How to Reload the 8mm Mauser With Cast Bullets

Resize the fired cartridge cases in a full length-resizing die by inserting the shell holder into the slot in the ram on the reloading press. Raise the ram to uppermost position, then screw full-length sizing die into the reloading press until bottom of die touches the shell holder. Return the ram to its lowest position and apply a light film of case lubricant to the outside of the case (the lubricant can be applied with fingers or a commercially available lubricating pad). Place the case into the shell holder. Raise the ram to its uppermost position to force the case fully into the full-length resizing die. This returns the case to the standard size required to fit the chamber of any rifle using the 8mm Mauser cartridge and removes the spent primer.

Re-prime the case with standard rifle primers. Place a primer open end up into the priming attachment on the press. Pivot the priming attachment into the open slot on the ram and lower the ram, bringing the case onto the priming attachment to insert the primer into the case. Slightly raise the ram and pivot priming attachment out of the slot in the ram. Remove the case from shell holder and wipe the lubricant off with a dry rag.

Bell the case mouth using a special expanding die. Adjust the special expanding die by placing the sized, primed case into the shell holder and raising the ram to its uppermost position. Screw the special expanding die into the press until the expander touches the case mouth. Slightly lower the ram, then screw the die slightly deeper into the press and raise the ram to its uppermost position. Repeat until a slight "lip" is formed on the edge of the case mouth. This belling process creates a slight funnel shape to the case mouth to prevent the case from shaving lead from the sides of the bullet during the bullet seating operation.

Select a cast bullet. Cast bullets are available from numerous commercial sources, but the 8mm diameter bullet is not offered in a wide variety of weights. For recreational "plinking", a lighter weight, around 125 to 150 grains, works well and is less expensive. For better accuracy, bullets in the 175-190 grain weight are usually best.

Choose a powder charge for your chosen bullet weight. Powder charges for cast bullets are included in most reloading manuals. For most commercially available cast bullets, a powder charge producing 1500 feet per second (fps) or less is best. Velocities higher than 1500 feet per second may leave lead deposits in the bore. If a higher velocity is desired, bullets cast from "linotype" alloy can be loaded as high as 2000 fps. Linotype alloy bullets are generally not available commercially, but some bullet casters will make them on request for an additional charge.

Adjust the powder measure to meter the selected powder charge. Pour the gunpowder into the powder measure hopper and retract the powder-adjusting rod to allow powder to enter the metering chamber. Rotate the powder measure handle to drop the powder into the cartridge case. Pour the powder from the case into the powder scale pan. Read the powder weight on the digital display of the scale. If more powder is needed to produce the charge weight selected, move the adjusting rod farther out. If less powder is needed, move the adjusting rod in. Repeat until the selected weight is metered.

Meter the powder charges into the cases with the powder measure. Look into each case to verify that all the cases have the same amount of powder metered into them. This will prevent loading with a double charge or loading with no powder.

Seat the bullets into the cases using the seating die. Most cast bullets have a "crimping groove" cast in and the seating depth should bring the center of the crimping groove to the top of the case mouth. Adjust the seating die by raising the press ram to the uppermost position. Screw the seating die into the press until the bottom of the die is approximately 1/8 inch above shell holder. Move the seating stem to the lowest position by loosening the lock ring and screwing the stem into the die. Place the case in shell the holder. Place the bullet on top of the case. Raise the ram GENTLY until the bullet contacts the seating stem. With a GENTLE tap-tap-tap motion, raise the ram to push the bullet into the case while checking the depth of the bullet in the case repeatedly, until the edge of the case mouth is centered in the crimping groove. Move the ram to the lowest position. Move the seating stem to the highest position by screwing it out of the die. Straighten the belled section of the case by screwing the die deeper into the press 1/16 of a turn at a time. Raise the ram to its highest position with each 1/16 turn and check between each 1/16 turn until the belled section is straightened. With the ram and the cartridge in the highest position, screw the seating stem into the die until the seating stem contacts the bullet. Crimping is usually not necessary with the 8mm Mauser cartridge, however some shooters achieve better accuracy with crimped bullets. To crimp bullets, continue until the case mouth is crimped into the crimping groove.