8×68mm S

In the 8 × 68 mm S is a German Magnum hunting cartridge. It was developed 8 mm in the 1930s due to the ever increasing demand for a Magnum cartridge in caliber.

History

The cartridge was introduced in 1939 by the RWTH Explosives Society ( RWS ). It was intended for use in hunting repeaters with the widespread Mauser system. The original ammunition of this system, the 7.92 × 57 mm Mauser, had a similar caliber bullet, for a higher projectile energy but a larger case volume was required. However, the sleeve of the Mauser cartridge could not be extended to any length, as this would exceed the dimension of the loading device. Instead, they created a completely new sleeve with wide breech block, which 98er systems could be used without major changes. The very rapid ammunition proved to be in the hunt for native red or African big game be very suitable.