Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles 8mm Rem Mag 700 Classic Accuracy?

I bought a 700 Classic 8mm Mag when they first came on the market in '98. Always wanted a rifle so chambered and had high hopes for it. Accuracy with numerous loads ranged from mediocre to abysmal. The old 185 gr factory load grouped from 2.5" - 3" and I tried handloads using the Barnes 180 X, Sierra 175 SP, Remington 185, Speer 200 and Sierra 220 BTSP with numerous powders/primers. The Barnes shot like a shotgun, which I understand. Some rifles just don't like the original X. With the other bullets I shot some decent groups, especially the Sierra 220. I actually shot some fabulous groups with that bullet but there was just no consistency; one group might be 3/4" and then the next one might be 2.5" I bedded the rifle, tuned the trigger and did about everything short of sending it off for a new barrel. Long story short, I traded it off.
A month or so ago my cousin called and asked if I wanted his 8mm Mag Classic. He bought it brand new and never fired it, never even scoped it. He just realized he bought it on a whim after I bought mine and he knew he'd never use it. I bought it thinking maybe, hopefully his would be a shooter. Well, I took it to the range last week and it basically duplicated what my other one did with the old 185 factory load. I haven't gotten around to starting the handloading process for this new one yet and I pray I can find something that this one will shoot well, consistently. Wondering what kind of accuracy you guys have gotten with your rifles of the same model and caliber. Maybe the rest of the run were good shooters and I just got the 2 lemons. Any loads you've found that work well? There are several new bullets out that I never got to try in the old gun that may show promise in the new one. Thinking of trying the new Barnes TSX 180 or 200, Ballistic Tip 180, Accubond 200 & Hornady 195. I'm primarily looking for a long range deer load for the time being and most any bullet from 175 gr on up should handle that. Ideas?
My initial thought was that maybe Remington just hadn't perfected their 8mm barrels but my Classic in 8x57 easily shoots 1/2"

I too had the same issues.I gave up,went back to the .300 and .338 mags.Some of the problems I blamed on just being a Remington,the rest I blamed on trying to shoot 8mm Mauser bullets too fast.
The 8x57 classic is almost 20 years apart from the 8 mag,maybe they did their homework a little better.I have several 8mm Mauser sporters and they are some of the 'best' hunting rifles I have,they save me from using my P64 Winchesters some times.
I gave up on the 8 Mag,but in another twenty years who knows...

I had a ruger M77 rebarreled to 8mm mag.First try with the Sierra 220 gr and it grouped into 1.5" easily.Fifth shot at the ram at 300 yds "WHOOMP" next ten were the same. I just love that round/rifle and can hardly wait for moose season.I also had a muzzle brake installed for shooting off the bench and checking for accuracy which seems to have been a good idea. Hang in there with that rifle
and do not give up.

Good round that 8 mag.

My buddy turned the one he bought when they first came out, into a first-class long range deer thumper, with the same 150gr Sierras I used to shoot in my 8x57s.

No real need for an 8mm Rem mag here in PA, but he got pretty serious with that thing on deer over 400 yards, with the lighter bullets. Forget now what his powder of choice was, but could ask his widder if his loading data is still there? IIRC, it was IMR 7828.

It should do better than that.

Assuming sound scope/mounts/bedding and shooter, with 77-79 grains of H4831 and the 220 grain Sierra mine have always beaten the 1 inch mark for three shots.

Great gun, don't give up on it yet.

I have had two 8 mags the first a BDL that I bought used. It shot about 2 inch groups that was the best I could get out of it with 200 Nos Pars, 220 Hornadys (now discontinued) 220 Swifts All of them killed elk very dead. Then I found a slightly used Classic with a Swaravski 3x9 on it and the price was right so now I have one that shoots 220 Hornadys into 3/4" all day long (or as long as someone can stand to sit behind it) pushed by 84 grains of RL-25 for 3004 fps (that a 5 shot average) I shot H-4831 before trying RL-25 was not as fast but worked good.

Alliant listed the 220 Hornady and the 220 Swift on their web page data the Hornady was listed with a max of 85 grain I did not get there as 3004 fps was all I expected and at 3/4" I was not going to push it any harder. The Swift was listed with a max load of RL-25 of 83 grains if I remember correctly. They have removed the 8 mag from their web sight data.

Any powder in the speed range of 4831 and Rl-25 should be suitable but Data is a little hard to come by. My suggestion is RL-25 and a 195 to 220 grain bullet.

Good luck with it

8mmwpaiti

I've not had the chance to handload any for my 8 mm Mag yet (26" Match Grade Machine SS Encore barrel) but I did shoot a couple of groups with some 185 gr factory loads and it sprayed them around like a shotgun pattern to the tune of 4+ inches at 100 yds. I picked up around 250 of the Sierra 220's and have lots of 7828 on hand when I get the time to load. Maybe those old 185 gr loads just don't shoot well in some 8 mm Mags?

In the March 2009 "Handloader" issue I believe there's an right up on a 1978 1st year run 8mm BDL and that rifle averaged around 2". Shot a few sub moa groups, but for the most part everything was around 1.8-2.2" He didn't test any bullets lighter than 180g.

Hi,

I have an 8mmRem Mag i bought used from a good friend, it was mint and had not shot a lot. First test with Remington cartridges were disapointing. Then i reloaded with a french powder TU8000, close to IMR7828 and Hornady 220grs. With 84grs of such powder i had very good velocity and 1,5moa groups but sometimes it opened up. So i filed down the pressure point in Rem stock and bedded the action. Now i shoot Sierra 220grs with near moa accuracy for three shots, taking care not to over heat that thin barrel.
I also owm a german 8x68S and shoot it more often. It is, as all the others have shot, really more accurate than the big Rem. May be it's volume of powder to bore ratio is better, maybe the 8Rem Mag burns too much powder, i don't know...Yesterday i zeroed a Blaser R93 in 8x68S for a good friend with RWS EVO ammo, the group was 3cm at 150m with a Swaro Z6 on x10. But anyway i like the Big 8 Rem too. They can really flatten big game at long distance.

Marseille touched on the point I wanted to discuss, that being the forend bedding. The barrel and forend should either be in firm and steady contact (upward pressure), or no contact at all (free-floated). If there is light contact and you can slip the barrel and forend side-to-side against each other, that is a bad thing and will cause poor grouping.

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As soon as the 8MM Magnum first came out, I HAD to have one so I traded a beloved Rem. 760 and some cash for a Model 700 BDL...I bought a box of factory 185 gr. cartridges and proceeded to shoot a 1 1/4 " group...That rifle always shot that good....I wanted a long range deer load so I loaded Sierra 150 gr. spitzers and a max dosage of IMR 4350 and also got it to shoot consistent 1 1/4 " groups....I took my buddies out to the coal strippings one day where we could shoot far....I had 1/2 dozen gallon milk jugs filled with water & frozen solid..I placed these jugs on top of a bank about 400 yards out, cranked my scope up to 9X and proceeded to pick these jugs off, one by one..Each bullet hit with a WHOOOMP , and the jugs would explode and flatten out and the now flat plastic "sheet" would fly straight-up in the air about twenty feet...I looked at my buddies and they just stood there in awe, their mouths hanging open in amazement!...I'll never forget it!.....That gun was a gem, and I never had one which impressed me so!...It developed a crack behind the tang, and I later sold it ....Wish I had another.....

I agree with the stock do-over. My nephew bought a BDL and brought it to me for reloading. I removed the barrel pressure point, reduced the magazine box depth cause it was binding the action when the action screws were pulled down, pillar and glass bedded it.
Best bullets have been the 220grn Sierra, and for fun, the Sierra 200grn MK. It will shoot at or just under an inch at 100. I have found that his rifle requires me to be consistant at bench technique...maybe it`s just me. The rifle dose recoil..

I finally got back to the range with my "new" 8 Mag and a few handloads. I loaded 18 rounds with the Sierra 175 spitzer, 6 each with IMR 4350, IMR 4831 & RL-22. The 2 groups with RL-22 were both around 1" and I was thrilled. I was finally on to something! The 2 groups with 4350 were around 1.5". Still respectable compared to my previous dealings with this cartridge. Thinking I'd found my load with RL-22, I didn't expect to better 1" with the last load. The first group with 4831 went into a hair over 1/2", a little under 5/8"! I carefully fired the other 3 and they weren't as tight but still went into about 3/4". This has been a L-O-N-G time coming! Now I've got to load up a full box and go back to make sure it wasn't a fluke! This bullet wouldn't be my choice for anything with any real bulk but should work fine on our deer around here.
The Speer 200 gr showed promise too with RL-22 and I may play with it some more as well. The Remington 185 CL shot just as badly in handloads as it did in factory loads.

my 8mm Mag is a 80's BDL, restocked in a Classic Mcmillan. I bedded it myself. 80.5 grs H4831sc with 200gr TSX was a good load in the ol wood stock, haven't tried it in the new stock. I did however try a mild load with the 180gr NBT. 72 grs H4350 does 2930 fps and accurate, only shot it at 240 yards and it was doing around 2-3" each time. Mine isnt a deer rifle, so I mainly shoot the 250gr woodleigh weldcore RNSP over RL25 for 2750 fps. When barnes makes me a 200gr TTSX I will use those as well, the blue tips make them way deadlier looking

if I wanted a good LR deer rifle I would rebarrel your 8mm to 7stw. 8mm RM is a big game stomper IMO