Recommendations for a good 8mm Mauser load for whitetail deer?

[Lefty38-55]

Will not be for long distance use, but my friend wants to take his Father's WW2 K98k German Mauser back out in the woods some day, where his Father had liberated it from the battle of Pilsen, Czechoslovakia.

Locale: Northern New England, for deer to 200+, shots in these woods are < 100-yards due to the terrain - lots of small knolls - and under growth, many places 50-yards shots or less are most common. He had some huge roundnose loads, jacketed with lead exposed tips, on hand, likely 180s but maybe even 200s. I thought they would be too much ... were likely more of a bullet for moose ... and would punch through a whitetail and not expand. Any recommendations?

I recognize this is not long distance, but there's no other forum where I'd trust the opinion of such good hunters. Thanks!

 

[eastbank]

my familey has killed many deer with winchester 8mm 170 gr power point factory ammo in 98 mauser liberated 8mm rifles like yours, most were sportized after the war.

 

[Lefty38-55]

Thank you for that recommendation!

 

[Calvin45]

No experience with them on game yet. But I've loaded up about 250 or so of the 196 grain PPU soft points. They shoot well out of my husqvarna m98. They are very consistent in weight and dimensions, appear very well made all around, and have a cannelure for crimping at exactly the right spot so the base of the bullet will be flush with the base of the case neck. They are made expressly for this cartridge and this cartridge was originally meant to shoot bullets of this weight and shape, more or less, and rifles so chambered are twisted and have leade lengths accordingly.

At 8x57 velocity it should be perfect, no need for premium anything in this cartridge. Medium to heavy for caliber soft points at or under 2600 fps have been killing things real dead for a long long time out of many of our oldie but goodie military cartridges

I form cases from 30-06 brass and have been using h380, cfe223, and imr 4064 all with acceptable results in this cartridge.

 

[Monteria]

200gr Speers at 8x57 velocity are magic on deer and hogs.