8mm Mauser Reloading Question

mosinmaster

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Went super early and got some good deals on bullets and ammo at a gun show today.

Was looking for some 8mm Mauser stuff. Got some PPU 198 gr FMJ BT for $20, Speer 200 gr 8mm bullets SP for $5.50 (x30), and Sierra 8mm 175gr SP for $4.50 (x18).

I'm not sure if I got a good deal or not, but checking on Trade-Ex, the PPU ammo is $24 + shipping + taxes.

Are Sierra and Speer bullets any good? I hope so! I'm not sure which bullet is better for Mule deer? I'm taking the 175 gr I suppose?

I bought the PPU ammo mainly to shoot and use the brass. But to be even more economical, could I pull the 198gr FMJ bullets and put a Speer 200 gr SP bullet on the existing factory powder? Do I need to crimp this?
 
I have shot some of that PPU ammo, and it is obviously loaded to Eurospec standards.
IIRC, it chrony'd around 2550+ in my 8x57, which is faster than North American 170 grainers are starting out!
For that reason, I would not be substituting any other bullet in the same weight range over the existing powder charge.
If that 200 Speer has a longer bearing surface, or is slighly larger in diameter, you could get into serious trouble.
You should try that PPU ammo as it is. It was quite accurate in my 8x57.
Regards, Eagleye.
 
Okay thanks, I guess I can shoot them up and then reload them with my 200 gr SP for hunting?

What powders do you recommend for this calibre?
 
IMHO, of those you have, the 175 gr Sierra is the bullet that is most appropriate for mule deer. Sierra's hunting bullets will produce excellent performance at the velocities you'll get from your 8X57.

Swapping the FMJ 198s for Speer 200s shouldn't be a problem; some of those 198s might actually weigh 200 grs. The issue here is neck tension, after you pull the bullet, the neck might be too loose to even hold the bullet for crimping. The best bet is to remove the decapping pin from your sizing die and resize the brass. While you're at it, dump a load or two of powder on your scale to see what it weighs, this should provide you with some idea of the load when you compare the factory powder charge to book charges. Europeans tend to load the 8mm hotter than North American manufacturers, so you might even prefer to back off a grain. After you have seated your bullet you can decide if you will crimp or not, I prefer to crimp when I can, but others prefer not to.

If you decide to use the 175 Sierras, go out and buy a box so you have enough to work up a load, properly sight in your rifle, and go hunting.

Edited to add . . .
Eagleye makes a good point concerning the bearing length of the FMJ vs the Speer Soft Point. The FMJ most likely is a spitzer with a minimal bearing surface while the 200 gr Speer might be a semi-spitzer or even a round nose with a much longer bearing surface. Given the hotter loading of the Euro ammo, weigh out the powder to ensure that the load is reasonable with the Speer bullet.
 
The best powders I have used in my 8x57 are: Vihtavuori N150 & N550. However, W760 worked well, as did IMR4350, H414, H4350 & IMR 4007.
Regards, Eagleye.
 
Ok, well if anybody has a spare set of dies, please let me know :)

Thanks for your input boys. It's very informative.

Now, should I expect to be kicked like mule when I fire these Euro loads in my Husky?
 
Are 150 gr and 170 gr interchangeable in terms of game that one can hunt with? What type of game would 200 gr be good for? Moose, Elk, and Bear?
 
Thanks for your input boys. It's very informative.

Now, should I expect to be kicked like mule when I fire these Euro loads in my Husky?

Recoil is about like the 30-06 in similar weight rifles.
I would say that, unless you husky is a lightweight, recoil should be quite tolerable.
My 8x57 is a Remington 700 "Classic", and I have shot some pretty potent loads through it without suffering.
[The Moose suffered though! LOL]
I drive the 200 Accubond to 2650 in mine
The 175 Sierra will do 2800 nicely.
The 200 is excellent Moose and Elk medicine, while the 150 is pretty stubby in 8mm [read short] Probably be alright for deer.
I think the 175 would be a better deer/bear choice....others may have different opinions, of course.
Regards, Eagleye.
 
When buying dies for 8x57, do you buy a neck sizer? Or do you get the two die FL set? Or do you need both?

My understanding is if you fireform the brass, you don't need to full-size just neck size. But you can't just buy the neck sizer because you need a decapper and bullet seater!

Also, do you guys crimp?
 
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Everyone has different ideas about these questions, but here's my take. On a hunting rifle, reliability trumps accuracy, and fire forming followed by neck sizing is a technique designed to optimize accuracy at the cost of effortless feeding. So I full length resize and don't even think about neck sizing the ammunition I'm loading for a hunting rifle. But don't worry, in the field you would never be able to make use of the accuracy you give up compared to neck sizing only. More importantly you won't have to struggle to close the bolt, and if you find yourself in a situation where you need a fast follow up shot, it'll be there. The down side is that your brass might not last for as many reloads, but I believe this disadvantage is offset by the reliability you gain by full length resizing.

Redding manufactures die sets that include a neck sizing die with a decapping pin and a separate body die that is kind of cool because it will allow you to bump the shoulder back a hair if your neck sized ammo prevents the bolt from closing easily. These die sets can be had with with either a resizing ball or with interchangeable bushings so you can influence the amount of grip the case has on the bullet. The bushing sets though do tend to be expensive and your ammo might not be any better than if it had been full length resized with a standard die set, so IMHO you might as well use the extra cash to buy more bullets to load. Some hard core target shooters will even have dies made up by a gunsmith using the same reamer used to cut their barrel's chamber with a set amount of shoulder set back built in, but that is far beyond what most of us need.

I might stand out as the exception with regards to crimping. I crimp all my hunting ammunition that has a cannelured bullet. I don't worry about seating the bullet long to sit on or just off the lands because I want the round to feed through the magazine without hanging up; the reliability thing again. Crimping provides the benefit of uniforming the bullet pull weight just like seating close to the lands does, but it doesn't affect the feeding of the rifle like seating the bullet long can. While the recoil of an 8mm isn't likely to drive bullets back into the case, that is certainly a benefit of crimping more powerful rifle cartridges. I just think crimping makes my ammo a little bit better.

If you do decide to crimp, do it as a separate step from seating the bullet, and take the time to adjust the die for uniform results. One method is to back out the seating stem of the seating die and back the die off, then run the ram to the top of its travel with a loaded round in the shell holder. Screw the die down until it stops against the case neck back the ram off, adjust the die down an eighth of a turn, then run the ram back up. Examine the crimp and adjust the die as required, then once correct lock it in place. Another method is to run the ram to the top and screw the die down with your thumb and two fingers until it refuses to move. I sort of like this way better because it tends to produce more uniform results once you acquire a feel for it.
 
Ok thanks for your insight. I think I'll start with the FL die set first. And if I need the neck sizer, get one in the future.
 
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