8X57 Cast Load Info

[MGD]

I am playing with a G-43, and wound up pushing a Sierria 200gr Match King at 1780 fps with good results. Good accuracy(1 1/4" @ 100yds), and was cycling without the gun beating its self up. Have got my hands on an old Lyman 8mm mould that throws a 215 gas checked bullet that is very close in prfile to both the 196 fmj's and to the Sierria match bullet. Was wondering if anybody has played with this bullet in the 8X57, and what kind of results they got.

[dmftoy1]

I"m just starting to play with 8mm and a Saeco mold. I haven't shot my first (cast) loads yet but I'm playing with 2400. (tagging this thread because I'm interested in what others have to say! )

[Tumtatty]

I use about 19gr of @2400 for a 215gr boolit (KARABINER 215GR MOLD)

I get very good accuracy from my k98 @ 50 yrds. However that heavy boolit drops a few inches even at that short of a distance.

[Phil]

If you are referring to the Lyman 323471 mold, it is probably the best shooting 8mm bullet I have. Try 13 gr Red Dot, 20/21 gr SR4759, or 24 grains of IMR4198.


Cheers,

Phil

[Buckshot]

In addition to these above I have the Lyman 323470 which is a 165gr Loverin and then the 'issue' Lee C323-175R which is like the one on the right above, except for the lack of a flat nose. The one in the middle is one I designed and Lee produced in a SC set of blocks. It seems to do very well in most 8mm's, but it isn't magic It's claim to fame is being heavy.

If your slug is the Lyman 323471, it is a very accurate design and should carry well. I've not tried it at any extended ranges.

I'd start at 23.0grs of H4198 and somewhere between that and 28 grs you should find happiness. Just to mention, that 240gr slug over 57.0grs (a full caseload) of TCCI 5020 ball powder sends it on it's way at 1950 fps from a 29" bbl. It burns clean and the load is exceedingly accurate. In fact I've loaded several hundred rounds of this load over time to use on occasion in our weekly cast boolit match.

At that speed and that weight it really isn't a plinker of a load, but since it IS so accurate I know where the problem lies if I don't do well!

The 8x57 is easy to load for assuming the rifle doesn't require anything outsized, due to the derth of good available 8mm moulds. I'd really think that for your G-43 you might want to stick to the faster burning end of the rifle powder list. You could also try a casefull of WC860 or WC872 ( 50 BMG & 20mm Vulcan powder). Depending on the slug you will be from 2000 to maybe 2100 fps but I don't know how the gas system of the German rifle would react.

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

[oadad]

I use the Lee 175, w/GC, 30grs H4895 or 47grs 5010 w/cow or poly and 47grs of 860 without filler. Using the Yugo issue sites, my 15 year old has shot 1/2" groups from the bench at 50 yards. I know the rifle can hold that group to 100 yrds but would need a mojo or scope. The berm of the 200yrd range sits at 240yrds. with these loads I can pick off rocks all day long

[techlava]

I just got my LEE Karabiner mold from Midsouth and it's a twin! You should get it before it is sold out!

[BerdanIII]

MGD,

If you don't mind my asking, what was your load for the 200-gr. SMK? A long time ago, I posted a question on getting reduced jacketed loads to work in the G43/K43 on the K43 forum and got the sound of crickets chirping. I had read that the gas system was (in)famous for over-driving the mechanism and was wondering how low you could go with pressure/velocity and still get 100% cycling.

Danke.

Hey, I just noticed my join date is correct. Before, I think I was listed as joining in 1969, which was just a little off.

[Hardcast416taylor]

A shout out to all G/K 43 owners and shooters. It is worth it for both your safety and avoiding possible damage to your rare rifles to contact the following. WWW.APFELTOR.COM Mr. Rob Applegate makes gas system/piston parts for the rifles that meter the gas coming off the barrel to operate the gas piston that strikes the bolt operating the rifle. It is a small expense to save such a valuable rifle and avoid possible harm to yourself. I did this to my G/K43`s and it is amazing how much more fun the rifle is to shoot and not having to go into the next county looking for the fired brass.Robert

[Gerry N.]

I was fishing around in my snake pit (it was a garage once in the long ago) and found a rifle I forgot I had. It's a Yugo M48 with some Cyrillic characters stamped on it that a Russian speaking neighbor transliterated as "Factory" or "Establishment" 44. The rifle's in pretty good condition except the bore is pretty rusty. The stock seems to be oak or elm. So this AM I took it to the range in a driving rain and shot fifty rounds, they're steel cased coated with green lacquer and have red lacquer seals on the primers and bullets. Anyway, that pretty much cleared the rust out and left the rifling clean and sharp if not shiny. Some Butch's got the copper out. I couldn't find my 8mm Mauser dies so I simply ordered a Lee RGB set with the Karabiner mold from Midsouth after I saw this thread. Dies and mold shipped were less than $45. Sheesh, I can't get a half decent steak dinner with a bottle of el-cheapo wine for that. Even the missus thought it was a pretty good deal.

Regarding the ammo, I can't remember where I got it nor who made it. Like I said it's steel cased, green with red sealant. The headstamp is "22" opposite "77". It shot well and with my 65 yr old eyes and that Euro barleycorn sight, I kept fifty rounds in an 8" bull at 100 yards. The recoil was not substantial and left me with no bruising and only minor sensitivity. I have another 300 or so rounds of that stuff to shoot. More than likely I acquired the ammo with the rifle. Getting old is for the birds except when I find a cool toy I'd forgotten. Maybe there's a pickup or a jeep in there somewhere.

Gerry N.

[Ricochet]

Carpathian Elm is what that Yugoslavian "mystery wood" is. On milsurpshooters.net a gentleman named Branko who's the official historian for Zastava (the descendant of the old "Factory 44" and associated facilities) has said so.

That ammo was made in the 1970s by the Romanians, not for their own use, but for export to Soviet clients like the Arab states that used 8mm. It's very mildly loaded with a Ballistite type powder that has camphor in it. Makes an interesting smell.

[richbug]

Carpathian Elm is what that Yugoslavian "mystery wood" is. On milsurpshooters.net a gentleman named Branko who's the official historian for Zastava (the descendant of the old "Factory 44" and associated facilities) has said so.

That ammo was made in the 1970s by the Romanians, not for their own use, but for export to Soviet clients like the Arab states that used 8mm. It's very mildly loaded with a Ballistite type powder that has camphor in it. Makes an interesting smell.

Mildly loaded? Maybe compared with the Turk stuff. When my chronograph works, I get 2740 FPS with an ES of 15, with a 22" barrel of MY AK. Very accurate out of a good barrel.

I didn't now it was export ammo. I figured the Romanians had some MG-42s still laying around.

[BerdanIII]

They probably had some Vz24's and ZB26's left as a war reserve. I believe the Czech guns were sighted for the 154-gr. light ball load instead of the 197-gr. heavy ball. The Romanian ammo is light ball.

[stephen perry]

MGD
I just started casting for my Turkish 8mm Mausers. I picked a the RCBS double mold. The bullets are coming out 178-179, mold is already broke in. My casting temp is 700. Not sure on powder yet either Unique or 4198. Will give it a go.

Will start out no gas check and evaluate. Looking for accuracy velocity is secondary here.

Stephen Perry
Angeles BR

[Ricochet]

Mildly loaded? Maybe compared with the Turk stuff. When my chronograph works, I get 2740 FPS with an ES of 15, with a 22" barrel of MY AK. Very accurate out of a good barrel.

I didn't now it was export ammo. I figured the Romanians had some MG-42s still laying around.

I got about 2450 FPS with my 1977 batch out of a 29.1" Persian, which is what several other folks have reported on gun boards for this stuff. That's about what you usually get with the 196-198 grain military loads. This bullet's a 154 grain one with a copper washed steel jacket and a steel core inside the jacket, with lead between. Like the later 7.62x54mm "silvertip" bullets.

[richbug]

I got about 2450 FPS with my 1977 batch out of a 29.1" Persian, which is what several other folks have reported on gun boards for this stuff. That's about what you usually get with the 196-198 grain military loads. This bullet's a 154 grain one with a copper washed steel jacket and a steel core inside the jacket, with lead between. Like the later 7.62x54mm "silvertip" bullets.

What is your headstamp? Did it come on strippers or in 20 round boxes? I just went out and ran 5 rounds through the chrono, 2731, 2740, 2725, 2727, 2730. This is out of a tight SAAMI spec chamber and US made barrel.

My lot # is S35-77-22

[Ricochet]

Came in a spam can of 20 round boxes. I'm about 120 miles away from it at the moment.

[Char-Gar]

There is an 8mm group by mold cooking right now over at "Group Buys". It is 326407 - 185. It is a scaled up version of the very sucessful 311407 Mod. I don't get excited about many of these group buys, but this one will be the answer to the need for a 1st. class 8mm bullet mold.

[Ricochet]

That looks interesting, all right. The meplat on the 8mm Maximum and Karabiner hangs up in all of my Mausers, though, and I'm afraid this one won't feed either without feed ramp modification. The small meplat on the 8mm group buy boolit from about 3 years ago works fine in all of mine.