Have any of you tried Varget in the 8mm Mauser with cast boolits? I have weights from 175 to 220 grs. I'm wanting around 1800 fps.
Thanks
Thomas
Have any of you tried Varget in the 8mm Mauser with cast boolits? I have weights from 175 to 220 grs. I'm wanting around 1800 fps.
Thanks
Thomas
I've been TOLD, by a guy who shoots Krags in military rifle CB matches, that Varget is an excellent substitute for 4895. I don't shoot bottleneck cartridges anymore, so I can't confirm from direct experience. Looking at it in Quickload, around 30 grains gets you 1800 fps with a 200 grain boolit from the 8x57 case and a 24" barrel. Pressure calculates to 18,644 psi, which seems a bit low for that speed of powder, but try it and tell us what you get.
Cognitive Dissident
I have tried Varget in a 303 Brit under a heavy boolit. The group I got was as good as the movement due to my heartbeat. I'll look up my load. Of course the 8x57 is considerably larger than the Brit so pressures in the 8 may be too low or velocity too high. I may have used a filler.
Found the load data;
Boolit - 220gr smooth side cast with gas check
Powder - Varget 35.5 gr
Load density - 77%
Boolit seated in paper towel cup in unsized neck
Seated boolit dipped into molten 'waxy-lube'. Lube soaked into paper towel cup to hold boolit.
Accuracy at 45m - 1.15 MOA
No mention of filler but I might have used cotton wool.
I have loaded 200gr cast over 30 gr Varget with cotton wool filler. Be careful using cotton wool. It is possible to set the countryside on fire with it. It doesn't always burn though - it depends on the load. Rather use dacron.
It's always best to double check against other sources and to proceed with caution.
Last edited by 303Guy; 05-30-2018 at 05:21 PM.
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