I have been a avid fan of the 7x57 for many years. I always have one around the house and I have hunted extensively with that caliber, its a nostalgia thing I suspect..
All my 7x57 have been Brno M-21 or 22s or custom rifles that I have built...I always have a 30-06 length box (magazine) and I always cut a long throat that will allow for the bullet to be seated out..I throat them to where I can seat a 160 Nosler or perhaps a 175 gr. Nosler .284 depth into the case, depending on the particular rifle..In effect I have a 7x57 Improved if I use H414 powder..I load H414 considerably over any book max so I won't give the load..
BTW, the Brno M-21 and 22 come with such a magazine and chamber. That is why I started doing my rifles like this..
With the above procedure I can get an easy 2600 FPS with the 175 gr. Nosler, and 2916 FPS with the 160 gr. Nosler..
I will add that one of my favorite deer, antelope bullets in the 7x57 is the 130 gr. Speer as it performs flawlessly on such game. It has to take quit a jump to the rifleing but todate it has shot well in every 7x57 I have owned, so perhaps that old wives tale of short bullets making a jump is just that, an old wives tale..Some shoot and some don't just like everything else in the world of gundome, it just depends on the rifle in question.
I have tried this with several calibers/cases, but found that this type of improvement only works well with the the 7x57, and 257 Robts. case. Ackley, states in his book that he felt the only IMP cases that were really worthwhile with were the 7x57, 257, and 250 Savage, so there may be some corelation here..
I guess there is more than one way to skin a cat...
Last edited by atkinson; 04/16/09.
