Thanks, guys. Actually, I don't know much about Mausers, per se, but I became quite interested in the .318" vs .323" controversy when I lived in Germany many years ago. We worked on a lot of different rifles at the Rod & Gun Club. We discovered that theearly German military Models 1888 and1898 riflesmade before 1903, although made for the original 8mm cartridge (8X57J),ALL seemed tohave groove diameters that ran between .322" and .324", when we had expected them to have.318" groove diameters!

So I started researching German Ordnance records, and discovered that although these early riflesused ammo that had .318" bullets, they had always made the groove diameter of their rifles a bit bigger than .318" Even more interesting was the fact that apparently in the early days of smokeless powder in Europe, it was quite thecommon practice of many manufacturers and gunsmiths to use bullets that ran smaller than the groove diameter of the barrels!

It seems to me that.004" to .005" to be QUITE A BIT smaller, and you would expect adverse effects on accuracy. However, I do use some .308" bullets in several loads for a CZ 7.62X39mm and a 7.65X53mm Argentine Mauser, and get excellent accuracy from both. The CZ is .311" groove.I have notslugged the Mauser, yet both the Argentine ammo I have, and the FN stuff from Belgium, is loaded with .314" bullets! http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v444/eldeguello/445e8b96.jpg

7.62X39mm w/ 150-grain Sierra bullets

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v444/eldeguello/ArgMauser200-grainbulletgroup.jpg

Argentine Mauser, w/200-grain Sierra & Nosler Partiton 200-grain .308" bullets