The
Austro-Hungarian 8×50mmR Mannlicher or 8×50mmR M93 is a service
cartridge dating back to the days of semi-smokeless powder. It was later replaced by (and many weapons were rechambered for) the
8×56mmR cartridge.
History
M90
In approximately 1890, the
Austro-Hungarian Empire
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
converted the older,
black powder
Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, carbon (in the form of charcoal) and potassium nitrate (saltpeter). T ...
filled
8×52mmR Mannlicher
The 8×52mmR Mannlicher cartridge was first introduced in 1888 for the Mannlicher M1888 rifle, an updated version of the Mannlicher M1886.
Description
The round was given the designation ''8mm M.88 scharfe Patrone'' (8mm M88 Sharp Cartridge). It ...
round into a semi-smokeless cartridge, following upon the heels of France's
8 mm Lebel cartridge, the first smokeless military round. This new round was designated ''8mm M.1890 scharfe Patrone'' or "nitro-Patrone". It was loaded with the same 244 gr bullet but carried a 43 gr charge of "Gewehrpulver" ("rifle powder", Austria-Hungary's name for their version of smokeless powder, which was actually a "semi-smokeless" powder). The new semi-smokeless loading pushed the bullet to a velocity of in the converted
M.88/90 and
M.86/90 Mannlicher rifles.
M93
In 1893 the loading was once again updated with the perfection of a completely smokeless powder by the Austro-Hungarians. This new loading was designated "8mm M.1893 scharfe Patrone", it was loaded with the same bullet as the two previous loadings but used a 43 gr charge of the new Gewehrpulver M.1892. This improved ballistics slightly to out of the M.88/90 and later M.95 long rifles, it was about less out of the repetier-carabiner M.90 and
M.95.
Current use
The
IOF.315 Sporting Rifle uses this cartridge under the title of .315 (also .315 Indian).
The 8×50mmR Mannlicher cartridge has a long history of sporting use in India, as it was a simple matter to modify the Lee–Enfield action to accommodate the 8×50mmR in place of the
.303 inch cartridge, thus providing a solution to the
British colonial administration's 1907 ban on civilians possessing rifles chambered in British military calibres while offering a cartridge of similar capabilities.
British gunmakers BSA produced sporting versions of the Lee–Enfield military rifle, chambered in "8mm (.315")" from well before World War I until at least the 1930s. The British-founded "Rifle Factory Ishapore" continues to manufacture Lee–Enfield sporting rifles in this chambering.
Handloading
Reloadable cartridge cases can be produced by reforming and trimming
8×56mmR Mannlicher or
7.62×54mmR
The 7.62×54mmR is a rimmed rifle cartridge developed by the Russian Empire and introduced as a service cartridge in 1891. Originally designed for the bolt-action Mosin–Nagant rifle, it was used during the late tsarist era and throughout th ...
Mosin–Nagant Russian brass. Standard .323" 8mm S-bullets are correct for this caliber though best results are obtained from open-base bullets that can expand to fit the .329" bore.
RCBS offers both reforming and reloading dies.
When reloading for "wedge-lock" Mannlicher rifles such as the M.88, M.86/88, M.86/90 or M.88/90 chamber pressures should be kept low for safety. Rifles such as the Mannlicher M.95 using a stronger rotating-bolt design can be loaded to higher pressures.
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:8by50mmR Mannlicher
Military cartridges
Pistol and rifle cartridges
Rimmed cartridges
Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1890