8mm Mauser cartridges

[ulv]

Ok please forgive if this is a stupid question, but I've been reading around for quite some time now and would like to know if anyone has a definitive answer.

I hear many people saying 8mm Mauser is actually "7.92x57". Through my awesome internet research I've come to learn that there were two patterns of 8mm Mauser. One in 1888 that was was chambered 8.08mm (or .318''), and the latter which is the IS variant, in 1905 which was chambered 8.2mm (.323'').

So am I missing something here how this translates to the Germans rounding up to an even 8? At first I thought I couldn't do basic metric conversions but wikipedia agrees with my math

[awall919]

yes 8mm Mauser and 7.92x57 the same caliber.

[ulv]

I'm aware of that, sorry if I didn't make it clear, but where does the measurement of 7.92mm come from?

[Palimino Stripe]

7.92 millimeters = 0.311811024 inches

Which is .312 rounded.

It's a tiny enough difference not really worth spliting hairs about. I assume they had to just pick a number...

For the record- the Germans never called it 8mm. Lazy Americans did. In Europe It was always "7.92X57mm" or "7.92" for short.
-palimino

[Mssr. Eleganté]

..I hear many people saying 8mm Mauser is actually "7.92x57". Through my awesome internet research I've come to learn that there were two patterns of 8mm Mauser. One in 1888 that was was chambered 8.08mm (or .318''), and the latter which is the IS variant, in 1905 which was chambered 8.2mm (.323'').

So am I missing something here how this translates to the Germans rounding up to an even 8? At first I thought I couldn't do basic metric conversions but wikipedia agrees with my math

Remember that firearms bores have two measurements, land to land and groove to groove. 7.92 is the land to land measurement.

Kind of the same reason people say 30-06 instead of 308-06.

[gorblimey]

Wikipedia has good basic info on the various cartridges:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8mm_mauser

http://www.surplusrifle.com/mauser98k/ammunition.asp

[ulv]

Remember that firearms bores have two measurements, land to land and groove to groove. 7.92 is the land to land measurement.

Kind of the same reason people say 30-06 instead of 308-06.

Thanks! This was exactly what I was wondering.

[6mmintl]

S and J bore 8mm.