Proper Ammo For Mg34

[otter6412]

I bought some "HOTSHOT" brand ammo at a gun show in 20 round boxes. 8mm Mauser SP, 196 grain, boxer primed, non-corrosive. Made in Serbia. Is this Ok to shot in an MG34? It's been reworked to a semi-auto.

Thanks

[james m]

I had fits helping a gunsmith friend get one of these semi-autos working a couple of years ago. It was built on a TNW receiver and after monkeying around with it for a bit using various types of surplus ammo it went from not firing at all to running far too well. It somehow got the impression it hadn't been converted at all. We finally decided to use some brand new ammo and,with a bit more seat-of-the-pants gunsmithing, it began running as a proper semi-auto reliably. Unfortunately I do not remember what brand we settled upon but I'll ask my gunsmith friend the next time I talk to him. All I can suggest at this point is to try the ammo you have and if this isn't successful try another brand.

Jim

Edited July 2, 2010 by james m

[junglewalk]

Gosh, I'm late here, and you have prob figured it out already.

That ammo should fire fine, cycling properly. many of us have good luck with the steel cased Romanian 7.92 that comes in tins.

One round to stay away from is the Turkish 7.92. That stuff us under and over loaded, and could cause permanent damage to your gun........Years back I used it in my TNW gun, and it really beat it up.......bh

[MGMike]

At least until you get the gun working properly, use the best military ammunition you can afford. It's hard enough diagnosing the malfunctions without having to deal with problematic ammo. These guns --in original form, not the semi conversions which are a different kettle of fish-- are very cranky and sensitive to the substitution of non-matching barrels and bolts. Having a number of barrels and bolts on hand to try different combinations is a definite aid to obtaining reliable functioning. Stay away from Turkish, as previously mentioned, and 1950s Yugoslav and 1930s Greek. Romanian works quite well if the mechanism is otherwise correct. German WWII and pre-WWII, if you have pulled bullets and looked inside to determine that it is otherwise in good condition, is excellent if the primers have not gone dead. Clandestine "Canadian" is uneven with some wobbly bullets and leaves too much metallic fouling in the muzzle booster. Portuguese Ss heavy ball from the 1970s and 80s, if in good condition, duplicates the original German load, and works well.

 

For short function testing, I think I would bite the cost and buy a few boxes of recent Privi Partisan.

 

M

 

 

[shooterike]

The best ammo to use in a MG34 is sS ball (196 grain fmj bullet @2450 fps) made to German specs! I wish Ivan would get to work and duplicate German sS ball in steel cases in their military classic line. The sS ball is what the MG34 was designed to use, and I would buy plenty! The S ball load (154 grain fmj bullet @2940 fps) generally runs OK, but the sights are not set for it. At short range, this is not much of a problem, but you can really tell it at longer ranges! When dealing with any kind of military surplus ammo, inspect each cartridge carefully and reject anything that has a split or hairline crack neck, corroded, wobley bullet, dented, dirty, rusty, or anything else that just does not LOOK RIGHT! I've found non 8mm Mauser cartridges mixed in with the real thing in bulk surplus, so set down and study what the 8mm Mauser round REALLY looks like!

BEFORE YOU GO TO THE RANGE, check out your MG34! The hole in the booster cone should be 11mm. There are 9mm booster cones out there that were intended for use with BLANKS or the 7.62mm (.308) NATO conversion! DO NOT USE THE 9mm Booster cone for 8mm Mauser AMMO! WAY, WAY TOO TIGHT! THIS WILL BEAT YOUR GUN TO DEATH! If you are not certain which cone is in your MG34, take a 8mm mauser case or dummy round and see if it will PASS COMPLETELY THROUGH the little hole in the booster cone! When you replace the Muzzle assembly on your 34, make certain it is tight! Use the wrench from the tool kit to nudge it just a bit past finger tight and let the latch lock it in place. Check the bolt for wear and tear and replace anything that is not right. If you don't have a spare bolt, get one! The best replacement bolt is one made by same maker as your MG34! Remember to check the codes!