Finishing a 8mm Mauser project......finally!

[kombi1976]

Some of you guys may recognise this from earlier threads.
Back in 2004 I bought this sporterised Kar98k as potential deer rifle.



The bore seemed ok and to begin with it shot reasonably well.
We had bedded the stock to stabilise it and I then went ahead and had the bolt handle forged and bent and the receiver drilled and tapped for a Leupold bridge mount and rings.
This was the result:



But after some shooting it became clear that the stock was inherrently unstable.
A previous owner had got oil in the bedding area and without a lot of hacking it was pretty useless.
I also was tired of seeing the extensive pitting on the bbl and wanted it cleared up.
On top of that a local gunsmith found that the front inch or so of the bbl was pretty shot out so what it needed was removing and a re-crown.
So I decided to get the rear sight sleeve removed, the bbl shortened and re-crowned and the bbl and action powder coated to fill in the pitting and tidy it up.
I also bought a Choate sporting stock that was a "drop in fit".
That was the theory.
I have to admit, it did look better:



It shot ok but not being bedded I was concerned both about damaging the stock and long term accuracy.
The powder coating also did not fill in the pitting.
It showed up just as badly and I'm not even sure it sealed the metal.
I tried bedding it myself with help of a friend but it still wasn't right and I didn't want to risk ruining the stock so I left it for a bit.
Finally, I decided to swap the Tasco MagIV 3-12x40AO on it to my Martini Hornet and fit a Bushnell 3-9x40......only to find the damn bolt handle wouldn't clear the bell!
So it got put to back of the locker until my temper improved and I decided what to do with it.
I usually get a bit of money around Christmas and as a rule it usually makes it toward a new rifle or some shooting gear.
Last year it helped buy the T3 9.3x62 and it has bought other rifles before.
This time I decided that since the 8x57 had a decent stock and was a good action that it deserved to be finished properly so I would consolidate and finish a rifle instead of buying another one that I would have to feed.
But it needed a few things......a new bbl, a better trigger, being bedded properly and the bolt handle needed shaving to clear the Bushnell.
So I compiled a list of stuff:

      - a 26" stainless bbl chambered to 8x57JS of as heavy a contour as the bbl channel could fit (I like long bbls and my sweat is really acidic so stainless is better)
      - a Timney trigger (a friend had given me one for nicks)
      - the action beadblasted and heavily blued dull
      - the bolt handle shaved/modified
      - a proper glass bedding job


And after chatting with a pro-shooter friend on a number of occasions I decided to give Keith Bridgeman at Sprinter Arms in South Australia a call and get a costing.
When everything was worked out the price was right.
The only thing now was to convince the missus to let me send it in early so it would be back JUST before Chrissie and I'd have time to load and dial it up for the hunting trip I'm doing in early January '09.
In the end she couldn't really stop me as she'd done a pre-emptive spend on a couch last year.
I sent the rifle off this afternoon so it should arrive mid-next week.
And I can't really complain about my wife.
Despite the fact she doesn't like guns and would be overjoyed if gave up hunting and I sold the lot tomorrow she stayed up until 2:30am last night fabricating a box to post it in and I "helped" her.
Anyhow, it should be a cracker of a rifle and I'll be getting Keith to put a medium length throat on the chamber so it will accurately shoot 150gr pills.
A firm load of ADI AR2206H (H4895) will push a 150gr to about 2950fps and that is good hog or feral goat medicine.
In fact, it's a good all round load for anything short of sambar deer (which are elk size), camels, scrub bull (feral cattle) or water buffalo and it's has a max PBR of about 280yds.
I'm also getting the stainless bbl bead blasted to make it dull......better for stalking.
I admit 26" is long but I can always have it cut back to 24" or 22".
You can't lengthen it if you want it longer though.
I'll post some pics when it returns.

[03A2]

Sounds like a nice project, you'll know that rifle inside and out by the time you've finished.  I'll skip telling you what I would have done different and why it would have been better (doesn't that get annoying?). 
I would be interested in knowing whose barrel you decided on and why.  I have noticed you have tinkered with more than a few rifles and would guess you have formed definite opinions.  I am thinking of rebarreling an existing rifle of mine in order to get EXACTLY what I want, but it won't happen soon.  I would also be interested in hearing a brief summary on hunting in Australia - availability, variety, and cost of tags and liscenses to citizens, just out of curiosity.

[Cheesehead]

Very interesting project. I own a 98 as do both of my brothers. My nephew is using one this week for deer hunting in Wisconsin. It is like new since my father obtained it from an arsenal in Germany in 1945, unfired. My brother and nephew are considering some modifications, such as adding a scope and bolt alterations. This is a late war rifle and the machining marks are obvious. The bore is perfect. I have been told it is not of high collector value because of its late war vintage. We enjoy our 98's and I load many rounds for them.

Cheese

[kombi1976]

Sounds like a nice project, you'll know that rifle inside and out by the time you've finished.  I'll skip telling you what I would have done different and why it would have been better (doesn't that get annoying?).

To be honest, constructive criticism is often helpful so let me know what you would have done instead and I'll explain why I did what I did in response.
Can't promise it'll make any sense. 

I would be interested in knowing whose barrel you decided on and why.

Well, 2 factors mostly - price and recommendation.
Sprinter, along with MAB (another Aussie company) represent the cheapest bbls available in Oz.
Both are decent quality but a friend of mine who used to shoot roos for meat companies for a living and has also culled camels, dingos, feral goats, foxes and water buffalo for government agencies and large cattle stations uses Sprinter barrels exclusively.
He found they were so good that he would order 2 Ruger M77s in 223 Rem and have them rebarreled with Sprinter barrels right out of the box as soon as they arrived.
If someone who makes their money on shooting thinks that highly of a product that's enough endorsement for me.
And although you may think "Oh, he went the cheap option even if it is good" keep this in mind.......a Sprinter stainless bbl contoured, chambered, threaded and fitted is AUD$535.
There simply is no such thing as a cheap bbl here.
If you buy imports Lothar Walther bbls cost around $500 unfitted and the price goes on up.
Some US bbls are a LITTLE cheaper but no one has thought import A&B barrels and to be blunt many importers here price gouge savagely so I'd imagine in the long run, unless someone with a conscience and a vested interest does it, they won't end up much cheaper.

I have noticed you have tinkered with more than a few rifles and would guess you have formed definite opinions.  I am thinking of rebarreling an existing rifle of mine in order to get EXACTLY what I want, but it won't happen soon.

As I said earlier, I've sat on this rifle for a while and had definite ideas about what I liked.
My choice in bbl and chambering are as much our of practicality and effectiveness as anything else.
I have heaps of 8x57 components and stuff and it's a top round that I like.
And stainless stands up to stuff better.
Mind you I have more actions and definite plans for a couple of them too.
If only I had more money!

I would also be interested in hearing a brief summary on hunting in Australia - availability, variety, and cost of tags and liscenses to citizens, just out of curiosity.

Wow.....ummm, that's like asking about hunting in the US; well maybe a little less diverse.
Ok, roughly anyone who wants to hunt with guns must have a gun licence.
I'll avoid the gun law complexities but it's enough to say they're tough about it.
What we do benefit from in Oz is a wide range of introduce species; in other words feral animals.
These include:

• rabbit
• hare
• fox
• cats
• pigs
• goats
• deer - hog deer, fallow, red, chital, rusa, sambar
• donkeys
• horses
• scrub bulls (cattle)
• Asiatic water buffalo

You need a Game Licence to hunt deer but they tend to have long seasons if they have them at all and no tags with the exception of hog deer which only have a month season and tags.
The rest are technically pests and if you can gain access to land, either through property owners or to state forests by getting a Restricted Game Licence.
There is some bird hunting but I've never done that so I'm unfamiliar with the rules.
If you go on a guided hunt to the Northern Territory then you can come across trophy fees for buffalo but aside of this there is no legal requirement.
And, of course, different locations feature different game.
Most of my hunting involves rabbit, hares, foxes and goats & perhaps a pig plus roo culling.
I will say that unless shooters have either tags or an licence to do so kangaroos and indeed any other native species are protected and off limits.
As such any roos I shoot are culling for farmers with tags.
I hope that provides a little info.

[03A2]

Thanks for the detailed response.  I don't know the current exchange rate, but here one can get Lothar barrel blanks in the neighborhood of $300.  I've done a little research and of the more reputable barrel makers Douglas, Shilen, Hart one can get a complete rebarreling job in stainless standard contour and rifleing for around $600.  Lilja doesn't do rebarelling and Krieger will cost enough more to put it in a different category, but Krieger is the only  one I have found who uses cut rifling as opposed to the button that everyone else uses. 

[kombi1976]

I'll have to ask Keith if he does cut rifling or button rifling.
Is either better?
I'm aiming at getting Bushnell Elite 3200 3-9x40 for it and will probably try and pick it up a little later this month.

Cheesehead, is your Mauser perfect?
If so, late war or not, I'd be leaving it as it.
Collectors are interested in most things and good original K98s are fetching a lot of dollars.
The other thing is that late war Mausers can have substandard metals in them a bit like the late war Arisakas although not as bad.
That makes them less ideal as project basis.
Something to keep in mind.

[Cheesehead]

When the 98 was obtained the stock was unfinished. My father put a coat of stain and clear coat on it. The origanal sight has been replaced with a peep sight, so it has been modified somewhat, but as far as wear goes, it is perfect.

Cheese

[kombi1976]

An update in the process....
I rang the gunsmith last Wednesday and he had not even started it!
He said he should be able to finish it and send it away on Saturday but even so I severely doubt it will get to me before Christmas which if you remember was the deadline.
So, frustration there.
It also turned out that shop in Sydney which was getting in a couple of boxes of Hornady Interlock 150gr SPs could not get them from the distributor as they were on back order.
In the finish I rang a store an hour south and even though that did not have the Hornadys they did have both the Sierra ProHunter 150gr SPTs and the Speer CorLok 150gr SPs.
As the Sierras were almost $10 cheaper per 100 I bought them and I even dodged postage as the sales guy was coming to my home town for a Christmas Shoot at the local pistol club this morning.
So now these babies are ready to be loaded....



I just hope the rifle turns up pronto.

[Brithunter]

Oh sorry to hear of the frustration Kombi and the delay.

[kombi1976]

Well, things haven't turned out any rosier.
I decided, having seen nothing in the letter box, that I'd ring Keith Bridgeman at Sprinter today.
He said it had turned out a bigger job than he'd expected.
I didn't like the sound of that.
He was still chambering the bbl and needed to blue the action.
And he reckons the powder coating got into a lot of places, including the feed rails, and it's going to be a real bugger getting it off.
I said it was a straightforward bead blasting job and he said he hoped so but his tone indicated he clearly didn't think it was.
So the 8mm won't see this trip unless there is a complete miracle, one along the lines of the gunsmithing elves sneaking into Keith's workshop and doing the job overnight.
This is a little like the whole journey with this rifle.
But I rang Keith back afterward and said to take his time and do it as well as he possibly could.
Nothing worse than a rush job and I'll have other chances to use it.
I'm just spewing that it was with next week's hunting trip in mind that I decided to get the work done and was told that it would be done and it hasn't been.

[Freezer]

  I like your attitude, do it right the first time! 

[kombi1976]

Well, it's just being realistic.
I may as well not get all aggravated and hurry the guy because it won't be ready anyway.
Just means that next time I decide to get something done for a particular hunt I need to plan it about 6 months before.
That way there can't be any stuff ups.
Besides, if I forked out the roughly $800 I'm going to getting this right and by rushing it ended up with a 2nd ######## I'd REALLY be disappointed.

[Coyote Hunter]

kombi 1976 –
Sorry to hear about the delays with your rifle, but glad to hear you’re not rushing the work – that can lead to even more unhappiness.

A year or so ago, I bought a used Mauser with a Douglas barrel and BOLD trigger.  At the same time I bought a used McMillan stock.   I wasn’t happy with the action, however and ended up selling the lot for a slight loss.

Than a few weeks ago I bought a brand new Interarms Mark X action with Timney trigger $360 combined and have been looking at barrels and stocks and chambering options ever since.  Last night I ordered a fully finished  Boyd JRS laminate stock in pepper color for $136.  The stock will take a little work, like opening up the barrel channel, but should pretty much be a drop-in. 

The chambering options have been narrowed down to a 6.5mm-06 or 6.5mm-06 Ackley Improved.  For a barrel I’m looking at Krieger, Lilja, Shilen and McGowen.  (In other words, I haven’t narrowed the barrel manufacturer down much.)  I'm thinking it will get a heavy sporter barrel as it will get used a lot at 400 to 600 yards.

A Mauser type rifle has been high on my wish list for some time and am looking forward to shooting this one.  With luck I’ll have the rifle ready this coming summer and will have loads developed well before hunting season rolls around.  I don't even want to know what the total will be when I include gunsmith fees and dies.

Hope you get yours back in the near future - let us know how it shoots.

[kombi1976]

Thanks, CH.
You're Mauser project sounds quite interesting and I expect to see some pics.
I'm sure my Mauser will turn up soon enough, knowing my luck the week after I get back from the hunt!
And don't worry, there'll be plenty of pics and a range report. 

[Skunk]

Kombi, that's a very nice project you're working on. It's going to be one fine rifle when you get it finished. Love the K98s. I got to shoot one a couple of months ago. It was a K98 that a friend of mine had received from his mom for a birthday present back in 1964 on his 14th birthday. It is one rifle that he would never part with.

[kombi1976]

Thanks, skunk.
I'm hoping it'll turn out ok.
A further update.
I gave Keith a call on Friday last week after I got back from the trip to see how things were going.
As it happened the 8mm would have been unnecessary.
For those interested in reading about the trip check out 4½ days in the hills in the Hunting Australia & Pacific forum.
On Friday Keith was bending the bolt handle to clear the scope and it turned out that with some bead blasting and polishing using a wire wheel the receiver had come up fine.
He estimated it would be ready to send later this week.
Today about 11:30 I was not long out of bed (being on hols) when the missus called out that Keith was on the phone.
Turns out the 2nd hand Timney trigger I'd sent was not working properly.
It fitted but the gun would go off straight away when he closed the bolt.
I'd like to say I was surprised but I wasn't.
The guy who originally owned it is infamous for taking perfectly good things and "modifying" them so they either are assembled the wrong way or filed and ground to the point where they don't work properly anymore.
So the option was to stay with the old 2-stage military affair, which had been slightly tricked by a PO but was still not great, or get a new Timney at $125.
I figured "in for a penny, in for a pound" and told Keith to go ahead with the new Timney.
My wife wasn't impressed but I think she saw it as an inevitability.
He also had some questions about the stock and was unsure about the structure.
I told him to run a couple of rounds through it to make sure it was stable and if not to put some bedding compound where needed.
He said that would take extra time particularly with the windy weather and I assured him that was ok.
Afterall, I didn't need it for a hunt or anything and better off all done that needing further work.
So, hopefully next week will see its return.

[kombi1976]

Well folks, the big day has arrived.
My Mauser is HOME!! 

Here's a pic:



Barrel long enough for ya?
It came fully disassembled and I put it back together in the veriest of minutes.
The trigger is delightfully crisp and light, the bluing nice and dull......which is kinda ironic considering how shiny the bbl is.
I may in the future paint the bbl with a ceramic paint to make it nice and dull too but I haven't decided.
What it does need doing now is some sort of better finish on the stock.
It had to be modded for the bolt handle and it also has some other marks I put in it when we tried to bed it last time.
For the moment though I'll be running some rounds through it.
A friend has to have some roos culled in Feb and March and this seems to be the ideal rifle for the job, albeit a much bigger cal than most people use for that work.
Then off for a paint job perhaps. 
I post a range report when I get out there next.

[kombi1976]

Many of you would've read this thread and be waiting with baited breath for performance report on this rifle.
After burning the midnight oil last night loading up some rounds for it I finally took it out to the range for a test run.
The initial shots at 50m were very encouraging and most grouped around the same spots.
I then took it out to 100m and tried the loads I'd made for it.
Due to the fact it will be used for medium game and predators much of the time I stuck with a lighter bullet, Sierra's ProHunter 150gr SP.
Even it is a tad big for foxes and hares but with the demise of the Hornady 125gr SP there's nothing else lighter on the market.
My choice of powder was ADI's AR2206H (H4895) as the figures for this were faster than any of the other powders and the powder volume was pretty good.
I started at 49gr and worked my way up to the 51gr maximum load in the hope that the hotter loads would be good.
As it turned out the hotter they got the wider they spread.
I shot a 4 shot group for each load and the differences left me in some dismay.
The 50gr load was 2 shots together on target, 2 shots together 2" high and others were quite a lot worse.
The 51gr load ended up putting all four within 2" but that was not really good enough for a new heavy sporter bbl that was properly bedded.
But there was a silver lining.
The coolest load I took.....49gr of 2206H.....delivered this:



Shot No2 was the flyer to the left and as soon as I pulled the trigger I knew it would be bad.
The rifle pulled badly and I wasn't suprised.
But the rest grouped around 0.9" which is Sub MOA in my book.
The rifles bears some more testing and I could probably chase an even more accurate load but it won't be hotter.
It will be in gentle increments cooler.
Doing some rough calculations considering the reloading data and the bbl length and other factors it should still clock between 2900fps and 2930fps.
Zeroed 2.6" high at 100 will give it a 280yd max PBR.
So, I'm pretty satisfied.

[rickt300]

Well I sort of have been waiting for you to get some shooting done.  I have 2 8MM Mausers that I haven't gotten around to fooling with yet.  I have in the past built some "sporterized" 8MM's and shot them a lot. My barrels were Military so I had to seat the bullets out pretty far, especially the 150 grain Sierra. I had my best luck using 3031 with this bullet but it still was pretty finicky. The 175 grain Sierra in both those rifles was the easiest to get fine grouping with and it could be pushed pretty fast using 4064 and 4350. This bullet did it all for me with fast expansion and plenty deep enough penetration. This will be the bullet I use when setting up my next 8MM. In my opinion the 8x57JS is more gun than the 338 Federal. My last loading I put together in a 8MM mauser was the 185 grain Remington corelokt, I pulled the 196 grain bullets out of some heavy ball Yugo ammo, reduced the powder charge 4 grains and worked up to the original loading pushing the corelokt. Shot great! Too bad the cases were not boxer primed, but the ammo at the time was real cheap.

[Mckie Hollow]

I too, am a big fan of the 8x57. I load 195 gr. Horn. and rl-15. 4320 seems to work as well. May be overkill for whitetails, but My 98 likes the Hornady's. The 8x57 is truly one of the best out there.

[454Puma]

Kombi
  Seems to have been alot of work/expense to get the rifle to shoot right.  Guess I've been blessed as I have 2 G98/40's in original military dress that shoot sub MOA with my reloads! Both absolutely love Nosler 180 gr BT's  over 43 gr Varget or 185 gr CorLok's over 49 gr IMR4350 a moderate loading but since they are both open sited these give me more then what need out to 250 yards!

[kombi1976]

Puma, you're a very wise man.
Yes, I have thrown good money after bad but it has all come out in the end.
I would have retained the original bbl and sights but it was horribly pitted outside, pitted moderately inside and the first 2 inches from the muzzle had been shot out.
I never had the complete timber and it was just too far gone.
So having gone halfway I felt I needed to finish the job.
I'm pleased you have 2 decent 98s that shoot as they should.
Now my does too although it cost a LOT more! 

[rickt300]

My first 8MM was one someone else had put a sporter stock on and a scope in some really high rings so the original semi bent bolt handle would clear. I also got 5 boxes of Winchester 200 grain round nosed amo with the rifle, a round no longer available.  Though the bore was dark it shot into 2 inches at 100 yards. I killed several mule deer with this rifle and a bunch of turtles.  When I ran out of the 200 grain bullets I had the rifle rebarreled to 243 and the bolt properly bent so I could lower the scope some.  I then proceeded to shoot the 243 barrel out on jackrabbits and prairie dogs.

[Drilling Man]

  It took about 2 sessions at the range to figure out my 8x57 liked 200 grain bullets, and not one lighter weight...  If i can't shoot it with a 200 grain bullet, it doesn't get shot with my 8x57!

  DM

[RaySendero]

  It took about 2 sessions at the range to figure out my 8x57 liked 200 grain bullets, and not one lighter weight...  If i can't shoot it with a 200 grain bullet, it doesn't get shot with my 8x57!

  DM

Same here!  My rifle liked the 200 gr Speer HCs - Turned it into a real THUMPER!

[kombi1976]

Most of the early to mid 20th century 8x57 military rifles used 196gr FMJ ammo so they were throated for it.
Hence shorter bullets get lost in the long throat and don't shoot well.
It's why my rifle has custom throat.

[rickt300]

I started looking at my 8MM Mausers.  One is a 24/47, a shortened M98 with excellent bluing that shoots well with the Yugo 196 grain military stuff.  The other is a late war m98 dressed with a winter trigger gaurd and it was supposedly captured by the Russians at Stalingrad.  It is in very good condition with a perfect bore. I haven't shot it yet as I just cleaned the cosmoline out of it. I think I'll leave tha latter gun alone and just shoot it some.  I am however eyeing the 24/47 as a possible sporter project.  My present situation is that I have a 270 barrel that could be easily fitted to it along with plenty of .277 bullets in the collection. My 8MM bullet collection is mostly a lot of milsurp 196 grain stuff, a partial bag of 185 gr. Corelokts and some loaded ammo using the corelokts.  I think I'll leave em alone and just shoot em as is.

[kombi1976]

It took about 2 sessions at the range to figure out my 8x57 liked 200 grain bullets, and not one lighter weight...  If i can't shoot it with a 200 grain bullet, it doesn't get shot with my 8x57!
 DM

See, to some extent I agree with that logic, but there are a few other factors at least here in Oz.
The first is that I don't like rifles that simply sit in my safe and do nothing......I like them to get an outing regularly; hence the reason my 9.3x62 has bowled over a couple of roos when it is more suitable for big deer.
And if I want to shoot something regularly that means loading it with bullets that suit both me and the game.
Heavy bullets recoil more and don't shoot as flat and, to be blunt, cost more especially since our dollar has decided plunge and sit on the bottom of the foreign currency swamp.
That makes them bad for me.
They also pass quickly through smaller game like foxes and hares and goats and continue on until something else stops them.
That concerns me as they still have a LOT of energy.
So in that sense a 150gr pill makes a lot more sense and still allows me to use my 8mm fairly often.
A 125gr pill would be ideal but Hornady "in their wisdom" decided the 125gr wasn't a "good" bullet despite the fact it was selling ok.
If 30 Cal 130gr HPs are really popular for 308 Win what makes a 125gr SP bad for 8x57?
You've gotta wonder...... 

I started looking at my 8MM Mausers.  One is a 24/47, a shortened M98 with excellent bluing that shoots well with the Yugo 196 grain military stuff.  The other is a late war m98 dressed with a winter trigger gaurd and it was supposedly captured by the Russians at Stalingrad.  It is in very good condition with a perfect bore. I haven't shot it yet as I just cleaned the cosmoline out of it.

I'd love to see some pics of those babies.

[Drilling Man]

It took about 2 sessions at the range to figure out my 8x57 liked 200 grain bullets, and not one lighter weight...  If i can't shoot it with a 200 grain bullet, it doesn't get shot with my 8x57!
 DM

See, to some extent I agree with that logic, but there are a few other factors at least here in Oz.
The first is that I don't like rifles that simply sit in my safe and do nothing......I like them to get an outing regularly; hence the reason my 9.3x62 has bowled over a couple of roos when it is more suitable for big deer.
And if I want to shoot something regularly that means loading it with bullets that suit both me and the game.
Heavy bullets recoil more and don't shoot as flat and, to be blunt, cost more especially since our dollar has decided plunge and sit on the bottom of the foreign currency swamp.
That makes them bad for me.
They also pass quickly through smaller game like foxes and hares and goats and continue on until something else stops them.
That concerns me as they still have a LOT of energy.
So in that sense a 150gr pill makes a lot more sense and still allows me to use my 8mm fairly often.
A 125gr pill would be ideal but Hornady "in their wisdom" decided the 125gr wasn't a "good" bullet despite the fact it was selling ok.
If 30 Cal 130gr HPs are really popular for 308 Win what makes a 125gr SP bad for 8x57?
You've gotta wonder...... 

  If i was so broke that i couldn't afford a good quality bullet for my 8mm, then i never would have started that project....  OR i just would give up something else untill after i had decent bullets bought up...

  Anyway, here's how the 200 grain bullets shoot in my 8mm...



  And i've shot everything from big moose,



  All the way down to coyotes and javolina,



  It sure saves a lot of working up loads and sighting in for different bullets weights!  I have learned where the 200's go, and anytrhing i want within 300 yards or so, is in trouble!

  DM

[kombi1976]

The thing is, I don't intend to use anything heavier than 150gr for anything other than sambar deer which are elk sized.
Most of the game I hunt is small to medium and even fallow deer will get hammered by a 150gr.
In a 270 Win a 150gr bullet is regarded as appropriate for elk.
I don't think that an 8mm should use that light a bullet for elk but there must be something in that.
European rifles traditionally have a long throat for 8x57 which is why your Krieghoff isn't happy with short pills.
That was why I had the bbl throated to shoot these fine.
And it isn't about being cheap although you couldn't blame me for being thrifty.
Your dollar has always been tons better than the Aussie dollar and even when we approached parity our importers and distributors charged us a mint to "make up for the times when their margin was less because of the usual high US dollar value".
That was an out and out lie as the prices soar when the Aussie dollar goes down only a little but hardly improve when it soars toward parity.
To give you some idea of the price difference between heavy pills and light ones I bought some Speer 170gr Semi Spitzers and some Sierra GameKing 220gr SPBTs about 2 years back.
Neither are premium bullets by definition but both are reliable.
The 170gr Speers were AUD$32 per 100.
But the 220gr Sierras were AUD$29 per 50!!
How much do you pay for a box of non premium bullets?
It bears thinking about.
And this was all before the Aussie dollar plunged to around US$0.68 cents.
Now some the of non-premium bullets like Hornady RNs and SPs in most cals .30 and above are heading for the AUD$50 mark.
And I'm not "so broke that i couldn't afford a good quality bullet for my 8mm".
I've got 2 boxes of locally made 8mm cal Woodleigh Weldcore 250gr RNSNs which were $35 per 50 and I bought them with the express purpose of having a sambar load or for the day sometime in the future I might get a crack at a wild camel or wild donkey and need something heavy.
I might add that they STILL aren't as expensive as the bottom-of-the-rung "premium" bullets made by Nosler or Barnes or the European companies despite the fact that Woodleighs are world renowned as excellent controlled expansion pills for African dangerous game.
But then someone who owns a Kreighoff probably has a bit more money to spend on bullets than someone with a sporterised k98.
Perhaps it's a case of "horses for courses"?
Or maybe you'd like to tell Sierra that their 150gr SP isn't a "good quality bullet"?