*MM REMINGTON MAG. COMMENTS
I read what you wrote about the 8mm Remington Magnum, and am in total agreement. I have one of those old BDLs, and it is my first choice for elk. Some shots are taken at extended ranges, 300 to 350 yards, and the solid thunk of that bullet strike echoes back with authority. Recoil is about in the same zone as a 338 Winchester Magnum in a same-weight rifle; a little more than a 300 Winchester Magnum, but not much. I wondered what went wrong with the cartridge as the buying public saw it, and I remember those remarks by gun writers about recoil. The gun writers killed it.
I have been using 220-grain Sierra GameKing bullets with great success, their bullet number 2420. I am using IMR 7828 powder.
Tom W., Arizona
Remington cannot be held blameless for the failure of its 8mm Magnum to become a popular round. I wonder if marketing and advertising personnel thought it would be a case of the 7mm Remington Magnum all over again? The heavier recoiling Remington rifles of the era had a problem; a solid rubber recoil pad that was about as soft as a truck tire. Seriously; look at yours. That most likely led to some of the complaints about recoil, especially from those who were either too stupid or too lazy to protect themselves while sitting in that awkward gun-holding position at a bench. The other mistake, in my not-so-humble opinion, was that the rifles were manufactured with a 24-inch instead of 26-inch barrel. Experience with the 27 1/4-inch barrels of 40-XB Rifles chambered for this round clearly showed me the significant velocity advantage of a longer barrel. Size matters.
Remington is bouncing along with one Model 700 CDL Special Edition after another, and we can only hope that the 8mm Remington Magnum will be among future considerations. Obviously, I'd like to see it with a 26-inch unfluted barrel, and a decent recoil pad. A nice run of ammunition should be made as well. I have used four different bullets in my rifles, which have all performed very well: 200-grain Barnes TSX, 220-grain Hornady SP (no longer available), 220-grain Sierra GK, and 220-grain Swift A-Frame. I found it interesting that all of these bullets shot very accurately from all four of the 8mm Remington Magnum rifles that I have used. Further, the 200-grain Sierra MatchKing shot out of the 40-XBs just like you would expect them to; ragged little groups.
Pachmayr Deceleraror. Now that's a recoil pad! Winchester has apparently been able to find the address of Pachmayr and get ahold of all the Decelerator pads needed for their Model 70s. Remington, Ruger, Savage and others seem to struggle with this seemingly simple solution to making their rifles more comfortable to shoot, and more durable from the aspect of a long-wearing pad that could see considerable field service over the course of several decades.
JDC
I am happy to see that you are giving some well-deserved positive attention to the 8mm Remington Magnum. I may be able to add a little insight to the background reasons for the development of the cartridge:
Remington introduced the Model 700 Rifle in 1962, along with what was primarily intended to be a very effective long-range deer rifle; the 7mm Remington Magnum. There were other chamberings either immediately available or soon to be offered in the 700 that would be ideal for elk; among them the 338 Winchester Magnum. The buying public, however, quickly got it in their head that the 7mm Remington Magnum was an effective elk rifle, and could even be used on some of the larger and tougher species of African plains game. It was almost a case of perception becoming reality, but not quite.
Even though the very effective 300 Winchester Magnum -- a truly qualified elk rifle -- soon became part of the cartridge lineup, people in great numbers decided that the 7mm Remington Magnum was the ideal compromise; adequate for elk, but not too powerful for deer. This was disturbing to some people at Remington, something like buying a four-passenger GTO to handle a family of mom, dad, and three kids. In other words, an uncomfortable compromise. Thus, development of the 8mm Remington Magnum got underway in the mid-1970s. There was a lot of kicking it around, such as considering a .338-inch diameter bullet on a full-length belted case, but Weatherby already had its 340 Weatherby Magnum. The same was true for a 30-caliber full-length magnum.
The Remington long action handles full-length cartridges, so the plan to use one went ahead. Ultimately, the 8mm diameter of .323" was chosen, There was some logic; the 7mm was a European designation, and 8mm was nothing less. Ought to sell like hotcakes. And there were some clear ballistic advantages; an 8mm bullet of 220-grains became increasingly more effective than 338 bullets of similar weight as the distance to the target increased. The 8mm Remington Magnum, at 300 or 400 yards for example, really teaches the 338 Winchester Magnum a thing or two. Wham!
You are right in your assessment that the gun writers of the day did a pretty effective job of killing the round. It is and was an outstanding cartridge, and has been used as the parent case for several other cartridges such as the 416 Remington Magnum, the 7mm STW, and the 358 STA. You are also correct when you say that a mistake was made by not offering the rifle consistently with a 26-inch barrel, and that the recoil pad of the day did little to moderate felt recoil.
The 8mm Remington Magnum will not return to regular production, but it is at least still offered as a Remington Custom Shop chambering. In addition, Cooper Firearms of Montana offers it in their Model 52. For old times sake, I'm considering ordering a new one to go along with my well-worn 1978-built BDL.
Name withheld by request
We very much appreciate your input. You have no idea of how much I would like to have a Cooper 52 in the Jackson Game Rifle chambered for the 8mm Remington Magnum. Maybe we can start a trend. Incidentally, Cooper wisely uses Pachmayr Decelerator pads as regular equipment on most of their rifles.
JDC
Could you please give me some idea of how the 300 Winchester Magnum compares to the 8mm Remington Magnum. I have a 300 Winchester Magnum now.
Jim N., Oregon
Pretty much the standard 180-grain loading for the 300 Winchester Magnum produces a muzzle velocity of 2960 fps. Down-range performance depends a lot on the shape of the bullet. The 8mm Remington Magnum is quite capable of equalling that velocity with a 220-grain bullet. Striking energy moves up dramatically over the 300 Win Mag. Going a step further, the 338 Winchester Magnum is not capable of driving the closest weight bullets available, 225 grains, as fast as a 220-grain bullet from the 8mm Rem Mag. Plus, the greater ballistic coefficient of a 220-grain .323" bullet over a 225-grain .338" bullet (same bullet type, of course) gives the 8mm Remington Magnum a solid advantage at extended range as well as close up. Remington absolutely knew and considered all of this when they proudly introduced the 8mm Remington Magnum, but the naughty rifle hurted the shoulder of some of those burly gun writers, so in a collective act of retribution they made sure it went away. A tip of the hat and a nod to Craig Boddington for standing above the fray.
JDC