History and Development of the 7.9x57mm Cartridge

INTRODUCTION
If there is one cartridge which can be said to have set the pattern for military and sporting rifle cartridges during the twentieth century, and from which most other cartridges can be said to be derivative, it is the German 7.9x57mm cartridge, also known as the 8mm Mauser.   During its heyday, the 7.9x57mm cartridge was adopted by more than twenty nations, and derivative cartridges by countless others.  To this day its performance remains the benchmark by which all other full-power battle rifle cartridges are measured.

Commission Model 88 Cartridge

The Commission Model 88 cartridge, designed by the German Infantry Commission at Spandau Arsenal, set the pattern for the entire series of Mauser smokeless powder rifle cartridges, both military and sporting.  The Commission Model 88 cartridge, adopted for the German Commission Model 88 rifle, was a rimless cartridge with a very slight body taper.   The rimless design, unique among military rifle cartridges of the day, made for a more compact cartridge that was better adapted for use in stripper and en bloc clips, as well as improved feeding characteristics from box magazines.   There were design trade offs for the rimless  cartridge's improved reliability:  For one, the case head was made

7.9mm Model 88 Cartridge Image Credit: Brandt, Hamann, Windisch, Die Militar Patronen Kaliber 7.9mm - ihre Vorlaufer und Abarten, (Journal-Verlag Schwend GmbH, Schwabisch Hall, 1981) Page 31

7.9mm Model 88 Cartridge Headstamps Image Credit:  Brandt, Hamann, Windisch, Die Militar Patronen Kaliber 7.9mm - ihre Vorlaufer und Abarten, (Journal-Verlag Schwend GmbH, Schwabisch Hall, 1981) Page 16

The case's slight taper allowed for the use of a heavy propellant charge without the need for an extremely long case.  The taper of the case shoulder was a compromise between the sharp angle necessary for a positive headspace indexing and the gentle slope that made for ease of manufacture.  The case's neck was made no longer than absolutely necessary for a firm grip on the bullet.  The case's overall length was 57mm, and as a result the cartridge attained unofficial recognition as the 7.9x57mm.  At the same time as military production commenced, the cartridge was also offered commercially as both the 8mm Mauser and the 8x57mm Mauser.  Markings on case heads of military Model 88 cartridges included the year and month of production as well as a letter code indicating the manufacturer. The Model 88 cartridge took advantage of all the relevant technological advances of the day.  One of these was the metal jacketed bullet developed in 1874 by Lieutenant Colonel Bode of the Prussian Army and improved by Colonel Rubin of the Swiss Army.  The jacketed bullet made the use of smokeless propellants practical and economical.  It allowed for proper engraving and rotation of the bullet under heavy gas pressure thrust without stripping of the bearing surface and resultant fouling of the bore.  The Model 88 cartridge had a 227 grain bullet that was jacketed with cupro-nickel clad mild steel.  The round-nosed bullet had a very long bearing surface, with an inset base.  Mindful of the problems of powder and jacketing fouling caused by excessive engraving resistance, the bullet's diameter, .318", was about .003" smaller than the diameter of the bore.  As a result, excessive engraving and pressure was avoided.  Recognizing that this size disparity might have a detrimental effect on accuracy if the rifling was too shallowly engraved, the convex base of the lead core was joined by the turned in edges of the bullet jacket.  As a result, the bullet's base expanded when the cartridge was fired to provide an effective gas seal.  The bullet's great length made for excellent sectional density and penetration. The Model 88 cartridge's propellant was nitrocellulose in the form of rectangular flakes, as used in the French 8mm Lebel cartridge.  Flake propellant was to become a trademark of Mauser smokeless powder cartridges.  Although the

7.9mm S Cartridge

The S (for Spitzgeschoss, or "pointed bullet") cartridge with its 154 grain pointed was adopted by Germany in 1903, with initial issues taking place on October 1, 1905.  The new cartridge had significantly lighter bullet coupled with a much heavier powder charge.  Consequently the muzzle velocity was far greater than that obtained with the Model 88 cartridge.  When coupled with the lower air resistance offered by the pointed bullet, the S cartridge offered a significantly flatter trajectory than the Model 88.  As a result, rifles chambered for the S cartridge had sights calibrated differently than those for the Model 88.

7.9mm S Cartridge Image Credit:  Brandt, Hamann, Windisch, Die Militar Patronen Kaliber 7.9mm - ihre Vorlaufer und Abarten, (Journal-Verlag Schwend GmbH, Schwabisch Hall, 1981) Page 37

The S cartridge also used a projectile of .323" in diameter, .005" larger than that of the Model 88.  This required a case neck of somewhat larger diameter than that of the Model 88. In point of fact, this was the only dimension in which the S cartridge case differed from that of the Model 88.  As with the Model 88, the S cartridge used flake type propellant, but the S cartridge's propellant was improved with the addition of a deterrent surface coating which improved the velocity to pressure relationship by means of a more progressive propellant ignition.  The deterrent coating, a urea derivative known as Centralite, was named after the place of its development the Centralstelle fur wissenschaftlich-technische Untersuchungen - the
Central Office for Scientific Technical Research - at Neubabelsburg.  This organization was part of the armsmaking conglomerate Deutsche Waffen-und-Munitionsfabrken (DWM), and apparently collaborated with the German government on some of its research projects.  DuPont, the American chemical giant, later used the Centralite patents when developing their line of smokeless propellants.

During World War One, raw materials for making brass cases became scarce, and from 1916 onward, many S cartridge cases were made from mild steel and plated with copper internally to prevent rusting.  The case heads were marked with the month and year of production as well as a letter to indicate the manufacture.  The marking "S67" was also used to indicate a brass case, and was commonly stamped on S cartridges produced during World War One.
 

7.9mm S Bullet Left, without cannelure, Right, with cannelure Image Credit:  Brandt, Hamann, Windisch, Die Militar Patronen Kaliber 7.9mm - ihre Vorlaufer und Abarten, (Journal-Verlag Schwend GmbH, Schwabisch Hall, 1981) Page 20

The base of the S bullet was slightly concave as an aid to bore obturation.  The initial production run of S bullets were made without cannelures.  From around 1916 onward, bullets were manufactured with a deep cannelure.  This enabled a more secure crimp, which improved cartridge durability for use in machine guns.  The bearing surface at the rear of the cannelure was .323" in diameter, while that forward of the cannelure was .321".  Both were comparatively short, which helped to ease the bullet's entry into the rifling.

7.9mm sS Cartridge

During the First World War, it was discovered, much to the Germans' chagrin, that the S cartridge did not have the range of the French 8mm Balle D cartridge, and was therefore inferior for long range machine gun fire.  To overcome this shortcoming, the Germans developed a new 7.9mm cartridge with a 198 grain bullet of spitzer boattail design.  As the new cartridge had a heavier bullet than the S cartridge, it was designated  the sS (schweres Spitzgeschoss - heavy pointed bullet) cartridge. Since the sS bullet weighed considerably more than the S bullet, it had a considerably lower muzzle velocity.  However, the sS bullet's

7.9mm sS Cartridge Image Credit:  Brandt, Hamann, Windisch, Die Militar Patronen Kaliber 7.9mm - ihre Vorlaufer und Abarten, (Journal-Verlag Schwend GmbH, Schwabisch Hall, 1981) Page 71

7.9mm sS Bullet Image Credit:  Brandt, Hamann, Windisch, Die Militar Patronen Kaliber 7.9mm - ihre Vorlaufer und Abarten, (Journal-Verlag Schwend GmbH, Schwabisch Hall, 1981) Page 58

Visually, it is easy to recognize the sS cartridge from the S cartridge.  The sS cartridge has a green primer annulus as opposed to the S cartridge's black annulus, and the gradual taper of the bullet's ogive.  During the early 1930's, the case markings on 7.9mm cartridges were changed by replacing the month of production with a lot number and the brass case indication symbol "S67" with "S*".  In a few instances the manufacturer was still indicated by an initial, but more generally by a

7.9mm SmE  and SmE (lang) Cartridges
SmE

Case Length:  57mm	Bullet Type:  Jacketed pointed nose, boat tail	Bullet Weight:  178 grains	Powder Charge Weight:  43.2 grains
Cartridge Length Overall:  3.17"	Bullet Length:  1.45"	Bullet Jacket Material:  Gilding-metal clad or zinc plated steel	Muzzle Velocity:  2,526 feet per second from 23.62" barrel
Cartridge Weight:  394 grains	Bullet Diameter:  .323"	Powder Type:  Flake Nitrocellulose
7.9mm SmE Cartridge Image Credit:  Brandt, Hamann, Windisch, Die Militar Patronen Kaliber 7.9mm - ihre Vorlaufer und Abarten, (Journal-Verlag Schwend GmbH, Schwabisch Hall, 1981) Page 89

SmE (lang)

Case Length:  57mm	Bullet Type:  Jacketed pointed nose, boat tail	Bullet Weight:  162 grains	Powder Charge Weight:  42.4 grains
Cartridge Length Overall:  3.17"	Bullet Length:  1.57"	Bullet Jacket Material:  Gilding-metal clad or zinc plated steel	Muzzle Velocity:  2,460 feet per second from 23.62" barrel
Cartridge Weight:  385 grains	Bullet Diameter:  .323"	Powder Type:  Flake Nitrocellulose
7.9mm SmE (lang) Cartridge Image Credit:  Brandt, Hamann, Windisch, Die Militar Patronen Kaliber 7.9mm - ihre Vorlaufer und Abarten, (Journal-Verlag Schwend GmbH, Schwabisch Hall, 1981) Page 111

Lead shortages during the Second World War led the Germans to develop 7.9mm ball cartridges with mild steel bullet cores.  These cartridges were known as the SmE (Spitzgeschoss mit Eisenkern - Pointed bullet with iron core) and SmE (lang) (pointed bullet with long iron core).  Both had a lead sleeve between the core and the jacket to ease the bullet's passage through the bore, and the SmE bullet had a lead filler inside the point.  The SmE (lang) had a longer steel core than the SmE.  Instead of bullet jackets made from mild steel sandwiched between layer of gilding metal, steel jackets thinly plated with gilding metal or zinc were used in order to save copper.
 
 

Steel cases used in the SmE and SmE (lang) had a bonderized (a form of phosphating) finish and were coated with clear lacquer as a rust preventative.  There was also a thin layer of wax on the outer surface to help prevent corrosion and to ease extraction.  Additionally, copper plated steel cases were also used.  Copper plated case have a Roman numeral marking, while those with a lacquer coating were marked "St" or "St+".  Case walls toward the base of "St" marked steel cases were slightly thicker than those of brass cases.  The "St+" brass case had the same wall thickness and capacity as a brass case. Identification of the SmE cartridge was by means of a blue primer annulus.  The primer of the SmE cartridge was coated with a clear lacquer.  These rounds were generally loaded with the 30/40 non-corrosive primer having a zinc-plated steel cup.  This primer replaced the Model 88 corrosive primer which had been standard since the inception of the Model 88 cartridge. Many of the 7.9mm steel cases produced during the Second World War have only one flash hole, which was adjacent to the anvil and slightly off center.  The single hole was larger in diameter than the twin holes, and aided in manufacture by reducing breakage of flash hole drill bits. There was also a variety of special purpose 7.9mm military cartridges.  These included blanks with a red, hollow wooden bullet, a dummy round, armor piercing, tracer, and incendiary cartridges.  Additionally, there were certain

7.9mm SmE Cartridge Cores (From left - Types A, B and C) Image Credit:  Brandt, Hamann, Windisch, Die Militar Patronen Kaliber 7.9mm - ihre Vorlaufer und Abarten, (Journal-Verlag Schwend GmbH, Schwabisch Hall, 1981) Page 86

CONCLUSION
The 7.9mm military cartridge is arguably the most significant cartridge of the 20th century, being the direct ancestor of  such military stalwarts as the 7x57mm, the .30-06, the 7.5x55mm, and the 7.5x54mm.  Indeed, a good case can be made for tracing the design characteristics of the 7.62mm NATO back to the original S cartridge.  Despite this impressive lineage, and the fact that there is a tremendous amount of inexpensive ammunition and a large number of fine inexpensive 7.9mm rifles available, the 7.9mm cartridges have never garnered the respect they deserve in the United States.  It is hoped that this article will inspire a bit more interest in what is essentially the father of all military battle rifle cartridges.

In case it doesn't, ponder this:

The United States military applied all the lessons it learned during World War Two and spent more than ten years and millions upon millions of dollars to develop the 7.62mm NATO cartridge.  In doing so, they saved six millimeters of case length and almost managed to duplicate the performance of the 7.9mm S cartridge while subjecting the firearms chambered for the new round to average chamber pressures more than ten percent higher than the 7.9mm S cartridge dating from 1903.

Note: Data for this month's trivia page was gathered from:

Brandt, Hamann, Windisch, Die Militar Patronen Kaliber 7.9mm - ihre Vorlaufer und Abarten, (Journal-Verlag Schwend GmbH, Schwabisch Hall, 1981)

Olson, Ludwig, Mauser Bolt Rifles, Brownell & Son (Montezuma, Iowa, 1991)

Die Militar Patronen Kaliber 7.9mm - ihre Vorlaufer und Abarten is available from IDSA Books.  Click on the image to order:

Mauser Bolt Rifles   is available from Brownells.  Click on the image to order:

 
 
 
 
 

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