Roll your own 8x57

[jimseery]

Finally found some 8x57 brass. Considering how many Mausers were made it's not as common as you may think. Stopped at the local Ace hardware and found a 12" piece of stainliess steel tubing 5/16 x .028 and some 1/4" od plastic tubing.
You drill out the base of the shell casing with a 1/4" bit, cut the SS tubing to 2.8" and press it into the shell casing. I used a 1" belt grinder to put slight bevel on the end of the round like the original.
The good news. The home made round will cycle, that is load, shot, and eject. I'm still ankle deep in snow so I don't know how much variability there is between the issue rounds and the home made one.
Neutral news. The shell cost me 45 cents. plastic tubing 10 cents a foot, SS tubing $5 a foot. So for all intents and purposes it cost me $1.75 a round. I know that this can be reduced, in some cases quite a bit. If you can find someone who shots 8x57 see if he will save you the brass. Even if he reloads there only so many times you can recycle. You might even be able to do this with the non reloadabel aluminum casings. The tubing fit so well I just bought it but this is the big expense and brass or copper may be cheaper.
The bad news. I hoped the lip you get when you use a tubing cutter would be enough to hold the bb in place, and it is. Unforunatley it also very touchy to get it to the point where it holds the bb in but also lets it shoot. The original appears to have an "o" ring to hold the bb in.
In any event this appears to be a project that has promise. I posted this because I want some ideas from all you idea men out there on how to keep the bb in place with minimum effect on shooting. If the gun will perform at acceptable skirmish levels than this should be the answer to the ammo problem. At least it should get the price down to under $1.50 a round.

[WonkoTheSane]

Can we have some pictures of what you did? Sounds interesting.

[gliderrider]

I'm glad you have manadged to make some jimseery, but I think the UK firearms laws are a little too drakonian to let you do that.

Good job, Thank you for the Effort,

[Tough Ombre]

Well, what about making your own gasket? You can get some gasket sealer put a BB' in there seal around it let it set pop the bb out and trim it up to what you need for the bb to get through easily. If that makes any sense.
-Cary

[gliderrider]

I'v actually just made a mould for my marushin shells. I will be using two part liquid resin as the casting medium.

Put an 8.05mm tube dead centre in the mould, and pour the resin around the shell, leave it to harden, and finnish in brass colour.

Finally grease the ends or the tube and add "O" Rings, I think these cost about $1 each, and are good for about 2 or three shots.

This should transfer over to the De Boys just as well, But I get the feeling you will need to be more carefull with your daily maintenance.

[2nd Bat]

So we're going to spend how much on parts? A whole lot of running around and the time to produce to save how much on parts that may or not be consistent and work. Wow! Some folks really do have a lot of time on their hands. Jimseery you're a tinkerer and I love it. Keep us posted on your progress I love that you're doing this but clearly it's more emotional then rational.

It is cool that the actual rounds cycle and clearly have the potential to be adapted.

[jimseery]

O.K., it works. Part of the problems I had was the plastic tubing was to near the base of the casing and the conical nozzle in the bolt was not getting a good seal, moving it up about a .10 or an inch cleared that up. If you take a toothpick and just smear a thin film of silicon glue on the bb end of the SS tube it will provide enough friction to hold the bb in. So where does that leave us?
When I got the gun my thought process went like this (As 2nd Bat noted, as a retired widower, I have too much time on my hands). The primary stumbling block that eveyone noted was cost of ammo and reloading, or losing it in the field. My experience to date, is as before, good news and bad news. The good news is that you can probably make up 20 rounds for about $30-$35. This would entail a trip to a gunshop or gunshow and your local Ace hardware. The bad news is that my experience to date and the review that Guinness posted make me suspect the rifle may be marginal or worse for skirmishing.
From my point of view the ammo problem may have a reasonable solution. Because I'm probably more irreational than most I will continue fooling with the design and hope to get some measurements out the whole process and some pictures in the near future.
Who knows, we may figure out a way to up the power and accuracy, and 2nd Bat you really need to be careful on throwing phrases like "more emotional then rational" around. After all most of the participants on this site dress in antique clothes and run around shooting each other in the butt. People who live in grass houses shouldn't stowe thrones (seg).

[jimseery]

Gliderrider - An afterthought. If you can figure out a way, JB Weld, actual welding, soldering, etc to attach a washer to the base of your tubing and drill it out to allow for your o ring then the resin becomes cosmetic. The washer takes the stress of the ejector and the metal tubing the stress of being jammed against the barrel. Just a thought.

[2nd Bat]

Jimseery. Guilty as charged. I dropped and gave you ten!

[slick63]

Off the top of my head...how close are the Swedish mauser 6.5x55 to the German 7.92 rounds. If the end was rolled slightly, the BB might fit snugly, also by using the whole cartridge as an air cylinder instead of the tube insert, how much loss of fps would there be?

[gliderrider]

Jimseery, My Mk2 shells will be done exactly as that, but I'm not sure how long it will take me to get a finnished product. My other thought was to cast in metal, not sure what to use though, as that is pretty new to me.

[jimseery]

In order - 2nd Bat - And rightly so, when I used to dress in dead animal hides with a dead skunk for a hat and live in a teepee it was historical re enactment, not the silly stuff you guys do. I'd drop and do ten for that but it would probably kill me!
Slick63 - The interior of the tubing I'm using is about .25, a 6mm bb is about .24, the interior diameter of a 6.5mm is probably in the same area. The problem is that the fake shell provided has what appears to be a fake bullet attachedto it. This adds approx. .75" to the round. The metal tubing I found fits snugly into the 8 x 57 casing and can be cut to size. The .25" plastic tubing fits snugly inside that and provides a seat for the bb to sit on. To me it appears to be a simple solution that requires minimal effort to make a functional round.
Glider Rider - I suspect that you may be entering into diminishing returns here. My experience with metal casting is 25mm soldiers in lead, which is too soft for what you're doing. Think in terms of what metal you're going to use, what the melting temperature of it is, what you can make the molds out of that will take that temp. repeatedly, what resources you have to heat the metal up and handle it and what it all will cost. Having said that, I have successfully made molds out of silastic, cast whole armies of Napleanic soldiers , and am trying to find the ambition to paint them. We emotional tinkerers don't know when to stop.

[gliderrider]

I was thinking white metal, as its harder and more durable than lead but similar melt temp. Bear in mind I'm making these for the Marushin shell ejector not the D Boys so as long as the shells cost less than $7 each I'm still saving money.

Having said that, I still want them to be sufficeantly cheep so thay are disposable, incase I have to move before picking up the shell.

And yes, It is true, I shpould stop now, but not till I have finnished the five or six progects I have waiting to be "Tinkered"

[dustin]

so basically wat ur saying is u r buying steel tubing and drilling out the base of the marushin k98 shell so that you can press the steel tubing in there and then the 1/4 into the steel tubing? i am ust wandering if thats wat ur sayin or if ur sayin that u r using the steeltubing n making ur own rounds...please reply back because i have a marushin k98 and i would like to make my own shells bcuz origanal marushin's r way to over priced

[utgm14]

that last comment was me i just registered so now i have a username but nvm now i know wat you are talking about..u r taking 8mm ammo that has been shot and drilling out the base and sticking a steel tube in there and then a plastic tube to reduce the size so it will hold a 8mm bb in there snug and using them as ur bullets... this sounds like it would work good and look good also..can u post a pick of some of them that u have made..thanks

[jimseery]

Gliderrider - If you're using something in the 600 degree fahreheit range there are some silicon gasket "glues" that you can make molds out of. I just spent a week in London and found out the truth of "two peoples divided by a common language", and had a wonderful time in spite of my linguistic handicap. What I'm trying to say is I don't know what silicon gasket maker is called in England. If you know what I'm talking about and are interested I will go into greater depth.
I realize that the VCRA is draconion but does a brass casing with a 1/4" hole drilled in it's base meet the criteria for inert? If so I will gladly send you some de activated brass to play with.
utgm14 - I think you've got it. I hope to have some pictures in a day or two. I should warn you that I am 63 y/o and have trouble sometimes deciding what is "text messeging" and what are typing errors. It is easier for me if you spell correctly, old illiterate that I am.

[gliderrider]

Jimseery - Silicoln Gasket if its the stuff I think you are talking about it's called silicoln sealent, its applied by a Gaulking Gun, I'll edit with a link in a moment. Thank you for the offer of the spent 8mm, I will ask a few people with a better take on the law than me, but I'm not sure about "Spent" cases.

UTGM14 - I'm trying to find alternatives to the $30 for 5 Marushin shells, rather than modifying what I have, preferably for a low cost that will allow them to be "Disposable" so I dont have to worry about stoping to pick up cases after each shot. The steel tubing and washer is the "Guts" of the new shells, and yes, I am using a smaller tube to seat the bb close to the end of the shell ,the resin is the "Casing". I will post up a review and propper how too once I have got a new digital camera and a free afternoon.

Jimseery - www.screwfixdirect.co.uk/prods/27071/Sealants-Adhesives/Sealants/General-Purpose-Sealants/Vallance-General-Purpose-Silicone-White-295ml

[jimseery]

Gliderrider - Very close, but try an auto parts supplier. The stuff I'm thinking of is a varient of the stuff on that site. It comes in tubes which, when making molds, is easier to handle and is usually rated for being resistant to a given temperature. Merry Christmas

[gliderrider]

Thanks mate, Merry christmas to you and yours. Hope you have a good one.

[joered]

I have dboy 98 I was wondering what the size of the O rings in the shells, the rear is a #38 which you can get in Home Depo but the front one is hard one to find any one got a answer

[savoy6]

as always...joered..my suggestion is to try your local ace hardware store...they have tons of small items,like o-rings, in numerous sizes that the big box places can't or won't stock.