Norma 8x57 Js
Bartlett Vallee
The 8x57 JS and the rimmed version 8x57 JRS are both very flexible cartridge that duplicate the performance of the .30-06 and similar cartridges. Today not many bolt action rifles are made in 8x57 JS, but a good many double rifles and combination guns are still being chambered in 8x57JRS. However as the latter type of guns has a weaker action the loads should be reduced in order not to exceed the pressure limits.
The Alaska is a classic among Scandinavian moose hunters and is loaded in most common calibres for moose. This is a well-proved softpoint bullet with a soft gilding metal jacket which gives rapid and massive mushrooming.
Oryx means good accuracy, massive mushrooming and high residual weight. This bonded design suits the all-round hunter who wishes to simplify the choice of cartridge for hunting. Oryx is available in most calibres from 222 Remington to 375 H&H Magnum. Thanks to its excellent performance, in a very few years Oryx has become the most popular of the Norma bullets.
I need some help. I have a gun that my grandfather helped me reload ammo for when I was a kid. It shoots 6mm bullets from a necked down Norma Re 8x57 jr shell. He passed over 20 years ago and I am trying to figure out where (if anywhere) sells brass for this. If not, where should I look to find some vintage shells that I can acquire? I am in the United States.IMG_7796968948 46.2 KB
Norma no longer loads the 8x57JR, but they do make 8x57JS, which is identical in dimensions except for the slightly larger case mouth to accommodate the 0.323" bullet instead of the 0.318" one used in the 8x57JR. You can buy the 8x57JS brass and neck it down to 6mm, it should work just as well.
The OP was looking for a current source of reloadable empty cases for the rimmed version of the 7.9 x 57 German military cartridge. If the S&B imports are not available or no longer made, perhaps Quality Cartridge in the US state of Maryland can supply them. Am I treading close to handloading?
Mauser drawings from the 1920s show that industry had agreed upon using the J and the S in the planned dimensional tables for a new proof law. When it finally was enacted in 1939, it was accompanied by a list of calibers, which used the J.
Considering that Sddeutsche Hlsenmanufaktur offers 8x57JR cases on their website (huelsenmanufaktur.de) as available, I would ask T&G German Gun Imports if they can obtain cases from there. Headstamp is shm by the way.
A couple of years ago I bought 8x57J cases from them and they were of excellent quality.
My earlier question/suggestion that he simply look for 6.5x57R or 6x57R brass which would not require the effort and expense of stepping down several sizes, which also requirs inside and/or outside neck reaming, would not be necessary.
The Forgotten 8x57By Ed Turner
By golly I think I may just have stumbled onto something here. Something new and refreshing and, gee, only a bit over 100 years old. What am I talking about? Why it's that classic and very versatile cartridge, the 8MM Mauser (8X57 S or JS version). The "new" improved (make that the .323 version vs. the original .318) version of the 8MM Mauser that has been with us for over 100 years. It still seems to be among the most misunderstood and under appreciated cartridges in the U.S.There are some other classic European calibers that we seem to almost completely ignore, the 7x64, 9.3X74R and 9.3X62 being examples. (There are articles about all of these, including the 8x57 Mauser, on the Rifle Cartridge Page. -Ed.) But it's my contention that the old, plain Jane, 8MM Mauser is one that we, at least I, have really been downright dumb about.How I, as someone who literally pours over ballistics tables and the like, could have neglected this fine old caliber for the first 30+ years of my deer hunting career I'll never know. It may be partly due to the fact that not one of my hunting buddies has ever so much as mentioned the cartridge, never mind hunted with a rifle so chambered.It is likely that more rifles are sold in this country to be used for deer hunting than for any other single reason. And, that being the case, we are simply ignoring one absolutely wonderful cartridge that seems to be just what the doctor ordered for the American deer hunter. Imagine how wonderful it would be to have one rifle that easily duplicated the ballistics of the two most popular deer rounds in the U.S.A.I'm going to take a minute and explain how (before continuing with this line of thought) I became so interested in the 8MM. Of course, I had heard about it years ago and seen it in many ballistics tables and such. As I mentioned before, no one I knew had ever used one to hunt deer.I finally happened to notice some new rounds advertised for the "8" and made in Europe by a manufacturer new to me. I saw a load right off that I knew duplicated or exceeded many .30-06 loads, along with easily beating the low-powered loads for the 8mm Mauser produced domestically by our big ammunition companies. This, coupled with a real killer deal on a Remington Model 700 Classic rifle produced only in 8x57 caliber in 2004 that came to my attention, got me my first 8x57 rifle.A quick note here. For those of you not familiar with the site Gunsamerica, that is where I found my 700C in 8MM for $390, delivery included to a FFL holder of my choice. There are some very good deals to be found there, a lot of firearms being sold by collectors and dealers alike. Of course, like anything else there are some ridiculous prices as well. I have likely purchased around 10 or 12 firearms through the site and have been pleased with all.Before I even had a chance to sight in my new toy, I bought an 8MM military Mauser 98 that had been professionally sporterized. It was a decent enough looking rifle in the pictures on the Gunsamerica site, but the real appeal for me was the finely figured, classic styled walnut stock. It was uncheckered, but with very nice grain, which made this one good looking hunting rifle. The steps in the barrel had been turned down and the barrel was trimmed back to 22" in length. The bolt handle had been replaced by one designed to clear a scope and a low-swing safety installed.I immediately struck a deal with the seller (a gunsmith in Arizona who had not been paid for his work on this rifle) and now owned my second 8x57. I mounted 2-7x32mm scopes on both rifles. One was a camo Nikon Prostaff, to match the camo stock I had gotten for the 700C, the other a used Tasco World Class W/A. This scope has been mounted on several rifles I have owned, and every time I tell myself to change it out for a better scope. But I can't bear to part with it, as it is nice and clear with a good duplex reticle and decent brightness.Now back to my earlier line of thought of how this one rifle caliber duplicates two others' ballistics so closely. The two tremendously popular rounds it mirrors happen to be the .30-30 and .308 Winchester. Yup, you can buy off the shelf ammo that will allow you to nearly duplicate 30/30 ballistics (with a 170 grain bullet) and other factory loaded ammunition that equals standard loads for the 180 grain .308.As a matter of fact, I will go out on a limb here and say that using off the shelf ammo and needing or wanting a gun for CPX3 game in North America, you'd be better off with an 8x57 than a .30-06. Yup, I would.Here are some numbers to prove my point (muzzle velocity in fps / muzzle energy in ft. lbs.)
- .30-30, 170 grain - 2200 fps / 1827 ft. lbs. (standard American loadings)
- 8MM Mauser, 170 grain - 2360 fps / 2102 ft. lbs. (standard American loadings)
- .308 Win., 150 grain - 2820 fps / 2648 ft. lbs. (standard American loadings)
- 8MM Mauser, 150 grain - 2880 fps / 2762 ft. lbs. (Stars & Stripes)
- .308 Win., 180 grain - 2620 fps / 2743 ft. lbs. (standard American loadings)
- 8MM Mauser, 196 grain - 2592 fps / 2924 ft. lbs. (Sellier & Bellot)
- .30-06, 180 grain - 2700 fps / 2915 ft. lbs. (Federal Premium, Barnes-X)
- 8MM Mauser, 180 grain - 2728 fps / 2974 ft. lbs. (Stars & Stripes, Barnes-X)And here are some other common loadings to compare with the 8x57, just for fun.