Ammunition Evaluation: Ethiopian 7.92x57mm Mauser
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Century International Arms has imported a quantity of Ethiopian ammunition, and asked me to do a video on it. So, I have a three-part evaluation here: appearance and packaging, live fire testing (including velocity and consistency), and teardown and bullet weight consistency. This ammunition was produced (as best I can tell) at the Emperor Haile Selassie Ammunition Factory, established with Czech technical aid in the late 1940s in Addis Ababa. This ammunition is all headstamped 1955, made for a variety of rifles and machine guns including the ZH-29, ZB-26, and FN BAR.
Velocity:
I tested velocity using a 7.92x57mm Yugoslav reworked K98k Mauser rifle (barrel length 23.6 inches). Measurements were taken at 10 feet from the muzzle, with a sample size of 15 rounds fired. I found an average velocity of 2460 fps, extreme spread of 81 fps (max 2505, min 2424), and standard deviation of 22.69 fps. At least half of the rounds fired exhibited a very brief hangfire, and two required a second primer strike to fire.
Bullets:
I tested the weight of 10 bullets using a calibrated Lyman electronic scale. I found an average weight of 197.4 grains, extreme spread of 1.6 grains (max 197.8 gr, min 196.2 gr), and standard deviation of 0.47 grains. Bullet construction is boat tail with an open base, lead core, and gilding metal over steel jacket (these bullets do attract a magnet). I found a seeming random mixture of silver and brass colored jackets in the boxes I opened.
Century advertises this ammunition as using corrosive primers, and I took them at their word and did not test for corrosivity.
Raw data:
Velocities (fps): 2465, 2475, 2440, 2464, 2468, 2433, 2460, 2484, 2424, 2437, 2429, 2474, 2472, 2465, 2505
Bullet weights (grains): 197.5, 197.7, 196.2, 197.1, 197.6, 197.6, 197.3, 197.7, 197.8, 197.4
Forgotten Ammunition
Yes, NEW CHANNEL!
"..so let's crunch the numbers." Damn, wrong channel. I had a Paul Harrell moment.
😂😂👍👍
I expected a meat target with a hi-tech fleece bullet stop!
The crossover among the firearms community on TH-cam is truly amazing
So, is the Ethiopian 8mm worth it? You be the judge.
@@emperorspock3506 Don't forget the pork rib "Pektral"
Would be Interesting to see an evaluation of some old British ww2 era 303 ammunition loaded with cordite
hey Fry nice to see you here (werebear on IF)
If anybody could find it, it would be Gun Jesus. Let's thumb this comment up so he sees it!
I like the comment but on my screen it’s saying it was posted a week ago and the video only went up 35 minutes ago. Wtf TH-cam?!?
@@fscreations7373 patreon only upload 1st maybe?
Good idea but I am a Patreon supporter and haven’t seen it posted before. ‘Tis strange
4:47 cutest and the most adorable thing i ever heard
cringe
based
Bit of flinch on that one, too.
I disagree, 5:18 is cuter
You girls need to stop right damned now. You're going to embarrass him.
By the looks of it, this was probably pretty good ammo in it's day - primers well staked and sealed, good bullet uniformity, and for those rounds that fired promptly, really not bad velocity uniformity. On the other hand, a two in 15 chance of not firing on the first attempt. I'd buy it if the price were right.
Well, considering the age of the ammunition I'd say it's still not all that terrible.
I'd say it was pretty amazing in its day. The rounds that did not hang-fire had just 11.65 fps standard deviation in velocity.
Gary Mitchell it’s still 80-90 bucks for a brick of 300. Good price if you ask me.
I just bought some, about 31 cents a round
@@0neDoomedSpaceMarine I doubt you’ll find it again. Not something I’d run through any semi auto, but if you feel like running 150+ rounds through a bolt action it’s perfect. Only 2 duds and just some slight hangfires.
Ethiopia uses a different calendar if I remember right, and they lag behind by seven or eight years, so that could explain the difference in the dates on the packaging and cartridges.
yeah, they start on a different date and have differing leap year rules, difference seems to be 7-8 years. So packaging is dated on ethiopian calender and the ammo on standard western calender
@@RonJohn63 Possibly for export to other nations ?
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopian_calendar?wprov=sfla1
@@herosstratos you the real MVP
@@RonJohn63 They may have imported the brass, bullets, cases, and primers.
About 10 years ago I bought a few large card board boxes of German 1943 dated WWII 8mm ammo. If I remember correctly the story was that it was captured in Tunisia and kept in storage there. The boxes where designed to fit into a German ammo can and the top would be rip off to access the smaller cartridge boxes. The cartridges were on steel stripper clips. The brass cased ammo looked great for the age and who knows how it was stored. Though it did not shoot well. There was at least one dud on each stripper clip and plenty of hang fires. The average speed recorded by the chronograph was pretty consistent for old ammo. I shot about 150 Rds, gave some to a friend, and then kept the other intact boxes for display. I do not remember what I paid for it though I do believe It was pretty pricey for 8mm. At that time you cold get Comm block 8mm Romanian for a lot less. I believe Century imported it.
I feel like if I tried to shoot through a chronograph like that, I'd end up putting a round right into the sensors lol. Makes me nervous almost just watching you do it haha.
"High-lee Sell-ass-ee" is how I think it's said.
I and I confirm dat, mon.
Ya mon.
His name was Tafari Makonnen . Just add this guy is a good for Rastafarians,. He must said Selassie I jah rastafari bless!!!
PavarottiAardvark
, that's how I've always heard it pronounced, too (and the way I learned it in high school many, many years ago). 👍
Jose Moreno Porras no he changed his name to his baptism name during his coronation Haile Selassie means Power To The Holy Spirit.
As someone that should be studying for a stats final I’m glad you took the standard deviation
4:44 Ian on a elevator
How I feel every morning waiting for the day's video to upload
I bought 300 rounds for 80 bucks, three in five had hang fires, one in five were completely inert, and one in five would shoot like normal. The video shows them to be pretty reliable, and I'm not the greatest marksmen, but I swear these shots go absolutely everywhere when compared to romanian, german, and privi partizan ammunition. Certainly an adventure to shoot.
I bought the same amount for the same price, and I must say I'm glad it wasn't just my batch that would only fire a round or two per magazine
20 Years ago I had some Ecuadorian 8mm surplus and it had hard primers. My friends K98 had hangfires shooting it but
my M48 shot it all with no problem. The ammo might be okay but the firing pin spring might be a little soft in your rifle. Just an observation.
2Stonefly would this be good machine gun ammo?
Ammo boxes like those are cool. My early '60's (AFAIK) Yugoslavian mil-surp x39 containers have an equal amount of character. Kinda like a little time capsule. Interesting to learn that other countries packaged the smallest boxes in, what seems unconventional to myself, 15 round amounts. Very entertaining video!
So glad you are doing more of these! Keep it up Ian!
I’m so happy you’re planning on making this a series of sorts. We always need more data!
Love these evaluation videos, glad you want to continue doing them!
Again Ian, thank you for all the informative and interesting videos you do. I am amazed at how busy you are and what a diverse amount of weapons you seem to be able to get your hands on.
Considering they're 63 years old I'd say these rounds are bloody good.
Considering that m2 ball pretty much goes off every time, I expect it could be better. Although it is worth considering that what we just saw of the Ethiopian 8mm was a small sample size and my own experience with m2 is merely the experience of one dude.
Solid work. Loving this series-to-be!
Great to see the ammo that fits some of these weapons, keep it up. Thanks.
interesting that every cartridge with a hang-fire lost 30-50 fps compared to those that fired normally
mabey incomplete burn?
I have almost no formal training with firearms and this video taught me two very useful things. Thank you Ian.
great ammo review! love the crate!
I love collecting ammo as much or sometimes more than firearms. I have some very old ammo and its awesome to see how stuff was made privately and from big factorys. Keep doing ammo reviews like this 👍🔫
This episode was very nice, it also made me remember some of the OG TH-cam channels that reviewed ammo in all its variations, provenances, and forms. I miss those times.
liking these videos, glad more are coming!
Congrats on one mil guys! Keep up the great work!
Definitely one of my favourite channels
The factory still exist, in the middle of town. Making bombs rockets en small arms ammo :)
boedhaspeaks nice!!
I really enjoy these ammo evaluations. I have no idea why as I'm never going to use any of it (live in the UK) but I find them fascinating!
Damn hang-fires. Definitely a situation where I would prefer the (re)cocking knob on the Krag/M-1903 over the mauser.
I don't know what's worse... a hang fire or one that you have to hit twice. Both are extremely unnerving!
Love these ammo videos
Nice, some love for good ol’ 8mm Mauser
I really enjoyed this evaluation.
Danm. Standard deviations on ammunition. You are the best Ian.
Hang fires were 30 to 40 fps slower than the rest typically . Neat info.
This was interesting to watch , nice vintage ammo box for sure !
I don't need the ammo, but how much for the crate?
thought the same thing, really like the crate.
A Hettinger stuff is still 90 bucks a crate. I’d buy it.
90$ for 1500 rounds? Damn, that sounds cheap even for surplus.
Andreas Noa classic firearms has it for $448 after shipping. I think he meant the crate alone is $90
This was very interesting. I would very much enjoy see more. Last I believe there was a very interesting story attached to the munitions factory and it's name sake. Thanks again Ian.
As a massive fan who hasnt ever fired a gun (i did get to hold a hunting rifle once!) this is an interesting detail of the gun hobby I would never have seen otherwise. Keep up the cool content!
Thanks Ian. Really like these videos. I understand why but would love seeing some rounds on paper as well.
This is so much like a Paul Harrel ammo test video (Or basically any Ammo test) I kept expecting his voice, whenever Ian looked up from the readout, the first few times. Surreal.
Wonderful, valuable content!
So close to 1M subscribers! You’ll have it soon, congratulations!
Congrats on 1 mil subs
that was fascinating,thanks,loved it
These vids are awesome
Congrats on 1 million! :D
Congratulations on the 1 million subs!
The 98 family of Mausers have a very distinct bolt throw sound. Feel free to do more of these ammo evals Ian.
The nice thing about shooting old ammo in a Mauser? One of the strongest actions in the world.
its always unnerving to watch you test this old stuff
I don't blame you for flinching shooting 8mm Mauser
Definitely do more of these pls
These are invaluable. You`re really rolling the dice when you buy surplus ammo, so these will be a great reference.
Ian, another very interesting video, thanks. Man, I'm such a nerd.
Happy 1 million.
Like this and will like more of them.
Had a box of 1918 dated .45 ACP. Fired most of it off a couple of years ago and every one went boom normally. Didn't chrono them but I had some of them mixed in with about five other types, ages and brands of .45 to demonstrate that my XD45 is not a picky eater.
I love you Ian!
Always interesting to see someone work a bolt the same way I do. Interesting because I didn’t know how it looked from an onlookers perspective. Not as daft as I thought it looked. 👍
I like the ammo tests
well done taking care of bad hangfires
Nice video
Really enjoyed this video! This is actually not that bad as far as my experience with surplus goes.. the worst I've shot was Syrian 7.5 French ammo.
Very interesting! Many topics condensed into 13 worthwhile minutes: ammo history, hang fire safety procedure and ethiopian calendar.
Interesting Ian thanks
Love those boxes...
Almost 1mil subscribers nice
Very,very interesting!
almost 1 million subs!
This is great timing, a couple of Ethiopian rounds got mixed in with some surplus 8mm I just received
Cant wait till it hits the market even if its not 100% fire its good reloading components
If reggae is anything to go by (and they do really like him, oh boy), high-lee is the pronunciation. See if my linguistics friend knows better.
I was all ready to say 'hey, these are better than the last set' from the first clip, but then, no, hangfire city again.
I couldn't stop laughing. And the look on his face when he says it.
Well, yeah... probably due to the fact that the Rastafari church/religion views him as God incarnate and their messiah.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haile_Selassie#Rastafari_messiah
My 1898 Mauser carbine has a lip on the hammer for cocking without unlocking the breach. it works with the extraction rim of another casing.
5:16 LOOK THAT THAT FLINCH LMAO, TBH I'd probably do the same thing, this ammo scares me.
Good stuff honestly. Just need a strong striker.
very cool
“Use our ammunition and you’re guaranteed to loose!”
Im 20 years old and into ballistics. I thoroughly enjoyed this video.
Just fired some of this ammo (though not many considering the ammo shortage). However, ZERO misfires, ZERO hangfires. Used a Yugoslavian M24/47, noted for having a strong firing pin spring. Also, while the ammo seems to have some kind of very light cosmoline on it, a quick wipe each cartridge with an old t-shirt cleaned it up pretty well. Not sure what the complaints are about, since I couldn't duplicate the problems, and yes, I did watch the video.
Super fascinating video; looking forward to more of them. As for the two cartridges which required second strikes, I wonder if that could be a result of a slightly offset strike which missed the anvil in the bottom of the berdan case, or if there was an issue in manufacture with the case such that the anvil in the pocket wasn't properly shaped and sized.
Someone PLEASE make a ringtone or compilation of Ian's noises XD
Seriously though, really interesting to see a close look at ammo as I know fairly little about the specifics
Wouldn't want to fire hangfire heavy ammo, but that crate is neato.
That hang-fired, re-cocked 2505fps was significantly louder at least in my audio.. 2505fps with a 197gr boattail slug is a pretty stout round even by today's standards..
Why the Germans needed a cartridge this powerful is beyond me... That being said, it makes an excellent machine gun cartridge... So that may have been a reason.
Since the packaging is written in Amharic (official language of Ethiopia ) i assume the year is also in Ethiopian calendar which is behind 8/7 years. So the headstamp on the cartridge 1955 (Gregorian calendar) is the same as 1947 (Ethiopian calendar) on the packaging material.
Century needs to sell the crates by themselves. They are really cool
I just bought a Yugo M48, and once you scrub off the cosmoline, they are just darlings
Can I just mention that I love the word "clickbangy"? It sounds so nice
Very cool
Hangfires in tandem with no fires are pretty scary stuff haha.
I demand reload montage! Stripper-and en-bloc clips, single -double and quad-stacked magazines! Internal and external magazines! Don't forget the drum magazines!
Yes, ammunition crates ARE always cool :)
That k98k (m48)looks interesting, it has a darker kind wood and that (what looks like)a satin finish wich make the gun look unique
man, almost at a million
am I the only one who had a massive deja-vu throughout the entire video?
Almost 1 million
Greetings in the name of his majesty, Emperor Haile Selassie
Jah rastafari!
Ever-living, ever-feareful, ever-sure
Selassie the first. Jah
(Bob Marley fans will recognize Haile Salassie from many lyrics, and most of the song 'War')
The muzzle blast is hard on those sky screens. Just back up a little.
While waiting with those failures to fire, I started hearing the Jeopardy music in my head.....