8x57 African big game load

[mauser98]

I've have a few boxes of old 8x57 factory laying around, looking at the the load spec and bullet to me it screams African big game hunting of old. I wonder what the story is for such a heavy bullet and surprisingly pretty good velocity claims.

If anyone has ever used or come across or have more info about these loads, please share!

 

[Forrest Halley]

This was my first rifle and this load warms my heart. Stole that picture. I love how specific the placard is. How to build the bullet and how to build the load.

 

[MD Driver]

“Dynamit Nobel” …. Ha, love it!

Just have to ask if you’re certain they’re non-corrosive? Got a BRNO VZ24 off GunBroker to clean up and restore a bit. Iowa seller gave a glowing description, included a laughable “Certificate of Authenticity” signed by him and his buddy apparently. Worked my nads off to clean it up, and finally borescoped the barrel only to find severe putting from corrosive ammo, it looks like. Unusable junk.

So, just at the forefront of my little world at the moment. Those pics are great!

 

[93marlin]

I bought a Husqvarna 8x57JS recently. Has a '98 FN action, I bought it for the action and paid $335 for it.
After receiving it I cleaned it up, amazingly it has a great bore, no extra holes, none for scope mounts anywhere! Stock is very good shape also.
I want to develop some loads for it and the info on the Nobel box will help with that!
Thanks for posting and what great item to have!!

 

[mauser98]

They are berdan primed so i suspect they used surplus brass from war production, so most likely corrosive primer. I dont plan on using them any time soon, somewhat of a novelty of the past. I do have several boxes of 250gr woodleighs that i will probably load up in the future though.

As for pitted barrel, dont write it off to fast, take it out to see what accuacy you might get. I have had a couple rifles with mid bores with pitting and they still shot 2.5" at 100 yards with irons which in my books is still a decent shooter.

 

[mauser98]

I bought a Husqvarna 8x57JS recently. Has a '98 FN action, I bought it for the action and paid $335 for it.
After receiving it I cleaned it up, amazingly it has a great bore, no extra holes, none for scope mounts anywhere! Stock is very good shape also.
I want to develop some loads for it and the info on the Nobel box will help with that!
Thanks for posting and what great item to have!!

I have one of those rifles aswell. I have found the fixed iron sights to be regulated with 195-200gr bullets in around 2500-2600 fps. Mine shoots 1.5" with irons at 100 yards and have used it for bear and moose guiding. Shoulders so well and the irons land exactly where i need them to in no time.

 

[Forrest Halley]

I do have several boxes of 250gr woodleighs that i will probably load up in the future though.

View attachment 555882

These are interesting indeed. Anyone have a line on load data for this and how it might work in an old K98?

 

[mauser98]

I plan on using RE17 with the 250gr. Quickload shows me that i can get close to 2400 fps with a 24 inch barrel.

 

[Shootist43]

I picked up a BRNO VZ 24 at an estate sale a while back. It is still in Military guise but seems to shoot OK. I had a Rigby style peep sight installed on the bolt and am in the process of zeroing the gun. Currently I'm using a 200 Gr. Speer Hot Cor pushed with 55 gr. of Win. 760. QuickLoad has me at 2630 FPS. The load seems a little hot even though the pressure is below max. I'd like to get my hands on some 200 Gr. Woodleigh projectiles to see what they'd do. I'll post targets once I get everything sorted out. At best I consider this caliber a Plains Game gun, pretty much the same as a 30-06.

 

[PerH]

First 8mm m1888 was 244 grain , so they borrowed much of it later into IS chambering

 

[Clodo Ferreira]

Hi mauser98,

Love this RWS cartridges!! Never seen these boxes. Live very much all the printed load information...even the jacket thickness along the bullet lenght...!!!!
In my experience, the RWS cartridges from the sixties (Berdan primed) and seventies (early Boxer primed) are queality second to none! I still have (and use) some of those in 7x57 173 grs H-Mantel. As an example, I measured the runout of some, entire 10 round box 173 H-Mantel boxer primed...near 0 runout and many 0 runout. Period! The velocity right on the advertised one with outstanding uniformity. About the brass quality, well, to me, the best brass by far.
The Berdan 5620 primer is non corrosive for sure. RWS was the first to offer non corrosive primers, their SINOXID ones, well before WW II....

CF

 

[Clodo Ferreira]

By the way, about those RWS 5620 Berdan primers, I have around 3000. Made in the ´90s. Use them for some of these RWS 7x57 cases from the sixties.

 

[Daveboone]

These are interesting indeed. Anyone have a line on load data for this and how it might work in an old K98?

You mention an "old K98"..., which of course, they all are. Be sure to have your rifle checked out by a gunsmith before shooting...

 

[8 x 60]

Some interesting stuff about the 8 x 57 here (below) along with plenty of others.

Contemplating A True Classic African Cartridge – 9.3 x 62 Journal

93x62journal.co.za

The 8 x 60 is to all intents and purposes pretty much identical to the 8 x 57, the additional 3mm was a simply "work-around" following the Treaty of Versailles

 

[Forrest Halley]

Some interesting stuff about the 8 x 57 here (below) along with plenty of others.

Contemplating A True Classic African Cartridge – 9.3 x 62 Journal

93x62journal.co.za

The 8 x 60 is to all intents and purposes pretty much identical to the 8 x 57, the additional 3mm was a simply "work-around" following the Treaty of Versailles

God forbid that ordinary citizens have cheap ammunition to shoot with. They might decide to think for themselves and not participate in whatever the government tells them they must do...

 

[PerH]

And also the number of 8mm rifles IS was restricted to 100 000 for Reichswehr ,Navy , Police and other security units . I think Post police and Railway police also had some .

Those rifles and mostly carbines ( when you are limited and can pick what you want , you tend to pick the best ones )

They are marked “1920 “ on top
Of original marking, this was for pistols also .

So “1920
1916 “


That was not like it for 8x57I

And then Brenneke new 8x64S

Mother case of later 7x64

But you’re right 8x60 came then , and in Rimmed version also

All other rifles besides those 8x57IS had to be rebarreled, rechambered , stripped down , exported or destroyed .


It was not until 1935 that civilians could legally own IS again and other cartridges fell back then.



Same time DWM developed the 8x73 DWM on .404 case

Can one say .300 Rum 60 years ahead ?

And 8x68S also came , then the another world rupture came and many cartridges fell aside after 8mm


But not 8x57

Yugoslavia continued its use , Spain Norway as millitary until we got sadly .30-06 .

And lots more . Norma sold many boxes of Alaska and Vulcan in moose ammo .

German ammo was around

Drillings , combos . Then Norma did the trick 8mm Fmj for fox capercaillie and such x

Combine with a 198 or so bullet and one was done

Then Woodleigh came with 220 and 250 RN and 8mm had a new life .

Shirt handy customized Husky 98s or double rifles with 220 or 250 grain . Moose and boar shakers .

 

[Wyatt Smith]

I want a nice 8x57 someday. If I could afford a new M98 or a Highland Stalker it would be in 8x57

 

[jnmullins]

I’ve got a Husqvarna 8x57 that used a commercial M96 action that shoots very well with 296-200 grain bullets. I bet those 250 grain bullets would really penetrate

 

[8 x 60]

Just to go back to the 8 x 60. Most likely due to it's larger case capacity, back when it came out in the early part of the last century it would have had have more power than the 8 x 57.

However I have no doubt that with plethora of modern powders now available an 8 x 57 can be loaded to give the sort of power that the early 8 x 60 gave (maybe moreso)

(Subject of course to the integrity of the firearm in which it is used - usual warning/disclaimers apply etc)

 

[mauser98]

The 8x60 might have had 30-50 fps over the 8x57. No animal would tell the difference.