brandon_h3
Moderator
I don't deer hunt, but I just bought and refinished an Yugo 8mm Mauser and was wondering if it has enough "umph" to knock down a deer. Any comments?
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8mm enough for deer hunting?
- Thread starter brandon_h3
- Start date
brandon_h3
Moderator
The ammo I use
I'll be shooting surplus Turkish ammo thru it. Maybe that helps. I was told this round is a little hotter than the domestic stuff.
I'll be shooting surplus Turkish ammo thru it. Maybe that helps. I was told this round is a little hotter than the domestic stuff.
brandon_h3
As J. Parker said, the 8mm is more than enough gun for any deer alive. The turk ammo you are shooting however, is not suitable for hunting. You need an expanding bullet of some kind. The full metal jacket ammo you are shooting would certainly kill a deer, but it wouldn't do it as fast as an expanding bullet. It is a question of being humane and a question of having the deer drop where you can find it and not run for a mile before it dies.
As J. Parker said, the 8mm is more than enough gun for any deer alive. The turk ammo you are shooting however, is not suitable for hunting. You need an expanding bullet of some kind. The full metal jacket ammo you are shooting would certainly kill a deer, but it wouldn't do it as fast as an expanding bullet. It is a question of being humane and a question of having the deer drop where you can find it and not run for a mile before it dies.
The comparatively anemic American-loaded 170gr offerings are loaded to about 2100 FPE levels... still exceeding the energies of the old staple of deerhunters, the .30-30Win, and with better downrange ballistics.
The 196gr European loads such as those by Sellier&Bellot and Norma will be loaded to 2900-3200 FPE, loosely the same energy levels as a .30-06. This should take anything you're likely to encounter in North America.
Either way, the under-estimated 7.92x57JS has more than enough "umph" for deer.
As a side note, S&B makes an affordable 196gr 8x57 FMJ round for plinking. It can be purchased for under $7 a box in most cases and features a boxer-primed (non-corrosive) brass case... in case you ever wish to reload. As stated above, it is loaded to its full potential, and is of the bullet weight that these fun rifles were designed for, so POI will correlate with the sites more closely.
The 196gr European loads such as those by Sellier&Bellot and Norma will be loaded to 2900-3200 FPE, loosely the same energy levels as a .30-06. This should take anything you're likely to encounter in North America.
Either way, the under-estimated 7.92x57JS has more than enough "umph" for deer.
As a side note, S&B makes an affordable 196gr 8x57 FMJ round for plinking. It can be purchased for under $7 a box in most cases and features a boxer-primed (non-corrosive) brass case... in case you ever wish to reload. As stated above, it is loaded to its full potential, and is of the bullet weight that these fun rifles were designed for, so POI will correlate with the sites more closely.
Brandon,
Like the others said, 8mm is plenty powerful to kill deer. Military 8mm Mauser ammo is on a par with and even somewhat hotter than most 30-06 loads. American commercial 8mm loads are on a par with the 30-30 Winchester.
The only problem with the military stuff is the fmj military bullet. In my home state of Missouri, it is illegal to hunt deer with a "non-expanding" bullet, which all military ammo is by design. You'd better check with the Game & Conservation Department of your state for a ruling on this.
If, like Missouri, your state does not allow fmj for deer, you will have to buy commercial ammo with a soft point bullet and accept the lower velocity, or reload with suitable bullets in order to get up to max potential.
Swampy
Like the others said, 8mm is plenty powerful to kill deer. Military 8mm Mauser ammo is on a par with and even somewhat hotter than most 30-06 loads. American commercial 8mm loads are on a par with the 30-30 Winchester.
The only problem with the military stuff is the fmj military bullet. In my home state of Missouri, it is illegal to hunt deer with a "non-expanding" bullet, which all military ammo is by design. You'd better check with the Game & Conservation Department of your state for a ruling on this.
If, like Missouri, your state does not allow fmj for deer, you will have to buy commercial ammo with a soft point bullet and accept the lower velocity, or reload with suitable bullets in order to get up to max potential.
Swampy
OkieCruffler
New member
In my younger days, I took 4 whitetail bucks with my K98 useing pretty weak Remington factory loads. Never had to shoot twice, never had to track for more than 50 yrds. Being in Oklahoma, I never had to shoot farther than 150yrds either. A friend of mine uses a Czech Mauser and took a very nice Elk last year using Norma ammo.
In addition to the S&B FMJ cartridges that Snowdog mentions, S&B also makes a soft point 196 grain 8mm. This would be PLENTY for deer, even muant-monster deer that you find hanging around the local nuclear power station.
You really need to use a softpoint, not a FMJ bullet on deer. The Turk 154 gr FMJ will kill them dead, but barring a perfect shot, maybe only after hours of agony and you may never find the deer.
Snowdog – not to be too picky, but the S&B 196 gr loads are a little slower than that. Per their website, the S&B ammo is 196 gr @ 2600 fps, which is significantly more powerful than a .30-06.
The Turk 154 grain milsurp is in the range of 3000-3100 fps. Compare that to a typical commercial loading of a 150 gr .30-06 at 2900 fps or a 147 grain .308 at 2800 fps.
Most of the remaining milsurp is 196-198 grainers at about 2600 fps (compared to a 180 gr .30-06 at 2650 or a 180 gr. .308 at 2450 fps).
As has been said before, even the US commercial loadings should be sufficient for deer. I’ve got some 185 grain low pressure loads from Miwall (www.miwall.com) that’d do. You’ll just be impeded by a rainbow trajectory that doesn’t correspond to your iron sights. On a Yugo, your sights should be set up for a 196 grain bullet @ about 2600 fps. So you can practice with the Yugo milsurp and hunt with the S&B with no sight changes.
Semper fi,
Bruegger out.
You really need to use a softpoint, not a FMJ bullet on deer. The Turk 154 gr FMJ will kill them dead, but barring a perfect shot, maybe only after hours of agony and you may never find the deer.
Snowdog – not to be too picky, but the S&B 196 gr loads are a little slower than that. Per their website, the S&B ammo is 196 gr @ 2600 fps, which is significantly more powerful than a .30-06.
The Turk 154 grain milsurp is in the range of 3000-3100 fps. Compare that to a typical commercial loading of a 150 gr .30-06 at 2900 fps or a 147 grain .308 at 2800 fps.
Most of the remaining milsurp is 196-198 grainers at about 2600 fps (compared to a 180 gr .30-06 at 2650 or a 180 gr. .308 at 2450 fps).
As has been said before, even the US commercial loadings should be sufficient for deer. I’ve got some 185 grain low pressure loads from Miwall (www.miwall.com) that’d do. You’ll just be impeded by a rainbow trajectory that doesn’t correspond to your iron sights. On a Yugo, your sights should be set up for a 196 grain bullet @ about 2600 fps. So you can practice with the Yugo milsurp and hunt with the S&B with no sight changes.
Semper fi,
Bruegger out.