I just finished Tony Marsh's, "Fourteen Years in the African Bush", in which he mentions an 8x60 Brno as his personal rifle. I have heard of 8x57 and 8x64, but not 8x60. Could anyone enlighten me on this caliber? Bob

I have two commercial Brno rifles in 8x60. One is a pre-war model A on a large ring, the other is a post war small ring with double square bridges.

It all started after WWI when Germany was restricted to the number of military chambered rifles it was allowed to possess. In order to have more military rifles in 8x57, the civilian rifles were rechambered to 8x60 (a non-military cartridge). It became very popular because it delivered ballistics on par with the 8mm-06 wildact that was used in the US on rechambered mausers. It soon spread to other European countries and Africa.

RWS made cartridges until recently, and I believe they still produce brass.

A very fine round, surpassed slightly by the 8x64S, which Brno recommended in their promotional literature as the optimal cartridge for hunting all species of animals:



"Of the above mentioned cartridges (chamberings for the ZG-47: 5.6x61, 270Win, 7x57, 7x64, 30-06, 8x57S, 8x60S, 8x64S, 9.3x62, 10.75x68) the one that can be called universal and is best recommended is the calibre 8x64S. Its characteristics are high muzzle velocity, outstanding shooting accuracy and great stopping power."

VFR,

Here's a picture of the 8x60 cartridge.



The photo is from an article that you may enjoy. "Guns of the Kenya Settlers" by Finn Aagaard. The article is online at:
http://www.nrahq.org/publications/tar/bonus.asp

From the article:

"Although there must have been quite a few in use, I never came across an 8x57 mm Mauser, but the 8x60 mm was quite popular. Apart from my own Mauser, John Fletcher also had a Brno in that caliber at Egerton, and several of my father�s friends owned them.

One I remember particularly well was a much-used but cared-for English-style Type A Mauser sporter fitted with a four-leaf express sight, a single-stage trigger, a magazine floorplate release in the trigger-guard bow, and a horn fore-end tip�a beautiful rifle.

The cartridge came about after World War I to circumvent a ridiculous restriction on the ownership of 8x57 mm rifles in Germany. The reamer was run into the chamber of an illegal 8x57 sporter, and presto!, it became a legal 8x60 mm. For some years after the Great War, Mauser produced no sporting rifles in 8x57 mm, chambering for the slightly better 8x60 mm instead. A common 8x60 mm load employed a 196-gr. round-nose bullet at a listed 2580 f.p.s.; it was a very reliable killer on even the largest of soft-skinned game."

Bob,



Kurt C has said the most essential on the history of the cartridge.



It was a common german sporting cartridge from the twenties to the end of the fifties. I my rack, there is a Mannlicher-Schoenauer 1950 NO, and it is stamped "8x60 Magnum". Most european cartridge companies as RWS, Norma, Sako et c. had several loads, and the Germans had a special hard-load with a 180 grs bullet to about 2650 fps. (If I�m not remembering falsely!) It was called the "Magnum-Bombe". RWS still load the 8x60S with a double core bullet, the DK.



There also was a 8x60I with bullet diameter .318" instead of the common 8x60S with bullet diameter .323. It became obsolete in the beginning of the forties, but Sako still made rifles for it as late as 1954. (I have some rather uncertain info that the Germans left a lot of 8x60I ammo at the end of WWII in Finland.) However, as good .318" bullets are rare, I have left my own Sako Mauser 8x60I to a smith for rebarrelling to 9,3x64.



there were also rimmed versions, 8x60IR and 8x60RS.



Practically, there are not any differences between a 8x57IS or a .30-06 with heavy bullets. The only reason for choosing the 8x60IS, is if you find a nice rifle in the caliber. IMHO, that is a good reson as any!



Fritz

Thanks to all. Finn's Article was enlightening, having just started "The Green Hills of Africa" in which Hemmingway relates shooting rhino with a Springfield. 220gr solids, I believe. Bob

Anything Finn has written seems to be very insightfull. You just know he wasn't speaking with bravdo, just good, plain common sense. BigBullet