Dear Sirs:

I would like to get a 8mm bullet as soft as possible. I want to get very good expansion at 8x57 velocities. What are your experiencewith 8 mm bullet for this purpose?

Thank you for your help.

quote:

Originally posted by 6_5X57:
Dear Sirs:

I would like to get a 8mm bullet as soft as possible. I want to get very good expansion at 8x57 velocities. What are your experiencewith 8 mm bullet for this purpose?

Thank you for your help.

Are you planning on loading to the anemic SAAMI spec or the "adult" CIP standard?

Your choice of bullets would depend on which level of performance you are looking to load.

quote:

Originally posted by WoodHunter:
Search for wildcat junkie and his old posts. He has posted info concerning the 8x57 bullets and load data.

My "load data" is for modern M98 actions only and are operating @ or slightly above CIP standards.

Any action suitable for 30-06 pressures would be able to utilize my load data.

Tag

170 Hornady SST or 180 Ballistic Tip should expand easily because of the tip.

quote:

Originally posted by 6_5X57:
Dear Sirs:

I would like to get a 8mm bullet as soft as possible. I want to get very good expansion at 8x57 velocities. What are your experiencewith 8 mm bullet for this purpose?

Thank you for your help.

You haven't mentioned what weight of bullet you are looking for. There were several soft 8mm bullets on the market. Also not sure what brands are available in your area. Winchester made a 170 gr 8mm bullet that was soft. Speer makes a 170 gr bullet that is soft. PPU sells a 175 gr bullet that is soft.

6_5X57:

What does it mean "very good expansion"? You want it for regular hunting or varmint control?

The best hunting bullet we have found for 8x57JS at regular velocities is Norma Oryx. Great killing power, no or very very low fragmentation/meat damage, very good penetration. Ideal for deer, elks, wild boars even at distance ~ 200 m.

Recipe:

Alliant Reloader RL-17 (or Reload Swiss RS-60): 3.5 grams
Federal GM215M primer
Norma Oryx 196gr bullet
COAL: 77 mm
v0 (depend on barrel length) ~790 m/s (~2600 fps)
DAG (RWS) brass

Not sure how slow you want to go, but I often use 32 Special bullets in my drilling and BBF's. They are a bit small, but still plenty accurate for deer hunting. I load them at 32 Special velocity and they work for me.
Bfly

I don't own an 8mm rifle but I do a couple of rifles in slower calibers. I've started doing some preliminary reloading using Sierra GameKing bullets. They are really accurate in my 358 Win. Accuracy seems to be an attribute of GameKing bullets, at least based on reviews I've read. They make an 8mm bullet and you might want to give them a try.

quote:

Originally posted by Jiri:
6_5X57:

What does it mean "very good expansion"? You want it for regular hunting or varmint control?

The best hunting bullet we have found for 8x57JS at regular velocities is Norma Oryx. Great killing power, no or very very low fragmentation/meat damage, very good penetration. Ideal for deer, elks, wild boars even at distance ~ 200 m.

Recipe:

Alliant Reloader RL-17 (or Reload Swiss RS-60): 3.5 grams
Federal GM215M primer
Norma Oryx 196gr bullet
COAL: 77 mm
v0 (depend on barrel length) ~790 m/s (~2600 fps)
DAG (RWS) brass

I got simular results with the Oryx in the sligtly more powerfull 8x60S.

Now, we must use leedless bullets and there are lots off very good bullets on the market!

Hawk bullets with their thin jacket.

8X57 performance can run the spectrum from a 170gr bullet @ 2400 fps to a 200gr bullet @ 2700 fps.

In the former, a bullet designed for the 32 Win Special would be ideal.

For the later, I use a 200gr Speer Hot-Cor and get outstanding results.

Dear Sirs:

I intend to use those bullets in driven hunting. I used SPEER 170 grs at muzzle speed of 2800ft/s and I always got deleyed dead on deers and boars. Take into account it is not easy to point correctly to an animal which is running. I have also used Hornady SST 170 grs at the same speed and with better results, but always deladed deads. If I use my 30-06 with SST 150 grs, the performance is much better in all the cases.

Must I use 150 grs in my 8x57 at muzzle speed of 2950 ft/s?

Give a chance to Norma Oryx, it really kills very good. Norma factory ammo or reloads.

Jiri

quote:

Originally posted by 6_5X57:
Dear Sirs:

I intend to use those bullets in driven hunting. I used SPEER 170 grs at muzzle speed of 2800ft/s and I always got deleyed dead on deers and boars. Take into account it is not easy to point correctly to an animal which is running. I have also used Hornady SST 170 grs at the same speed and with better results, but always deladed deads. If I use my 30-06 with SST 150 grs, the performance is much better in all the cases.

Must I use 150 grs in my 8x57 at muzzle speed of 2950 ft/s?

quote:

Originally posted by Black Fly:
Not sure how slow you want to go, but I often use 32 Special bullets in my drilling and BBF's. They are a bit small, but still plenty accurate for deer hunting. I load them at 32 Special velocity and they work for me.
Bfly

How about a .321 170 gr Speer Flat Nose 2259 designed for the Win 32 Spec.

If it will group well enough in your rifle for the ranges encountered, expansion should be explosive.

I killed two white tails last week using the Speer 170 grain FNSP .32 Special bullets in my 8X57I, after first determining that they slid effortlessly into the mouth of a fired case. Neither of the bullets exited and the deer went down immediately. I was using 46 grains of Vhitavouri N140 with the 170 grain bullet producing a velocity of around 2400 fps.

You might try these also.
https://www.hornady.com/bullet...al-321-165-gr-ftx#!/

I use a .308 160 gr FTX bullet designed for the 308 Marlin Express in a 30/40 Krag @ 2600 fps and they are devastating.

My son hit a small buck low in the brisket with that combo and it only went about 30 yds.

Most bullets would have allowed the deer to escape with such a marginal hit.

My best experience is with Remington 185 grain pointed soft point bullets. Very accurate (3/4 moa) in my 8x57 K98k sporter (Oberndorf 1942) with issue miltary barrel. IMR 3031 powder up to 2,700 fps, Winchester brass, and CCI 200 primers. Blows fist sized holes in whitetail deer. No trouble tracking.

quote:

Originally posted by 6_5X57:
Dear Sirs:

I would like to get a 8mm bullet as soft as possible. I want to get very good expansion at 8x57 velocities. What are your experiencewith 8 mm bullet for this purpose?

Thank you for your help.

I am not sure about Spain, but here in the Czech Republic, we eat wild boars. I will not hunt anything to eat (me or somebody else) with high or "explosive" lead fragmenting bullet.

Jiri

When somebody tell me: I do not hunt with anything can ruin a gram of meat, I told him:
I prefer to get the animal with some meat damaged than not recover the animal but without a gram of meat damaged. If you shoot to an boar or deer which is calmed and quite, you can point perfectly the vitals, with a non expansive bullet can take it easily.

If we hunt in a traditional driven hunting way (Spanish Monteria) , boars and deers are pushed by dogs. So when they arrive to our shooting positions, they have two litres inside of adrenaline and mostly they arrive you running like a hell. In this situation , many times you cannot point out correctly. The most important issue in this situation is: Firstly to Stop the animal. Then you can kill it. Our forest are shrub forest ( Mediterranean forest) . Not always is easy to track a wounded animal with a poorly situated shot which bleed poorly. That is the reason we like very expansive bullets for those situations.

I also had great success in this way of hunting using in my 338wm the FTX 200gr bullet. I shall try the .321 FTX in my 8x57. Thank you for the advice.

I understand perfectly.

Bullet with great expansion/mushrooming is one thing and soft fragmenting bullet another thing.

I seen so soft bullets it didn't penetrated elk ribs area and elk was very close to be lost.

Jiri

Why not the 170grain Hornady round nose?

quote:

Originally posted by 6_5X57:

I also had great success in this way of hunting using in my 338wm the FTX 200gr bullet. I shall try the .321 FTX in my 8x57. Thank you for the advice.

If you find that the bullet fits too loosely in the case neck, try removing the expander button if you are using one and just use the case as it is sized by the die.

If that results in too tight of a fit, either use collet neck sizing dies or turn .002" off a dedicated expander button.

That's easy enough the 150 gr. Speer spt driven as fast as possible..

I like the 180 Noslers for deer and elk during a combined season but they are a bit tougher than the light weight speer, and I have a supply of the Noslers as they are hard as hell to find these days in 323 caliber for whatever reason

My favorite bullet in the 8x57 is the GS Customs 160 gr. HP..Its deadly on deer and elk and doesn't grind up too much meat. gives good exit holes and lots of blood as a rule.

I always kinda felt that the Sierra 175 gr Pro-Hunter was both accurate and softish, I use them in my 8x57 chambered 96's where velocities aren't as high as I get from my 98's.

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:


I like the 180 Noslers for deer and elk during a combined season but they are a bit tougher than the light weight speer, and I have a supply of the Noslers as they are hard as hell to find these days in 323 caliber for whatever reason

(I was pushing the Nosler .323 180 gr Ballistic Tips @ about 2950 in the 1st rendition of the 8mm-06 A.I.

On rib cage pass throughs on Whitetails it would leave walnut sized chunks of lung on the ground

ONe has two choices with most any caliber, that being a fast light bullet that gives one a lot of ruined carcass and fast impressive kills..Works best for those that don't eat what they shoot IMO..

The other option is a heaier thicker jacketed bullet that allows for a short run and a good blood trail but not impressive to the hunter..I choose this one long ago, and have never lost an animal because of a tough bullet..bad shooting loses game 99.9% of the time and the bullet gets the blame..

This year I culled small Texas hill country low fenced deer with a 200 gr. Accubond in my 30-06. very little blood shot meat and a pound of wasted meat, most dropped at the shot, a few rand 30 or 40 yards and left blood trails..Ive done the same in Africa on Springbuck and Kudu with a 404. The same in Mexico on larger mule deer and coues..To each his own, but the subject is more likely based on hesteria rather than actual kills. Over played in magazines by scribes that have run out of stuff to write, and taken to heart by the masses. The answer to this post is it can be over done either way, and like most things the answer may be somewhere in the middle is the best answer.

Anyway I,m probably in trouble with this post, but my head is made up on the subject, don't blow the animal up...

I'm a fan of the 175 grain sierra, and the 180 grain nbt, as well as the 185 grain rem cor-loc. The latter can't be found anymore, unless someone is selling some that have been squirreled away. These all shoot decent enough groups and velocity is good enough for all shots out the 200+. They all fit the OP's criteria as well. They hold together, but expand at all reasonable velocities.

I used 200 gr Accubonds with 46 gr of Varget at 2,450 fps from a 20" barrel. 2.980" COL. Kills everything - small hogs to elk. 25-250 yards.

I bought some Remington 185 grain SP jacketed bullets 15 years ago. They blow fist sized exit wound holes in whitetail deer from my 8x57 Mauser.

quote:

Originally posted by 6_5X57:
Dear Sirs:

I would like to get a 8mm bullet as soft as possible. I want to get very good expansion at 8x57 velocities. What are your experiencewith 8 mm bullet for this purpose?

Thank you for your help.

I liked those 185 Rem corelokt bullets back in the day, but can't find them anymore.

Come to think of it, I like RN Rem corelokt bullets in all calibers for most any animal within reason..The spritzer Rem corelokt isn't as good a performer on game, but its not bad up to about 1800 FPS then its suspect.., The RN expands at off the bore to hell and back. Its still an amazing bullet along with the WW Power Point..cup and cores that will compete with super premiums, not many will.

How hard are the 170g SST? Do these generally exit on shoulder shots through boars and medium sized deer?

quote:

175 Rem corelokt bullets

Or do you mean 185s corelokts

That's what I use in mine and they work well.

I was lucky enough to buy a couple of hundred only use them for hunting. They well last a long time.

May be a little late ? But
180gr BalTip Nosler H-4831 54gr.
case RP,Primer wlr " compressed, oal=3.215", 2469 to 2518 fps. 3 shot 3/4" grp.

roger

P dog ya got me, fat fingers on the key board..

I think we all suffer from the fat finger problem now and then.