Looking for 8mm Mauser Whitetail load

[Chenango]

Looking to load up some deer load for my son so he can use his 8mm Mauser this season.
Need a round to be able to shoot between 50 and 100 yards with the original military sights.
I have available some Remington 185 gr. PSCP bullets and some Remington 150 gr. spire points to use and also Imr 3031, Hodgdon 4350, 4395, and Varget powders.

[cwlongshot]

 Please check the manuals for this load as I haven't loaded it in years...  BUT, once I found it, I loaded a bunch and haven't needed to load or look for a better load since.

 Rem brass, 49grs IMR 4064 powder, Rem primers, 170RN Hornady bullet.

 I also used the Sierra 175gr bullet in the same load with excellent results. Accuracy is 1" & sub 1" groups in the two different Mausers I own. Its a stiff load, choreographing just under 2700fps.

 Sorry, I haven't had the need to try the 185 bullet as it wasn't available when I worked up my load. IIRC, that is a 8mm MAG designed bullet. If so, it will be fine for targets but not so grand for hunting. As velocity may be too low for reliable expansion at all but PB impacts.
The 150 bullet I did try, but accuracy in my guns was not as good and for my purposes, the RN is top choice. It's a bang-flop cartridge when you put your bullets in the right spot.

Good luck with this great cartridge!!

 CW

[Brithunter]

Hi there,

             Not a handload I know but I uderstand it's not expensive in the US so I would suggest that you try the S&B 196 Grn SPCE loading. It should shoot to the sights and is very effective and it's no slouch in the velocity department either as claimed velocity is around 2600fps  .

edit:-
Whoops that should have been 2600 fps 

[Mikey]

I second Brithunter's recommendation for the Sellier and Bellot 8mm with the 196 gn cutted edge soft point.  The velocity is factory listed at 2590'/sec and it is to original 8mm Mauser specs and shoots to point of aim in my mil-surp 8s.  HTH.  Mikey.

[Val]

My sporterized K98 Mauser likes the heavier bullets. In 180 grain Nosler Ballistic Tips or Partitions I use 43 grains of IMR 4064 with CCI 200 primers.This load chronographs at 2272 which would be great at the ranges you mentioned. In 200 grains  Speer Spitzers I use 44 grains of Varget and CCI 200 primers for a chronographed velocity of 2265 fps.

[mrloring]

Sorry, I haven't had the need to try the 185 bullet as it wasn't available when I worked up my load. IIRC, that is a 8mm MAG designed bullet. If so, it will be fine for targets but not so grand for hunting. As velocity may be too low for reliable expansion at all but PB impacts.
 CW

According to Remington Customer Service it will work.  Here is the email that the sent me.

Subject
---------------------------------------------------------------
.323 185g Core-Lokt Bullet

Customer (Aaron Loring) - 07/14/2008 10:38 PM   
I am wanting to reload hunting ammunition for my 8x57 Mauser.  At what
velocities is the .323 185g Core-Lokt designed to expand?



Discussion Thread
---------------------------------------------------------------
Response (Pete) - 07/16/2008 03:23 PM   
Dear Aaron,

Thank you for visiting Remington Country! We certainly appreciate you taking the
time to write in with your question.

Aaron anywhere between 1600 and 2400 ft per second will be the velocities that
it will give reliable controled expansion.

Thanks,

Should you have additional questions, please feel free to contact our Consumer
Services Department at 800-243-9700, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm, EST, Monday through
Friday.

[Larry Gibson]

Use the 185 Remington bullets, they are excellent for what you want to do. They might not be the most accurate bullet but they run a close second in my 8x57s (usually 1.5-2" 5 or 10 shot groups at 100 yards with a scoped rifle, 2-3" with issue sights).  They are very good deer/elk bullets out to 300 yards.  Using the 4895 powder work up from 45 to 48 gr in 1/2 gr increments. I use 47.5 gr of 4895 (WW cases with WLR primers, OAL; 3.177") which gives 2635 fps out of my standard 23" milsurp 8x57 barrels.  This will fit in very well with the impact velocities recommended by Remington in the above post.

My experience in the field with my 2600+ fps load verifies Remingtons recomendation out to 300 yards. The psi of that load across my Oehler M43 is 57,000  psi, well within the capability of your M98.  Zeroed at 200 yards (2-2.3" high at 100 yards) the drop at 300 yards will be 10-11" with a remaining velocity of 1864 fps and 1427 ftlbs of energy.

If your rifles rear sight's minimum range is 200/300 meters then you may need a taller front sight for a zero of 2" high at 100 yards.

If you use this load, or the one you work up to, Please advise of the results. Thank you

Larry Gibson

[cwlongshot]

Sorry, I haven't had the need to try the 185 bullet as it wasn't available when I worked up my load. IIRC, that is a 8mm MAG designed bullet. If so, it will be fine for targets but not so grand for hunting. As velocity may be too low for reliable expansion at all but PB impacts.
 CW

According to Remington Customer Service it will work.  Here is the email that the sent me.

Subject
---------------------------------------------------------------
.323 185g Core-Lokt Bullet

Customer (Aaron Loring) - 07/14/2008 10:38 PM   
I am wanting to reload hunting ammunition for my 8x57 Mauser.  At what
velocities is the .323 185g Core-Lokt designed to expand?



Discussion Thread
---------------------------------------------------------------
Response (Pete) - 07/16/2008 03:23 PM   
Dear Aaron,

Thank you for visiting Remington Country! We certainly appreciate you taking the
time to write in with your question.

Aaron anywhere between 1600 and 2400 ft per second will be the velocities that
it will give reliable controled expansion.

Thanks,

Should you have additional questions, please feel free to contact our Consumer
Services Department at 800-243-9700, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm, EST, Monday through
Friday.

 Good to know!!  Thank you for posting...

CW

[jeclif]

Is that H4895 or IMR 4895

[mrloring]

 Good to know!!  Thank you for posting...

CW

No problem.  I picked up some of those bullets in Cabelas bargain cave and found the 8mm Rem Mag myth online as well. 

[cwlongshot]

 Good to know!!  Thank you for posting...

CW

No problem.  I picked up some of those bullets in Cabelas bargain cave and found the 8mm Rem Mag myth online as well. 

 It IS an honest and easy to understand mistake as this is one of the bullet weights that the mag came out with and to my knowledge hasn't been factory offered loaded for the Mauser.
 So it WAS introduced with the big 8 and so safe to assume built for its velocity, not the Mausers.

[Larry Gibson]

I have used H4895, IMR 4895 and milsurp 4895.  One should always work up regardless, correct? The posted 47.5 gr load was with IMR 4895.

Larry Gibson

[mrloring]

 It IS an honest and easy to understand mistake as this is one of the bullet weights that the mag came out with and to my knowledge hasn't been factory offered loaded for the Mauser.
 So it WAS introduced with the big 8 and so safe to assume built for its velocity, not the Mausers.

I started to believe the misinformation myself, thats why I emailed Remington.  I didn't want to work up a deer load only to find it is about as effective as a FMJ. 

Remington is goofy when it comes to .323
They only load 8x57 with a 170gr bullet, but it is a reduced velocity lawyer proof load.
They only load 8mm Rem Mag with a 200gr A-Frame.
They don't sell either of those bullets as components and the one .323 bullet (185 gr) they do sell as a component they don't factory load in anything!

And nobody has lists reloading data for a 185gr bullet in 8x57

[cwlongshot]

 It IS an honest and easy to understand mistake as this is one of the bullet weights that the mag came out with and to my knowledge hasn't been factory offered loaded for the Mauser.
 So it WAS introduced with the big 8 and so safe to assume built for its velocity, not the Mausers.

I started to believe the misinformation myself, thats why I emailed Remington.  I didn't want to work up a deer load only to find it is about as effective as a FMJ. 

Remington is goofy when it comes to .323
They only load 8x57 with a 170gr bullet, but it is a reduced velocity lawyer proof load.
They only load 8mm Rem Mag with a 200gr A-Frame.
They don't sell either of those bullets as components and the one .323 bullet (185 gr) they do sell as a component they don't factory load in anything!

And nobody has lists reloading data for a 185gr bullet in 8x57

 Sometimes I think Remington is flat goofy... all the time.

 Anyhow, I too hate missinformation and again thank you for clearing this one up!! 

CW

[Mckie Hollow]

I've used a lot of the 185 core-lokts and 195 hornady's. Both work well. Do Yourself a favor and get Your headspace checked by a Smith.