8x68S owner's opinions

[Gert Odendaal]

Theuns, congratulations, beautiful rifle and since it is a 8x68S it is a perfect rifle , enjoy this rifle ...thank you for giving me an answer regarding the 1:9.45 rifling twist it really is appreciated.

Eugene Combrink knows his trade and is a really good gun smith ..we went to high school together in Nelspruit, his father had then had the gunsmith rifle shop already for a couple of years.

Mannlicher, your 8x68s really is design to take what ever comes to it..hunting in any terrain , whet, dry , rocks and thorns ...the drilling is a spectacular and beautiful rifle..it will be something extra-ordinary to shoot with...I already see a vision where a large bush pig boar crumbles when hit with your 8x68S Drilling.. , man it is a beautiful rifle....

 

[8x68]

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That is one pretty rifle! You almost hate to get it "dirty" or get a scratch on it!

 

[Beans]

8x68S is one of the most impressive cartriges I have used. I have been using mine for 20 years now. It was build by Kevin Healy of Bloemfontein Custom Rifles for me. He had build it on a Mauser 98 action. I like the rifle because it was build to my dimentions.

I have used it on kudu, wildebeest, eland, lion and leopard. I have used it mostly with 200 gr Barnes TSX bullets with unbelievable results.

I have just bought 220 Swift A Frames as I had a hard time to get 200gr bullets. looking forward to see how they will work in the 8mm. They always work well.

 

[Gert Odendaal]

Good day Gerhard

I think the 8x68S caliber is maybe the only caliber all hunters have an extremely high regard for..and the only caliber every hunter/member agrees about regarding its excellent capabilities and the only caliber every hunter would like to have in his rifle safe... I would be so bold as to indicate every owner of such a caliber can regard himself to be in extremely good company...

Photos will be in order of the day ....everybody likes to see how a winner looks like...

 

[JET216]

Absolutely beautiful rifles. I am new to the 8x68s club. My project rifle started life as a Yugo M24 8x57. When I picked it up it had been modified to 8mm/06, Timney trigger and fiberglass stock. I just received notification that my 8x68s chamber reamer is in the mail, should be here early next week. I have shiny new Norma brass and ESP Raptor bullets from Cutting Edge waiting to be loaded. Can't wait to burn some powder and join the ranks of such fine thinking gentlemen.

 

[Gert Odendaal]

I was holding a MOD98 Mauser action in my hands today..contemplating the build of a 8x68S when I have casted the 404 Jeffery Magnum bottom plate/trigger guard/magazine box I will definitely be able to build a 8x68S without the difficulties to remove metal to fit the magnum round into this 404 Jeffery Magnum magazine box...as soon as I completed the .500 Jeffery building project I will do the 8x68S to be in good company as well....

 

[Africa is calling]

8x68s is a great calibre for all round use. I've shot Roe, Mouflon, Fallow, Boars, Stags, and seen Bears etc shot with the calibre.

I can't readily purchase ammunition near me so have .300wm for most use.

 

[dchamp]

I'm new here and when when I found this thread I became excited. First, those are some nice looking rifles on earlier posts and I sure appreciate the good information I have found on this thread.

I am a 8mm fan. I've had a 8x57 military mauser since I was 15. Now I have a Sako85 in 8x57 540mm barrel, a Blaser R8 8x68s 650mm barrel and a Remington 700 8mm Rem Mag 24" barrel. The 8x68s is the newest and have yet to kill anything with it but find it delightful to shoot. I currently am shooting the 160gr Barnes TTSX in the 8x57. 180gr TSX and 220gr Sierra GK's in the 8x68 and the 200gr TSX in the 8RM. The Barnes bullets have really done their job well and am very happy with them.

Ammo for the 8x68 is virtually non-existent here in the US so handing loading is about the only alternative. You can get RWS from one supplier here but the price is around $100.00+ USD a box.

I agree with the comments I've read about the 8mm over the .30cal. But as I see it the big advantage the 30cal's have is their worldwide availability.

Oh BTW do any of you have any experience with Peregrine Bullets. They are from RSA. I am testing some now and would appreciate your input.

 

[Alexandro Faria]

No personal experience, but I know a lot of guys that rave about them. A bit too pricey for me, but quality is never cheap. If I may give my 2c worth here: the 8x68s is about as versatile as you can get. Assuming you aren't recoil shy, you can decimate jackal at 300m and

 

[Gert Odendaal]

Some feedback in practical terms about the twist rate of the 8x68S in a 1:9.45 twist. A friend of mine , Koos De Beer, living in Pretoria discuss an important aspect with me regarding the 1:9.45 instead of a 1:10 twist rate.
This is what Koos told me: (Afrikaans)
Jy sal nie 'n fout maak met die 8x68S nie. Ek sal enige ver skiet kompetiesie met myne aandurf. Selfs as 'n jag wapen is hy uitstaande. Myne het wel 'n 8x57JS loop se groefdraai wat 1 in 9.45 is ipv 1 in 11. Ek skiet 187gr RWS @ 3054 vt/s, 180gr Barnes @ 3150 vt/s en 220gr Sierra Game King @ 2850 vt/s. Almal is onder 15mm groepe oor 100 mtr. My vriend gebruik sy 8x68S vir verskiet en kry 65mm groepe op 500 mtr.
Dit is regtig 'n kaliber met uitstaande kwaliteite.

English:
My 8x68S has a twist rate of 1:9.45 ...the same as a 8x57JS rifle. It shoots a 187 gn RWS@3054 f/s, 180 gn Barnes @3150 f/s, 220 gn Sierra Game Kings @2859 f/s, my friends with their 8x68 S rifles get 65 mm groupings at 500 meters.

So it seems my idea of having a tight twist rate 1;9.45 is a proven success...since Koos De Beer is a person whom had tried a recipe I want to try as well ..he has outstanding success with his 8x68 S and it`s tight twist rate...

 

[ZG47]

@Gert Odendaal If you look in the Hornady manual, you will see that their Mauser 66 test rifle has a 1-12" twist barrel. In the end, practical accuracy is what counts, but ... if you are going for shots at 300m plus, a faster twist rate than necessary for stabilization, might have an adverse effect because:

the higher the rotational velocity is, the greater the friction from the air, i.e. the aerodynamic drag, will be. More drag equals greater velocity loss, more bullet drop and greater wind effect. That factor and the shorter lives of faster twist barrels, are major concerns for thousand yard shooters but not always applicable to hunting rifles.

Have fun, looks like a great project.

 

[Gert Odendaal]

ZG47
Thank you for the reply. If I can get a 8x68S barrel in a
1: 9.45 twist I will make use of it as a hunting rifle. If not a 1:11 or 1;12 twist rate will be sufficient...as I pointed out my friend Koos de Beer said his 1;9.45 twist rate is an excellent accurate rifle...since he is speaking about a rifle he uses to hunt himself I think it is good enough to convinces me to go this route...I will not shoot thousands of rounds so the barrel wear will not be an issue per se...I will make use of a Mauser MOD 98 action with a real magnum magazine box and bottom metal, opening the action a few mm to the back..no need to effect any changes on the feeding rails or the ramp. What I will do is to only use Premuim bullets in the 220 gn to the 250 gn region...I will be hunting at 150 to 300 meter ranges...a 4-16 x 50 type telescope will be good enough for my type of hunting. The rifle stock will be a straight Mannlicher Schoenauer stock ...this is in a nutshell what I am contemplating ...

 

[Gert Odendaal]

I have posted a picture about the stock I want in the thread above...but you can not upload to many great rifle design photos ..here is it again...

 

[THeunsM]

Hi Gentleman,
Trust you all are well...
Just some feedback on my experience with regards to handloads....

S365 propellant
Federal premium primers
RWS Cases
220 North Fork bullets (Ditched the 220 Swifts..)

Loads:
63 gr
63.5 gr
64 gr
64.5 gr
65 gr

63gr - 2732 fps but pressure problems (could not get the bolt open)!!!!!!!!!
The load I got , 64.5gr (with components listed above) should result in 2850 fps. (Calculated by K. Kasselman). I started with 63gr (safety measure)

Obviously I was very disappointed with this! Could it be the rifle? Could it be some mistake in my loading process?

Long story short...I consulted with Kassie and he measured the volume of the RWS case as apposed to the volume of my Norma Cases. The Norma Cases had a significant larger case volume...

I used the same components listed above except for the cases...With the Norma Cases I had no pressure issues!
63 gr - 2729 fps 11mm grouping
63.5 gr -2750 fps 15mm grouping
64 gr - 2782 fps 7mm grouping
64.5 gr - 2832 fps 12mm grouping
64.8 gr - 2851 fps 9mm grouping
65 gr - did not shoot
Range - 100 meters

I'll be hunting Eland in KZN form 8-12 April. Should be able to provide some feedback with regards to bullet performance (North Fork)
Regards,
Theuns

 

[Gert Odendaal]

Theuns, thank you very much, it really is nice to receive this type of data, it will pave the path for me when loading for my 8x68 S when I have completed my 8x68S build...Theuns, will you be using 250 gn bullets in the future to hunt with ?

 

[THeunsM]

Theuns, thank you very much, it really is nice to receive this type of data, it will pave the path for me when loading for my 8x68 S when I have completed my 8x68S build...Theuns, will you be using 250 gn bullets in the future to hunt with ?

Hi Gert, only a pleasure.
I built the rifle to hunt large antelope at long distances....
I own an Obendorf Mauser type A rifle in cal.9.3x62 which I use for bush hunting. I shoot 300gr rhino bullets.
That said...., I am so "in love" with my custom 8x68S that I will never go on a hunting trip and leave it behind...no matter what the terrain....
So yes I will be hunting with 250's in the future.
Not sure who make 250gr bullets?
Woodleigh and trophy bonded bear claw?

 

[JET216]

Thanks so much for the loading info. Very interesting about the Norma vs. RWS cases. I will be working with the Norma cases. My rifle is at the gunsmith now being rechambered. I will report on my results with ESP Raptor bullets soon.

 

[THeunsM]

HI JET,
No Problem, looking forward to your results!
Went to the range yesterday. Rifle zero at 200 meters. Bullet drop 5 inches @300 meters.

Thursday on my way to hunt Eland bull. Will report back on bullet performance etc. (Should I be successful..)

 

[Mannlicher]

Rifle zero at 200 meters. Bullet drop 5 inches @300 meters.

Norma factory load with 200gr A-Frame and V0=2953f/s drop is 9 inches ( also zeroed at 200 m )

Mannlicher

 

[Gert Odendaal]

Thank you Theuns
The 8x68 is my great favorite , I will be building myself one on a Mannlicher Schoenauer designed stock...long , slim and graceful...shooting the heavy bullets long hunting distances...