8mm Rem Mag

tikka_madras

Well-Known Member
For no particular reason I've suddenly developed a massive craving for an 8mm Rem Mag. I shoot a 6.5 Swede loaded to modest speeds with 120g heads and it's been a pleasure to shoot and done the job on everything so far but the excuse I'm giving myself is it's for boar and reds on the hill.

Please can somebody sensible talk me out of this before :doh:
 
I was suggesting the 8mm Rem Mag for a new barrel, replacing a .300 WM, in another thread.

It is a lot of rifle, to my thinking, better than a .338 Win Mag because of the range of bullet selection, from 123 to 240 grains. Realistically, 150 to 200 grains is the optimum range of flat shooting bullets, and the 195 to 200 grain bullets have some high BCs, if you can stand the recoil.

I have five 8x57IS rifles, one 8x57I ( mild rounds ), an 8x57JRS, and an 8x60S ( my second one ). The 8x60s is an original Type A Sporting Mauser from about 1920. It likes a 200 gr bullet at 2,500 to 2,600 fps, and only weighs 7 pounds loaded, with a steel buttplate, so that is as close as I get to an 8mm Rem Mag - and it is not bad recoil at all, because the stock just fits me so well.

Most 8mm Rem Mags come in heavier rifles. Go read what Craig Boddington says. He is a big fan of it. The Remington 700s in 8mm RM are on the light side, about 7.5 lbs to 7.75 lbs, just as the Kimber 84 and Browning A-Bolt are the most common rifles for the .325 WSM, and they are very light, making the recoil a bit brisk.
 
Thanks Southern, but you were supposed to talk me out of it! :D

Does anyone who shoots boar or a lot of hill reds have any views? If I turn up with that is the average ghillie going to worry about the size of the hole in his deer?
 
Please can somebody sensible talk me out of this before :doh:

Yeah I'm not the guy then :) I'd say go for it. If you book a stalk and the ghillie says no to the 8mm then you can take the Swede. However, meat damage is down to MANY things. Using a tougher bullet would reduce damage so you can tailor it to your requirements.
 
I've owned and used an 8mm RM ( briefly ) and I had a Brno in 8X68 for a number of years . They're both very powerful and capable rounds . That being said , I did have a problem locating good bullets for them around here . I used 200 gr Nosler Partitions and the now discontinued Hornady 220 gr Spire Points in both . These bullets performed very well on larger game for me , but were a bit much for smaller game such as deer and I found the lighter more frangible bullets didn't perform well at higher velocities .
I sold off both of them in the end as they didn't do anything that other calibers I owned at the time wouldn't do with less fuss . Brass is getting hard to find here , so I imagine in the UK the situation would be even more difficult ( and expensive ) . There are quite a few rounds out there that are equal to , and in some situations better , than the 8mm RM . Any of the large capacity 7mm , 30 or 338 cases are less expensive , and more importantly , far easier to source ammo or components for .
It's a great round , but if I were limited to owning only a few rifles , as most in the UK seem to be , I'd look for a more versatile caliber that would be a little easier to feed .

............... but if that's what you want , definitely do it , lol .

AB
 
The Remington CoreLokt 180-gr bullet is made for the 8mm RM, so is supposed to be a bit "too tough" for the 8x57 at anything but closer distances. The Nosler 200-gr Partition will open up and mushroom at 8x57 velocities ( 2,500 fps), so would be good for 200 yard shots on large game.

Alberta Boy is right about the brass situation. And if you are not very comfortable with a .30-06, you are not going to like the recoil of the 8mm RM. The jump from 6.5x55 to it is a big one. You might want to scratch that 8mm itch with an 8x57 in a vintage Sako or Mauser. It really is an efficient cartridge that really is fun, accurate with bullets from 150 to 200 grains, great for boar.
 
Looking at the stats it doesn't do anything the 300wm doesn't do with more bullet choice and options
 
I have one in a rem 700 BDL, the recoil is heavy and fast. Its not something to take lightly, it "feels", worse than the 375 h &h. I have 2 375s, one a 700 1 of 500 thats about 7.5 pounds. 200s to 220s are the right weight in my way of thinking, mine is quite partial to the sierra gameking. It is quite the jump from a 6.5x55 to the 8mm mag. Its a thumper
 
Looking at the stats it doesn't do anything the 300wm doesn't do with more bullet choice and options

Yup , and the 300WM was the main reason I got rid of my big 8MM's . You can find brass anywhere and there is an endless variety of bullets available . The 8mm RM is a good cartridge , but it takes a lot more effort to achieve the same results as the more readily available cartridges . Personally , if I hunted in the UK , I'd take a serious look at the 7mm RM if I was after a belted cartridge . Just one mans opinion .

AB
 
Thanks, for these, I've been reading up on the 8x57 and you're probably right - something between 8x57 and 300wm would probably be a more sensible choice.

I'll check both out of the armoury and have a play with them next time I'm down at Bisley.
 
Shoot the 8x57 and .300 Win Mag from field positions, not off the bench. The both are capable of sub-MOA at distance. The .300 WM will push 200-gr bullets a little faster with more powder and recoil, but unless you are shooting long-range matches or hunting Marco Polo sheep or something where you think you may need to every edge for a shot in the wind at 300 yards, the 8x57 tossing 200s at 2,500 to 2,600 fps or 180s at 2,700 fps MV will be near perfect for most big game, in a well-balanced true stalking rifle - and there are some beautiful old traditional ones out there.
 
As Southern says , the 8X57 is a very versatile , and underrated round . It doesn't require premium bullets or burn huge amounts of powder . It does hit hard without excessive recoil and it comes in some beautiful old rifles , what's not to like ? I've always had an urge to put a 8mm/06 together on a good 98 action , I realize it's identical to a 8X64 , but a friend has the reamers ....... one day I will . I'm building a 358 Winchester at the moment , so it'll probably be next winters project .

AB
 
Tell me you are building that .358 on a Mauser and in a Mannlicher stock. Yum.

There are a decent number of 8mm-06 rifles floating around the USA, from back when 8x57 Mausers were so cheap, and gunsmiths would ream them out, just like the German smiths did to make the 8x60S. It will get you another 100 or more fps over the 8x57IS, at the same pressures. Some of these are Bubba Garage jobs, but others are really nicely sporterized K98s and VZ24s. Even if you just get a good action and barrel, but maybe good sights, too, putting on a nice new stock is not so difficult, to build a classic sporting rifle.
 
8mm REM is great round but id be worried about getting brass. I've used 8x57 on moose, no problems.
 
Tell me you are building that .358 on a Mauser and in a Mannlicher stock. Yum.

There are a decent number of 8mm-06 rifles floating around the USA, from back when 8x57 Mausers were so cheap, and gunsmiths would ream them out, just like the German smiths did to make the 8x60S. It will get you another 100 or more fps over the 8x57IS, at the same pressures. Some of these are Bubba Garage jobs, but others are really nicely sporterized K98s and VZ24s. Even if you just get a good action and barrel, but maybe good sights, too, putting on a nice new stock is not so difficult, to build a classic sporting rifle.

Actually , It's a Stevens 200 that I have . It currently has a 7mm/08 barrel on it that I just don't shoot . The 7mm/08 is a great round , but I have other rifles that do the same thing and it just doesn't get used . Conquest1 has a 358 barrel that he's kindly given to me for my project . It's going to see some hard use , and it won't be pretty . I've got a Boyds laminate that's been gathering dust for a few years that will stand up to our extreme weather and it's going to be Parkerized when completed . Blasphemy I know , but this will be a working rifle and will be out in the weather a lot . I was going to build it on a 98 , but I have a pre-war Oberndorf 98 that needs to be a nice , light 7X57 ( ridiculous , I know , since I'm tearing down a perfectly good 7mm/08 lol ) . That one would make an iconic little rig with a Mannlicher stock , I like the way you think .
 
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8mm REM is great round but id be worried about getting brass. I've used 8x57 on moose, no problems.

The 8X57 is a great Moose cartridge . I had a VZ24 for a number of years that took a few , it dropped them like a wet tent . I gave it to a good friend of mine for his first hunting rifle . He's acquired a lot more rifles since , but every time we go out he's got that old Brno in his hands . Stalker 308 has seen it when he was out with us , it's in a grey laminate stock with a Leopold 1.5 to 4 X on it , very practical and reliable . I've been without an 8mm since , which is what prompted me to start thinking about an 8mm/06 . To be honest though , I don't think the Moose would be able to notice the difference between the two .

AB
 
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8x68s is a great calibre but you want it in heavy gun ideally.
Ammo is easily available in any European country.
 
I remember when the 8mm Rem Mag was introduced. In one Guns and Ammo they detailed the shooting seminar where they presented it to the assembled US gun writers and then invited questions. One Elmer Keith kicked it off with "Just what the hell use is it?". It has no role that other cartridges don't do better.

It does nothing that the .300 Win Mag or the excellent .338 Win Mag doesn't do better yet uses a full length case that requires a long action. The 8mm is a great calibre but it's a great calibre because it gives optimum performance with 196 grain heavier end weight bullets in "30-06 class" size cartridges. I have owned and shot both 8x57JS and 8x60S in true sporting, stalking, rifles.

To my mind the 8x60S was better and an 8mm-06, a wildcat round, would be the best of the best.

But the 8mm Rem Mag doesn't fire a 150 grain bullet or 180 grain bullet as well as does the .300 Win Mag (or .308 Norma Magnum) nor a 227 grain or 250 grain bullet as well as does the .338 Win Magnum.

So it's niche is 196 grain bullets. Yet, truth to say, that sixteen grains of lead in real world terms makes no difference and, as already said you need a true long action. It is a lot longer case than .300 WM, .308 Norma Magnum or .338 WM.
 
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