Thread: 8mm Mauser

Hi All , Getting a Sako Rebarrelled into the Might 8x57 , was wondering what you guys were loading up for this cartridge?

Hello - Nice idea for a project.. I run an 8x57 - currently its a Brno model 21 and have had several others in the past. My "goto" load these days is 170 Gn SST's with 49 gns of AR2206H, this gives 2680 fps from my 24" barrel, and kills stuff very dead well out past 300M - several Tahr and a few Red's. Always work up . . . in a more modern rifle it might be worth trying for a higher node . . .

I've got a Sako M995 with an 18' Barrel - so I guess we'll see what performance i can get!a

I used a Brno for years in Africa & Oz & took everything up to Buffalo with it ,the old load data l just dug for it was what l used for plains game & here for Red deer, Fallow ,pigs & goats was a 150 Speer pushed along by 51gn of AR2206H that gave 3020fps.

My favorite all round load was 180gn Barnes TSX pushed a long by a stiff load of 51gn of W-760 that gave 2670ffps & smoked everything ,this was 1/2 grain off pressure signs in that rifle but shot into 3/4 MOA & was the most accurate load out of the rifle & it dropped a nice Red Stag at 535 mtrs went through both shoulders with a tennis ball exit wound .

The heavy load was a 200grn Woodleigh pushed by 46.5gn of AR2206H that ran at 2520FPS that dropped 1/2 a dozen Buff ,a couple of Kudu & numerous Brumbies & Donkeys etc .

This was all nearly a decade ago so god knows what you can get hold of now with the Ammo supply SNAFU ,but in Africa while Guiding we always used RWS & Geco factory loads & they were loaded far better than the yanky stuff, who as usual loaded everything to be lawyer safe in old Bubba'd surplus rifles ,so if you are looking at using factory loads for brass see if you can get some of them,l was getting a easy 1/2 dozen reloads out of their brass with most lost while hunting in rough ground by then .It is a great underrated caliber IMO

I used cfe223 in 150 and 170gr. Great cartridge at regular hunting ranges. Carries a 200gr well for big stuff if needed


Should go real well in short barrel...hmmm

Originally Posted by Masperjay

I've got a Sako M995 with an 18' Barrel - so I guess we'll see what performance i can get!a

awesome.. 8mm performs well out of the shorter barrel (mausers M03 trail comes factory 18" ) my brno has a 19" barrel will have to check my loads but using 2208 best results with 170g RN 180g nosler BT and 195g interloc......

Originally Posted by Masperjay

Hi All , Getting a Sako Rebarrelled into the Might 8x57 , was wondering what you guys were loading up for this cartridge?

Greetings Masperjay,
Always good to see one of the older cartridges being selected for a new barrel. Their performance is as good as ever, just its appreciation of it that has lagged a bit. The round is still chambered in new rifles on the Continent after 133 years and counting.
Regards Grandpamac.

If you can source some Norma and Sellier & Bellot 196 grain ammo both shoot very well and are loaded to proper pressures
the American stuff is on par wth the 30/30

Originally Posted by shooternz

If you can source some Norma and Sellier & Bellot 196 grain ammo both shoot very well and are loaded to proper pressures
the American stuff is on par wth the 30/30

We know all about the S&B 196gr Copper Tip.

Originally Posted by Beavis

We know all about the S&B 196gr Copper Tip.

Can you please don't break my heart , I dont have the Doink Machine anymore.

Sent from my SM-N975F using Tapatalk

And what a doinker she was

with that setup I'd be keen to see what you can do at distance. its cool because its weird

I reckon a 200gr SMK and work up from 47ish grains of 2208 (give you have such a strong action). a good load could carry a long way out

That's kind of what I was going for , Love something a little different and with such a strong action It'd be fun to see what it'd do at range