W.C. Morton
AH member
- Joined
- Aug 12, 2017
- Messages
- 16
- Reaction score
- 4
New member, but I've been around for a long time. In the 1960's I collected and shot British nitro and BP sporting rifles and did some hunting (in Pennsylvania) with a Westley Richards Edge action .303, a .333 Rigby Mauser, and a .450 Henry single shot. Never had an interest in other countries sporting rifles until a couple of years ago when a friend and fellow collector showed me a Model 1908 M-S 8X56 carbine. The piece shows many hours of use in less than ideal weather conditions but the bore is perfect. Typical condition for much carried but moderately shot hunting rifles. Why I traded my friend out of the rifle was what is stamped on the barrel top n front of the rear sight which is "Specially Made for Charles A. Heyer & Co." who as most of you will know was a famous outfitter/gun dealer in Nairobi for much of the first half of the last century. I got loading dies from CH, 8X57 brass to form 8X56 cases from Hornady, and bullets from Barnes and Nosler. The little gun shoots quite well using VV N150 and 4064 powder. So far, so good......................
The problem is I can't find any mention of the 8X56's use in Africa. Plenty on the 6.5X54, 9X57 M-S, but the 8X56 M-S seems to have been a wall flower that no one wanted to dance with. But, Heyer was selling them so he must have had at least some sort of market for the caliber. Granted, its ballistics don't light any fires, but then the .303 was popular back about 1920 when my 1908 M-S was made, and the 8X56 has ballistics about like the .303. Was it mainly farmers, Coffee growers. etc. who were buying these little Model 1908 carbines maybe to keep the occasional lion off their live stock, or perhaps continental European settlers in Kenya more familiar with metric stuff and not with British calibers who were the intended buyers. or........or what? Do any of you members familiar with the 8X56 know of its use in East Africa?
The problem is I can't find any mention of the 8X56's use in Africa. Plenty on the 6.5X54, 9X57 M-S, but the 8X56 M-S seems to have been a wall flower that no one wanted to dance with. But, Heyer was selling them so he must have had at least some sort of market for the caliber. Granted, its ballistics don't light any fires, but then the .303 was popular back about 1920 when my 1908 M-S was made, and the 8X56 has ballistics about like the .303. Was it mainly farmers, Coffee growers. etc. who were buying these little Model 1908 carbines maybe to keep the occasional lion off their live stock, or perhaps continental European settlers in Kenya more familiar with metric stuff and not with British calibers who were the intended buyers. or........or what? Do any of you members familiar with the 8X56 know of its use in East Africa?
