Kar98 AZ calibre

Hello everyone.

So, I have a "kar98" wich has a Kar98 AZ chamber ( marked 1916 Erfurt ) but a kar98k barrel because it was modified by hunters after the second world war.

I know Kar98 AZ were developped to shoot the " 8x57 J " cartridge, and during ww2 the guns were marked with a new "S" symbol on the receiver to show they were converted to the new 8x57 JS that the kar98k shoots.

However, my kar98 doesn't have that "S" marking, do you think i can still fire the wayyyy more commong 8x57 JS cartridge with it ? Is it safe ?

Thanks in advance

Kar98 AZ caliber

Is the barrel stamped w/a number like “7.9” or “7.92” on the barrel shoulder, right in front of the top of the receiver? Earlier rifles may have a groove diameter as small as .318”, rather than the later .323”.

Particularly because you have reason to believe the barrel isn’t original, have it “slugged” by a gunsmith (or buy a kit & do it yourself) to determine the actual groove diameter. If the groove diameter is .318”, it’s UNSAFE to shoot .323”/7.92mm ammo in it.

If it’s .323”/larger, use standard 8mm Mauser/7.92 x57 ammo. Shooting the smaller spec ammo through a larger bore reduces performance & accuracy, but the rifle won’t explode in your face!

Kar98....

PS:
The chamber is entirely IN the barrel, changing the barrel entirely changes the chamber, which is cut into the barrel at the receiver end.
Forgot this in my previous reply!

Hello,
yes there is a "7.92" small inscription on top of the receiver a few centimeters upper the " Erfurt 1916 " inscription. But i don't see any on the barrel itself, but if it is a k98k barrel i guess it can shoot JS cartridges...

I'm not an english speaker so i didn't understood every detail of what you said by mesuring the " groove ", are you talking about the diameter of the inside of the gun barrel or of the chamber ?

Anyway thanks for the answer

Here is a photo of the 7.92 on the receiver : https://www.noelshack.com/2020-01-6-1578097449-img-2895.jpg

K98Az calibre

Your English is fine, bienvenue!
The date & size marked on the receiver are after the date of the diameter change, so that implies that you can use standard 8 x 57IS/JS ammunition. It would seem unlikely that the original barrel would have been replaced by one of older spec, but possible. There will be several marks on the barrel proper, a series of letters and numbers wrapping around the barrel something like “avk11343bys” can tell some on the forum when & where the barrel was made, to confirm the size.

Kar98A

I saw the photos you posted on 15 November, yes, I believe that your rifle will shoot the later ammo safely. I did notice that the safety lever is missing, I personally wouldn’t shoot it that way. (your choice)
When I fire an unknown rifle for the first time, I set it up in a rifle rest & pull the trigger with string from behind safe cover. It may be rare for a rifle to explode with standard load ammunition, but the receiver is over 100 years old & has some corrosion issues.
I would guess that this is a rifle made from parts, not “collectible” but still functional & useful. It would look good in a K98k length stock & handguard, but you will also need some metal parts for the front of the stock to complete it.
Be cautious, but enjoy the rifle. (another one saved from scrap)

If your barrel is a military barrel it will be a .323 . The German military NEVER used a .318 groove barrel , ever . The S has nothing to due with bore size . The 7.92 or .91 to .96 has nothing to do with the groove dia , it is the bore [ land ] measurement of that barrel . J ammo is a civilian term and has nothing to do with military ammo . Civilian , sporting ammo is loaded different, has a different OCL and bullet dia than any military ammo .

Thank you once again Muncher :]

If i shoot it i'll try to do it safely just like you said, meanwhile i've already put a safety back on and changed the wood ! I hated how it looked before so i had to change it, here is the result after a little bit of wood cuting and all because some of the pieces like the frontal upper grip were too long for my " modified " kar98 :]

https://www.noelshack.com/2020-01-7-1578246109-img-1935.jpg

Hello Ernie8 !

So is that confirming that even if i have an older receiver from a 1916 kar98a i can still shoot common kar98k ammunition with JS inscription ? ( while being carefull for the first shots of course )

Yes . A 1916 receiver in good condition will shoot any 7.92 , 8x57mm ammo with no problems .

ernie8 said:

Yes . A 1916 receiver in good condition will shoot any 7.92 , 8x57mm ammo with no problems .

Click to expand...

Ernie ; I have seen post WW1 guild guns made in Germany - many for export and they sported the commercial variant barrels of the day with the tighter '8mm' bores. Had several that had full octagon to semi octagon and some smooth round.... but they were all for the patronen 88 and tighter bore dimensions not meant for service 7,92 ammunition.

I asked him if the barrel was military , then it is .323 groove . I then said a 1916 made RECEIVER would handle any 7.92 or 8mm ammo . Yes the civilian barrels will be smaller , most were made to shoot .3158 dia bullets loaded to a shorter ocl , not P-88 ammo . Also a 1916 receiver could also have a barrel in many other calibers , if so then it would not be wise to try and shoot 8mm out of it . The OP said his rifle was a 1916 German military rifle with it's original barrel and that is what my answers were for .