8x57 JS ( 8MM Mauser) hunting and adventures!

dgradinaru

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It's been a while since I made a thread about my 8x57's (8mm Mauser) in action on CGN. Thought I'd share my results from last fall and this spring. The freezer's been full and have been eating from these harvest's daily!

I've also been playing with new loads for different rifles and trying the like's of RWS H-Mantle, Hornady SST's, Nosler E-Tip, S&B SPCE, and Barnes TTSX 160gr

Performance as expected with proper loads is every bit the equivalent of the 30-06 and has preformed very well on game. No complaints on my end.

Here's a spike fork bull taken at 209 yards with a single shot from a 195gr Interlock starting off at 2570 fps out of my 22" Sauer. The bull didn't make it 20 yards and toppled over within seconds of the shot. Shot through both lungs and caught the bullet on the offside. Picture perfect expansion.

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During the deer rut I connected with a typical 4 point mule buck on the run around 100 yards. I was using my CZ 550 with 195gr interlocks at 2640 fps. I had a generous lead on the running buck and hit him in the neck and dropped him. No recovered bullet, clean pass through.

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Here's a big 400+lb bear that was shot at less than 25 yards, late fall bear. Squared 6'6". Using the irons on my Husqvarna and Nosler E-tip 180gr factory loads rated at 2550 fps. The boar was shot in the chest and bullet travelled length wise and imbedded itself in the rear portion of the spine. Great expansion.

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Filled my whitetail tag last fall with a spike buck. Tender meat! Shot around 40ish yards with 187gr RWS H-mantle bullets at 2550 fps. Frontal chest shot, I kid you not, the buck did a back flip, landed on its back and literally drove itself in the ground for 20 yards and expired. No recovered bullet as it exited the rib cage.

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During the winter I got out and did some coyote hunting. Shot 4 yotes from 30 to 240 yards or so. With my SS Tikka t3x and 196gr S&B factory loads at 2550 fps.

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I had some time on my hands this early spring and did some load developing with the 170gr SST at 2720 fps out of my tikka. Not going for speed with this bullet as it's fragile and would like the bullet to hold up some if i do connect with big game with it.

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I then went out looking for a bear at the start of spring but connected with a wolf and a yote. 130 yards on the wolf and and 185 yards on the yote. The SST preformed well with good expansion. The yote was a hard quartering shot, the bullet entered the neck and exited the skull. The wolf is getting tanned so It'll be a nice addition to the trophy wall.

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I also put together 160gr TTSX at 3000 fps (3100+ft-lbs at the muzzle) which is on par with 7mm rem mag 160gr factory ammo and even beats most 30-06 loads. This load is safe in my rifle with no pressure signs. This is the fastest and flattest shooting load I've put together in a while for my 8x57. Should make the perfect all around load for my 8x57's.

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Got around to going out last week looking for a bear and saw a good sized bear one evening, the bear saw me first and took off, so no shot presented itself. I then went back the next evening and snuck in carefully looking for the bear and found him in the same place but this time I had the advantage of surprise. With my rifle at the ready I stepped out of the tree line and we both looked at each other, took a snap shot, broad side at 70 yards with the 160gr TTSX load. Hit the bear in the middle of the middle and he did a short 20ish yard death dash. Great expansion from that bullet and good sized exit. Lungs were petrified. Turns out the bear measured 6,9" squared with a 19"+ skull. Brought the hide to the taxidermist and am planning a rug out of him. So a great start to the spring hunt. I have one more tag and hope to connect with a colored phase bear.

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Here is the entry hole from the 160gr TTSX

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Exit hole

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Hope you enjoyed the content and pictures. Hopefully more to come this fall! Happy hunting to all!
 
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Very nice!

That TTSX with CFE 223, is that a "book" load?
I worked with Hodgdons data and worked up to my desired velocity and accuracy. 54gr is book max. 48,500 CUPS which translates to 55,624 PSI. My rifle with a 24" barrel did touch an honest 2900 fps with that load but knowing the same rifle can handle 308 win/270 pressures I slowly worked towards 3000 fps which based off quick load still hasn't touched 62,000 psi. No heavy bolt lift, or flattened primers, easy extraction, consistent velocity and accuracy. It's hard to overload CFE 223 powder in the 57mm case. Tested in warm temperatures of 25-30 degrees C with no issues.



ManufacturerPowderC.O.L.Grs.Vel. (ft/s)PressureLoad Density %Grs.Vel. (ft/s)PressureLoad Density %
HodgdonCFE 223




3.010"542,91948,500 CUPN/A
 
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I love the 8x57, I think it is really underrated/appreciated, I shot a moose with mine 200gn accubond 106m didn’t go anywhere!
I think that and a 30-06 are pretty much the same when it comes to performance on game!
 
Great pics Daniel. I like your choice of calibre. I bought two Czech rebuild 98's, one in the Fall of 1965 at the Regina Army&Navy, and one at Chirstmas time at the New West(BC). Have never looked back.
 
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Man I cannot believe you're smoking those critters with such accuracy !!!
😂

Love that!
🔥🔥🔥
Given the velocity I won't complain about the accuracy. Good enough for my type of hunting. Been also working on another load with 160gr fox copper and its showing alot of promise. Half inch at 100 yards out of a cz 557 with a 20 inch barrel. Velocity alittle slow but will keep working on it.
 

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I love the 8x57, I think it is really underrated/appreciated, I shot a moose with mine 200gn accubond 106m didn’t go anywhere!
I think that and a 30-06 are pretty much the same when it comes to performance on game!
Agreed. I have both and enjoy the two legendary war horses. Apples to apples they're neck in neck.
 
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I carried a Brazilian 8x57 for a few years when I started hunting but I never bagged anything with. It was a decent calibre.
I've never seen a "Brazilian" 8x57JS, unless it was rebarreled, which is easy because 98 take off barrels just screw on and usually index perfectly, if they retain the original iron sights.

I have a Brazilian Mauser, M1935, which was rebarreled with an NOS milsurp barrel I had on hand.

It shoots very well.
 
I've never seen a "Brazilian" 8x57JS, unless it was rebarreled, which is easy because 98 take off barrels just screw on and usually index perfectly, if they retain the original iron sights.

I have a Brazilian Mauser, M1935, which was rebarreled with an NOS milsurp barrel I had on hand.

It shoots very well.
It was a WW2 German mauser that was exported to Brazil . It had all the German stampings but a big Brazillian crest on the top of the barrel.
 
Man I cannot believe you're smoking those critters with such accuracy !!!
😂

Love that!
🔥🔥🔥
WLad, I've known Mr dgradinaru since he was a teenager, and he tells it straight. Very nice young man as well.

I've had a love affair with the 8x57JS since I was given a badly bubbaed specimen over 60 years ago, when a NIB rifle still sold for $15 at the Army and Navy, and $10 when they were on sale at the Marshall Wells's and Hudson's Bay store, right around Christmas.

As pointed out in the OP's report, the rifles seem to shoot best with heavier bullets 170 grains and over.

I have three different bullets I use for go to rounds and they all shoot well in all three of the rifles I still have chambered for the 8x57JS round.

For those that don't know it, the JS or IS, depending on who manufactured the cartridges designates Infantry Standard ammunition, loaded with .323 in diameter bullets.

There are still a lot of earlier milsurps and commercial rifles around that are loaded for slightly smaller diameter bores, utilizing .318 bullets. The cartridge case is identical dimensionally.

The bullets I use most are Norma Oryx 196 grain, flat base, round nose, with 56.0 grains of W760 or H414sl10, and CCI 250 primers, giving an average 2630 fps from 23 inch bbls. This load is a mauler, right out to 300 yds. Very accurate.

The next two bullets I use are 200 grn Nosler Partitions and Hornady 220 grain Spire Point, flat base.

Flat base bullets give me the best accuracy in all three rifles.

I have a limited amount of Dynamit Nobel 196 FMJ, which were exclusively used for Coyotes.

I have CIL/Hornady/Speer 170 grain bullets that are OK, but only used them in the full furniture milsurps I shot. They weren't as accurate as the heavier bullets.

Then there are the Sierra SBT, 220 grn bullets, which are very sleek, but don't shoot as well as flat base projectiles from my rifles.

When a twist rate was established for the early 8x57 bullets, before 1900, they settled on the 1-9.25 twist rate. The issue bullets were 196 grain, cupronickle jacketed, fmj, roundnose, with exposed lead bases.

They never did change the twist rate, even when they went to 170 and later 150 grain bullets.
 
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