7.92×57mm

7.92×57mm Mauser

From left to right 9.3×62mm, .30-06 Springfield, 7.92×57mm Mauser, 6.5×55mm and .308 Winchester cartridges

Type

Rifle

Place of origin

German Empire

Service history

In service

1905–present

Used by

Germany, United Kingdom, Spain, Czechoslovakia, Poland, China, Dominican Republic, Yugoslavia, Ottoman Empire, Turkey, Iran, Egypt, and many other countries

Wars

World War I,
World War II
and numerous others

Production history

Designer

German Rifle Testing Commission

Designed

1903/1905

Produced

1888–present

Variants

8×57mm IRS (rimmed)

Specifications

Parent case

M/88

Case type

Rimless, bottleneck

Bullet diameter

8.22 mm (0.324 in)

Neck diameter

9.08 mm (0.357 in)

Shoulder diameter

10.95 mm (0.431 in)

Base diameter

11.94 mm (0.470 in)

Rim diameter

11.95 mm (0.470 in)

Rim thickness

1.30 mm (0.051 in)

Case length

57.00 mm (2.244 in)

Overall length

82.00 mm (3.228 in)

Case capacity

4.09 cm³ (63.1 gr H₂O)

Rifling twist

240 mm (1 in 9.45 in)

Primer type

Large rifle

Maximum pressure (C.I.P.)

390.0 MPa (56,560 psi)

Maximum pressure (SAAMI)

241.3 MPa (35,000 psi)

Ballistic performance

Bullet mass/type	Velocity	Energy
11.7 g (181 gr) RWS DK	820 m/s (2,700 ft/s)	3,934 J (2,902 ft·lbf)
12.1 g (187 gr) RWS HMK	820 m/s (2,700 ft/s)	4,068 J (3,000 ft·lbf)
12.7 g (196 gr) RWS TMR	800 m/s (2,600 ft/s)	4,064 J (2,997 ft·lbf)
12.8 g (198 gr) RWS ID Classic	800 m/s (2,600 ft/s)	4,096 J (3,021 ft·lbf)

Test barrel length: 600 mm (23.62 in)
Source(s): RWS / RUAG Ammotech

The 7.92×57mm Mauser (designated as the 8mm Mauser or 8×57mm by the SAAMI and 8 × 57 IS by the C.I.P.) is a rimless bottlenecked rifle cartridge. The 7.92×57mm Mauser cartridge was adopted by the German Empire in 1905, and was the German service cartridge in both World Wars. In its day, the 7.92×57mm Mauser cartridge was one of the world’s most popular military cartridges. In the 21st century it is still a popular sport and hunting cartridge that is factory-produced in Europe and the United States.

The parent cartridge on which the 7.92×57mm Mauser is based was adopted by Germany in 1888 as the Patrone 88 (cartridge 88) or M/88 (along with the Gewehr 1888 service rifle). The M/88 cartridge was loaded with 2.75 g (42.4 gr) single-base (based on nitrocellulose) smokeless powder and a relatively heavy 14.7 grams (227 gr) round-nosed ball cartridge with a diameter of 8.08 mm (0.318 in). It was designed by the German Gewehr-Prüfungskommission (G.P.K.) (Rifle Testing Commission). The M/88 bore originally had 7.90 mm (0.311 in) lands diameter and 8.10 mm (0.319 in) grooves diameter. The M/88 barrel bore specification was changed by 1894/1895 to 7.90 mm (0.311 in) lands diameter and 8.20 mm (0.323 in) grooves diameter to improve accuracy and reduce barrel wear in M/88 chambered arms.

German government driven efforts to further improve on the performance of the military M/88 ammunition and the service arms in which the M/88 was used after several development steps eventually resulted in the official adaptation on 3 April 1903 by the Gewehr-Prüfungskommission of the dimensionally redesigned 7.92×57mm Mauser chambering. Besides the chambering, the bore (designated as "S-bore") was also dimensionally redesigned. The 1903 pattern 7.92×57mm Mauser S Patrone (S ball cartridge) was loaded with a lighter 9.9 grams (153 gr), pointed Spitzgeschoß (spitzer bullet) of 8.2 mm (0.323 in) diameter and more powerful double-base (based on nitrocellulose and nitroglycerin) smokeless powder. With the improved ballistic coefficient of the new spitzer bullet, the 1903 pattern cartridge had an improved maximum effective range and a flatter trajectory, and was therefore less critical of range estimation compared to the M/88 cartridge.

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Wikipedia