Primer Pressure Sign?

[Josh Smith]

Hello,

I'm trying to decide whether this primer is flat enough to qualify as a pressure sign:







I'm thinking not quite.

Could be wrong.

It was a Nosler Ballistic Tip 0.323" 180 grain bullet on top of 41 grains of Varget and seated about a caliber deep.

This is a starting load. However, I fired it through my G88 "S" marked. It has a 0.323" chamber but retains the 0.318" bore.

Recoil was not hard at all, but was sharp. Reminded me a lot of a .30-30.

I had no gas blow back in my face, or any bad stuff like that.

Headspace checks out totally fine, and the rifle is in very good condition or I'd not have tried this to begin with.

The only possible pressure sign I can find is that primer -- and I'm not sure it really qualifies as flat.

I have plenty of 0.318" bullets, so if you folks think that this is indeed overpressure, it won't hurt my feelings at all. I just have to decide what to go with given the 0.323" chamber, and this is part of the process.

Thanks!

Josh

[millman]

It doesn't look flat, but it does look as though it has backed out a bit. Unfortunately, I do not have enough reloading experience to give you a good answer, as to what that implies.

[Josh Smith]

Hello,

A backed-out primer shows a light load. If I were to kick this up another half-grain, it would go away.

Still, I'm thinking the edges are too sharp even if the firing pin indentation is still just fine...

That's why I'm borderline.

Thanks!

Josh

[Junk Yard Dog]

Josh, with the Gew88 Commission rifle it's best to keep the loads on the light side, this is not the GEW98, this was Germany's first attempt at using the technology they stole from the French, smokeless powder. Along with the French they did not yet have a real understanding of the nature of smokeless powder, or the metallurgy required for it's use. Treat it like a black powder cartridge rifle that you are loading smokeless rounds for, because in essence that's what it is. If you have a .318 bore then use the .318 bullets, and be careful, these rifles are very old, if it's a Turk marked rifle then it has been subjected to the Turk slightly on the hot side loads for who knows how long, and it was an experimental weapon in the first place, err on the side of caution.

[Burrhead]

Hi Josh, I have to agree with JYD that the correct bullet to shoot in this rifle is a .318 diameter. But have you slugged it to see what diameter bore it actually is. Let's face it in the time period most of these rifles were built bore diameter controls wasn't all that good. You can get away with shooting the larger bullet but I'd stay away from that. I had a K98K that did the same thing with the primers no matter what load I used and I eventually traded it off as I didn't trust it. Myself I use IMR-4064 in most of my military turn bolt rifles, I haven't used Varget as of this date. But I'd definitely get .318 bullets if that is what the actual bore diameter is. Some of these rifles were updated to the .323 bore but I am not sure what the marking was to indicate this and I'd bet the Turks were not all that good about keeping the rifles updated to indicate this was done.
how did she shoot?