I am going to Namibia in May (81 days and counting). I am taking my Brno 21h and plan on using 196gr Woodleighs. I would like to see pics or hear about your experience with the 8x57 on plains game, especially if you have used Woodleighs...

Just in case you are wondering, my velocity is running 2450.

I took my Rem Model 700 Classic in 8x57 to South Africa (northern Limpopo Province) in August 2005 as my backup rifle to my CZ 550 in 9.3x62. I primarily hunted with my 9.3x62 but I did take an Impala and a couple of Warthogs (culls for the land owner) with my 8x57. My load was a 220 gr Woodleigh round nose at 2402 fps (chronographed average). Load: 51.0 gr of IMR-4350, W-W case, WLR primer, COL: 3.14".

The 220 gr Woodleigh knocked the snot out of the Warthogs.

quote:

Originally posted by 450/400:
... I am taking my Brno 21h and plan on using 196gr Woodleighs. ... Just in case you are wondering, my velocity is running 2450.

BTW, you ought to be able to get a higher velocity than 2450 fps with the 196 gr Woodleighs. What powder are you using?



The S&B 196 gr SPCE factory load, with a factory spec of 2592 fps, chronographed (6 shots) at an average of 2647 fps out of my Rem 700 Classic with a 24" barrel.

Cheers!
-Bob F.

The 8x57 is a popular caliber amongst the older generation of Namib hunters and farmers from what I have heard .

My 21h has a 22" barrel, so that probably accounts for the slightly lower velocity. The kicker is that I am getting .5" groups at 100 yards with a 1.5x5 Leupold. I am using 49.8 grains of H380. I get the same groups with the Swift A Frame (200 gr) and with the 180 gr Barnes TSX (2650 fps), same size group with the same powder charge and virtually the same point of impact without scope adjustment.

I have several choices as you can see. I was reluctant to use the A Frame because of inconsistent availability. At one point they weren't available for 8 months. I have killed with the Barnes and it is VERY impressive. I just wanted to see what members experience has been.

hi
my 50 years old husqvarna 640 in 8 mm is a real tack -driver and delight to shoot. i dropped a roe deer at 350 setps with it this summer with S&B and spce loading . i love 8x57 . mild on shoulder and hard on games.
regards
yes

Well, I certainly thought I would have gotten a better response. What about any other areas or game? To date, here is the sum total of kills with my 1946 Brno 21h.





Both were with the 180 TSX and both were instant.

By the way BF, love the picture of how you found the first Warthog.

quote:

Originally posted by 450/400:
By the way BF, love the picture of how you found the first Warthog.

Here's what he looked like after we cleaned him up and posed him for the photo.



Great pics with the kids! Thanks for sharing them.

Cheers!
-Bob F.

That's one old pig! My youngest shot a pig with the 8mm using the Woodleighs. It hit him hard and from the first blood I figured we'd find him in 50 yards, but after about 250 the blood trail was gone and so was the pig. I am looking for a place to take the wife to shoot a pig before we go to Namibia in May.

I'd lose the set trigger! If it goes wrong you may struggle to be able to get it fixed. You might find that the more modern 154 grain loading suits your BRNO better or go with the 180 grain you already use and have confidence with.

That gun was made in 1946! No way I am changing it. It shoots .5" groups with the 196 grain Woodleigh, 200 grain A Frame and 180 grain Barnes TSX, all with the same powder charge I might add.

I am also taking my new Heym 450/400. I just wanted to see what others have taken with their 8x57s with 200 grain bullets.

I have no doubt that the Woodleigh will perform as well as their reputation suggests.

Well, it's not Plains Game, but I've killed a few Ga whitetails with my BRNO 22F shooting 200gr Accubonds. This buck was taken at 195 yds and bullet performance was perfect.

Weagle

I have long fooled around with the 8MM and have two at present but they are both in military trim. One went to Stalingrad to be captured. I shoot the 185 grain corelokt at 2550 fps. They shoot very well and deer are not really a challenge for this load nor are medium size feral hogs.

Nothing in the way of plains game really but a few deer and one bear with 170 grain CorLocts. One moose with Win Power Points. One deer shot with Power Points died quickly but bullet didn't appear to have expanded at all. Performance was fine on all of them although ranges were short.

I have used the 8x57 a few times over the years and its a grand cartridge..I had a couple mostly because they were something different and they equal the great old 30-06 for all practical purposes..

One of my favorite stories is a buffalo cull hunt I was invited on and I didn't have a rifle, so the good hearted guys handed me a milsurp Mauser in 8x57 and a paper sack with some green musty military ball ammo and away we went...These fine gentlemen stood me by a tree and said don't move and to shoot whatever buffalo came my way, I nodded Uh-huh and settled down to wait...A helicopter settled real low over the bush and dust was all about and 6 buffalo came running to me, Oh shit so I fired at one and he dropped and the next one was very close and that fine rifle went "CLICK" and "CLICK" again as the young bull passed it went bang into his side and he disapeared into the African thick stuff, another passed and I got another click, bang, click, now this is getting fun and the oh shits are mounting..at the end of the disaster I had shot 5 or 6 buffalo and only one was dead as far as I could tell, so I traipsed off in search of the wounded ones, found one dead, another I put down with a head shot just before he came for me I think, and decided I would go back to the tree and check out the higher limbs until the posse arrived to rescue me. They did and we finished cleaning up the click, click mess...They all thought it was comical as hell...the exhuberence of youth was at its best that day many years ago, but I wouldn't take for the experience, I have been blessed....

Nice story, Ray.Did you leave your scevies under that tree? roger

bartsche,
I ain't talk'en!

I previously reported that the barrel on my Brno was 22" and then I actually measured it and it turns that it is only 20". So I feel much better about my velocity with the short barrel.

Still have my classic 8X57 Mr Faucett. I've changed the stock(its put up) and put a CDL stock on it. So far its shot everything well,tsx's, corelokts and ballistic tips. Those have all been in the 180-185 range. I'm ready to try heavier now 200-250 range.

That CDL stock looks nice! I have a 700 CDL in .35 Whelen though I haven't fired it yet.

Cheers!
-Bob F.

We'll I'm back from Namibia. My wife and I shot 13 animals with my Brno 21h in 8x57. I ended up using the 200 gr. Barnes TSX. Ranges were from 25 yards on a Jackal to 300 yards on two Mountain Zebra. I only recovered two bullets. One from my wife's Kudu taken at 75 yards thru the shoulder and spine and one from my Eland taken at about 180 yards. The damage to the vitals was extensive to say the least on all animals taken. I posted a trip report in the Hunting Reports - Africa section.

Here's a Warthog I shot in the mountains.

quote:

Originally posted by 450/400:
Here's a Warthog I shot in the mountains.

roger

Now that's a very nice Warthog!! Congrats! The ol' 8x57 just plain works....

Cheers!
-Bob F.

Here are the two bullets that I recovered. The one on the left is from the Kudu my wife shot at 75 yards, an original and the one I shot my Eland with at 180 yards.

The retained weight on the bullet from my wife's Kudu was 199.9 grs and from the Eland was 197.7 grs.

BFaucett I have one of those 2004 Classics in 8x57. How did you like yours "out-of-the-box"?

Mine was terrible!

The receiver scope mounting holes were not aligned with the reciever top, but angled slightly to the left. I used the Leopold 2-piece bases to get around the problem. The front is slightly to the left. Because the Leopold bases have windage adjusment on the rear I was able to slide the scope sideways and get it lined up properly with the reciever and barrel. In an odd way this crappy manufacturing helps a right handed shot, it seems to me, since the scope is slightly off-set to the left side of the receiver!

Next the trigger felt like it was about 8 lbs. Fortunately the M-700 trigger is easy to adjust. I did that myself.

I had an old M-700 Classic stock that was spare and the 8x57 just dropped right into it. So the stock that came with the gun is pristine and should remain so until I am done with the rifle (in 25 years or so).
The rifle would not shoot a decent group at all. I have a buddy that's pretty good with stock bedding and he bedded it for me, which improved the accuracy immensely.

I really like that rifle now! I have the Leopold Vari-XIII 2-8X variable on it.

I handload it to 2645fps with 200gr Nosler Accubond and 53grs H-414.
I also have a load using the 220gr Sierra GameKing. I load that with 46grs H-414 for 2200fps MV.

Taking it bear hunting this weekend.

8mm is a vastly underrated cartridge. 8x57mm is about as good a general purpose cartridge as you can get in modern rifles. 200gr bullets at 2600fps or 180's at 2700 is plenty for most any big game animal that doesn't fight back, and is in the same ballpark as the .30-06 with the same weight. Very efficient for it's size when loaded to it's fullest potential.

I'm not surprised it performed so well for you!

quote:

Originally posted by Demonical:
BFaucett I have one of those 2004 Classics in 8x57. How did you like yours "out-of-the-box"? Mine was terrible!

Demonical,

Actually, I never fired it as it came from the factory. For the past several years, whenever I buy a new rifle, it goes straight to my gunsmith before I shoot it. I always have the action glass bedded (most of my rifles are blue steel and walnut), the trigger tuned and adjusted (or replaced with an after market trigger), the action smoothed and polished, and the bolt lugs lapped. Basic tune up stuff. On this rifle, I also had a Gre-Tan firing pin assembly installed to get rid of the J-lock.


Gre-Tan firing pin assembly

My gunsmith never mentioned to me any problems with the scope base mounting holes when he mounted the bases. (And he does routinely check the holes and the alignment when mounting bases.) Maybe I just got lucky on mine.

Good luck on your bear hunt!!

Cheers!
-Bob F.

The 8x57 is just a Nazi 30-06, and that ain't no slight phrase, it just doesn't get any better than that!

There was no such thing as a Nazi when Paul Mauser invented the 8x57mm.

As I have said elsewhere and before, very few are discerning enough to appreciate the brilliant compromise that is the 8x57mmJS.

/

Cartridge development could have stopped with the 8x57 and we'd still be well covered for just about everything.

I simply have no good excuse for not owning a good 8x57. The opportunities were there, but I always went a different direction. Now, the 8x57 seems an obvious choice.

Over a year ago, anticipating a rifle in 8x57, I bought 20 boxes of Lapua factory ammo with 200 gr bullets. The price was right, but I couldn't have it shipped to Alaska. So, I had it shipped to my brother in Georgia. I have never seen the ammo, but hopefully next deer season,I'll get to use some of it. I think I can still bring a few boxes of ammo back in my checked baggage. My brother nor my nephew have a 8x57 either so they can't shoot up my ammo.

I'm thinking of having one built, on a Mauser action of course, hopefully a BRNO, and closely copying the stock pattern of the BRNO 21h or MS shown above.

Using a Mauser action, I surely won't have to worry about feeding issues.

KB

quote:

Originally posted by ALF:
mrlexma:

Nor did Paul Mauser develop this cartridge.

It was the product of a Military Commission for the M88 rifle, not even a Mauser but a bastardised Mannlicher rifle.

Yes, and that's the first time anything designed by committee came out right!

Mauser came along later and just made THE rifle that made the cartridge!

Great Thread roger

My 8x60S should be up and running next year

quote:

Originally posted by BFaucett:

quote:

Originally posted by Demonical:
BFaucett I have one of those 2004 Classics in 8x57. How did you like yours "out-of-the-box"? Mine was terrible!

Demonical,

Actually, I never fired it as it came from the factory. For the past several years, whenever I buy a new rifle, it goes straight to my gunsmith before I shoot it. I always have the action glass bedded (most of my rifles are blue steel and walnut), the trigger tuned and adjusted (or replaced with an after market trigger), the action smoothed and polished, and the bolt lugs lapped. Basic tune up stuff. On this rifle, I also had a Gre-Tan firing pin assembly installed to get rid of the J-lock.


Gre-Tan firing pin assembly

My gunsmith never mentioned to me any problems with the scope base mounting holes when he mounted the bases. (And he does routinely check the holes and the alignment when mounting bases.) Maybe I just got lucky on mine.

Good luck on your bear hunt!!

Cheers!
-Bob F.

I forgot to mention that I also replaced the bolt shroud/firing pin assembly. I wanted to get rid of that stupid J-Bolt thing plus the stock firing pin is too small, the spring is horribly bunched on it.

I got mine from Brownells.

I am also interested in the velocity you are getting. I am only doing 2200 fps with my 220gr Sierra handloads. I am loading 46grs of H-414.
What powder would be the best to achieve those types of velocities?

51 grs of H380 gets me 2600 fps with the 200 gr. in a 20" barrel. I am interested in working up a load for the 220 gr. Woodleigh just for fun.

quote:

The 8x57 is just a Nazi 30-06, and that ain't no slight phrase, it just doesn't get any better than that!

Troublemaker.



An 8x57 is the only rifle I have and the only one I'm likely to need for the forseeable future.

Not wanting to rush time, but I can hardly wait til deer season!



You know how the saying goes: Beware the man with one gun. He may be too cheap to shoot it!

No, wait. That's not how it goes...

quote:

Originally posted by 450/400:
51 grs of H380 gets me 2600 fps with the 200 gr. in a 20" barrel. I am interested in working up a load for the 220 gr. Woodleigh just for fun.

I get 2645fps MV with 53grs H-414 and the 200gr Nosler Accubond.

quote:

Originally posted by 450/400:
We'll I'm back from Namibia. My wife and I shot 13 animals with my Brno 21h in 8x57. I ended up using the 200 gr. Barnes TSX. Ranges were from 25 yards on a Jackal to 300 yards on two Mountain Zebra. I only recovered two bullets. One from my wife's Kudu taken at 75 yards thru the shoulder and spine and one from my Eland taken at about 180 yards. The damage to the vitals was extensive to say the least on all animals taken. I posted a trip report in the Hunting Reports - Africa section.

Here's a Warthog I shot in the mountains.

Glad you pointed out that the pic was you and a game animal, instead of you and your wife...

if that was your wife, I'd say your wife, and my first wife had to be closely related...

whatever you are pictured with looks just like my ex wife, even when I divorced her in 1987...

I just wish that WAS my ex wife you had shot instead, but she is in Minneapolis, not in africa...