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who here loves the 8mm Remington Magnum?
Who here loves the great 8mm Remington Magnum?
The factor loads are a bit ho-hum, but take a look at what a hand-loader can do, as well as what some of the smaller ammo companies are doing with it.
When put next to the 300 winchester magnum (handloading both) it goes head-to-head with the best loads, and exceeds them by a small margin in many cases with slightly heavier bullets of relatively equal sectional density with nearly identical recol.
A well loved 'general purpose' 8mm remmag handload is to throw 85 grains of either H-1000 or Magpro under a 200 grain bullet (like the awesome Nolser Accubond and Partition) going 2970
Compare this to Federal's factory loads for the 300 winmag, two of them use 180 grain Nolsers (Accubond and Partition) and come in at 2960. A handloader can expect only the very smallest increase on that velocity, generally getting just shy of 3000.
So with 200 grainers in the 8mm Remmag you have the standard 300 winmag load beat. If for some reason you wanted a flatter shooter (like to compare to a 300 winmag load throwing 165 grain bullets) you can use 180 or even 170 grainers in the 8mm Remmag and be neck-and-neck in flatness yet hit a smidgen harder at the end. (Not to mention hitting with a .323 not a .308 projectile)
Now let's run her up against the 338 Winchester Magnum, which is a favorite for the big bears. 200 grain bullets tend to be the 'elk' loads and 225 are common for bears. The 338 winmag throws those 225 grainers 2800 fps and a handloader can throw a pocketful of change on top of that number.
The 8mm Remington Magnum matches this with 220 grain Sierra SBT over 82 to 83 grains of various slow burning powders like the above mentioned pair which runs that bullet out the barrel at 2950! I've seen some guys claim to be kissing 3000 fps when they throw 82 grains of H450 under the same bullet.
It is true that in the 338 winmag you can also step up to a 250 grain (and 275 grain bullet if you really look). "Them thar be true baar busters" But the 8mm Remmag matches those with the 250 grain Woodleigh Bonded...which are renown in all sorts of calibers because they penetrate extremely well and are top choice for the biggest toughest critters. The 'Big 8' using easy handloads pushes these to 2800 and a handful of pocket change on top while the 338 winmag is hitting 2660, 2700 with a good handload
Again the handloading there isn't some secret pet recipes pushing into the red-zone, these are easy to make loads simply taking advantage of the 8mm Remmags big ole case.
Guys who really push what the 'Big 8' can do (as well as boutique ammo companies) are getting 3200 fps out of 200 bullets, 3000 fps out of the 220s, and 2900 out of the 250 grainers.
So after that, why is there so little love for the Big 8, when it should have pushed both the 300 winmag and the 338 winmag out as the one gun that could match or exceed BOTH of those at the same time?
#1 If you think that the 250 savage or 30-06 is all that is needed, then fine, but in such a case you should EQUALLY damn the 300 winmag, 338 winmag, 300 weatherby, 375 H
#2 a 30-30 with accurately placed shots will kill anything in N America as long as the range is within the capabilities of the cartridge, and give all the benefits listed in spades. Of course this neglects that there are hunters who have many opportunity to shoot true big game at ranges OUTSIDE the capabilities of the 30-30, which is why many use the 30-06. Similarly, there are some of us who have the terrain, skill, and opportunity to take big game at ranges that are beyond what the 30-06 can handle. These people rightly turn to the true magnums. These are the people whose opinion on the Big 8 are relevant to this question. The rest, it's like asking someone who is lactose intolerant if they like skim milk or 2% better.
#3 The 8x68S is a nice cartridge, I personally think the 8 remmag is better. Yes, the belt isn't necessary in a bolt action. If I could wave a magic wand and remove belts where they aren't needed many cartridges would be better off. BUT...
#4 ....this idea that a wider bullet is needed is just silly. What makes .338 the magical diameter? Why not .333? Why not .323? Why not .284? Heck. why is .338 enough? Why isn't .358 what is needed? Would you really feel better going after griz with a 35 Remington? Or a 44 magnum lever gun? There is no clear cut diameter that is 'enough vs not enough'. First you have to be in the right power ballpark, then bigger diameter is appreciated, up to the point where it starts to erode on other virtues such as how flat shooting it is, what kind of sectional density is being delivered, etc. The Big 8 delivers all the flat shooting of th 300 winmag, with bullets of equal sectional density with more energy and a wider bullet yet recoil is extremely similar. It is an absolute great choice for bear. If you slide up in caliber a bit, you either start loosing flatness and/or sectional density (338 winmag) OR you step up significantly in recoil (340 weatherby). Besides as mentio
#5 I am having a hard time understanding if people seem to think that ALL cartridges past the 30-06 (or 308, or 250 savage, or 243, or 30-30, or whatever their personal favorite is) are answers to non-problems or if JUST the Big 8 is an answer to a non-problem, but it's various kin and competitors are just dandy. I can understand someone who doesn't have the opportunity, terrain, skill, or interest to hunt big critters at ranges a bit beyond what a 30-06 can deliver or in situations where a bit more authority than the 30-06 delivers may well say that they do NOT love the Big 8. That makes sense. But for those who say carriages of that class are unnecessary, or answer problems no one is asking, clearly they need to realize that there are OTHER people in the world besides them, and these OTHER people are often different and have different needs. There is a world of difference between "I don't need it" and "no one needs it". To me, that's gun banne
To me, not recognizing the difference between 'I don't need it' and 'no one needs it', that's gun banner logic.
8 Answers
- 8 years agoFavorite Answer
Such a gun isn't for everyone.
If you are a beginner, get a 22LR
If you are only ever going to hunt whitetail deer (and maybe mule deer and black bear) then the quarter-bores is where you should be (25-06, 250 savage, and of course the quarter bob)
Most people who are going to hunt whitetail and elk would be better served by purchasing a 270 winchester or a 30-06. For those where elk is a much larger component of their hunting, the 270 and 30-06 are still great choices but I'd add the 7mm remington magnum to the list.
For many, the 300 winchester magnum, 300 weatherby, and such are more gun that is needed and the recoil is enough that people would be better served by steering clear.
Now, for the small slice of the pie of hunters who are left, who can actually handle magnum recoil and who have the marksman ship to handle long mountain shots, and are going after the biggest elk like a trophy sized Roosevelt stag, the magnums make sense. (Note that by long range mountain shots I am talking 400 yards, 500yards, 600 yards at max not mythical 1000 yard or some sort of 'one mile shot')
If you are in that slice of pie where magnum cartridges make sense, the 8mm remington magnum make sense as well. The 300 winchester magnum and the 338 winchester magnum are both more popular and both work in a standard length rifle, making guns and ammo more common. Many hunters in that slice of pie are not reloaders.
If you are a reloader as well, then you can take advantage of the longer case as the 8mm remington magnum is a blown out 375 H&H case with much less body taper. If that's the case then yes, you should seriously consider the 8mm remington magnum.
But the 8mm remington magnum isn't perfect. I won't fault it for being a true magnum length case even though gun makers would rather stick to long and short lengths only. (I think more gun makers should have 5 different action lengths like Sako did) But to really get the fullest out of the 8mm remington magnum you need to be running a 26" barrel. Now there have been versions of the 700 BDL chambered in 8mm remington magnum that had 26" barrels but 24" is more common. 26" barrels can be a bit troublesome for an elk or bear hunter
- larryLv 78 years ago
Given the baseline that the 30-06 with 220 grain bullets and enough sense to plan on the occasional 2 or 3 shots needed on a Kodiac Brown will get by, anything much past the 300 Win Mag is the cherry on the frosting. Have fun, but your major use for such cannons will be around the campfire, however that should not be discounted among all those golden moments in the back of our rollodex. That guy with the Lever Marlin 45-70 looks pretty happy too!
- John de WittLv 78 years ago
I've never much cared for any of the belted cases, though the 300 H&H at least has a reason for it. I prefer 8x68S. I also want a bigger hole than 8 mm's when what I'm hunting can hunt me back.
Also, I doubt if you're going to do much handloading with H450. I had some pet loads that had to be discarded when they discontinued the powder in '97.
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- Space CowboyLv 78 years ago
Well, I agree with the previous two answers ( at least ) If you want to have a round that is hard to find and where other more common rounds are just as capable...or better, have at it. It's your hobby...you don't need our permission. Personally though, I DON'T have a need for an 8 MM rifle round and I'm sure the vast majority of shooters don't as well....that's why it's not widely available, right ?
