8mm Bullets not that scarce

[Eagleye]

I have heard from time to time that the selection of 8mm bullets is not very good.
I wonder about this since I have quite a variety, and there are still a few I do not
have [or use] Here is a picture of my selection

L to R: 225 Barnes original; 220 Swift A-Frame; 220 Woodleigh Weldcore; 200 Speer Hot-Cor; 200 Nosler Partition;
200 Swift A-Frame; 200 Nosler Accubond; 196 Norma Oryx; 196 Norma Alaska; 196 Norma Dual-Core PP; 196 Norma Dual-Core;
185 Remington Cor-Lokt; 180 Nosler E-Tip; 180 Nosler Ballistic Tip; 175 Sierra Pro-Hunter.

Missing from picture - several bullets weighing less than 175 grains; PRVI 196 grain SP; 220 Grain Sierra Game King;
220 Hornady Interlock. Dave.

 

[DiMP]

I'm sure the variety exists, I think the bigger problem now is the lack of supplies. I bought a 98k a few months ago and initially couldn't find anything to plink with. Luckily Budget Shooter Supply has been keeping a fairly constant supply of PPU lately so at least I can go out and play

 

[Eagleye]

Sorry about the extra attachment, folks. Do not know how to get rid of it??
Moderators, please?? Thanks, Dave. Fixed, thanks to 9.3mauser!!

 

[Suther]

I'm sure the variety exists, I think the bigger problem now is the lack of supplies. I bought a 98k a few months ago and initially couldn't find anything to plink with. Luckily Budget Shooter Supply has been keeping a fairly constant supply of PPU lately so at least I can go out and play

I feel like 8mm is one of the easy bullets to find right now. Perhaps because there's a few places selling PPU bullets and those don't have to escape the black hole that is the US domestic market before they make it our way?

Good luck finding a specific bullet made by a US maker though...

 

[conor_90]

^ what do you shoot in your 8mm?

I think that is exactly what DiMP is saying…


Premium 196-200 are hard to find at the moment. I have a stash of 150 grain Speer hot cores, 196 ppu soft points and a couple boxes of woodleigh 196 from the e.e

When there is no shortage there is a wide variety of bullets available; Norma has several offerings. I think some people say there is not many offerings of any calibre that is not 30 cal or 7mm…

Maybe it’s a lack of boat tail and VLD bullets? Seems easier to find good old fashioned heavy round nosed soft points for 8mm than 30 cal; just the way I like it

What do you have left to right Dave? What is your favourite bullet in the 196-200 grain weight class for the 8x57?

 

[9.3mauser]

Sorry about the extra attachment, folks. Do not know how to get rid of it??
Moderators, please?? Thanks, Dave.

You have to go to edit; advanced; below the dialogue box you'll see a button for "manage attachments", click on that.
A box will pop up, you need to go to the bottom window to see the attachments. Hover over the little thumbnail, and you can click on the "x" at the top right corner. That should get rid of it.

 

[Eagleye]

^ what do you shoot in your 8mm?

I think that is exactly what DiMP is saying…


Premium 196-200 are hard to find at the moment. I have a stash of 150 grain Speer hot cores, 196 ppu soft points and a couple boxes of woodleigh 196 from the e.e


What do you have left to right Dave? What is your favourite bullet in the 196-200 grain weight class for the 8x57?

I have labelled the bullets now. At the moment in my 8x57, I am liking the Norma Alaska or in second place, the Norma Dual-Core PP. Of
course, you know how much I like the Partition/Accubonds, but the Alaska groups a bit better. Dave.

 

[conor_90]

The 200 grain AB is a long bullet compared to the RN 196 that I have in stock. Still want to give those Norma Alaskans and dual cores a try. Something about the RN 196 just seems right in the 8mm

I was lucky to find some 196 woodleighs after I messaged you, also have some coming on the next boat whenever that is. 8mm was away on warranty repair so I’ve been playing with and hunting with my 338 instead, handful of bears seen over the last few days but numbers are not as good here as northern BC so I wasn’t comfortable harvesting a smaller one despite how delicious they are.

Are you using the 225 and 220s in the 8mm rem mag? I had the opportunity to get some 220 woodleighs from the dealer but I don’t think my 20 inch 8x57 JRS and available powders are really appropriate for that bullet.

Hoping to get my 8mm back for a range day before I am out in the field for a long haul. Kicking myself for not buying that husqy mauser you had up but I’m trying to be good…

 

[dan belisle]

The 200 grain AB is a long bullet compared to the RN 196 that I have in stock. Still want to give those Norma Alaskans and dual cores a try. Something about the RN 196 just seems right in the 8mm

I was lucky to find some 196 woodleighs after I messaged you, also have some coming on the next boat whenever that is. 8mm was away on warranty repair so I’ve been playing with and hunting with my 338 instead, handful of bears seen over the last few days but numbers are not as good here as northern BC so I wasn’t comfortable harvesting a smaller one despite how delicious they are.

Are you using the 225 and 220s in the 8mm rem mag? I had the opportunity to get some 220 woodleighs from the dealer but I don’t think my 20 inch 8x57 JRS and available powders are really appropriate for that bullet.

Hoping to get my 8mm back for a range day before I am out in the field for a long haul. Kicking myself for not buying that husqy mauser you had up but I’m trying to be good…

I use mostly 220's in my 8 rem Mag, lighter bullets in the other 8mm's. I have some Woodleigh 250 gr 8mm's, accuracy wasn't stellar. Might try it with some other powders this year, I haven't taken the "great 8" out for a while. - dan

 

[Eagleye]

I use the 220 A-Frame almost exclusively in my 8mm Rem Mag.
I use the Hornady 220 Interlock for practice.
Both shoot very well in my Benchmark Barrelled 700 Remington.
Dave.

 

[bearhunter]

I use mostly 220's in my 8 rem Mag, lighter bullets in the other 8mm's. I have some Woodleigh 250 gr 8mm's, accuracy wasn't stellar. Might try it with some other powders this year, I haven't taken the "great 8" out for a while. - dan

IMHO, Those Woodleigh 250 grn bullets aren't meant to be pushed at the velocities available from the 8mm magnums.

They're for short range, dangerous game use, from iron sighted rifles and they do the job they were intended for very well, when pushed at the velocities they were designed to operate at.

I've been using 196grn Norma Oryx bullets for years and still do, simply because I can easily achieve 2600fps muzzle velocities in my rifles, chambered in 8x57, with stellar accuracy. Sub MOA out of three rifles, without having to alter the dies or change the powder/primer combination.

I'm down to couple of hundred Oryx 196grn RN bullets and if I'm careful, that should last me for a couple of years. Still, I wouldn't mind finding another box or two of them, so I wouldn't have to be miserly about checking zero more often.

The Oryx bullets are not more frangible than other high quality offerings as they have bonded cores, with side walls that are quite thin at the tip but get thicker very quickly, so hold together well, while expanding to at least double their diameter, even at very close range.

I have yet to recover an Oryx bullet from a game animal. I can only attest to the bullets pulled from a box, filled with wet magazines and shot into at 50 yards.

The box was two feet long, with 3/4in plywood separations. The bullets went through the wooden side wall, through 8 inches of wet magazines, then through a separation, another 8 inches of wet magazines, another separation, another 6 inches of wet magazine, before stopping and having opened up to a perfect mushroom shape, just after going through the first separation panel.

Muzzle velocity was 2600+fps.

 

[dan belisle]

IMHO, Those Woodleigh 250 grn bullets aren't meant to be pushed at the velocities available from the 8mm magnums.

They're for short range, dangerous game use, from iron sighted rifles and they do the job they were intended for very well, when pushed at the velocities they were designed to operate at.

I've been using 196grn Norma Oryx bullets for years and still do, simply because I can easily achieve 2600fps muzzle velocities in my rifles, chambered in 8x57, with stellar accuracy. Sub MOA out of three rifles, without having to alter the dies or change the powder/primer combination.

I'm down to couple of hundred Oryx 196grn RN bullets and if I'm careful, that should last me for a couple of years. Still, I wouldn't mind finding another box or two of them, so I wouldn't have to be miserly about checking zero more often.

The Oryx bullets are not more frangible than other high quality offerings as they have bonded cores, with side walls that are quite thin at the tip but get thicker very quickly, so hold together well, while expanding to at least double their diameter, even at very close range.

I have yet to recover an Oryx bullet from a game animal. I can only attest to the bullets pulled from a box, filled with wet magazines and shot into at 50 yards.

The box was two feet long, with 3/4in plywood separations. The bullets went through the wooden side wall, through 8 inches of wet magazines, then through a separation, another 8 inches of wet magazines, another separation, another 6 inches of wet magazine, before stopping and having opened up to a perfect mushroom shape, just after going through the first separation panel.

Muzzle velocity was 2600+fps.

At 2900 fps range they simply wouldn't group well enough at 100 meters. I will try them in one of my other 8's that are a little slower (8x68, 8mm-06 AI, 8mm Gibbs, 8x57), see how they work there. - dan

 

[bearhunter]

At 2900 fps range they simply wouldn't group well enough at 100 meters. I will try them in one of my other 8's that are a little slower (8x68, 8mm-06 AI, 8mm Gibbs, 8x57), see how they work there. - dan

The Mannlicher rifle I shot them out of was chambered for the 8x68 and gave the same results you had.

The 8mm-06 was better but velocities were around 2600+fps. The AI version doesn't seem to better the original form.

The 8mm Gibbs gave similar velocities to the Swede machinegun 8x63 round and velocities were similar, around 2350 fps and accuracy was quite good at 100 yards. Not stellar though, even through custom barrels with 1-9.5 twist rates.

 

[conor_90]

You pushed 250s to 2600 fps in the 8x57? That sounds like a factory 338 wm load…

I read that the 240 grain 30 cal was designed by woodleigh for the 30-06 centennial to allow one gun hunters to shoot heavies at water buffalos. Maybe it’s the same idea for the 8x57 and the 250?

They suggest 2000-2700 FPS impact velocity. Anyone with a woodleigh manual care to share a representative max velocity from the 8x57? I’m curious about how the 1:9.5 twist stabilizes it if you try it out Dan

 

[bearhunter]

You pushed 250s to 2600 fps in the 8x57? That sounds like a factory 338 wm load…

I read that the 240 grain 30 cal was designed by woodleigh for the 30-06 centennial to allow one gun hunters to shoot heavies at water buffalos. Maybe it’s the same idea for the 8x57 and the 250?

They suggest 2000-2700 FPS impact velocity. Anyone with a woodleigh manual care to share a representative max velocity from the 8x57? I’m curious about how the 1:9.5 twist stabilizes it if you try it out Dan

No, I shot them out of the rifles I listed.

I would and do easily get 2600+fps with 200grn bullets in my 8x57 rifles. With the 250grn 2200+fps was more the norm

 

[dgradinaru]

A few years back i grouped the 250gr around 1 inch with imr 3031. If i recall velocity was around 2100 fps.

 

[dgradinaru]

Quick load shows some impressive loads than can be worked up with caution. 2400FPS sounds great out of a 8x57! Should make a great timber load!

Cartridge : 8 x 57 IS (8 mm Mauser CIP)
Bullet : .323, 250, Woodleigh SN WeldCore 64D
Useable Case Capaci: 55.232 grain H2O = 3.586 cm³
Cartridge O.A.L. L6: 3.225 inch = 81.92 mm
Barrel Length : 24.0 inch = 609.6 mm
Powder : Alliant Reloder-17 *T

Predicted data by increasing and decreasing the given charge,
incremented in steps of 2.0% of nominal charge.
CAUTION: Figures exceed maximum and minimum recommended loads !

Step Fill. Charge Vel. Energy Pmax Pmuz Prop.Burnt B_Time
% % Grains fps ft.lbs psi psi % ms

-20.0 76 40.80 1973 2161 28866 6971 96.8 1.761
-18.0 78 41.82 2020 2265 30729 7148 97.6 1.715
-16.0 80 42.84 2067 2371 32713 7314 98.3 1.669
-14.0 82 43.86 2113 2479 34827 7466 98.9 1.625
-12.0 84 44.88 2159 2588 37076 7605 99.3 1.582
-10.0 86 45.90 2205 2699 39483 7729 99.7 1.536
-08.0 88 46.92 2251 2812 42046 7838 99.9 1.492
-06.0 90 47.94 2296 2926 44781 7932 100.0 1.450
-04.0 92 48.96 2340 3041 47707 8012 100.0 1.409
-02.0 94 49.98 2385 3157 50833 8089 100.0 1.370 ! Near Maximum !
+00.0 95 51.00 2428 3273 54180 8164 100.0 1.332 ! Near Maximum !
+02.0 97 52.02 2472 3392 57764 8236 100.0 1.296 !DANGEROUS LOAD-DO NOT USE!
+04.0 99 53.04 2515 3511 61604 8306 100.0 1.261 !DANGEROUS LOAD-DO NOT USE!
+06.0 101 54.06 2558 3631 65740 8374 100.0 1.227 !DANGEROUS LOAD-DO NOT USE!
+08.0 103 55.08 2600 3753 70177 8439 100.0 1.194 !DANGEROUS LOAD-DO NOT USE!
+10.0 105 56.10 2643 3876 74953 8501 100.0 1.163 !DANGEROUS LOAD-DO NOT USE!

Results caused by ± 10% powder lot-to-lot burning rate variation using nominal charge
Data for burning rate increased by 10% relative to nominal value:
+Ba 95 51.00 2514 3507 66135 7820 100.0 1.239 !DANGEROUS LOAD-DO NOT USE!
Data for burning rate decreased by 10% relative to nominal value:
-Ba 95 51.00 2296 2926 43877 8487 98.6 1.456

 

[mbogo3]

How did you find the Norma 196gr RN dual core [yellow plastic tips]? Any specific loads/powder? I just picked up 170 count of them. As well Rem 185gr Cor Lok.