I worked up to 50 grains of H 4350 using the Hornady 139 which is the load a lot on this board use with 140s and the 7x57. Anyway, I'm average about 3050fps from my 21 inch tube. That seems about 100 fps more than anyone on this board reports using the same load.

The primers and brass looks fine and the bolt lifts easily. Likewise the load is consistent, the extreme velocity spread in the last 3 shot group I shot the other day was 6 fps.

Opinions?

Heck, my opinion is, if it is working well for you with no problems.. what more do you need to know??

every firearm is an entity within itself..

if it's accuracy is meeting your needs, you are only seeing 6 fps on the velocity spread.. and the brass is holding up fine..there isn't a thing under the planet to worry about..

sounds like to me, the only worry is "what and where" to take it hunting..

What rifle were you shooting?

Doc

Hodgdon shows 50 grains of H4350 in the 7mm-08 with the 139 grain Hornady at 47,500 CUP so given your indications you're probably not over the top in a modern 7x57.

Could your chrono be showing high?

A custom built on a Argentine 1908. I did most of the work myself on it, but I think the guy cut the chamber pretty tight. It's always gotten good velocity and acceptable accuracy.

I can getg 154 Hornadys at well over 2800 with no problems at all either.

You should be averaging about 2700 FPS in that 21 inch tube with 50 grs. of H-4350 , not 3050 FPS..I suggest that your chronograph is on the blink or perhaps your guessing and by goshing or have been misinformed...

I have chronographed hundreds of that particular load in a number of 7x57 rifles over the years. That is a rather mild safe load btw..I have loaded the same with considerably more of the same powder and same bullet and not reached that velocity..??????????

The chrony isn't on the blink as that on the same day an 8x57 with a 18.5 inch barrel got about 150 fps less than what the book said it should get for a particular load. That is roughly correct for a barrel of that length with that load.

I think you're a little conservative on your estimation of what it should be getting. JB said in article 2900 was easy to do in that bullet and I've seen lots of people on this board claiming 2900 with that bullet and combination.

Oops, I was misremembering a bit. At lunch I got my load book. It was 51 grains that averaged 3057. 50 grains averaged 2991. A little different, but not much.

Well I been shooting a 140 gr Nosler Partition on top of 50 gr. of IMR-4350 in a 7 x 57 for dam near 43 years now. Most of my guns will clock between 2700 and 2800 fps give or take a few feet per sec. I just load them in batches of 50, been using a Remington Nickle cases, got a good deal on a 1000 of them a while back. Good case life and no real problems other that I am not hunting enough like I did in years pass. I guess its to do with being unemployed. Over the years its been a very good load, never saw the need to change it.

After reading an article or two by JB about using velocity as a pressure indicator it changed how I determine max for my loads. IMHO I'd consider that a little hot and back it back down to about 2900fps or so and consider it max.

That is kind of my thought too. 49 grains seems to shoot a little better anyway and it is in the low to mid 2900s.

But dadgummit, I can't get any of the primers I have to shoot worth a darn with H 4350 in that rifle. I have a big pile of H 4350 and a bunch of primers, but the ones that would always shoot the best and very well indeed, with that rifle were Remington 9 1/2s. I can't get anything else to shoot half as well with H 4350 and that rifle and I can't find any 9 1/2s.

........................If your bolt lifts, brass and primers are all ok, I wouldn`t worry at all. In fact, take that extra velocity as a gift especially from a 21" barreled handier rifle. You have some excellent long range punch without extra overall rifle length......My kinda rifle!

Each rifle has its own personality so to speak; faster bores, slower bores, different pressure capabilities and so on. So what can be done in your rifle, may not be able to be done without pressure signs in another identical 7x57 rifle using that same identical load of H4350 and COAL.

Not that you need any more than 3050 fps from a 139 grainer, but for curiosity`s sake, try going up another 1/2 grain at a time until you do see some pressure signs and then back off a 1/2 grain and consider that load as max for your rifle.

Compared to your H4350 velocity, accuracy and E/spread results, I don`t necessarily know how RL17 would do in a 7x57 as I don`t own a 7x57. But if it could work in your rifle like it did for my 16.5" tubed 300 WSM compact carbine, (175 gr "hunting" Berger VLD chrony`d @ 2983 fps with no pressure signs), you`ll have another winner there too.

It`s called,,,,,,,increasing your barrel length,,,,,"without",,,,,increasing your barrel length!!!!

Whooo-hoooo!!!

I've had the same frustration finding Rem 9 1/2 primers. Luckily in my 7x57 (Ruger 77 MkII) I've gotten Win primers to shoot really well.

The only thing I'd add and or ask is how is your case life with the load? In other words how many loadings are you getting out of the cases b4 the primer pockets go loose?

Thx
Dober

So far I on four or five loadings and I see no loose primer pockets...but 49 grains is what I've been shooting mostly, not 50 or 51. I neck size only for the most part since I have only one 7x57 and frankly, I tend to get so many loadings out of cases, I almost forget how many times they have been loaded.

............Are you referring to my above RL17 loading using the 175 gr VLD, or the OP`s H4350 loading? Just in case your question was directed at me, I don`t know yet what the full brass life will be. So far, the brass looks very good after 2 firings using that particular RL17 loading.

And! I have plenty of new 300 WSM brass to fall back on should I only get 3 or 4 firings.

All I can say is that is what my chronograph has told me..2700 is pretty regular with that load in the guns I have shot over it...

I don't use 4350 anymore and I shoot a long throated, 30-06 length box, and a lot of H414, way over book max and I get some pretty outstanding velocities for sure, right up there with a the 280 rem. and even better the factory loaded 7 mag. which ain't saying much btw. By doing this and using only H-414 I have in effect a 7x57 IMP without changing the case..The Brno Mod's 21 and 22 are so set up that way by the factory btw.. As an example I get 3200 plus with the 130 Speer, 2900 plus with the 160 gr. Nosler and 2650 with any 175 gr. bullet, fine accuracy and cases last 10 to 14 reloads, with about 3 trims. I have considered annealing the cases on ocassion, but brass is cheap and after about 10 to 14 loadings or when some start to show stress, I toss them and buy some new stuff...

Nope I wasn't Squeeze, but thx anyway

Dober

I have chased high velocities in my M77 Ruger 22" bbl on more than one occasion but never achieved what you have at 3050fps.

With 52grs H4350 Sierra 140gr Spitzer R-P case, CCI 200 clocked 2980fps but case life was short and did not feel comfortable shooting it at temperatures exceeding 70 degrees. Settled for 50.5grs H4350 at 2876fps. Load H4350 Extreme with everything the same at 2890fps. Hornady 139gr Interlock with everything the same comes in at 2885fps. Case life is excellent and accuracy is good with both bullets.

Don't shoot the 139 or 140gr bullets much anymore unless a manufacture comes out with something new...Shoot 154gr Hornady Interlocks and 160gr Nosler Partitions for deer and elk respectively. Life is a lot simpler that way but probably not as interesting.

We do have something in common with the 154gr Hornady Interlock...I attained 2810fps with 52grs of Win 760...lousy accuracy.

I love the 154 grain and that is what I've shot most at deer, and it is a very good deer killer. I bought a bunch of Hornady 2nds several years ago and they shoot very well in my rifle.

I shoot my 7/08 with 140TSXs over H414 from a 24" barrel at 3050fps all day long with no pressure signs. And I am sure my 35P is right on regarding MV. My 7x57 Ruger#1 shoots about the same.

I like the 154's myself, but I use 48 grains of IMR4350 for just over 2700 fps. Just over 1" groups, great game performance, easy to hit with.

Perfection since 1892

Mark gave good advice when he suggested you use case life as your way of gauging reasonable pressure. Try loading and firing the same three cases, if you can get half dozen shots before primer pockets get loose you're likely O.K. Gotta say your reporter velocities do sound a little high. That's about what I'd expect from a .280Rem.

How far was the chronograph from your muzzle?

-Bob F.

Ten or fifteen feet.

Sometimes muzzle blast will change Chronograph readings.
To rule that out try it at 12 feet and 15 ft see if theres a
difference. ten feet is a tad close with a slower powder like 4350.
Good Luck!

Cossat: What kind of barrel is it?

My Rigby likes 51gns of 760 for right on 2800fps with that bullet so it may pay to drop a grain or two and shoot more groups?

JW

It is probably closer to fifteen.

Bob Hagel book,Game Loads and Practical Ballistics for the American Hunter, list the 160 gr Nosler PT with 52 grs of 4350 at 2816 mv in Ruger 77, 22" barrel. I have use that load and got 2800 fps in the same rifle, never had any problems.
Jack O' Connor's book the Hunting Rifle. Lists 154 Hornady, 160 Speer, Sierra or Nosler with 52 grs of 4831. Velocity in 22" barreled custom rifle of 2650 fps. This was his wife's go to load
for Elk and African Antelope. He said it worked very well. I killed a Bull Elk in 1995 with the Hagel load using a Hawk 160. About 150 yards braodside thru both lungs and out the other side, lungs jellied. Scored 313. It was a hoot.

Most of Bob Hagel's loads were pretty darn hot. I never could come close to any of them in any of my rifles. I'm also wondering it O'Connor's load for the 7x57 was with milsurp Hodgden's 4831. Nice job on the elk though. I might tale a 7x57 for elk this year, if I can daw damned tag. If not I'll try for a deer tag. I'm getting too damned old for this haave to graw a damned tag BS.
Paul B.

On that trip in 1995. It was my first and only guided hunt. My cuz Paul and I went to Montana, near Dell and packed in for 8 days. The night before we went in, we stayed at the headquarters of the outfitter at Lakeview. We had supper and visited with hunters that packed out that day and were going home the next. Sitting around the big round table eating, the conversation turned to rifles. The hunters that were leaving were from California and were knowledgable hunters and riflemen. One used a 338x06 he had made, and the other iirc had a 300 Win Mag. They asked what we were going to use, I replied 7x57 Msr and Paul had a 25x06. The guy with the 338-06 said," I have a BRNO 7x57, that killed everything I ever pointed it at, and I don't know why I quit using it". And that included Elk. It tickeled me at the time and my old 7x57 has killed everything I ever pointed it at to.

I've shot that exact recipe out of my 7x57; a 20" barrel Ruger #1. I averaged about 2,875fps. As some say, maybe you are just fortunate. Still, I would shoot it again to make sure. Chrony could not be opened all the way perhaps. Also, are you using mag primers or regular. I was using Fed 210s and the chrony was 15ft from the muzzle.

I use Winchester WLR. I don't have the exact data in front of me, but the first was a shade over 2800 and the second just a tad under. Could have been warmer one day than the other. It's just a great cartridge.

JW, I messed around with that powder and bullet combination until I was blue in the face. Varied seating depth, primers and used a Lee crimping die, also. The only thing I did not do was change brass manufacture. Also, tried 139 and 140gr bullets with 760 and did not get satisfactory results. I guess I can take a hint...that gun will not shoot with 760.

Nice score on that elk, Luke...I just wanted to echo Paul B's comment about the Bob Hagel load. I too, have not been able duplicate it or come close. The best I can do with the 160gr Nosler PT is with a new batch of H4350 - 48grs at 2706fps. The old batch of H4350 shot 2660fps. Do not understand the disparity in the velocity, but do understand when you get a new batch of powder it is always good to start a couple of grains below old data.

Hate do hijack Cossatotjoe's excellent thread here, but just had to ask...trying to learn something here...
Atkinson, are you saying loading H414 rather than 4350, plus the gun design (throat & magazine box) is allowing you to attain the velocities stated? Just thinking out loud here...wondering how the chamber/throat and magazine box compares to a M77 TS?

Another thing I find interesting is the 3200fps velocity you get with a 130gr Speer puts it up there in the company of the 270 Winchester. In a 1989 Outdoor Life, Jack O'Connor quoted a 7x57 load with a 130gr Speer and 50grs IMR4320 at 3100 fps. I tried to duplicate that load in a VZ24 action with a 24" McGowen bbl put together by Charlie Cournoyer of South Milw WI and a Ruger M77 TS. I so wanted to tell the boys at the range my 7x57's can shoot like a 270 Winchester. My loads did not break the 3000fps threshold. 52grs of Win760 came close in both rifles with lousy accuracy in the M77 and good accuracy in the VZ24. Did not try H414 so maybe I should take another run at it with that powder...BTW, Atkinson do you use magnum primers?

Something sounds a bit off - that load should generate about 2800 fps. If the chrony is right (I'd suspect it first), you're likely getting too much pressure that isn't showing up obviously.