Surplus Yugo and Romanian 8mm Mauser Ammo Failure Rates in 2022

If you enjoy this content, consider subscribing or supporting the channel:
/ garandguy2553

[@Ben_not_10]

Ngl this is the first time I’ve seen any issues with the Romanian 8mm. And I honestly can’t help but wonder how in the hell the 7.62 surplus’s can go off everytime but it’s the 8mm stuff that’s gotten so click bangy

[@GarandGuy2553]

Oh, the Mosin surplus ammo is wonderful! I buy that stuff up all the time. I’ve shot lots of the Romanian over the last 5-6 years since I got into Mausers and it’s been pretty reliable. I’ve shot some of the yugo stuff before too but it’s definitely older.

[@Kpoole35]

I can guarantee you that 95% of the failures are related to your firing pin spring. Romanian and Yugo ammo is not something that consistently fails even for their age.

[@GarandGuy2553]

Mm maybe. I’ll have to try shooting it out of my other 8mm mausers and see if I have similar issues.

[@Kpoole35]

@@GarandGuy2553 I would suggest getting the 26 lb mauser spring from MidwayUSA. Yugo ammo generally has hardened primers. Romanian ammo is also pretty recent. You can browse gunboards and see how rare it is for these to let someone down.

[@Wicked505]

Great video. Thanks for letting us know the rate of failure

[@GarandGuy2553]

Romanian seems to still be a good bet if you’re just shooting paper or steel

[@user-qg9pj6re5c]

personally I've been shooting '55 Yugo ammo out of a VZ-24. Failure rate is only about 10% and this could probably be lowered if I got a new firing pin. At the price difference between new mauser ammo and the surplus, it's still worth it to me

[@GarandGuy2553]

It’s probably my firing pin

[@MarioJurjevic]

Buy New firing pin. Yugo ammo works great for me, 0 issues.

[@donwyoming1936]

That Romanian ammo is relatively new. Never had one not fire 1st time. I got a feeling someone might need a new firing pin or spring. The Romanian is 1mm shorter than most 8mm cases. Maybe got a headspace issue with that rifle too

[@TheRedneckPreppy]

'59 Yugo...man, my dad may have fired some of that vintage back in the early 60s when he was in the Yugoslav army. At any rate, Romanian or Yugoslav I'd take it for free and then pull the bullets. Outside of that, I wouldn't pay a damned thing for it. Even 5% is too high and corrosive to boot? Yeah...no.

[@GarandGuy2553]

No kidding! I’m not too bothered by the corrosive factor. I just make sure I’m doing my due diligence with cleaning right after but I understand that, that can be a nuisance for some. Yeah, it’s pretty much cheaper than most commercial ammo out there if you’re not into reloading it yet. It does the trick for hitting the gong for now.

[@TheRedneckPreppy]

@@GarandGuy2553 It is what it is :-)

[@tselinsky6452]

I've got a Yugo M48 Mauser that has yet to give me a dud on factory 11 ammo from 1955. My Belgian 1930 Mauser (for the Greek army) won't fire it at all. The M48 is in practically unissued condition, so the spring and firing pin are probably just fine.

[@GarandGuy2553]

Yeah, I just need to take mine apart and clean it

[@MegaBait1616]

Gotta go though my stash of .8mm spam cans know I have a some Romanian n a crate of Yugo M-75 downstairs... be well.

[@GarandGuy2553]

Shoot it up!

[@Thatuptownguy]

You need a better firing pin spring and check to make sure the pin is not bent. You are getting light strikes.

[@GarandGuy2553]

Yeah, this is probably true.

[@timothytietz9194]

22 to 24# Wolf mainspring. Always wear shooting glasses and hearing protection. Clean corrosive ammo with water and soap, ie Dawn dishsoap.

[@GarandGuy2553]

What is “22 to 24# Wolf mainspring”?

[@user-im6fy4qp6m]

@@GarandGuy2553 wolf is a brand that makes gunsprings. they have extra power springs. he is telling you to try a heavier stronger spring. the stock mauser calls for an 18 pound spring i believe. he is telling you to try a 22 or 24 pound spring which is good advice and can help make up for the wear on other components like the firing pin tip or cocking piece. try measuring your pin protrusion. i dont remember the mauser specs off the top of my head but if you are on the lower end that could also be part of the issue. like i said in my other comment most of this ammo was made for machine guns, the primers are a bit deeper in the pocket and made of a thick metal to help avoid slamfires. you are also shooting out of a turk mauser and those are normally worn out and rode hard with sloppy tolerances on every part.

[@user-im6fy4qp6m]

do you have more than 1 rifle? try them in another rifle. most of these have really hard primers with deep cups meant for machine guns. try it in another rifle with a tighter headspace or longer firing pin protrusion. i have a k98 that is 100% reliable with the 50s yugo but the same ammo out of a yugo m48 has "duds" fail to fire about 1 ever 3 or 4 rounds.

[@GarandGuy2553]

That’s my plan. I haven’t shot this ammo in a bit but I have 4 rifles chambered in 8mm so will give it a go.

[@user-im6fy4qp6m]

@@GarandGuy2553 good luck hope it works 100% in at least one of your rifles. its cheap ammo so its nice for plinking if you can get it working! ive also never had any issue with romanian surplus and its generally sealed at the projectile and primer so while its possible you got a bad batch i would say its another indication your rifles tolerances may be a bit too worn and the problem might not lie with the ammo

[@user-im6fy4qp6m]

@@GarandGuy2553 i think i saw another commenter suggest trying a heavier spring too which is a good recommendation. measure your pin protrusion it should be about .06". and disassemble your bolt and make sure the inside of bolt body is completely free of old cosmoline

[@WardenWolf]

At this point I tell everyone not to bother with surplus 8mm. It's all over 50 years old, it's all corrosive, and it's all sketchy reliability. Romanian ammo is, as usual, better than most, but for whatever reason it's nowhere near as reliable as surplus 7.62x54R.

[@GarandGuy2553]

Very true. I’ve literally never had an issue with the surplus Mosin stuff. I’d still buy the Romanian stuff if I come across it. Beats paying 35+ for a box of new commercial PPU if your just hitting paper.

[@anthonyrivers454]

There's nothing wrong with the surplus ammo, it's his firing pin spring thats the issue