A couple questions........I'm using new brass . I've FL sized and trimmed the cases as well as chamfered the necks inside and out. Should the shoulder and neck area be annealed before fire forming ? Should a person use a small amt of pistol powder and COW with a wax plug? If so what powder and how much? I don't wish to waste real hunting bullets.
Making 8x57 from 30-06
- Thread starter mbogo3
- Start date
If your cases are already formed to 8x57 no need to anneal. Regular starting loads and work up. Done it when I couldn’t find 8 Mauser cases.
I have made various cartridges from 30-06 cases. If you start with new brass as you mentioned there shouldn't be any issues. - dan
It will entirely depend on your brass. Back in the day, when I had to resort to such extents, some worked and some didn't.
For those that didn't, it wasn't a big deal to set up the neck on a .323 spud and turn it to proper thicknesses on the lathe.
It's more of a chore when you have to thin the necks by hand.
Ariu, your spec charts are great, thanx for posting them.
I would be concerned about the thickness of the neck walls, so when they're sized and brought back over the expander ball the outside diameters aren't to big to chamber.
Depending on the brass thickness and the chamber dimensions they may not be an issue at all.
Hopefully everything goes smoothly for Buff.
I saw a claim from an American once that the 7X57 and 8X57 were based on the 30-06!
Anyways I'd say you should anneal before and after sizing, and you need to check neck thickness and ream as required for the dies you use and the gun in which it will be shot.
Anyways I'd say you should anneal before and after sizing, and you need to check neck thickness and ream as required for the dies you use and the gun in which it will be shot.
I annealed before pushing the shoulder back, sized and trimmed. I have a small lathe so trimming go quick. I didn’t need to thin the case necks. Brass used was once fired 30-06. Rifle is a BRNO made in 49. Brass is still going. I use those cases for cast loads now. I acquired about 400 actual 8x57 brass which get used for full power loads.
Fairly easy conversion to do.
Fairly easy conversion to do.
You won't know until you try it in your chamber.
IMHO, the thicker you can keep the neck the better.
The brass I'm shooting in my 8x57 sporter is old Gevelot, black box. It was new unprimed and came in boxes of 20, with all French language printing.
The necks on this stuff measure .015 and with .323 Norma Oryx, 196 grain bullets have .0015 clearance all the way around.
This is as close to perfect as it gets for me.
They chamber well and the combination, with the load using CCI250 primers, 56.0grns of H414SL10 (slightly slower and less temp sensetive than W760, commercial surplus powder) out of a 23 inch barrel, shoots into sub moa at 100 yards, giving 2600+fps.
That's a snorting hammer of a load IMHO.
I'm glad this rifle turned out so well. It was a put together from bin parts rifle.
I had a lovely old Walnut stock, with Maple tip, Pewter grip cap, Brno 21H double set triggers/guard/floorplate, set up so the front trigger can't act as the release trigger, until the set trigger has been pulled. Makes for an excellent and very fast safety.
The receiver was an old take off D&T, with ground surfaces for scope bases and a cut back take off 98 barrel in exc condition.
Looks like it's right out of the early sixties, other than the Burris scope and commercial shroud. I like it a lot.
Last edited:
