8mm Mauser

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barktwid

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Hi everyone. I am a new member to CGN. Although I have been a member for a few weeks this is my first post so bare with me. I am wondering if any one has any practical experience with the 8*57 or the 8mm Mauser. I have read alot of the history and looked at a number of different balistics tables so I don't need any info on that. I am only looking for opinions based on experiance as I have aquired an old Styre Mannlicher and plan on using it.
Thanks
 
Hello and welcome.
I am quite fond of the 8X57, it's a very nice old round and it's often overlooked these days I think. It's in the same league as the .308 and .30/06. Diameter is exactly half way between the .308" and the .338" which is not a bad place to be. The guns are plentiful and you can get some nice old rifles at very reasonable prices. Components to reload are easy to get too. I'm sure you'll have a great old rifle for shooting fun and it's a very nice hunting round for most North American game too. Nice to see some of the old rifles get used. I shoot a couple of old 8mms myself and thoroughly enjoy them.
Great idea for a first post by the way.
 
Welcome! Like Casull mentioned, pretty close to a 30/06 for all intensive purposes. I use a Mauser K98 in 8mm to hunt moose and deer in the bush and I love it. I use 150 gr bullets for deer and 196gr for moose.
 
Most factory loading for the 8x57 are not much better than .30-30 numbers, but when you hand load them, they are very good. I used one for a few years, and shot bullets between 150 and 196g. They all shot well out of my rifle, but the bigger leads where impressive, in accuracy and smack. Have fun.
 
Howdy and welcome!
The 8mm mauser is a great cartrdige, although I have nevr hunted with one, I hunted last year with a 8X56 ,mannlicher Schoenauer, and that cartridge is VERY close to the same.
I ahve also shot a 8mm Mauser at the rangge and it is a very impressive little carbine, indeed .
Cat
 
Welcome to the board barktwid! I don't have experience with the 8 mauser either but was eyeing a couple of rifles up recently thinking maybe a rebuild. But was also thinking it might be fun to buy some dies and see what this round is like, so I'll thank you also for the thread. :cool:

Thanks for reloading info there 303 carbine. Any others handloading for the 8x57 with more real world velocity data? What do those 196gr bullets shoot at?
 
From the Barnes manual (I'm assuming modern data) from a 24" barrel

180gr average of about 2750fps
200gr average of about 2525fps
220gr average of about 2400fps
 
i have taken several deer and an elk with the 8x57.

the load i have been using is a 200 gr nosler partition driven at 2475fps and it has put down everything that i have pointed it at.

i think it is a great cartridge. one with a lot of history and the father of the 30-06, 308 winchester, et al.
 
Its a good caliber and a great rifle. Bullet selection isn't as good as for a .30 caliber, heavy bullets shot in a rifle with a steel but plate start to hurt before too long. The Mauser 98 rifle is the nicest feeling military bolt action made.
 
I've used my 8x57 since 1962....excellent hunting cartridge, my best load to date is a 180 Nosler Ballistic Tip over 52 gr RL19 with a CCI#34 primer in Remington brass.
 
Casull said:
Kevan, what do you think the speed of that load is? How is the bullet on game too?
Thanks,
Rob
Click to expand...
I've never chronographed the load so I'd only be guessing on velocity, it works great in my VZ24, but is a tad warm for my FN49.
As for bullet performance its done all I could ask for on a couple mulies and I think the Ballistic Tip bullets are made with a slightly heavier jacket from 30 cal up......they work very well on Moose in my 375 H&H.
 
You should be aware of the history of 8mm Mauser. The factory loads are so anemic because in the original Gewehr 1888 rifle, a round nose bullet of .318 was specified. This continued into the Gewehr 1898 rifle until about 1905 when a new spitzer (pointed) bullet of .323 diameter was introduced.

It is extremely dangerous to fire a spitzer bullet of .323 in the older .318 specified rifles. Hence, the manufacturers protect themselves by using only a very light load, in case somebody is foolish enough to fire a .323 bullet in too narrow of a barrel.
 
I no longer have the rifle, but it was a Turk with a 24" barrel, and had a 3-9x40 scope mounted. Here is some of my loads and velositys from my records.
170g Hornady RN-49.5g of IMR4064 Win LR Primers Rem Brass--2640 fps
150g " SP-55.5g of Win 748 " " " " " --2800 fps
196 Norma RN-46g of IMR4064 2370 fps
195 Hornady sp-47g of IMR4064 2500 fps
The best load I came up with for the 195g bullet was 48.5g of IMR4064, but never checked the velosity. It was a sub 1" group in my rifle. I had no sign of pressure in my rifle, and all these loads where accurate to at least 1 1/2" groups at 100 yards. Not to bad for an old rifle.
 
Kevan said:
I've never chronographed the load so I'd only be guessing on velocity, it works great in my VZ24, but is a tad warm for my FN49.
As for bullet performance its done all I could ask for on a couple mulies and I think the Ballistic Tip bullets are made with a slightly heavier jacket from 30 cal up......they work very well on Moose in my 375 H&H.
Click to expand...

Here's what a 8mm 175 grain Seirra Pro Hunter looks like aftter going "kitty corner"
Through a white tail at 97 paces!
1758mmprohunter3.jpg

Cat
edit note: This bullet came out of the muzzle at about 2,050PFS, due to the 20" barrel.
The bullet now weighs 169.3 grains.
Total bullet failure, IMHO! ( grin)
 
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Kevan said:
I've used my 8x57 since 1962....excellent hunting cartridge, my best load to date is a 180 Nosler Ballistic Tip over 52 gr RL19 with a CCI#34 primer in Remington brass.
Click to expand...

I'm going to give these ones a try this year too. I talked with Nosler regarding how they hold up on game. They are designed around the 8 Rem Mag velocities so they should hold up well.:)
Testing them side by side with a proved bullet in the same medium should give a fairly good idea.

Going back 18 years when my best friend and I got into hunting, he borrowed his neighbors German Mauser so chambered, topped with what he was told a WWII sniper's scope. Looking back I might be skeptical as to whether it was a snipers rig as it looks like a full fledged sporter. None the less I lusted for that gun something fierce, especially when I looked at my 1950 Mauser in 30-06 and iron sights.:redface:

That first fall he nailed a nice 4x4 Muley, one shot at 200 yards.:)
The next year he dropped a 6 point Bull Elk, again, one shot at about 100 yards again. Lucky bugger! It was huge. The load he used would have been the good old factory Remington 170gr. I don't think we were aware of reloading yet.

Every once in awhile I think I should go see the neighbor, see if I can't procure that old gem.:D

Noel
 
You mention having a Steyr Mannlicher. Is it 8x57?
As far as current production ammunition is concerned, European 8x57 is pretty much on a par with .30-06.
 
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