8x57JR or 8x57IR loads
- Thread starter jcf1
- Start date
If you look down the bore of your drilling and down the bore of a nice, clean 8x57IS, you should be able to see that the rifling is deeper on the 8x57IS. The difference between the .318 and the .323 is that the rifling was cut deeper because of the barrels wearing out with faster ammunition, and the chamber has the throat relieved and lengthened just a frog hair for the wider bullets and higher pressure loadings.
Can you get your hands on some Remington 8x57 RN ammunition? The bullets are .321 and the load is mild, 37,000 CUP, about 2,350 FPS even in a long barreled rifle. The friend who gave me my 1888 Commission Rifle, used it to take quite a few deer. I slugged that barrel, and it was also .320, so it may have had the rifling chased with a broach, as it has Turk, Chinese, and Vietnamese stamps on the sling and stock. Winchester supplied some mild 8x57 ammunition to the Nationalist Chinese when they were fighting Japan in the 1930s. The Remington and Federal 8x57 Mauser ammunition chamber quite easily in my 1888.
Can you get your hands on Hornady .321 diameter 170-gr Flat Point bullets? These are made for the .32-40 lever action, for which I load. I also load them for the 1888 rifle, and they shoot great, just like a cast bullet would if it were a bit over size to the bore. Hornady also makes a 170-gr RN bullet in .323 for 8mm bores.
Load up one of these Remington or Hornady FP bullets with about 8 grains of Red Dot, Trail Boss, SR4759, etc and shoot it into some soft media where you can retrieve it. It will only be going about 1100 FPS, so you can shoot it through a couple of water jugs and into a block of soft clay. This will give you a really good set of rifling imprints in the copper jacket.
As a side note, Prvi Partizan 8x57IS ammo is a 196-gr bullet at about 2,150 FPS.
Can you get your hands on some Remington 8x57 RN ammunition? The bullets are .321 and the load is mild, 37,000 CUP, about 2,350 FPS even in a long barreled rifle. The friend who gave me my 1888 Commission Rifle, used it to take quite a few deer. I slugged that barrel, and it was also .320, so it may have had the rifling chased with a broach, as it has Turk, Chinese, and Vietnamese stamps on the sling and stock. Winchester supplied some mild 8x57 ammunition to the Nationalist Chinese when they were fighting Japan in the 1930s. The Remington and Federal 8x57 Mauser ammunition chamber quite easily in my 1888.
Can you get your hands on Hornady .321 diameter 170-gr Flat Point bullets? These are made for the .32-40 lever action, for which I load. I also load them for the 1888 rifle, and they shoot great, just like a cast bullet would if it were a bit over size to the bore. Hornady also makes a 170-gr RN bullet in .323 for 8mm bores.
Load up one of these Remington or Hornady FP bullets with about 8 grains of Red Dot, Trail Boss, SR4759, etc and shoot it into some soft media where you can retrieve it. It will only be going about 1100 FPS, so you can shoot it through a couple of water jugs and into a block of soft clay. This will give you a really good set of rifling imprints in the copper jacket.
As a side note, Prvi Partizan 8x57IS ammo is a 196-gr bullet at about 2,150 FPS.
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An an update - I've found a load that groups very well. Practice with the iron sights has helped a lot! Below a pic of my group with a kneeling shot at 60 yards with plenty of cooling time between shots. Ignore the right hand flyer - I pulled this as my foot was on soft ground. I can consistently get 3/4" groups kneeling - found it doesn't like being shot off bags. Its still about 3-4" high and right so I guess I have 2 choices - get the file out or shoot low and left!
The load is 44.2gr IMR 4064.
The load is 44.2gr IMR 4064.
I would not touch the sights, yet. Your 44.2 gr load for the 196-gr bullet is still fairly hot for an old drilling. I bet it was regulated about 150 FPS slower. Does your 42.0-gr load shoot to a good elevation, but not as good groups?
A lot of older rifles with fixed sights were set to shoot pretty high at 50 and 100 yards, for several reasons:
* So it would be dead on about 150 or 200 yards.
* The slug load may be dead on at 50 yards and this one shooting higher, is just fine.
* Grouping 3 inches above the sight is preferred by some for running or charging boar, in order to see more of the animal as you swing the muzzle onto hair.
Try the same load with a lighter bullet, like the .321-gr Hornady FN. You may find that the lighter, faster bullet actually shoots lower. Some of this is due to lower recoil and less time in the barrel.
This brings up another point: As you found out, the drilling or combination gun, likes to be shot out of your hands, not from a bag. The same is true of powerful rifles like the .375, .404, .416, and double rifles. You have to hold the forend firmly and follow through on the shot, not relaxing subconciously just as the trigger snaps. The gun starts recoiling as soon as it ignites, and you have to control the muzzle rise until the bullet leaves.
You found an accurate load. Now you need to shoot that load enough to become familiar with how your drilling shoots before you go changing the sights or anything else.
A lot of older rifles with fixed sights were set to shoot pretty high at 50 and 100 yards, for several reasons:
* So it would be dead on about 150 or 200 yards.
* The slug load may be dead on at 50 yards and this one shooting higher, is just fine.
* Grouping 3 inches above the sight is preferred by some for running or charging boar, in order to see more of the animal as you swing the muzzle onto hair.
Try the same load with a lighter bullet, like the .321-gr Hornady FN. You may find that the lighter, faster bullet actually shoots lower. Some of this is due to lower recoil and less time in the barrel.
This brings up another point: As you found out, the drilling or combination gun, likes to be shot out of your hands, not from a bag. The same is true of powerful rifles like the .375, .404, .416, and double rifles. You have to hold the forend firmly and follow through on the shot, not relaxing subconciously just as the trigger snaps. The gun starts recoiling as soon as it ignites, and you have to control the muzzle rise until the bullet leaves.
You found an accurate load. Now you need to shoot that load enough to become familiar with how your drilling shoots before you go changing the sights or anything else.
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