A few years ago I bought a number of box's of S&B 7x57 173 gr SPCE ammo.I just noticed a magnet sticks hard to the bullet.It is a soft point bullet.Has anybody shot game with this bullet? Should penetrate good.I never heard of such a thing in a hunting bullet.

I've hunted with the 8x 57 SPCE...used it on a 260lb boar. Worked OK, not great, on that boar, as I thought it was a tad soft. Would think it should do nicely, though, on deer, etc.

I used 7x57 SPCE on a doe my FIL wounded last year (he hit her on the joint below the shoulder taking out a small piece of lung). She was running when I shot her and I high spine'd her. I worked fine, but that's not where I would have shot if I were given a better opportunity. I didn't recover the bullet, but I suspect it will work well but with a little less mushroom than some other hunting bullets due to the cutting edge band. I hope to have a better report next season. They shoot very well out of my #1 RSI.

I just checked some ammo:Musgrave 308,S&B 6.5x55,both a magnet would stick to bullet other brands of.I have not noticed any difference in in killing power.

Patrick,

Before there were so many 9.3 bullets being offered by everybody in the bullet business, I used to load the 285 gr Kynoch bullet made for the 360 No2 Nitro Express, as well as the Norma 286 gr Dual Core, in my 9.3X62 ammunition.

The Kynoch has a mild steel jacket, and a big bluff-nosed soft point that expands like you would want it to. It always seemed to penetrate deep, and hold together on big game. I shot the largest moose I ever took using that bullet.

Have never used any S&B on game, but think they have loaded enough ammo that I would bet it would work.

Ted

That's my 7x57's favorite factory fodder. It's 5 for 5 with head shots on hogs. Convinced me enough to load them for last Fall's elk hunt. No data from that one, unfortunately.

FC

Two years ago I got a whitetail buck at 47yards with those 173 grainers. I got 22 inches of penetration and a dead deer but with what was left of the bullet I think they are a bit soft.

I have used S&B 173 gr SPCE for two whitetails and a wolf. Range from 80 yds on the wolf and 120 and 230 on the deer. All expanded well and exited. Rifle was my Merkel combo, it is chambered for the rimmed version of the 7x57. I have found many of these bullets behind my range backstop that slipped the core after going through a couple layers of plywood and then hitting the dirt.... but performance on smaller big game seems OK. I did pass up a shot at a 5x5 bull elk while carrying that rifle, I just didn't have enough confidence in the bullet with the shot angle presented.

Man...that's a nice looking rig with the Yodel Dog!

I think that yodel dog may be a wolf!

Ted

Yup. a 100 lb. female.
I put a magnet to my remaining S&B bullets, it stuck so they must be steel with a thin copper plate. Learn something new every day!

I've got some S&B ammo for my 7.62 X 39. The bullets loaded in this caliber attract a magnet too. I called the manufacturer of the rifle that I was planning to shoot this ammo through and they said there shouldn't be any problem using it.

I conducted an informal test where I shot into the end grain of some knot free poplar logs from the same tree. I used Remington ammo loaded with their soft point cor-lokt bullet in 123 or 125 grain weight. I don't remember which. I compared the penetration of the Remington bullet to the penetration of the S&B bullet of the same approximate weight.

Penetration was nearly identical at nearly 10 inches for both the Remington and the S&B bullets. It was obvious when examining the recovered bullets that the Remington bullets expanded much more, showing both a slightly larger diameter and much less remaining bullet shank. I should mention also that the S&B ammo clocks well over 150 fps faster a few feet from the muzzle.

YMMV

Very interesting. I just tried the magnet test on my 8X57JRS ammo from S&B and the magnet stuck!

Learn something everyday!

WN