Help with Remington 8MM Mauser bullets

[NavajoNPaleFace]

For cost and availability reasons I like using Remington bullets in my rifle plinkers.

However, I find it very difficult finding load data about the Remington bullets.

I've gone to their site many times and, unless the information is well hidden, I can't seem to find anything from their company specifically about reloading.

One thing I'm interested in is a chart (perhaps published by someone else) on the Remington bullet abbreviations and how they correspond with other bullet designations.

For example, I picked up some Remington 185 Gr.PSP W/C Bullet(s) in 8MM Mauser (.323) and I have no earthly idea what 'PSP W/C' means.

The manuals I have, and info I've gotten off the internet) doesn't show data for a 185 Gr. Remington of any kind.

It referrences 150 grain, 170 grain and 200 grain of a similar (possibly the same style but just termed differently) type of bullet but I have no idea what to do with these I have.

Can I use the data for the 170 grain and 200 grain and split the difference?

Is there a site I can find (or even a good manual) that referrences Remington bullets?

If anyone has a recipe using IMR 4350 and H414 for this bullet I'd appreciate it.

 

[Jim Watson]

That's a tough one.

The easy part first: PSP w C means Pointed Soft Point with Cannelure

Remington makes that 185 grain bullet for the 8mm Remington Magnum, a decent big cartridge that never caught on. I have nothing to show that they ever factory loaded it in 8x57 or bothered developing IMR powder Mauser loads for it.

I don't know about "splitting the difference" between 170 and 200 grain data. You could take the 200 grain data and work up a bit, IF you know the pressure signs to go by.

Hodgdon has some loads for a 180 grain bullet that you could probably use, considering that it is a Barnes X which is a very hard stiff (solid copper) slug. But nothing with H414.

There is some data for 180 grain bullets here:
http://stevespages.com/page8.htm

I don't know any source of load data specifically for Remington bullets except the IMR tables, which do not show this combination.

 

[Gewehr98]

I ran into the same problem with those Remington 185 PSP's..

By the way, PSP W/C means Pointed Soft Point With Cannelure.

My own load development with that bullet, in the 8mm Mauser culminated in two loads:

With IMR 4350, I run those 185gr PSP bullets on top of 51.0 grains.

With IMR 4895, I went with 45.0 grains. I'm a big fan of this powder for all of my 8mm Mauser loads from 150-185 grains. With bullets heavier than 185 grains, like the Nosler 200gr Partitions or Sierra 220gr GameKings, I'd go with the slower powders like IMR 4350.

As usual, you have to work up to a given load, I'd back off a couple grains from what I'm running and start from there. The 185 Remingtons are nice bullets, and worked great for my Colorado mule deer and Wisconsin whitetail hunts.

 

[NavajoNPaleFace]

Jim, thanks for your comments and you're absolutely right about the H414 and 185 PSP.

The Hodgdon site has a recipe for the 170 grain PSP with H414 and that was what I intended to pick up but when I got all the way home I realized I had picked up the wrong bag and had gotten 185 grain.

I sent Hodgdon off an e-mail to see if they have one but just haven't listed it yet.

Gewehr98, I'm glad to see you've had success with the 185 grain PSP and IMR 4350. And, yes, I have several guns that I've developed loads for and they seem to crave 4350.

I'll give the bullets I've got, and that were are talking about, a go with your data. BTW, I am a firm believer on back off ALL recipes and when I'm in doubt I will also stay a couple two or three grains under listed max.

However, I failed to mention I intend on shooting them in my Yugo 48A. I'm thinking the Yugo is a strong enough action to handle your recipe. What do you think? I realize that it's not considered 'quite' as strong as the K98 Mauser but from all I've read and heard so far they appear sturdy enough.

Thanks for your replies.

 

[Gewehr98]

The Yugo M8 is still a true 98 Mauser action.

So it should have no problems with loads intended for Gew98, K-98, and VZ-24 Mausers. I've run those above loads through my own Yugo M48 Mauser, and a Turkish Mauser, no sweat.

Here's another place for 8mm Mauser load data, M.D. Smith's reloading page. Note, he doesn't cover the 185 Remington's, either:

http://www.reloadammo.com

 

[NavajoNPaleFace]

G98, do you have a minimum and max powder charge on the load you mentioned above and a COL?

Thanks.

 

[Gewehr98]

The max is what I stopped at, and posted here.

Higher loads started flattening primers, or the accuracy in my gun opened up.

For Case-Overall-Length, I went with 2.950", which puts the 185 PSP's cannelure squarely in the middle of the Lee Factory Crimped case mouth.

 

[NavajoNPaleFace]

Appreciate it.