8x57 loads

[spiska]

Just picked up a nice sporterized German Mauser in 8mm. Wanted to give 8x57 a try this deer season.

Anyone have any bullet preferences and/or load data to share?

 

[steve white]

42 gr IMR 4895 with a 196 gr bullet is a mild sweet spot in 8X57 JR.

 

[MauserDuff]

175 gr Sierras and IMR 4320 (2750 fps) has been my favorite for almost 50 years. 200 Partitions (2600 fps) and 4064 for bigger stuff. Both are sub-moa out of my 1944 M98.

 

[MS 9x56]

Believe it or not my rifle shoots the Sellier & Bellot 196 grain better groups than my handloads, so I use those with the SPCE bullet.

 

[rdog]

Just picked up a nice sporterized German Mauser in 8mm. Wanted to give 8x57 a try this deer season.

Anyone have any bullet preferences and/or load data to share?

I use a Speer 170 grain hot core in mine they are priced well 3 shot 1 inch groups & do a job on pigs.

 

[yamoon]

323 or 318 bore?
Mike

 

[dchamp]

This is what I use. They are for modern day rifles.

8X57is .323
(160 TTSX @3.16oal). H4895 & IMR 3031.
180 Hammer @ 3.0”+/- oal - (220 SGK @3.205oal). CFE223
Charge weight range 48 -51.5
I use R 9-1/2 primers

 

[spiska]

323 or 318 bore?
Mike

323. 1941 K98.

 

[spiska]

This is what I use. They are for modern day rifles.

8X57is .323
(160 TTSX @3.16oal). H4895 & IMR 3031.
180 Hammer @ 3.0”+/- oal - (220 SGK @3.205oal). CFE223
Charge weight range 48 -51.5
I use R 9-1/2 primers

Would a 1941 German Mauser qualify as a "modern day rifle"?

Was thinking about the Barnes 160 grain.

 

[dchamp]

I don’t know. Good chance your seating depths will be different. I measure for seating depth’s with a Hornady Gauge. As for powder charges, start a couple of grains lower and work it up looking for pressure signs. The 160gr TTSX is a really good bullet for the 8x57.

 

[BFaucett]

Just picked up a nice sporterized German Mauser in 8mm. Wanted to give 8x57 a try this deer season.

Anyone have any bullet preferences and/or load data to share?

I don't know what type of terrain you'll be hunting in for deer but I thought I'd share my bushveld (brush country) load that I used in the Limpopo Province of South Africa way back in 2005. Classic, old school recipe of a heavy (high sectional density) round nose bullet at moderate velocity. [Note: I do NOT subscribe to the old theory that round nose bullets fired at moderate velocity make good "brush buster" loads.]

Rifle: Remington Model 700 Classic (2004 edition) in 8x57JS

Just my two cents... Cheers! Bob F.

 

[MS 9x56]

I don't know what type of terrain you'll be hunting in for deer but I thought I'd share my bushveld (brush country) load that I used in the Limpopo Province of South Africa way back in 2005. Classic, old school recipe of a heavy (high sectional density) round nose bullet at moderate velocity. [Note: I do NOT subscribe to the old theory that round nose bullets fired at moderate velocity make good "brush buster" loads.]

Rifle: Remington Model 700 Classic (2004 edition) in 8x57JS

Just my two cents... Cheers! Bob F.


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Not a cull in the lot.

 

[93marlin]

Not a cull in the lot.

Nope! All really good cartridges,
Points out just how close in size they are.

 

[MS 9x56]

Nope! All really good cartridges,
Points out just how close in size they are.

As with muscle cars there is no replacement for displacement.

 

[BFaucett]

Looking through my notes today, I ran across the following. It's a handload recommendation for the 8x57JS posted by John Barsness on another forum site (forum member name "Mule Deer"). I haven't tried this load but I saved the information for my reference. I thought I'd pass it along.

John's website:

(John Barsness and Eileen Clarke)​

link: https://www.riflesandrecipes.com/​

I find it interesting that John's 8x57 load basically duplicates the stated factory ballistics of the 180 gr load of the .318 Westley Richards cartridge. From my Kynoch / ICI 1936 catalog reprint:

.318 Westley Richards​

bullet diameter = .330" ; barrel length = 28.0 inches​

Bullet Weight - Muzzle Velocity - Muzzle Energy​

180 gr - 2700 fps - 2913 ft lb​

250 gr - 2400 fps - 3197 ft lb​

I like to think of my Remington Model 700 Classic in 8x57JS as being sort of a poor man's .318 Westley Richards. Just for fun, maybe call it a ".315 Mauser." (8mm / 25.4 mm per inch = .315") By the way, John Taylor, in his book African Rifles and Cartridges (originally published in 1948), mentions the 8x57JS as also being known as the .315 Mauser back in the day. I think the name has a nice ring to it.

Some links that may be of interest:

Head to Head: 8x57 Mauser vs. .318 Westley Richards
by Philip Massaro posted on December 7, 2018
link: https://www.americanhunter.org/content/head-to-head-8x57-mauser-vs-318-westley-richards/

Behind the Bullet: .318 Westley Richards
by Philip Massaro posted on June 28, 2024
link: https://www.americanhunter.org/content/behind-the-bullet-318-westley-richards/

Behind the Bullet: 8x57 Mauser
by Philip Massaro posted on March 10, 2017
link: https://www.americanhunter.org/content/behind-the-bullet-8x57-mauser/

5 Reasons Round Nose Bullets Are Still Cool
by Philip Massaro posted on April 8, 2016
link: https://www.americanhunter.org/articles/2016/4/8/5-reasons-round-nose-bullets-are-still-cool/

.318 Westley Richards (Wikipedia)
link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.318_Westley_Richards

Just my ramblings... Cheers! Bob F.

 

[spiska]

I appreciate the help guys! I'll give some of these a try.