8mm Mauser reloads

[Major03]

Why are you concerned about point of aim needing to be point of impact at 25 yds. It has nothing to do with the consistency of your bullets. As long as your grouping is tight and they are consistently 6" low you're fine.

[tlino]

Originally Posted by Major03

Why are you concerned about point of aim needing to be point of impact at 25 yds. It has nothing to do with the consistency of your bullets. As long as your grouping is tight and they are consistently 6" low you're fine.

Then every time you buy a new box of ammo, how do you know where to aim if you want to shoot MOA at long range? One box is 10" high, another is 6" low how do you shoot consistantly. I reload for my .308, and every time I go to the range, I shoot great groups where I aim.

[Major03]

If you buy the same ammo, or reload your own using the same components and recipe, they should group consistently. They'd be consistently low, but they should be consistent.

zeroing your sights at 25 yds will have no effect at all on how consistent your rounds are impacting relative to each other. You'll just have a 25 yd zero. Which is fine if that is what you want, but again, it has nothing to do with how consistent your ammo is.

If your ammo isn't consistent, check that you are shooting the same weight of bullet and brand.

[Major03]

If you buy the same ammo, or reload your own using the same components and recipe, they should group consistently. They'd be consistently low, but they should be consistent.

zeroing your sights at 25 yds will have no effect at all on how consistent your rounds are impacting relative to each other. You'll just have a 25 yd zero. Which is fine if that is what you want, but again, it has nothing to do with how consistent your ammo is.

If your ammo isn't consistent, check that you are shooting the same weight of bullet and brand.

[tlino]

Originally Posted by Major03

If your ammo isn't consistent, check that you are shooting the same weight of bullet and brand.

You are right about the consistent grouping being the important issue. The ammo I was using was same brand and weight, different box. It is getting very hard to get 7.92x57mm. I can’t find it anywhere around here and shipping is expensive. So I am going to reload and find a consistent combination.

[Major03]

That's a big difference in point of impact, especially at 25 yds. Perhaps the powder has degraded over time? My initial reaction was that the scope base must be loose or perhaps you changed your setting on the elevation turret and forgot...but you switched to the old box and it was right back to where you started. Definitely weird.

The good news is that with reloading, you'll likely not have to deal with this issue again.

As an aside, I don't reload for 8MM Mauser, but I'd be curious of what your recipe ends up being. I have a K98, and wouldn't mind getting dies for it eventually.

[tlino]

Originally Posted by Major03

As an aside, I don't reload for 8MM Mauser, but I'd be curious of what your recipe ends up being. I have a K98, and wouldn't mind getting dies for it eventually.

My Mauser is no longer a stock military Mauser. I re-barreled it with a "bull" barrel. I did or had a lot of work done to the receiver and bolt. I'm not sure anything I come up with should be applied to an original Mauser.

[Jerry M]

http://www.hodgdonreloading.com/data/rifle for 8x57.

Good luck

Jerry

[tlino]

Thanks for that link, Jerry. Very helpful.