Jump to content

8mm machine gun ammo FedArm?


Recommended Posts

SIR FEW FOLKS IN AMERICA OWNED /SHOT / ENJOYED THE 34 MORE THAN MYSELF. got my first in 1966 and sold my last in 2019! possibly the lastunfired matching example on the planet and it KILLED ME to do so. when the WW II BRASS cased 8mm disappeared . reasonable expectations went with it. sure they would run sometimes, but a perfectly running example could change its mind at any time. many claim other wise this ammo appears to be remanufactured using a mixture of components and most likely COMM BLOCK surplus cases. ammo may be forbidden but parts are not and they are starting to surface. I would NOT use it in any transferable. I got decent results with the surplus RONANIAN 8mm BUT BROKE a LOT of parts. consider, I AM A SHOOTER ! I have MORE than 150 complete bolts 300 as new WW II barrels and a TON of parts to move now that the guns are gone others thinking they shoot a lot may do 5 big shoots and 4-5 days more relaxed. until this year? I shot a MG ALMOST EVERYDAY! if HOME.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Mike! I'll stay aware from FedArm ammo on your advice.  I picked up a premay dealer sample yesterday and ran a belt of Romanian 8mm through it.   The cyclic rate is not steady and it is failing to completely extract the empty shell as I had four or five stoppages on one belt of 50.  Three times on one belt the empty was left in the chamber area with an empty shell facing towards me right outside of the breech and then a live round jammed on top.  Would you think this is an ejector / extractor / recuperator spring issue(s)?  Thanks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Rebel Rifle Ordnance LLC said:

...  I picked up a premay dealer sample yesterday and ran a belt of Romanian 8mm through it.   The cyclic rate is not steady and it is failing to completely extract the empty shell as I had four or five stoppages on one belt of 50.  Three times on one belt the empty was left in the chamber area with an empty shell facing towards me right outside of the breech and then a live round jammed on top.  ...

Hmm.  I've run thousands or rounds of Romy 8mm ammo though my Vickers and it ran perfectly.  Now this was the Romanian stuff that became available 10+ years ago.  I cannot speak of the current stuff.  A friend was so impressed with this older Romy stuff, he bought 2.5 million rounds of it.  

As an aside, there was an older Polish gentleman who was the range master at a now closed Austin rifle range I frequented.  He fought in the Polish resistance during WWII.  He always advised those of us running MG34s to wax our steel cased ammo using carnauba past wax .  That's what I did using SC-Johnson Paste Floor Wax.

sc-johnson-floor-cleaning-products-00203

Edited by pstidan
I can't spell.
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

THIS IS GREAT ADVISE ! nothing went in my 34 with out it. I keep a fat .50 can with a fleece car detail glove in a bag and wipe ea rnd as I load it. then give the entire loaded belt a wipe.

when I found an empty facing the bolt it usually meant the ejector was a tad long. when you have variation in the rate of fire it will also happen as the ejector hits with varied force. all my Rome 8mm was late production and never had any problem other than the expected case sticking when hot. 34's do not like steel cases, period. the german's hade a spl lube not available today and the cases had some type of coating. even then it was avoided and brass first choice.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

What about the new Prvi Partizan 8mm?  I don't have a 34, but I do have a 42 and it seems to do just fine in there.

Otherwise, the age of good, cheap 8mm are over I think.  I always heard the Portuguese stuff was good, but it's so hard to find anymore.  I've had a few people try and gift me Turkish and Ethiopian 8mm, but no way that goes through my 42.

-David

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

DAVID, I have tried to use at least a little bit of all the military calibers produced by PRIVI Partizan  and to date all has performed well. I see a HUGE diff in brass quality even in the same caliber.  the MAIN problem when feeding the 34 is ammo with the CORRECT PRESSURE CURVE !   yes when the late 60's thru 70's Port ammo hit our shores it was fantastic. BEWARE ! in the past 10 yrs or so I have ran into SEVERAL lots with dead primers. not even the courtesy of a hang fire, BUT DEAD! in all dates. when the move to reloading is made,  note there is a variation in the width of the extractor groove. even in the same brand. the VICKERS locks will reject a lot.  I have a PONSNESS WARREN "METAL MATIC" straight line multi stage press that is fantastic when pulling down ammo with bad primers and using the powder/projo in a fresh primed case. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...

Someone in May posted a video shooting it through his bolt..  He liked it better than the Ethiopian 8mm surplus.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3J0uMsISFkA

Edit:
Another video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BY1sXS4ZFY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jG-LWtdPaHQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfPvFmav8WQ

Edited by Ryo
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I shot about 2000 rounds of it at OFASTS this past June.  It performed very well.  I had an occasional, about 10 rounds or so out of 2K failure to ignite with a strong dimple in the primer.   I did spray my MG34 down with ammonia but still had some overnight rusting.  It is very corrosive but does work.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Just wanted to add to this post since it is specifically talking about the FedArm 7.92x57 (which is really Techrim (Russian)).

I took one of the rounds apart and found the following data:

Headstamp

  • dou (Waffenwerke Brunn (formerly Zbrojovka Brno) (Occupation: 1938-1945) - Považská Bystrica, Czechoslovakia)
  • 41 (made in 1941)
  • IXg1 (Steel supplier)
  • 12 (lot)

Powder type: Flake
Powder weight: 42.1 gr
Bullet weight: 197.005 gr
Case with primer weight: 168.7 gr

Found rusting internal to the steel casing. I was told it might be due to the nitrate acid from the decomposing powder.

From what I can tell the primer is the original primer (so I hope it still goes bang)
It looks like it was just repackaged German ammo with their information printed on the side of the casing, not re-manufactured ammo.
I wonder if this was just captured German ammo.

------------------------------------------------

Edit: Adding another bullet pull from a different box.

Headstamp:

  • P25 (Metallwarenfabrik Treuenbritzen G.m.b.H, Werk Sebaldushof, Sebaldushof, Germany)
  • 40 (1940)
  • VIIa1 (Steel supplier)
  • 120 (lot)

Weight (overall): 410.3 gr
Powder weight: 39.4 gr
Bullet weight: 198.4 gr
Case weight (w/primer): 169.5 gr

Found rusting internal to the steel casing, but not nearly as bad as the dou headstamp casing.

It too looked like an original bullet, nothing done to it. However from other boxes I found different condition ammunition.  For example a 1940 dou headstamp round was filthy dirty. Another dou primer pocket looked like the crimp was removed.. but it still had a thin green sealant on it.  Another had the crimp gone and the primer was slightly askew. 

I put photos of it on: https://forum.cartridgecollectors.org/t/techcrim-russian-8x57-is/26508/92

Edited by Ryo
Found another bullet type..
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 months later...

Old post.. just happen to be looking for something else.

I ran FedArms through my MG34 and it ran flawlessly.  Ate 300-400 rounds the last time I shot it. Unfortunately FedArms must have caught on they were selling it for a good price and upped it.  Then the ammo craze came and I think they upped it more!  On GunBroker there is a guy there selling the same stuff.  Haven't shot it yet, but nearly exact same German stuff.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...