Mystery powder

mechmike

New member
Can anyone identify this stuff? It's pulled from spanish military 7.62 (308) size case. CETME CSP-3 ammo it is said to shoot a 112 grain bullet a bit less than 2500fps with a load of 28.5 grains (unknown barrel length)

Thanks all
Mike

powder.jpg
 
There's quite a bit of cut powder in Europe. I had a batch of Czech .303 Mark 8Z with cut, likewise Portugese 8mm Mauser.
 
Military 308 round shooting a 112 grain bullet?/ Unusual.

Some years ago Jack O;Connor got a letter from a reader who had bought some military powder. This powder was in large kernels about the size of a golf ball. The shooter had run some through a sausage grinder and wanted to know how much of it to use in a 30/06 for a hunting load. O'Connor answered don't touch it. I'd be that way about what you have there unless you can get better information.
 
Of course, the CTME round isn't loaded the same as a 7.62 nato round. It has all the case specs of a 7.62 nato, but was intended for conversions of the old 93 mausers. This is a reduced load. 30 grains of a medium powder (3031, 4064, 4895) behind a 100 gr bullet is what I use for reduced recoil loads for children to shoot from 260 rem, or 6.5x55. The old 93 mausers were intended for 40,000 psi loads. Not 55,000 psi nato loads. Why they used the same chamber specs I can only surmise. Possibly to be able to use Nato ammo in an emergency. I was always suprised that they were able to sell those 93 mauser conversions over here as "308". Any way, I would surmise that powder would be useful for starting loads where, say, 3031 was called for, in a medim to small case, in a strong firearm.
 
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I once read of downloaded cartridges intended for use in the ultra short Mauser police carbines. Not sure but I think these were in .30/06, possibly rebarreled or rechambered to that caliber. IIRC the downloaded cartridges were also used by cadets for target practice.
The Mauser Police carbines were much like the Mitchell Mauser Tanker carbines, with some having barrels as short as 15 inches.
Some of these carbines have shown up in recent years rebarreled to 7.62 NATO.

As for the powder, I've found the fat square flake powder in FNM 7.62 NATO and FN .303.
I looked it up once and found it was commonly used for the various Mauser cartridges, and some countries that used the Mauser calibers manufactured the powder for their own use.

If this powder begins to break down it will give off a trult rank cat urine odor and eats right through brass or steel. The vapors will rust any unprotected steel nearby as well.
I'm cleaning up a rusty bullet sizing die right now that was in the same drawer as a can of this powder I'd salvaged from some corroded FNM ammo.
The powder ate through a steel can turning it to a pile of red dust.
 
Well naturally I was thinking about buying it and shooting it but even though I'm cheap and so is it I decided neither of us are cheap enough.
 
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