Hey all, I have a question to ask...
I have a "sporterized" (bubba'd) 8x57IS that I picked up recently at a local pawn shop that has a real good barrel right up to the last few inches, where it suddenly has significant rifling wear. The throat, while cut long, is crisp and almost looks like a new sporting rifle. The damaged rifling in the last few inches has me considering cutting it back and re-crowning it at the first step below the muzzle, which would leave me with an 18" tube, but good clean rifling rigth up to the muzzle...
Any thoughts as to how much velocity loss I can expect at that length? Anyone have an 8x57 with a barrel this length? Any help on this decision would be greatly appreciated!!
Jeremy

maybe 150 fps maybe none, you still would have enough for deer and stuff, if it balances well doubt anything you shot with it would complain
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quote:

Originally posted by Lamar:
maybe 150 fps maybe none, you still would have enough for deer and stuff, if it balances well doubt anything you shot with it would complain
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agreed.....an 18" 8X57 in a '98 Mauser prudently hand loaded will still drop bambi in it's tracks a very long ways away!

I had a VZ33 carbine with a 18"barrel, this was as issued to paratroopers/mountain troops or similar. Sorry, I've not shot it in that configuration & it now has a 7x64 barrel on it, but they obviously shot OK at that length. I'm picking you'll be loosing about 6" so the 150 fps posted above sounds about right. You can pick that up by handloading but be warned it'll be LOUD with that barrel length, a couple of short barrels 303s I have tell me that.
Steve

OK, thanks for the help guys, you pretty much confirmed what I suspected...

My plan is to make this into a nasty weather gun for deer and the occasional hog (when I go to Mississippi to visit the folks) with the el-cheapo ram line synthetic stock (already on the gun) and a GunKote-type bake on finish (to be added after I get the barrel shortened). Ugly, but should be really functional for what I'm wanting...

I'm thinking that this would be a real handy rainy / snowy day "woods" gun for whitetails and hogs with the short barrel, and loaded with a 196 or 200 grain bullet at around 2500fps or so.
Thanks for your help, now it looks like I need to make a trip down to see my gunsmith!

Oh yeah, thanks for the heads up on the muzzle blast... maybe if it's too loud, I can use that for an excuse to get a pair of the "Walker's Game Ears" for "Ear Protection" while in the deer stand!
Jeremy