Seems odd to be posting this on the " big game" forum when talking about 80 pound blacktail deer!
So forgive me.

I just picked up an 8 mm Mauser that was really nicely sporterized in the late 50s or so. Had a fantastic stock on it, originally a CZ/ Brno manufacture ( the rest of the info was grinded off and polished), turn down bolt, Lyman sights installed quite nicely.

The owner passed away and the wife brought it and two other guns into the gun shop to sell.
I picked it up for a $125.00, to basically cannabalize it for the action, sell the stock, put the Lyman sites on my 6.5 x 55 Mauser. However took it out and the dam thing really shoots. So can't part out a good shooting rifle, it is against my religion.

I loaded up a very light load of 22 grains of IMR 3031 on this rifle. I have not chronographed it, but it is plenty good for taking a black tail at 150 to 200 yds. Very light recoil. Great gun for a youth hunt.

Just wondering if anyone actually hunts with an 8mm Mauser on the USA side of the Atlantic. And if they have used and had any luck with the 170 grain Hornady? Particular at a velocity under 2,000 fps.

Appreciate your feed back gentlemen ( and ladies).

I used an 8mm Mauser as my only rifle for about fifteen years. I never reloaded for it but the 170 grain Rem Core Lokts are just about perfect for deer. The Win power points don't always expand on deer though.

I have an 8mm Mauser that I have not yet used for hunting but the more I shoot it the more convinced I am that it will be an excellent hunting rifle. My Mauser is very nicely sportorized. I'm in the process of developing loads for it. So far I have developed a load using the Nosler Ballistic Tips at 180 grains and get groups right at 1" at 100 yds. I'm also trying to get a load with Speer 150 grain spitzers and 200 grain spitzers. I find the recoil on this rifle is much less than my 30-06 an I really enjoy shooting it.

I hunt with a Turk model 1903 and the 170 grain Hornady bullet. However my rifle is not very accurate with any but near max loads. I use 50 grains of IMR-4064 and the Lyman reloading manual says 51 is max. This generates over 2750 fps with no pressure signs in my rifle. With 19 pounds of recoil this load is not suitable for a youth hunt. I like it because it's a little more weight than needed, a little more velocity than needed and a little more diameter than needed.

The doe I shot last year dropped at the shot. The range was about 70 yards and the hit was not great, got 2 stomachs, the liver and one lung.

I'm finishing an open sighted 8mm rifle. I recently worked up a load that shot a .600" 50 yd group with issue sights in another milsurp I have. It was 44.0 grians of accurate 2230 and remington 185 grainers. Probably more than needed for deer but it was darned accurate and pleasant to shoot.

Quite a few years ago when my son was just starting to hunt I wanted to get him a cheap rifle to start out with. Something that he could beat around the hills with and not have to worry about. I found a sporterized 8MM mauser very much like yours. I bought a box of factory ammo and was VERY disapointed in them. They were very underpowered and did not shoot very well. I then picked up some dies and started working up a load for the gun. At the time the only bullets I could find was Sierra 175 grain. I worked up a load to around 2600 fps and it shot about 1.5" groups. I gave the gun to my son and he looked at it and said "I gota hunt with THAT gun!!". He took it out and killed a deer the first trip. Since that time my son has killed numerous deer with that gun and load. It is deadly!! He has killed deer from 20 yards to 300 yards without any problems. He has more guns now but that old 8MM mauser is still his favorite. It is the one he turns to more often than any other.

[ 08-20-2003, 22:55: Message edited by: MtElkHunter ]

I use an 8x57JS Brno quite a lot. Very fine round, lots of punch, especially when handloaded.

I like to think of my 8X57 as a slightly enlarged 308 win. Its very efficent, accurate and unproportionatley powerfull. I have some of the 170 Rns but havent hunted with them although they do make nice groups. They should do a bang up job on a deer, but why waste a good Elk rifle on a scronny deer?

Wait till you see how your "budget sporter" will shoot with some 196 grain interlocks or 185 grn corelocks over a stout load of 4064. You will agonize endlessly over leaving it or your other favorites at camp.

You would have liked the old 220 grn speer round noses in it, its too bad they went south and never came back.

For a kids deer load with 170s you could still bump the velocity up to 2500 fs or so and have a mild recoil. The 150s at full power have very little recoil at all.

Thanks for everyone's replies.

I actually did a load on this rifle, that was 22.5 grains of IMR 3031 with a 170 grain RN.

I was actually quite surprised on how well it grouped at 100 yds, with open sites ( Lymnan peep site). I have not chronographed it, but it sure let me know it will produce minute of deer at 125 yds or so. Personally I don't want a kid shooting much farther than that anyway, until they get older.

I am estimating the velocity at 1600 fps or so.
May try 32 Winchester bullets in it just to see if they will group. I am sure they will open up at 100 yds.

Just thinking, Round Nose bullet, little bigger bore, low impact velocity, low recoil: just might be a good first gun. All we are asking it to do is to drop a 100 lb deer ( at most) at 100 yds or so. ( whether all of us want to admit it or not, that takes in about 80% of all of OUR DEER hunting in the USA)

I bought a 8mm Yugo Mauser about 4 years ago and absolutely love it. I used it to take a really nice buck 2 years ago. I don't reload, so I shoot the factory stuff. I tried the Remington, Winchester, and Federal 170gr loads and couldn't get the groups below 2 inches with open sights(I removed the rear blade and put on a Mojo aperture sight). So I tried the only other factory load that I could find at the time, Norma 196gr Vulkans. I get groups around 1 - 1 1/2 inches at 100 yds. The Vulkan opens reliably at the Mauser velocities. The shells are not cheap by any means but I practice with the surplus ammo, and then re-zero with the Norma ammo before each deer season.

I use 185 gr corelokts in mine at 2550 they work well.