8x57JS rifle round

[jasonm]

I was recently leveling ground on my property and found 2 rifle shells one spent and one un-spent NORMA R 8x57JS about 6 inches under where an old garage used to be, I have been here 30 years and have never shot a round like this. I am just trying to find out where these shells might have come from and how old they may be. If anyone could give me some info on this I would appreciate it. Thanks!!!

[TheBluesMan]

You'll get more responses if this is posted in the General Discussion forum.

I'll move it over there for you.

-Dave

[Vilkata]

From the results I get on google, I think that Norma was a Swedish ammo producer.

Also,

"The Germans added a "J" to the suffix of their 8mm Mauser round to indicate an infantry cartridge, which resulted in that cartridge being known as the 8x57J. Later an "S" was added to indicate the use of a new spitzer bullet in a cartridge originally loaded with a round nose bullet. Thus the "8x57JS" cartridge used in the Mauser 98 military rifle with which the Germans fought two World Wars."

So... Someone was firing an ex-german rifle, using swedish ammunition, on your property, sometime in the 60's/70's ?

Certainly not the usual cartridge you find laying around on your property.

-Ben.

[jefnvk]

Norma is a commercial ammo loader. They make a lot of hunting loads for surplus rifles.

They certainly have been there longer than the garage

[20cows]

I believe that is a German 8mm round that uses a .318 bullet rather than the .323 the Mauser m98 is chambered for more commonly. My father has a German drilling (double barreled shotgun over a third barrel in a rifle caliber) that is chambered for 8x57JR. The JS is a rimless or semi-rimmed case and the JR is a rimmed case. Other than the rim, I think the cartridges are identical.

The standard load for the 8x57JR is a 196 gr. round-nose bullet at about 2400 fps. Most of the guns one would find in this caliber date prior to WWII. My uncle brought my father's back after the war.