8X57 S Mauser; extensive load eval

[flatwater bill]

Here are a few notes on my prep for Sable hunting with a new JP Sauer 101 bolt rifle in 8x57. This rifle has essentially a 22" bbl.
Hornady factory load 195 grain soft point......................velocity average 2470 fps 1.5 inch group ave 3 shot
PPU (Privi-Partisan) factory load 196 grain soft point..................ave velocity 2063 fps 2.2 inch ave
Sellier and Bellot factory 196 grain soft point.....................ave vel 2633 fps (yes!).......0 .77 inch average
My load: H brass, CCI 200 primer, 51 grains IMR 4350, 3.16 COAL ave vel 2425 fps., 200X bullet.....0.9 inch ave.

I could not beat the S&B ammo in either vel or power............a complete surprise to me. no pressure signs and strong 30-06 power.

PPU very pleasant to shoot, and a fine whitetail load.

The rifle..........well made, great fit and finish, only the second rifle I have ever bought that did not need the trigger adjusted, smooth bore, easy to clean, not grabbing too much of the soft copper Barnes bullets, and fitted with a 2.5 to 8 Leupold, a fine little 250 yard gun.
The little case looks like Danny Devito in "Twins" next to a 300 RUM, but I leave tomorrow for Moz and will see for myself if the bullets just bounce off of Sable because the cartridge is too old to kill....................good hunting to all Africa bound adventurers....................................FWB

 

[CAustin]

Good luck and have a great hunt!

 

[sestoppelman]

That S&B load conjures up over 3000 lbs. of muzzle energy! I know the round is capable of it but to see a factory load do it is unusual. If I trusted the bullet I would use that load.

 

[Pheroze]

No pictures safe hunting!

 

[flatwater bill]

I ordered S&B ammo from Midway............should have gotten more than one box.................if I had, perhaps I would use it on the hunt...............FWB

 

[Longwalker]

"8mm Mauser" vs 8x57IS are loaded to very different pressure standards. I would not buy American made "8mm Mauser" ammo for hunting unless I needed reduced recoil ammo for a beginner or very small person. SAAMI limits 8MM Mauser ammo to anemic pressure and velocity levels.
European CIP standards for the 8x57IS are much more robust, and allow the round to show its stuff. Hornady used CIP standards for their load. Ammunition by S&B seems "hot" by USA standards, but is about the same performance level of Norma and RWS loads. I'm not a fan of the standard S&B bullets compared to Norma Oryx or RWS TUG but they will work OK for most applications.

 

[Ukstalker.375]

I wish I could get this kind of group from my blaser R8 with the S&B 196gr!! Ammo for this caliber is like unicorn poop over here so when I found 300 rounds in stock I snapped them up without thinking about it. The best I can get from them is around a 2.5-3 inch group. Fine for chest shots on larger species up to 100m but not confidence inspiring for small deer etc...

 

[Gert Odendaal]

I wish I could get this kind of group from my blaser R8 with the S&B 196gr!! Ammo for this caliber is like unicorn poop over here so when I found 300 rounds in stock I snapped them up without thinking about it. The best I can get from them is around a 2.5-3 inch group. Fine for chest shots on larger species up to 100m but not confidence inspiring for small deer etc...

Try Stewart Core bonded bullets..they are great and for you since you are from abroad quite cheap...since our Rand currency is so weak...
Contact Hansie Minnaar, he is the owner of this company now...minnaarajj@vodamail.co.za I bought 250 gn Core bonded bullets from him, I will be hunting kudu and warthog the next hunting season... The barrel twist is 1:9.45 in a 29,1 inch barrel....it is a heavy hitting rifle and shoots really accurate...

 

[mdwest]

The midwayusa exclusive nosler custom factory load with the 200gr partition shoots MOA out of my wife's 8x57 and clocks at 2450fps... it's the best factory load I've found so far and is what she'll be taking to Africa in June..

I've tried to get my hands on a few boxes of the Norma 196gr oryx.. to give it a comparison.. but haven't been able to catch it in stock anywhere yet...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[mdwest]

above post is a little misleading.. I should have said ADDITIONAL boxes of Norma Oryx.. to do a side by side comparison..

I did manage to grab one box when I first got the rifle shooting.. and it performed very well (on paper).. my rifle fed it well, and accuracy was roughly MOA (similar to the norma rounds)..

I just haven't been able to get my hands on any ever since..

I thought I hit the jackpot with ableammo in TX a few weeks ago and ordered 3 boxes.. and then got a call a few days later telling me they were on backorder and wouldn't have any available until after January..

The WORST ammo I have found for 8x57 so far is the "Hotshot" stuff that Cabelas was carrying (I haven't seen it on the shelf the last few times I have been there).. 170gr, claims to be loaded to CIP specs, etc..

I picked up 2 boxes of hotshot just hoping for some cheap, plinking, range ammo.. I didn't even get that out of it.. It literally produced 6-7" groups at 100 yards, was all over the map in velocity, etc.. the bolt was difficult to open and close on it...

I may try the PPU or the S&B stuff next for a "cheap" range round to play with..

 

[dchamp]

I wish I could get this kind of group from my blaser R8 with the S&B 196gr!! Ammo for this caliber is like unicorn poop over here so when I found 300 rounds in stock I snapped them up without thinking about it. The best I can get from them is around a 2.5-3 inch group. Fine for chest shots on larger species up to 100m but not confidence inspiring for small deer etc...

The best factory ammunition I've found for my Blaser R8 in 8X57is has been Norma 196 Oryx (2500fps)and 180 Lapua Naturalis (2625fps). They have both been very consistent in precision (moa +/- usually -) and speed and shoot very close to the same point of impact at 100yds.

 

[Shootist43]

Given the group size and the muzzle energy delivered by the S&B loads I'd have no trouble using them on Sable. Other bullets might be better but I doubt they are necessary. I'm sure that shot placement will be a bigger factor than the type of bullet used.

Keep us posted.

 

[Ukstalker.375]

Fortunately I've just ordered some Norma Oryx so with luck they will improve the situation.... thanks for the heads up Dchamp