Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles A couple of 8x57 questions

Does anyone have a starting load or quickload starting point for the 8x57 with RL-17? It is a 24" Douglas barrel and it is going to be fresh Nosler brass. I'm planning on using the Hornady 195 gr interlock. Maybe.

The second question is: how does the interlock compare with the 196 SPCE, the 200 Accubond, and the 196 Oryx? I've hunted pretty extensively with the 195 Interlock, but I've been having a hard time finding them lately. I also have a bunch of 200 Speer Hot Cors.

200 Speer are great in the 8x57. Deer or elk good to go.

I would think r17 a bit slow and thus a case full sort of loading.

We have been using a starting load for H-4350 to start with RL-17 in any chambering.

It is what they said to do when it first came out and it works.

17 really does well in some,even with normal for caliber bullets,not just heavies.

Cool. I can work with that. BTW, Plains is pretty close. I'm in Midland.

Alliant wasn't really hot on the idea either. But, they only list Re-15 for the 8x57. And pretty anemic loads at that. I have a couple of pounds of RE-17 so I thought I'd try it out since powders are kind of thin on the ground right now. It may work, it may not. As long as I don't blow myself up or stick a bullet in the barrel, I'll learn something from it.

I'd been using RL15 using Norma European data (Norma equivalent to RL15). CIP pressures are higher for the cartridge than SAAMI. My dad had mine for awhile and came to the conclusion that RL17 was a better powder for modern-pressure loads with bullets of around 200 grains. I will see if I can find the loads he gave me. It seems 195 Hornady bullets were getting right at 2700 with great accuracy, which seems about right for 30-06 pressure level in that cartridge.

Well, it's your powder / primers but Reloder 17 is a skosh slow for the 8x57 case capacity. I doubt you'll be able to fit enough in the case to cause pressure issues or see any meaningful velocities. That being said that's why we reload is to experiment so you do you.

I've been loading for my 8x57 for several years now and for 200gr pills I like Varget / BL-C2, and H4895. No doubt one of if not my favorite cartridge to load for. Winchester 748 and CFE223 are also fantastic powders for the 8x57 also.

I don't know what your purpose is for the 8x57 but if your deer hunting, have you considered a lighter bullet weight? I've used 150, 170, and 175s with great accuracy and terminal performance.

Believe it or not RL17 works really well in the cartridge, but I've also found it to be a good powder for the 338-06, which would be fairly similar in regards to bore diameter as compared to case capacity.

if you are looking for velocity and accuracy. from 200 grains and down.... look at the 3031 burn rate powders...

even midrange powders like 4895 are given to keep the pressure low, due to plenty of old 8 x 57s that are in closets and safes all over America, many brought back from WW2 or surplus WW 1 rifles.... 8 x 57s sold in the 50s from surplus stocks from all over the world...

think of the 8 x 57 as a big version of the 223... if it works well in the 223, it will work well in the 8mm Mauser...

I note in the OP that a 24" Douglas bbl is fitted to this rifle. If so, it might have a shorter rifling leade than the generous long leade found in the K98 milsurp bbls.

OP could check to see what MAX cartridge oal is with the Hndy 195 he is working with.

For my K98 milsurps with a Nosler 180BT ~0.15" of bullet shank was in case mouth when bullet was touching lands. I used imr4895 powder, an amount over book, to get 2550 fps, when this bullet was seated where bullet shank engaged entire neck length.

To OP, check your cartridge max oal where bullet is touching lands is my suggestion.

I've looking for a more all around load. My rifle is a Yugo M48 and the original barrel HATED 150s. No matter what I did, I could never get them to shoot. So, I just got used to never thinking about them. After the new barrel I never got back around to trying them out. I use the 170 Hot Cor, 170 SST, 175 Sierra and even the 180 Ballistic Tip on deer and antelope. Great bullets for those size creatures. Truthfully the Ballistic Tip, Hot Cor or the Sierra would probably work for whatever I want to hunt. I personally prefer the 195/200s for hogs, elk, and moose.

I like CFE223 myself for the 170/175/180 stuff. The problem is I'm almost out and every Timmy Tactical is buying it up as soon as it hits the local shelfs and the second it shows to be in stock online. I've been using H4895 for the heavies, I was just looking for a little more velocity. If RE17 works, Cool, if not? Cool. At least I'll be getting to the range and shooting. I have win 748 also, and a bunch of others, I just though that RE17 might be ok.

I seat 0.20" off the lands. When I got the new barrel, I had to rework some of my loads for that reason.

That S&B 196 Truncated bullet was very impressive in wet newspaper. One huge mushroom. It must be a very good cartridge. Mauser and Rigby still chamber it.

As many have said, CFE223 is the berries in the 8x57...can't find it?...no problem....try BLC-2, grain for grain, your chronograph will never know the difference. Seafire said a mouthful...if it works in the .223 it'll work in the 8x57. IMO, 17 is another one of those powders developed to fill a niche that didn't exist, flame on lads.

I'll give that a try. Midway actually has BLC(2) in stock right now.

That is funny as hell about RE17.

The only downside to that bullet is the crappy BC. I've used the S&B load on deer and hogs and it works. I wasn't sure how it would do on something like elk. I mean meat is meat, but bull elk are big, muscular animals. I've used the 195 Interlock on Red Stag and it worked fine, two holes and lots of blood trail. I was actually kind of let down by the stag though, that was the first animal that I shot with the 8x57 that wasn't DRT.

Taking no responsibility whatever for how this load might work, QuickLoad sez:

57 grains of RE-17, COL 3.250", 198 grain Brenneke TIG bullet, 100.9% of case capacity, 55,630 PSI peak, 2779 FPS in a 24" barrel.

53 grains BLC(2), COL 3.250", 198 grain Brenneke TIG bullet, 90.2% of case capacity, 55,909 PSI peak, 2685 FPS in a 24" barrel.

56 grains CFE223, COL 3.250", 198 grain Brenneke TIG bullet, 95.4% of case capacity, 55,981 PSI peak, 2724 FPS in a 24" barrel.

Bear in mind, all this uses the default values in QL. Using the actual values from your own rifle and load may change things quite a bit.

As always, YMMV and the above numbers are for illustration and education, not for actual reloading.

I just loaded some with Norma 203B ie RL-15. I'll try a few load ladders with some of the other powders mentioned. I've been looking for a way to get rid of my 3031. I have a bottle of 748 that needs thinned out a bit.

In my opinion, stick with your RL17 idea. That powder does really well in this cartridge with heavier bullets if you have a modern action that will take 30-06-type pressures.