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On another gun board, someone said that the 8.46 1/2 on the bottom of the action was a caliber marking referring to the 8.15x46R cartridge, the usual German target cartridge which stalking rifles are very commonly chambered in.


http://zincavage.org/ProofMarks1.JPG

Unfortunately, the chamber casting has no resemblance at all to the 8.15x45R cartridge, so I suspect the same shoemaker who messed up the key probably rechambered the rifle to something that was a bad idea. I get the feeling that I will be having it rebarreled before I'm through.

I am one of those who plays with the 8.15x46R cartridge. Although supposedly "normalised" many years ago, there are quite a few decidedly different chambers for the several variants of this cartridge. I have re-visited the gunsmith's chamber drawings and 8.15x46R now makes sense. Forget the Peterlongo or Collath suggestions. Those are in error. What first appears to a bottleneck for the forward end of the chamber for a high velocity hunting cartridge is the "forcing cone" peculiar to the 8.15 cartridge.

The gunsmith's chamber cast is OK, except that he did not extend the chamber cast far enough into the barrel. You need bore & groove measurements about an inch in front of the forcing cone and another set near the muzzle. That will help you with bullet selection.

The 8.15 cartridge is normally fired with cast bullets, but RWS made a load with a jacketed hunting bullet. You can read all about the 8.15 cartridge and "stop-ring" bullets on the ASSRA Forum.

Don't be in a hurry to re-barrel it. There are quite a few guys who shoot the cartridge. Yesterday, I shot in an offhand match for single shots & lead bullets, 31 shots at 200 yards. Of the 7 competitors, 2 used the 8.15x46R.

I strongly suspect that this rifle was rechambered in the US, after WW2, from 8.15X46R to 8mm-06. This would result in a lack of proof marks matching the dimensions.It would also result in a mismatch in dimensions because of going from rimmed to rimless case and widely varying dimensions of 8.15 barrels.This can all be dealt with by an experienced handloader, but it would have been much better if the rifle had not been rechambered in the first place.It was not, and is not my rifle, so I really have nothing to say about it.
Mike

If Der Ami is correct, you need to know ASAP. If 8mm-06, you should be able to chamber a .30-06 case. If it fits or comes very close to fitting, the rifle has been rechambered.

Also, look at the bolt face. If the .30-06 case fits properly against the bolt face, that is another clue.

If the .30-06 case does not fit, next try a .30-30 Winchester case in the chamber and against the bolt face. Sometimes 8.15 rifles were rechambered for .30-30 or .32 Winchester Special.

Many who play with 8.15 rifles make the cases from .30-30, .32 Special or .32-40 brass. The conversion process is simple.

I tried a loaded .30-06 round. It came very close to chambering. It went in right up to the groove. I then tried closing the bolt on it. I did not force it, but it nearly closed. I think I could have forced it shut and jammed the round in there. The cartridge tended to stick, and I had to tap the butt lightly on the floor to make it come free.

David,
Was the 06 rim engaged by the extractor? If so,opening the bolt should have extracted the cartridge, if not,this could cause the failure to chamber the cartridge.It appears the rifle is chambered for 8mm-06.I suggest you load an empty,fl sized, primed 30-06 case with 8-10gr Bullseye powder,tamp a 1/4 sheet TP over it,fill the case with cornmeal(or grits, or cream of wheat, or polishing media), and plug it with more TP, or stryofoam.This is a common fireforming load, and firing one will show what the chamber looks like, as well as inform you if you must use a .318" bullet( or .320-323", which ever fits into the fired case).Slugging the barrel would also affect this decision.If you have to force the fireforming load to chamber, do so.
Mike

I'm wondering if it might be rechambered into .303 British. I'm looking for a box of .303 rounds I have around somewhere, and will try it later.

Fire-forming cases will have to wait a bit. Years ago, I said: I'll never be bothered to reload again, and gave all my stuff away.

I bought a few Lyman 310 tools recently in response to the ammo shortage, but I will need to pick up a few more tools and lots of supplies.

David,
If a 30-06 will go in a 303 will be too small, in dia.as well as length.The 30-06 is about .468" in dia.,while a 303 is about .454", the current chamber would not "clean up".
Mike

In addition to 8mm-06, it could be an 8x57 or 8x60 or one of the rimmed versions. Looking at the bolt face and trying some empty cartridge cases for fit under the extractor should tell you a lot for not much effort.

In any event, it is an 1888 Commission action or some commercial or custom shop variant. An early smokeless design and probably 1890s materials. Very high pressure loads can be encountered for all of the above cartridges.

What do you intend to do with it?

Waterman,
While it is possible, I didn't consider any cartridge that would have been done by a German gunsmith, such as 8x60, 8x57IR, etc.This is because a German gunsmith rechambering a rifle would be required to have it reproofed, or be subject to severe punishment.Checking the boltface could provide useful info.Rim dia. of 8.15x46R is slightly less than 30-30, but some rifles will accept cases made from 30-30 w/o turning.The difference between normal 8.15 rim and 06 rim would be on the order of .020-.030", or .010-.015". This would be a little loose, but may work.
Mike