Has anyone tried out any of the Hawk loads? They claim the loads have magnum velocities without the recoil you normally find in standard magnum calibers.

http://www.z-hat.com/HawkCartridges.htm

I just spent the afternoon perusing the sight (again) and looking at their claims, and they may have a point.

Less powder does equal less recoil (in the same weight rifle with the same weight bullet), but in a hunting weight rifle, anything based on the 06 brass is going to thump you pretty good.

None of their necked up cartriges seem to be ideal candidates for long range work, but I wouldn't turn one away for hunting. The 375 H/S seems to be an alternative to the 376 Steyr I've been dreaming about building...I'd be able to cram more rounds in the magazine anyways....but 375 H/S headstamped brass is very expensive, where 376 Steyr is pretty cheap.

The possibilities are interesting.

Jimro

Whats amazing to me is, over the last 50 years or so, all the folks trying to reinvent the wheel.

When you stop and look at the 3006, 308, 300 wm and 338 Lapua they pretty much cover anything you would ever need to kill. For about 10 years I got on that wildcat kick.....what a pain in the 6. Forming brass, fireforming cases. Special dies....whew just ain't worth it.

It may not be worth it fire forming all the brass, but it does give you a unique rifle, considering you can choose the rifle to convert, or have a new barrel made for it in that caliber. I've been thinking about the 3200, seems like a cool 8mm project.

I could buy an affordable, used 30-06 and have it rebored/rechambered for the 8mm. I like to be different, maybe I'll post a list of my collection some time

Schmidt-Rubin,

You could get the 8mm Mauser Rem Classic and just rechamber.

I'm a sucker for the path of least resistance....

Jimro

I think the internal magazines for 8x57 rifles are too short for a 30-06 cartridge. I'll have to check into that.

It was popular after WWII to take war trophy Mausers and ream the chamber out to 8mm-06. I never heard of having to do any additional work to the magazine to fit it. Unloaded brass is 2.240" vs 2.494".

What's the difference in ballistics between the 8x57 and 8mm-06?

A typical European factory load (a bit hotter than our American loads) for the 8x57 will launch a 200grn bullet at around 2320fps for 2390ft/lbs of energy. I found a handload for the 8x57 that throws the same bullet at 2400fps for 2559ft/lbs of energy.

The 8mm-06 will launch the 200grn bullet at around 2700fps for 3260ft/lbs of energy. The Ackley Improved version will add about 100fps. You can easily launch bullets up to 250grns for the '06 version.

Where the 8x57 beats the 8mm-06 is that factory ammo is available.

If you are going to handload, the normal 8x57 will take all game on this continent, and most in Africa.

The 8mil-06 AI has around 25% more powder capacity than the 8x57, and can duplicate 8x68 ballistics.

American commercial ammo pushes a 170 grain bullet around 2400 fps. If you handload you can push it quite a bit faster.

If you want to play with the 8mm bore, get a cheap Mauser 98 with decent bore and have fun. LEE RGB dies for 8x57 only cost about 10 bucks from midwayusa.com .

A buddy of mine is tossing around the idea of making an 8mm wildcat on the 376 Steyr case. It should have all the ballistics of an 8mm Rem Mag in a shorter package, and not have the annoying belt. Now that would be a serious contender for long range work.

Jimro

Honestly, my 8x57 handloads were clocked at 3010 fps out of my 29'' Turk mauser, I have no idea what the foot lbs are, but I was between 2980 and 3015 before I settled on what I wanted. I've fired enough rounds out of it to know it's safe. I just had the courage to use a powder the manuals don't list for that cartridge. The 38 Turks have a strong action. This is with a 125gr fmj.

I had been looking for that round to spawn some children, but it hadn't happened yet.

Where do you find a rifle chambered in 376 Steyr? I'm having a hard time finding a new rifle chambered in .222, the CZ-527 is all I've found so far. Tikka supposedly chambers one but I can't find one.

The only rifles I know of chambered in .376 Steyr are the Steyr Scout Rifle and their line of SBS Prohunters.

I've redone a K.Kale turk into 30-06, and I had to lengthen the magazine ever so slightly to allow M2 ball milsurp ammo to cycle properly, but hunting loads are shorter than milsurp so you if you don't plan on shooting milsurp, you generally don't have to do a bunch of magazine work on an m98 action.

The m98 action is plenty strong, lots of 458 win mags in Africa on m98 actions.

Jimro

There is no patent on wildcat loads, not to take away from Hawks loads, but basically they are 338-06,35 Whelen,375 Win,& 405Win. If you get Clay Spencer to build you a 30 Spencer,its the same as 300 Improved or 300Ackley. Hornady is starting to sell these loads from factory, so unless you got plenty of time to do the work, by all means have fun. I've been working on a 30-06 ackley all year and my old 30-06 is alot easier to load for, and its killed from pigs,deer,bear to caribou with no troubles. Some of those wildcats you can overpressure very easy and not show sign of it before its to late. Also its hard to get the headspace just right due to the shoulder angle. Just like Flea said, 30-06,300win mag. or the 338mag will do want you want, plus you can go to any country store or Walmart to get ammo if you have a problem.Try that with a wildcat when your standing on a ridge at 6000ft or in middle of tundra,600 miles from nearest indian settlement. Just something to think about.

Sounds like the brass has to be fire formed.

Yes sir, any wild cat round has to be fire formed. That amount of forming can be a pain in the six, is what we're saying. I messed with that stuff for many years, it just ain't worth it.

I agree with Flea that wildcats pose a logistical problem. But so does owning a 416 Rigby or 470 Nitro Express double gun. There is just some romance associated with the oddball calibres and exotic hunting rifles.

Jimro