Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles How Many 8mm RM Owners Here ?

Craig has used his 8 mag on all kinds of critters from Asian sheep to elk and etc...

IIRC he shot his best group ever with it and 220 gr Sierras.

Isn't that what's happened to a couple rifles when you have 50 to 80 of them sitting in the safes?

Seems pretend ignore is not so pretend. Love it.

One thing I never liked about the 8mm RM was that the bullets are seated way down the neck to reduce the O. A. L. Some years ago that led to a discuss with a gun nut buddy of mine that went along the lines that you could use shorter brass, seat the bullets at the base of the neck and get very close to the same fps out of it. Heated discussion leads to a bet. He say you can't get within 300 fps and I say you can.

Only one way to settle that...build the cartridge and build a rifle for it. JGS made me the reamers, Huntington Die Specialties made the dies, and Custom Gun Guild put together a sweat rifle on a 1909 Mauser action and a Fajen laminated stock. Designed the cartridge to shoot 220 Rem Corelokt, which were standard for the 8 mm RM. The new 8mm/350 mag is short enough to work in a standard length action and the velo was within 150 fps of the Rem model with no pressure signs. It shoots <1" groups at 100 all day with R19 and Fed 215 primers.

That become my go to rifle for African plains game for 25 years. I've tried other bullets in it, Nosler 200 Partitions do well with H414, but it absolutely will not shoot any 185s well. Too much freebore on the shorter bullets. Barnes TSX 200s shoot well with R17.

I had been shooting this for more than a dozen years when the 8mm WSM appeared, and is darn near identical in length and capacity. Looks like I was a pioneer, though there is hardly any brass under the sun that isn't necked up and down to every caliber possible as soon as its introduced.

If you have a .300 mag of any sorts, the 8mms don't offer you any big advantage. If you are not a rifle looney, then I'd say the next step up from .30 for hunting is the .338 WM. In my opinion, there is not enough difference between the .338 and the 8mm in the field to worry about.

As for my original bet, the beer tasted good as winning prize, but it was expense in the end.

Thnx GRF for the A Frame performance report. I expected it would perform well but first hand experience is better than 'suspected'.


Jerry

L_B, thnx the Weldcores are bullets I have no info on but have heard of them.
Good luck on the elk.
The 7 RM is ALMOST on top of my list of FAVS.


Jerry

Yes I'm familiar with C B and his flavor for the Big 8.

I said in the OP
"ATST it's fully capable of taking any game in North America. Craig Boddington is a good reference."

Today there are many more choices of bullets than in '78-'80.


Jerry

Ken, I have not shot my best groups with my 8 but it will shoot BETTER than I can shoot IT.
Now, 1--1 1/4" groups ain't bad either.

Jerry

I've seen this rifle and the 8mm "Hatari" works!

Congrats, you were AHEAD of the curve. I have been too on a couple of other things.

OTOH, I have found that compressed loads aren't a handicap. I was shooting compressed loads in 270 W & 06 long before I got my
8 RM.

**Note** I know you can have too much compression and the bullet will get pushed back out ---> not good.

Thnx

Jerry

I knew an attorney here that bought one for elk hunting. He asked me if I was interested in it. I passed. He said the recoil was unpleasant.

I bought a 700 Classic 8mm RM in early '99 for an elk hunt I was saving for in 2000. Wound up getting divorced in Aug. '99. What I had saved up went to my ex and my lawyer. It sits unshot for many years now. I've pondered parting with it but haven't so far. I remember when working up a load for deer with the 180g NBT's that it showed pressure signs well below Nosler's book max with R-22. 2.5-3g below max chrony read 3500+fps. I said WTF, that can't be right so, like an idiot I shot it again and the chrony showed 3500+fos again. I knocked those remaining rounds down and that's the last time I shot it iirc. Got the Big D not long after. Still have a butt load of the 180g NBT's and a couple hundred Speer 200g SP's. According to Speer these were designed for the 8mm RM. So those were what I intended to use for the elk hunt. Never have managed to save back up what with child support and then college. However, all that is now behind me so looking at going west again with a buddy this fall.

It's NO pussycat for sure BUT seriously, I had a 338 WM in a Ruger 77 O G tanger !!! It absolutely HURT me to shoot it>>>>> gone.
I still have my 8 Mag. Stock & recoil PAD makes a diff.

ATST diff people have diff recoil tolerances.

Thnx

Jerry

magshooter

Sometimes life & people can hand us sorry deals. Glad you recovered.

As I said in an earlier post, I shot a couple of WT with the Speer 200s and they (bullets) were tougher than I expected.

Good Luck on future hunts.

Thnx

Jerry

Ooh, that's sounds like a bad day at the range!

Does anyone make factory ammo for it anymore? Or does anyone make new brass?

YEAH and even worse when hunting!

I have not experienced it but I know some guys have. There is a limit you do not exceed.

Jerry

I don't know. Since I'm not hunting mine now, I had stocked up on components so I haven't looked lately.
I bet someone here knows.


Thnx

Jerry

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