8mm Mauser 7.9x57mm / 7.92mm Mauser

The 7.92x57mm Mauser cartridge is one of the most sucessful European rifle rounds from the first half of the 20th century. It is commonly known as 8mm Mauser.

Originally adopted by the German Army in 1888 and loaded with a round-nosed bullet, it was later upgraded with the introduction of a pointed (Spitzer) bullet of slightly different diameter. It served with the German military throughout both World Wars, being the round chambered by the German Army’s standard rifles; firstly the Gewehr 98 and later the Kar98k..

It was also the standard round of other European armies, most notably the Czechoslovak, Polish, Portuguese, Yugoslavian Armies and some others. While in most countries this round is long obsolete as a military loading, it is still quite popular as a hunting round, and many countries still produce both rifles and ammunition in this caliber.