of Franz

I would think that we would be able to get European commercial ammo for less as it is a popular hunting round there, so I have heard. I have a CZ-82 in 9x18 makarov and I am able to get commercial silver bear for around 20 cents a round so why would cheap 8mm not be available?

 

[eli]

Because that commercial 9x18 most likely comes off the same lines as standard mil production ammo. Slightly changing ammo characteristics for commercial sale isn't hard on a mil line.

8mm ammo is only really used to some degree by Serbia and most other producers are smaller commercial lots

 

[bmg17a1]

Although the large retailers don't have .303, with the exception of fair ammo from Samco, there is still lots of it in private hands that comes up for sale frequently in small and large quantites. There is lots of Vickers belted MkVII still out there as well as 32rnd boxed MkVII in military cases. There's belted MkVIII as well. Prices seem to be in the $.35 to $.50/rnd range for the belted ammo.
A large quantity of 8X56r came nto the Us about eight/ten years ago, but since it has waffens on the headstamp so may sellers raised the price to unrealistically stupid levels. That mmo is still out there as well and isn't being used up by the MG shooters since there are virtually no MGs in the US in that caliber.
As far as 7.92, there's still huge quantities in eastern europe, whcih will come to the US, and still quantities in South America, althugh the drug treaties with some of those countries prohibits the export of ammo to the US. However, surplus 7.92 will be around for quite a while yet.

Bob Naess
Black River Militaria CII

 

[the4thhorseman]

8mm is not available as it once was because over the last 20 years there have been many imports in bulk of 8mm. alot of it has already been shot up and what is left is 1950s yugo which is not the most ideal i would pull the bullets and keep the powder and reload with fresh brass and primers. there are no counties currently producing 8mm for their militaries in large quantities anymore. so to sum up demand is far exceeding supply and it wil only get worse.

 

[Worland]

The availablity of 8MM Mauser has always ebbed & flowed. As soon as the surplus market dries up, someone finds another stash of it somewhere. There are still great heaps on 8MM in Iran, Pakistan, Egypt, Mongolia & Israel. Much of it ancient "capture" ammo and of dubious quality. One of the biggest problems facing surplus ammo dealers is that scrap copper, lead & brass prices are so high. Scrap dealers in Europe often gobble up surplus ammo at prices far higher than surplus ammo dealers can afford. The days of 3-cent a round Turkish 8MM are long gone.

Eastern European commercial 8MM is often in the $12/$16 range. Good place to start stocking up on brass to reload. Eventually, I'm sure Russia will start loading it in steel cases. If there's a buck to be made, Ivan will find it.