Hey, buckshot!!

[Jim]

You remember the 8MM 245 "Buckshot" mold you did a G/B on a few years back? I can't get that dang thing to group in my Yugo M48 to save my butt! What's the trick?

[jonk]

Funny you should ask that- I just posted results for shooting that very mold on the CB military section.

I get great results out of my Gew 88s with it. My more modern Mausers- hit or miss. Some just prefer a lighter bullet, others prefer a full throat.

Don't remember if it was Buckshot or another member but someone advised a case full of surplus .50 cal powder. You could probably work up something similar with 4891 or similar. Gonna be my next step.

[runfiverun]

i wouldn't use 4891 4831 maybe.
50 grs of 4831 is a darn stout load in an 8 mauser case.
something slower perhaps like 860

[MT Gianni]

Funny you should ask that- I just posted results for shooting that very mold on the CB military section.

I get great results out of my Gew 88s with it. My more modern Mausers- hit or miss. Some just prefer a lighter bullet, others prefer a full throat.

Don't remember if it was Buckshot or another member but someone advised a case full of surplus .50 cal powder. You could probably work up something similar with 4891 or similar. Gonna be my next step.

Check with Rick, That full case of 50 cal surplus may be the one that cracked his stock.

[jonk]

Ha, yes. 4831. 4891 is the combo to my range gate lock! Shhh. :D

[Buckshot]

http://www.fototime.com/982F406A87D7DAC/standard.jpg

...............What's the trick? Well I dunno perzactly except to size it to the throat, try and keep as much of the slug out of the combustion chamber as possible, and hold on to the rifle :-) It wasn't really aimed at the 8mm Mausers with tighter/newer barrels but it sure works for me.

http://www.fototime.com/4081B75BF8E1589/standard.jpg

I have 4 Turk Mausers (above) and a VZ24/47. The Czech is a nice solid rifle with a strong barrel with .325" grooves but I haven't had much luck with it to date. I've only had it about 4 years and haven't rushed into it! Of my Turks, 3 are really nice shooters and show amazingly consistent barrels. In the above photo the top rifle is a M88/35. A Turked Imperial M88 re-worked in 1935. Below it is a M38 with an Imperial German action. Below that is a Turk M38/46.

All three of these rifles have a .323" groove and a throat that will mark a cast slug sized .324". As a consequence I lube-size that .326" slug in a .325" die and then push it up through a Lee .323" die. Actually ANY 8mm slug I use in them gets that treatment.

Per My Gianni's comment, the deed was done using the M38/46 and the powder was surplus WC 852 (slow) and is similar to 4831, or a shade slower then IMR4350 regardless. For some reason I felt I should be able to push the slug at 2300 fps. I used the M38/46 with it's 24" bbl to try it out. All loads used Grex to fill the case.

Charge ..................Avg Vel ............. ES .............SD
46.0 ......................2003 ................. 38 .............15
47.0 ......................2046 ................. 37 .............15
48.0 ......................2077 ................. 10 ..............4
49.0 ......................2110 ................. 38 .............14
50.0 ......................2129 ................. 37 .............14
51.0 ......................2151 ................. 16 .............6
52.0 ......................2195 ................. 54 .............21
53.0 ......................2222 ................. 19 .............8
54.0 ......................2258 ................. 25 .............11
55.0 ......................2307 ................. 19 .............7

I was REALLY looking forward to these last 5 rounds, as I'd had about all I could handle. The rifle ended up with a split through the wrist from the tang of the action. A combination of somewhat dry wood and a less then steller inletting job. All fixed now. These were all 5 round groups fired at 50 yards, and all up to the 51.0 grain load were very much alike at 1.25" or less and round. The next 2 loads were round but grew in size to just short of 2".

The 54.0gr load was a possible anomoly as it put 5 into a scant inch. The final load had 4 in 1.250" but had a flier for 2". I sure wished I'd bought a ton of this lot of WC852, as it sure was a super useable speed and a nicely predictable mild mannered performer.

The slower surplus powders also did very good work.

In the M38 (29" bbl) with the 236gr Lee Custom:........................................... ..

WC872 ........... 59.0grs (full case), 2031 fps ES 51 SD 18. Grp @ 50 yards = 1.18"
TCCI 5020 ...... 58.5grs (full case), 1878 fps ES 22 SD 8. Grp @ 50 yards = 1.3"

M38/46 (24" bbl).............................................. ..........

WC872 ............59.0grs (full case), 1921 fps, ES 11 SD 5. Grp @ 50 yards = 4/.870" & 5/1.910"
TCCI 5020 .......58.5grs (full case), 1800 fps, ES 53 SD 20. Grp @ 50 yards = 4/1" & 5/1.68"

M88/35 (29" bbl).............................................. ......

WC872 ............59.0grs (full case) 2019 fps, ES 51 SD 18. Grp @ 50 yards = 4/1.28" 5/2.44"
TCCI 5020 .......58.5grs (full case) 1897 fps, ES 26 SD 11. Grp @ 50 yards = .887"

Surplus WC860 will be similar to WC872 but I've always favored WC872 so I have a bunch of WC860 still hanging around:drinks:. Most any other generic cast boolit powders have also proven accurate, E.g. 2400, 4227, SR4759, and 4198. Truth be known a slug weighing almost 240grs in the 8mm Mauser is a somewhat sinfull waste of lead for just punching holes in paper. The 2 loads I highlighted above have proven over time to be excellent loads shooting about the same regardless of the time of the year. That load of TCCI 5020 in the M88/35 is a winner and never seems to put 5 into more then 1-1/8". Just a shame to use 58grs of powder and 240grs of lead, ha!

From the M38/46 all these loads hovered right around 1" for 5 rnds @ 50 yards:

Surp 4895, .......... 31.0grs, 1715 fps
Surp IMR 4198, ... 28.0grs, 1688 fps (similar to 4064)
H4198, ................ 23.0grs, 1664 fps
Surp SR4759, ...... 20.0 grs, 1679 fps

Over the faster powders and lighter loads I just use the Lee group buy 6 cav FN version of the factory Lee boolit. I haven't had one bounce off a target yet and they've proven equally accurate. If I'm going to shoot away that much lead I might as well get some gusto from it [smilie=w:

If your rifle is accurate with another 8mm cast design there isn't any reason the heavy one shouldn't be. BTW, OAL's I used with the heavy slug:

M38/46: 3.095", 3.230". 3.250"
M38: 3.090", 3.210", 3.215"
M88/35: 3.060", 3.090"

.................Buckshot

[Jim]

Thanks, Buckshot.'Preciate it.