doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Classic & Custom Single Barreled Sporting Rifles @ doublegunshop.com Date on a Mannlicher Model 1908?

The caliber doesn't reload any differently from any other rimless bottle necked rifle cartridge.
The die sets are expensive at retail. Sometimes a set can be snagged for a good price off one of the auction sites.

I got along for many years reloading it w/ 8x57 dies and a shell holder that I thinned down to allow the case to be pushed into the die a touch further.
That little amount was enough to push the shoulder back on standard 8x57 brass.
The cases also needed a bit of trimming and in my instance the bases needed reducing in diameter a few .000".

Once the brass was made up it chambered in my rifle and fire formed.
From there I neck sized only for reloading it.
I've even used the 32acp seater die body as a simple neck sizer die for this and the 8X57.
Works nicely, no expander necessary and you can see what you're doing better.

The base reduction is a one time only thing. Some rifles don't need it. Perhaps using a different brand of brass it wouldn't have. I used Remington.

I use .323d bullets, groove diameters can vary I'm told but both my 1908's are the same.

After using this method for years I did find a near new set of RCBS 8x56 M/S dies for I think it was $35 in a 4sale listing on a gun forum.

There's always a way to get them up and running.

I've seen a few re-chambered to standard 8x57Mauser. The cartridges are so close, I don't know if the rotor would need work.
They always work perfectly when laying there for sale on a gunshow table!

I bought a base swaging die to make my 8X56 MS cases, but just happened to mike the bases of a particular lot of Remington .35 Whelen cases, and found them to be the correct size to start with. After that it was simply a matter of trimming them to the correct length and running them through the full length sizing die.

The response by Kutter is interesting, I have a 1905 MS which is 9x56ms, also hard to find ammo for. The late Joe Steele commented that many would chamber 9x57 Mauser. I tried it and it works! The magazine feeds perfectly and headspace gauges confirm it as correct??

Kutter,
Insead of thinning the shell holder, I often shorten the dies. I turn them into a 7/8x14 threading die(not solid rethread die)and chuck them together into the lathe.The split threading die closes on the thread of the loading die,keeping it from unscrewing itself.This way the loading die"turns true".
Loading dies are hardened(often surface)but a sharp carbide tool cuts it.Cut from inside to out, and make light cuts.It will squeal at first, but once it's cut a couple thousanths, it stops.I use this trick for a couple wildcats and old metrics to avoid custom made dies.I got leery of thinning shell holders by having the top of factory shellholders pull off.These were for 11.15x60R, which has a thicker than common rim(Mauser "A"base/MB).BTW champher and polish the inside of the shortened die, to keep it from damaging the cases.After shortening, the dies are still useful for the original cartridge, just adjust it to "kiss" the shoulder of a fired case.
Mike