help on 8x57 IS

[soundwaves]

Hı guys. lm planeing to buy a MAUSER M03 and the available calibers are 308 and 8x57 IS... l dont want a 308 as it doesnt have anough power for what l want it for.
I am gonna use this rifle to hunt wild board and ibex. l know this caliber is good for wild boar but my concern is on İBEX. as ibex is a tough animal and usualy hunted from 250 meters to 500 meters.
so any of you guys got any experiance in this round ? lm wondering if it packs anough punch at 500 meters or so ??
lm useing a 7 rem mag and dont wana give it up for something less powerfull at extended ranges ?

 

[soundwaves]

btw l think that it will not süit my needs and l will wait and find a 7mm rem mag a 300 mag or a 8x68 S .

 

[WildRose]

Hı guys. lm planeing to buy a MAUSER M03 and the available calibers are 308 and 8x57 IS... l dont want a 308 as it doesnt have anough power for what l want it for.
I am gonna use this rifle to hunt wild board and ibex. l know this caliber is good for wild boar but my concern is on İBEX. as ibex is a tough animal and usualy hunted from 250 meters to 500 meters.
so any of you guys got any experiance in this round ? lm wondering if it packs anough punch at 500 meters or so ??
lm useing a 7 rem mag and dont wana give it up for something less powerfull at extended ranges ?

I shot a real nice one quite a bit when I was in Germany. It is a big, slow round with great penetrating power and in the right rifle with quality ammo can be very accurate.

When you get beyond 400yds the drop is significant but if you do have a good drop chart and/or calculator with you in the field it will certainly kill most anything you shoot with it as long as you hit the vitals.

Ballistically it's pretty close to the 30-06 which has probably killed more game in N. America than all other centerfire rifles combined.

Here's a good article on it.

8x57 Mauser Rifle Cartridge

Being where you are the major worry I'd have would be the availability of quality ammo and/or reloading components so I'd look into that before making the purchase. As difficult and expensive as it is to own a rifle in Turkey and to feed it that would be my primary concern.

 

[soundwaves]

I shot a real nice one quite a bit when I was in Germany. It is a big, slow round with great penetrating power and in the right rifle with quality ammo can be very accurate.

When you get beyond 400yds the drop is significant but if you do have a good drop chart and/or calculator with you in the field it will certainly kill most anything you shoot with it as long as you hit the vitals.

Ballistically it's pretty close to the 30-06 which has probably killed more game in N. America than all other centerfire rifles combined.

Here's a good article on it.

8x57 Mauser Rifle Cartridge

Being where you are the major worry I'd have would be the availability of quality ammo and/or reloading components so I'd look into that before making the purchase. As difficult and expensive as it is to own a rifle in Turkey and to feed it that would be my primary concern.

you 100 percent right. l will stick with the magnums as its good to have that extra stoping power and energy so l dont have to hike in the mountains after an animal.

 

[WildRose]

you 100 percent right. l will stick with the magnums as its good to have that extra stoping power and energy so l dont have to hike in the mountains after an animal.

It's really hard to beat the 300wm as a go to, do it all rifle. The 7mm Rem is flatter shooting to 600yds, but when you go beyond that the 300wm is the clearly superior round.

You won't be making a mistake with either but you are certainly applying a great deal of common sense choosing the 300wm for your chosen applications. I have a couple of them in Model 70's and love them both.

 

[westcliffe01]

If you are using a 7mm Rem, then the 8x57 will be stepping down for sure.

7mm Remington Magnum - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
165 gr Sierra GK BT 2,950 ft/s 3,188 ft·lbf

7.92×57mm Mauser - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
196 gr RWS TMR 2,600 ft/s 2,997 ft·lbf

Bear in mind that the above data is at the muzzle and the BC of the 7mm will be better than the 8mm and the 7mm will win downrange for sure. That is even though I picked a 196gr load for the 8mm with a good BC. If I go to Hornadys website Hornady Manufacturing Company :: Ammunition :: Rifle :: Choose by Caliber :: 8x57 JS :: 8x57 JS 195gr InterLock SP and look at a 195gr SP load, the MV is only 2500fps and energy 2706 ftlbs

One of the big issues is that there is very limited bullet selection in 8mm whereas 7mm is a dream caliber. I have built a custom 8x57 with a 26" varmint contour barrel and it is a great practice weapon and certainly a capable deer weapon, and even an elk weapon provided one does not stretch it out too far.

You did not fill out your location in your profile, so I can't comment on factory ammo, but here in the US factory ammo is severely reduced in pressure, velocity and energy to the point that I think it is a waste of time. In Europe, the 8mm is in common use and the ballistics data I provided is from RWS in Germany who provide full power loads for modern rifles. I hand load, so this is not a particular concern to me.