I am assuming you are asking about the 8mm Remington magnum and the 8x57 that was a Remington 700 Classic model. The 8 mag came as a BDL caliber as well as a 700 Classic. I have the 8 mm magnum in the Classic and have used it hunting in Texas, Colorado , Namibia, and RSA. It is a fast , flat shooting, accurate, cartridge that hits hard with a surprising variety of bullets if you hand load. Remington for a while chambered Swift 200 grain A-Frames in their Safari line of ammo. You may if you are lucky find 180 and 220 grain Corelockts , but given the speed of the big 8 ,they are not the best choice.
Recoil is stout, strong, and fast. I would rate it as more than a 300 Win mag and close to either a 338 Win or a340 weatherby.
I put a Pachmayer decellerator pad on mine and also use a Past Pad when shooting it. Muzzle blast is comissmerate with recoil. Hearing protection is suggested even in the field . So yes it is loud!
So why use the big 8? If you do your part, it will it's job given a reasonable hit. I have used it on elk, deer, zebra ,kudu,blue and black wildebeest, water buck, and gems buck and very few required a second shot.
Ammo is difficult to find and expensive. It is a hand loader's cartridge and you can safely exceed factory fodder if you wish. Is this a cartridge for the casual hunter? No, it is for a rifle loony only.
I almost forgot about the 325 Winchester. I have not shot one or seen it used in the field, so I cannot comment on its usefulness.
Porsche73
