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8mm Surplus Ammo

Rebel62

Well-known member
I picked up several hundred rounds of surplus 8mm. Looks like it's mostly Greek and Egyptian (Could be Persian or Turkish, IDK). I'll get some pics uploaded soon. Any easy way to tell if it's corrosive or not.
 
I picked up several hundred rounds of surplus 8mm. Looks like it's mostly Greek and Egyptian (Could be Persian or Turkish, IDK). I'll get some pics uploaded soon. Any easy way to tell if it's corrosive or not.

Look for a date code on the head stamp. If it's early than mid to late 50s, it's for sure corrosive, but to be safe I would assume any surplus 8mm is corrosive.
 
Look for a date code on the head stamp. If it's early than mid to late 50s, it's for sure corrosive, but to be safe I would assume any surplus 8mm is corrosive.

Egyptian fodder is usually dud sS patronen ammo. Not very good quality and or storage. Most of it was Israeli captured and imported many years ago. As well lots of loose bullets in cases. The turk stuff has few duds and is on the hot side and is S patronen 155 gn bullets.
 
Interestingly, with the first bandolier I checked out, the stripper clips wouldn't fit in the slot on either of my K98s - its actually 7.62 Nato marked L2A1 (Right arm of freedom?) the rest of the ammo is certainly 8mm
 
Here's some pics

This is the most common - looks to me to be Israeii? From the late '40s and early '50's. Based on the previous comments - corrosive. I'll bet

Will upload the others shortly
 

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I think these are Turkish?

I have a lot of these - looks like TOC on the headstamp but I think the "o" is a crescent moon and Star - Turkish or Persian?
 
Last One - BPD 953

I have no idea on this one...BPD 953
 

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Yes corrosive! Somewhere I have a fired Turkish 8mm casing dated from the late 1800s/early 1900s that I found on the ground at an Israeli airbase in the Negev. Wonder if it was fired during the TL Lawrence days or in response to the British Palestinian moves....
 
Thanks for the response!

I learned that the cases headstamped with the 6 point star are actually Czech manufactured, not Israeli! Still haven't fired any of it but will provide a range report when I get done!!
 
8mm headstamp

Where? can I find information about mauser amm. headstamps
I have some amm, and I think it may be south american??
I cannot reckognose the headstamp
 
I have fired Turkish surplus ammo for years and finally stopped after learning of the safety concerns. I know people have different thoughts on that, but it sure is easier to clean the bore after firing non-corrosive ammo.
 
Nothing wrong with corrosive. Just pour hot water down the barrel after shooting and wipe the head of the bolt. Don't do anything other than clean it first after you get home. I use Hoppes, it seems to have some good effects on the salts used in the primers too. They used to say Hoppes would work for corrosive years ago on the label.

Try to find some Yugoslavian surplus, it's the best. I have a bunch of it made in 1950 that I pull out on special occasions but all I ever shot was darn good.
 

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