Another great round--but with even more issues than the 7x57.
I'm an 8x57 fan, but there are four variations:
.318" bullet diameter rimless. Not many of these are seen anymore, but there are a few. Which is why even "modern" American 8x57 ammo is loaded down. That said, many older rifles were converted to the .323-inch "S" version, including many 1888 German military rifles sent to Turkey during WWI In fact my 1888
.318" bullet diameter rimmed (8x57JS), which for some reason (tradition?) remained the standard 8x57 round for break-action European guns long after .323: bullet diameter became standard in bolt-actions. These include drillings and double rifles.
.323" diameter rimless, This is the modern standard 8x57JS.
.323: diameter rimmed. Break-action rifles in this tend to cost more, especially drillings, because they're relatively rare.
These variations are why American factory ammo is load to approximate the same ballistics as the .32 Winchester Special, rather than the .30-06. And that's the reason the 8x57 isn't among the 10 most perfect cartridges--and isn't very popular even in Europe, where these differences are understood far better than in America.
