Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles 200 Speer hotcores in 8x57

Just picked up several boxes of 8mm 200 gr speer hotcores. Speer manual says they were designed for the 8mm Rem mag but I was wondering if anyone has shot any game with them from an 8x57. I’ve got a 700 classic in 8x57 so I can load it to “full power” levels. Thanks.

Ought to be like baby bear's soup for game like pigs and black bear.

Supposed to go to Africa next year for my buddy’s 50th bday. I’d really like to take the 8x57. I know the 200 Speer will be tough enough….just hoping it’s not “too tough”.

They work great in my 8x57. 2550 fps. Shot a whitetail buck on a frontal chest shot,deer dropped at the shot. Recovered the bullet lodged in the last rib on the right side. Retention/penetration was good. Around 70-75% weight retained if i recall properly. I use them with confidence for mule deer/whitetail/black bear.

Hornady also states the 195gr 8mm Interlock is best suited for the 325 wsm and 8mm mag's but from my experience these heavy for caliber cup and core bullets work at 8x57 velocities. I've taken lots of game with the interlock. Never had issues with them.

I did a non scientific test on 8mm bullet's years ago, you can see they expand just fine at 8x57 velocities. Even some of the heavy weights like 220 sierra game kings did well.

Bullets were shot in a stack of 2x8" pine wood stack about 2ft in length

Bullet: 195Gr Hornady Interlock SP
Retained: 160.6
Retention: 82%
Comments: 3/4 throught the stack

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Bullet: 200gr Speer Hot-cor sp
Retained: 177.5
Retention: 89%
Comments: 3/4 through the stack

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Bullet: 220gr Serria GMK
Retained: 186.9
Retention: 85%
Comments: Great looking mushroom, 3/4 through the stack

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Thanks for the responses. Definitely not a scientific test but they are definitely not too tough for 8x57 velocities. Loaded over 46&47gr of varget they all expanded and spit their cores out after being dug out of my shooting berm at 100 yards. It’s been wet here so the dirt is quite moist. I would have expected them to hold together a bit better than they did.

Speer may say they're designed for 8mmMag, but my experience is they're too frangible, at least within 150 yards. Should be good for 8x57.