Approach to Reloading for Old Gewehr 98

[TheReluctantCraftstronaut]

I have a sporterized Gewehr 98 and I would like to begin learning to reload for accuracy. EDIT: It is chambered in .270 winchester.

The best I can tell is that it is Turkish based on the receiver markings. The scope base has been stubborn and I cannot remove it yet, so I cannot see the year of manufacture on it. Barrel is a sporter profile.

I have both a Lee and Hornady reloading manual and don't intend to go outside of their recommendations. Should I be concerned about higher pressures in the rifle? If so, what information should I collect to determine what the limits should be?

[God Bless America]

Large ring, shoot away.

[hambam105]

Put the word out here on Calguns you need assistance to verify headspace & caliber.

[God Bless America]

Bring it to a C&R shoot if you want people to help you figure it out.

[TheReluctantCraftstronaut]

Originally Posted by hambam105

Put the word out here on Calguns you need assistance to verify headspace & caliber.

I understand headspace... but caliber? I've shot hundreds of rounds of factory .270 win ammo through this no problem. What caliber could it possibly be? Or am I missing the point?

[17+1]

I used to load for large ring mausers...the load data is conservative, for 7mm Mauser especially because they made small and large ring variants. Mine is a large ring so I’d always load them up beyond load data which seemed to be geared towards small ring receivers. Never had any overpressure signs, bolt was always very easy to lift.

[God Bless America]

Originally Posted by TheReluctantCraftstronaut

I understand headspace... but caliber? I've shot hundreds of rounds of factory .270 win ammo through this no problem. What caliber could it possibly be? Or am I missing the point?

I suspect the point is to not put an 8x57 in an '06 chamber, which would be catastrophically destructive.

[TheReluctantCraftstronaut]

Originally Posted by hambam105

Put the word out here on Calguns you need assistance to verify headspace & caliber.

Originally Posted by God Bless America

I suspect the point is to not put an 8x57 in an '06 chamber, which would be catastrophically destructive.

I feel like an idiot... I didn't even state in my OP that it was chambered in .270 winchester. Going to edit the post now.

A few years back, when I got it, I had a gunsmith check the chamber with go/no-go gauges and he gave it the green light in that regard.

[God Bless America]

If HS is good, then I would shoot it. Nothing wrong with Turk mausers.

[arrowshooter]

The only limits that matter lay within your own rifle for measurements and published load data.

Finding someone with a set of headspace gauges will give you the piece of mind that the chamber is not shot, or the bolt is not mismatched.

Take note/pictures of the primers on your shot factory brass, then pop the primers out with a decapping die only or push them back in with a hand primer tool. Really really flat primers "could" be an indicator of too much head space, but not all the time. Removing the primers will give you a clean measurement to the datum/shoulder to compare to the same measurement on the unfired ammo. This is another way to see what is happening in your chamber.

Another measurement you will need to take will be the COAL, especially if you are loading for accuracy. Besides having a base to set your bullet jump from, you will also be able to tell if the throat is shot out.

Here is a link to the Saami Specs and 270 win should be on page 85: https://saami.org/wp-content/uploads...-SAAMI_CFR.pdf

My experience with my sporterized 8mm Mausers:

I have a GEW 98, an M48-A and a BYF 43, The GEW has a new factory profile barrel and the M48 was a new off the shelf rifle. Both will put 5 shots on a nickel at 100 yards when loaded to the upper limit of the charts, but these loads bind the bolts up a bit which is another sign of too much pressure. I needed to take both loads down 2 grains to smooth out the after shot bolt opening. Again, these are new chambers and the fired brass comes out the same size as the Go Gauge.

The BYF 43 on the other hand has its original barrel (very shiny and sharp) and will take anything I can put down it's neck. This one still passes the Go Gauge, but the brass comes out about .0005 longer than the gauge. It also has a slightly longer throat. Longer chamber + longer bullet jump = less pressure.

Moral is, learn your rifle. Have fun and be safe.