Hey all.
I recently acquired a Turk Mauser that was originally a Gew98. So, naturally I picked up some ammo for it...stuff that was available locally.
I have 60 rounds of Yugo, and 60 Ecuadorian. Both are 1950s era.

The Yugo:
Brass cased
Copper FMJ
headstamps;
12 o' clock: 12
3 and 9 o' clock: Stars
6 o' clock: 53
Loose packed 15 to a box
Reddish primer sealant, no sealer on case mouth.
Box says Cep.5/53
12-1953
7.9mm ...Metak (other characters I cannot reproduce with a US keyboard).

The Ecuadorian:
Cleaner looking cases than the Yugo, also brass
Comes on stripper clips Cupro-nickel FMJ
Headstamps:
12 o' clock: 7.92
3 and 9 o'clock: A
6 o' clock: 1955
Stripper clips are white metal, could be steel, or something else (very clean, no corrosion)
Blackish primer sealer, none on case mouth.
Good, solid looking crimps at case mouth.
Box says:
Ejercito Ecuatoriano (with crest between the words)
15 Cartuchos "SS"
Cal. 7,92mm.
Box sides are stapled, rather than glued.

Both were found at semi-local shops. Prices on the Yugo were $7 per box, and the Ecuadorian were $9. I know this is generally overpriced by internet standards...but for some ammo to start with, it was agreeable enough. I have read the Ecuadorian is a little harder to find, and loaded a bit hotter. I am guessing it is not as hot as the older Turkish 8mm that was on the market some time ago though. I haven't shot any of it yet.

Anything I should watch out for? Anything known in regards to hangfires, or necks cracking on these? I would bet dollars to dimes that they are both corrosive and Berdan primed (shot enough surplus ammo to bank on that one. Lol). Anything I should know about before shooting them through my Mauser? I am not really a cartridge collector, but if I get ammo that is harder to find, I tend to save a box or a round for general purposes.

Been thinking about buying a case from AIM...but dunno if I can justify any further expenditures at this point. I have a really easy time going over budget on this kind of stuff.

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I wonder, if I learn to bump fire my carbine from the shoulder... will I have to register my trigger finger?
Opportunistic milsurp hunter.
Just Say No to Bubba!

Wow, $7+$9 a box. Those are 15rd boxes too right? Man that sounds high.

Yes, both are corrosive and berdan primed. Both are also loaded with the s.S. type bullet(198gr lead core).
Here is my limited experience with the two.
The 1950's Yugo - Hard primers, often take more than one strike to set off. I have heard that a heavier striker spring will alleviate this, but I didn't own enough to ever try it. Also, the brass is a little brittle on some and can split upon firing. I had a case breach near the base on one one time, blowing burning gas back at my face. Not pleasant, but I would not consider that to be likely to happen again.
1955 Equadorian - It too had hard primers and sometimes took more than one strike to set off. Strong brass though and pretty accurate from what I can recall.
Also, I shot both rounds through water jugs and wet newsprint. The 50's Yugo bullet stayed relatively intact. The Equadorian, however, fragmented. So, based upon my infromal and very limited testing, I would consider the Equadorian to be a much more effective anti-personnel round.
The Equadorian does seem to be fairly highly regarded and difficult to find. If it were not for the failures to fire on some of them, I would have kept it as 'go to' ammo for my mausers. Oh well.

FWIW-

Allen

Mimicks my exp. exactly..the primers are getting older and a wolf 22# spring will set off both reliably..Most of mine are minty and have no problem shootin either but I keep one wolf in the range bag in case a particular rifle shows a weak spring when trying it out

Keep a look out they just sold a bunch of great Yugo 70's-90's at aim..some will reapear on gunbroker..watch you dont buy the repack 20rnd boxes instead..not saying it would be bad just not as good and consistent as original packed

Went to the Dulles expo show this weekend to renew my NRA (Free admission) and bought 4 boxes of repack for $3 each..Me like headstamp collecting too..best part was at the end of the tables was a stack of 12 boxes of 70's (original) guess what they told me it cost?..yup same $3..guess how many I stuffed in my breadbag ; )..I can make bugholes with this stuff at 100yds (scoped, old and blind)

1950s Ecuadorian is mostly click bang at least mine was and I got it at $1 a box just for the tips. Do youself a favor and order some nce 1970-80s clean sure fire 8mm from AIM. Great stuff, the more you order the cheaper postage is. see http://www.aimsurplus.com/product.aspx? ... x&groupid= put your name on the I want list. It seems everyone got at least 2 or three tins. So it went fast, but 3.50 -4 is about right if you see some at a gun show. Also pick up any Turk, it is loaded hot and you may need to get a WOLF 24 pound replacement spring if the rifle gives light hits. But the Turk will go Kaboom. Dirty but good ammo. The 1950s Yugo 8mm may/ will have one or 2 non fire, dead primers per box. In contrast, that post 1970 Yugo is great. I should have ordered 5 tins

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Don't pick a fight with an old Marine. If he is too old to fight, he'll just shoot you.

I've got a spammer of Rommy surplus 8mm too. I saw free shipping and took the bait a couple weeks ago.

_________________
I wonder, if I learn to bump fire my carbine from the shoulder... will I have to register my trigger finger?
Opportunistic milsurp hunter.
Just Say No to Bubba!

That is very decent ammo. In my experience, you will get virtually no FTF's out of it. The stripper clips are a little stiff, and accuracy is not the best, but not that bad either. It is a steel-cored bullet, if that matters to you for any reason.

I`ve been mostly shooting Romanian and Yugo surplus ammo lately. I`ve got a good stash of both. The Romanian is nice ammo. Clean and surefire, with OK accuracy. The 50`s Yugo is also good. Other than the hard primers I`ve had no problems with it. Some rounds do need a second strike though. I haven`t had the "cracking brass" problem some others have. (Not yet anyway). I think that might be with certain years and lots, and I`ve been lucky so far.

I don`t care for the Ecuadorian much. I`ve still got a fair amount left from 1000 rds I ordered from Sportsmans Guide back when they had it. What I have is not very accurate and loaded hot enough to make the rifle bolts hard to open. I`ve been breaking it down and reusing the bullets and powder for handloads.

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"Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake"

I have had very good luck with the 1950's Yugo, as well as the later 1970's vintage (externally like new).

Congrats on joining the Turk club. You now have another serious addiction to feed. You really need to baptize that "new" Turk with some Turkish ammo, kind of a tradition. There used to be a lot of it around very cheap (70 round bandoliers for as little as $3), of course you can't get it for that any more. Keep your eye out for some.

One additional bit of advice for Turks is to completely disassemble and clean the bolt. I have had several which had a lot of "gunk" inside, sometimes mixed with a bit of rust. Occasionally this will reduce the effectiveness of the firing pin spring, and cleaning often restores enough power to properly ignite the harder primers. I have rarely had to replace the firing pin springs, but they are available if needed.

I usually get my 8mm loose at Sportsmansguide warehouse, they only sell it in bulk online but I would usually just buy a few boxes at a time with my limited income, and I thought they were a bit high at $5 a 15 round box with no stripper clips.

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"Of all the thieving riff raff fools are the worst, they steal both your time and good mood."
Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe