found an 8mm mag in a remington classic for a great deal. it seems to be an incredible caliber. 220 grain bullets moving along at 3000 fps. sounds like an ideal elk rifle, why doesnt it have a larger following? am i missing something? any thoughts here would be great! mark

I have one and I think it is a great caliber. The 8mm bullet choices were pretty scarce on the ground until just recently, so I think that has a lot to do with it. Like a lot of the metrics, it just never seemed to catch on with the American buying public. Too bad too, because it's one of the greatest elk calibers there is. Sure it's way over powered for whitetails etc, but that's never stopped anyone (look at all the RUMS and 338 Win Mags that are taken deer hunting every year). I think it was a little before it's time, much like the 600/660 rifles. Snap it up, you won't be sorry for the performance you get. Bigger holes then the 300's, faster and flatter then the 338 WM, it really is a good cartridge. - Dan

Perhaps one of the most overlooked and underappreciated modern calibers. There are plenty of good "deer" bullets in the 150-175 grain range, and now with the Nosler 200 grain partition, there is an all-around big game bullet that fits the 8mm RM perfectly for elk, moose, big bears, and the larger African plains game.

Actually, there seems to be a resurgence of interest in the 8mm RM. Since the 700 Classic is one of the few rifles ever chambered in 8mm RM, it has been bringing a premium lately. If you've found one at a bargain, I'd grab it!

I've been wanting one of these for some time. I just have not found one. I mainly hunt whitetails and would have to go with a reduced load most likely, but I'm thinking that one of these slobber-knocking babies just might be the ultimate woodchuck howitzer.

aquavit, good luck. your ground hogs will come at a high price. I too thought the 8RM would be the ultimate elk rifle. Too brutal for me. Even with a sissy sack off the bench. I am philosophically opposed to muzzel brakes, but I do believe one needs to shoot a rifle often enough to stay proficient with it. I would go to a church sing with my wife rather than shoot that thing. So I got rid of it.

Ive never fired a round of 8mm Remington Magnum ammunition at any animal or even paper, but as a longtime user of the .300 Winchester and .338 Winchester cartridges, I can speculate that the Eight-Mag should be a great round that can cover 99% of all big game hunting the world over and should be an excellent choice.

AD

Ditto Allen, as is its Euro twin 8x68S.

Just my idea...not many ways you can go wrong with a 8x68S (I'm from Europe so I prefer this one ;-) Bought a 9,3x62 because I was afraid the 8x68 would *really* damage those little roe deer...then ended up buying a .300WM to reach out...now that I live in Alberta an 8x68S seems pretty much ideal....except probably for ammo availability?

Frans

hvtw8t
grab it you won't be sorry.i have one, groundhogs in summer, and deer in fall.have shot a bunch of deer with it. havent had to look for one.it stomps them in their tracks.recoil isn't real bad in the lighter bullets,mainly use 150 to 180 gr bullets shoot it off bypods.just gotta hold on to it.

Frans I have an 8x68 and have no trouble at all keeping it fed. It is an excellent calibre for big game.

I used to own an 8mm mag and found it to be a great cartridge.There were so few quality 8mm bullets available though that I had mine rebarreled to 338x8mm remmag.

I have no knowledge or experience with any of the 8mm calibers, but after looking the 8mmRemingtonMag up and comparing it to the .338WM, at least on this particular table(2003 Shooters Bible) the .338 comes out on top. Not by much.

.338WM - 200gn NP @ 2950
8mmRM - 200gn A-frame @2900

The .338WM shooting a 225 Trophy bonded HE having 140pfs more on the 8mmRM shooting a 220gn A-square.

I dont know, but I would like to see some tables for the 8x68S for further camparison.

Express that loading for the 8mmremmag is a little on the mild side.My own 8mmremmag produced 3050fps with a 200gr partition.

hvyw8t and others

I guess the metric european bores had little interest in NortH America for a while.

A great news is that Brenneke has made a bonded TOG bullet in 8mm, the weight is 220 grains and it's looking nasty

The 8X68 is also a very fine caliber, but for some damn reason rifle makers always has favored american cartridges.

/ JOHAN

I have a Remington custom shop 8 mag that weighs about 8 lbs scoped. It shoots under an inch without any fuss. It is a good gun for what I need as you will not be over or undergunned in the Bush. There are many premium bullets available.

My data shows it runs with the 338 mag AND the 340 Wby.

I get up to 3100 fps with 220 gr Hornadies out of a 26" barrel. I back the load off to 3000 fps because accuracy is better at that level. My 338 win Mag runs behind, although not by much (210 gr Noslers @ 2900 fps). I find the recoil about the same as the 300 Mags with 200 gr bullets. My 340 Wby moves a little faster, but I find the recoil a step up as well. I have a few friends who refuse to shoot it at all, go figure. I still think the 8 Mag is the best balanced of them all (and if you handload, it's a little more powerful then the 8 X 68S). - Dan

One choice overlooked with the 8mm Mag is the 220 grain Swift A-Frame. Pricey and not a really fast bullet, it holds together well and is very accurate in my 8 Mag.

Joe.

I bought an 8MMRM back when Remington first released it. It rapidly became my "walking" gun, then became the only gun used while hunting. I can't add much to the already excellent comments except this thought, it was the second of two guns that I felt compelled to put a scope on, so that the true potential of the cartridge could be realized. It was also the only gun that truely needed a scope, to match its performance. Mind you that is only my opinion based on how I shoot, and I normally limit myself to under 300 yards. I did not have that limit with the 8MMRM.

Gentlemen

Has anyone of you heard of a wildcat based on the 404 in 8mm

This would be fun
Sorry for causing all this trouble

/ JOHAN

Dan's right, this calibre is practically tailor made for elk. And it's not too shabby for anything else for that matter. Recoil is definitely not objectionable. In the past there was not always a good selection of bullets but it is my understanding this is no longer the case. If you enjoy having a calibre out of the "norm" it is an excellent choice.

I never shot one but it is the exact case as a 300 Wby except the shoulder has an angle instead of the round edges,and with a bigger bore it SHOULD be as fast or faster than a 300 Wby with same bullet weights.

Johan, one of the gun writers, (his name slips my memory at the moment, the guy who's book was called "Unrepentent Sinner, Col. Charles ...Atkins, Akins, something like that) built himself a whole herd of wildcat 8mm's and the 8mm-404 was one of them. Back in the early sixties, late fifties I think. - Dan

Guys,

What does 8mm equate to in imperial ie inches?

Regards,

Pete

I would be a little leary of the cartidge based on Remington's history of abandoning unsuccessful cartidges. If you don't reload ammo may be a problem in the future. Likewise resale value may be less if factory ammo is discontinued. The caliber itself is no doubt very effective, though.

Pete, pretty sure it's .323" but don't quote me.
No secret to any of this.
There's more powder in a blown-out H&H case that's 2.85" (8mm RM) than one that's 2.5" (338 WM.)
More powder = bigger explosion.
There have never been a huge assortment of 8mm bullets, which seems about the only good reason for its lack of popularity.
Same thing with the .358 (9mm) like Norma and STA.
These suckers shoot thick bullets surprisingly fast. With as many people as like the 338's there's bound to be lots that would prefer just a BIT bigger or smaller for their applications.
That's the beauty of it. Between 7mm and .375" you can find exactly where you like to be and then practice, practice, practice.
Since all but big bear will go down with an '06, you really can't go "wrong." Just wrong-for-you!

The 8mm magnum failed miserably in the USA market simply because Remington didn't produce a proper bullet for it plus the fact that Americans have never been sold on the 358 and 323 bores...It had nothing to do with the ability of the caliber itself...

It now has some decent bullets like Nosler but alas to late to save this fine old dopg, the handwritting is on the wall for this puppy, however it will always be a good bet for the handloader as there will always be a good supply of brass from 375, 416, 30 H&H etc.

But considering the .338 is out there, I doubt that I will ever own a 8 MM Magnun rifle but I have no doubt it can carry the mail....I know the 8x57 sure can, and it is a weak heart compared to the Magnum...