Reloading Recommendations

[Patriot_1776]

I recently purchased a Yugo M48, which of course is chambered for 8mm. Mauser.  

I'm not set up for reloading this cartridge yet.  Even if I were, I'm not sure what exactly to load in it.  For starters, I'll mostly be punching paper out to 100yds.  

As for performance, I'm looking in the 2600-2700fps range for a 170gr-180gr bullet.  I am considering currently Sierra's 175gr. Soft Point, which is the most likely contender.  

Before I went and settled on that, I wanted to find some opinions on which brand/design of bullet might be best for this cartridge/rifle combo.  My powder of choice for this cartridge would be IMR4064.  So, with that being said, what is highly recommended to start: a soft point, a hollow point, or what?  Being it will be used with open sights, groups of 2" or less will be my goal.  

Thanks for any help regarding this, and maybe, I might find  some self-justification to invest in another set of dies, more bullets, etc.


-Patriot

[AZ223]

Your rifle will probably dictate what it prefers as far as bullet types are concerned, so a lot of it will be trial and error at first. Many are having good luck with the Nosler Accubonds and ballistic tips, at least in the 30 caliber range. I'm finding that my .30-06 doesn't like the Hornady 150gr SST's very well; many of the .308 and larger caliber rifles seem to prefer heavy-for-caliber bullets.

Sierra's seem agreeable to most, so that may be a good place to start; they're also cheaper than the Noslers. Ballistic tips usually are very accurate, but soft point vs. hollow point vs. ballistic tip depends on what you intend to be shooting at. If it's primarily target, then bullet performance isn't such a factor, other than accuracy. Like I said, your rifle will probably tell you what it shoots best. I'd suggest staying with a particular powder such as the IMR4064 or 4350, and try it against different bullet types.

Working up loads can be expensive; I lucked out with my .223; the most accurate high-speed load was the second batch I loaded. If only my .30-06 would be so easy... :?