I came across your 257 Roberts load of 46.0gr of H4350 for rifles that have problems with working loads up. Well that load works very well in my rifle so now I'd like to know if there is anything like that for the 7x57 Mauser in a M70 Winchester? I've looked around and have not found it through search. I'd appreciate any help you can give. Thank you

Unfortunately, there�s no exact load like that for the 7x57, since chamber throat lengths vary so much. But H4350 works very well. Start with 40 grains, no matter the bullet weight, then work up until you get about the following velocity with these bullet weights:

140�2800
160�2650
175�2500

Unless the barrel on your rifle is under 20�, you should be able to reach those velocities safely, and accuracy will usually be good.

John knows! powdr

Thank you John. I appreciate it.

I had a nice load of 44grs. of Big Game with a 140 BT that was well under an inch but I can't get anymore of that powder nor have I seen any Western powders period. I just got this 8# jug of H4350 and happy to have it.

48 g of h4350 and 140's works very nicely in my 7x57

160 gr. TSX 50.0 gr.H4831





162 gr. Hornady BTSP 38.0 gr. IMR4895




175 gr NPT 45 gr H4831




160 Grand Slam 39 gr IMR 4895





* note: these loads are a bit warm and intended for modern actions

The M70's I've played with were not as long-throated as the Rugers, so took a considerable amount less powder. Not a rule, but that's my experience.

I've gotten good velocity and accuracy with the 140gr Nosler BT using H414. Magnum primers seem to improve accuracy in my rifle anyway. But, H4350 works well too.

50 gr of IMR-4350 over a 140 gr Nosler Partiton or a 139 gr Hornaday SP dose the trick in my current 7 x 57, I had a couple of rifles that would not shoot that load, but would shoot a 160 gr Speer SP over the 46 to 48 gr of the same powder, Your rifle will tell you what it likes pretty quick, I have shot the 140gr/ 50 gr of IMR 4350 for good 44 years now, and I will be shooting my deer this year with that load!

50.0 gr of H4831 works well with 160 Accubonds and 160 Deep Curls also.

Awesome pictures Ingwe, great bucks and load info. Thank you.

John, is that your favorite powder for 7x57?

175 Hornady with 41gr H4350. This is the load for my tight-chambered 7x57s. The looser guns can handle a couple more grains. Don't like 140gr bullets. Use only 154+, and prefer 175s.

I went to the range today to try these loads. 49.0grs is where I will get to 2800fps. I need to load that weight and will chrony them next weekend. Big_Redhead why don't you like 140gr bullets in the 7x57?

The 140 grain Nosler Partition has worked very well for me for years in a Winchester Model 70 Featherweight. I use Reloder 19 powder.

mustanggt,

Maybe I didn't say it right. I don't like "standard-grade cup-and-core" 140gr bullets in the 7x57. They don't penetrate as well as I like.

Besides, if you want to shoot 140s, they make .270s for that�.

RevMike,

I usually try H4350 first in any new-to-me 7x57, because it's worked in so many rifles. And before H4350 came along, IMR4350 did the same things. I've owned over a dozen 7x57's now (and am planning yet another) and can't remember one that didn't perk with one 4350 or the other. I prefer the H version these days because it's less temp-sensitive and the short-cut granules meter far easier in a powder measure.

Another powder that usually works very well, both in accuracy and velocity, is H414, whether it's called 414, W760 or Accurate 2700. I used a lot of it in the 7x57 years ago, but for my purposes it's just too temp-sensitive. I'd work up a load in "normal" temperatures, and accuracy would degrade in colder temps and pressure would rise surprisingly in higher temps.

Sometime in the 1990's I took a 7x57 that shot really well with 140 Ballistic Tips and H414 on a pronghorn hunt in New Mexico. When checking the scope on arrival the temperature was around 85-90, and encountered some stuff bolt lifts. However, the load shot even better than at 70 degrees, with three usually touching! At down around 20 degrees, the same load wouldn't group any better than 2 inches.

But like a lot of cartridges with moderate powder capacity for their bore, the 7x57 works pretty well with a wide variety of powders. One of the articles I do now and then with various rounds is "newer powders and bullets in the...." and the 7x57 is on my schedule.

Among several powders ranging from standbys like Varget and RL-15 to H4831 and RL-22 will be a new powder of medium burn-rate from Hodgdon, part of a new series that may turn out to be even better than the Extremes. I can't reveal anything more for a month or two, but they sent me a jug to play with last spring and it's kind of like the 4895's, very flexible, but temp-resistant and clean-burning--but also contains a de-coppering agent. My guess is this particular variation with work very well in the 7x57 with lighter bullets in the 120-150 grain range. We shall see.

Slightly off topic JB,. but is AA 2700 and H 414 also pretty much the same powder, like H 414 and W 760 are?

Some one I know, wants to sell me a few pounds to try out...

but if they are the same, I won't waste the time and bullets.. as I have a good 8 to 10 lbs of H 414 in the powder cabinet..

it works real well in my 6.5 x 57 with 120 to 140 grain bullets..

Yeah, they're the same powder.

What!

Is this a "coming out" announcement...?

DF

Oh Nooooooo..... another 270 lover out of the closet.

Hey my father smelled of gooseberries.

Believe it or not, I just finished off the last of the chiles you sent me. thanks again for that! My wife lived in NM for awhile and was really tickled that she got to scorch and peel them!

I have tried several loads with 4350 in my 7x57 , but it just doesn't gives me the accuracy that Hod 4831 does. My favorite deer bullet in the 7x57 is the Sierra 160 gr BTHP with Hod 4831SC

Ingwe

Just had 2 bushels roasted. One of Mirasol a local medium hot variant grown east Pueblo CO and one of Poblano also locally grown which is slightly milder. Usually go through about 1 -2 bushels a year. Addicting stuff.

Mule Deer

231 = HP38
296 = H110
760 = H414 = A2700
MRP = RL22

Any others to add to the list?

Allegedly:

Norma 204=RL-19
Norma 203B=RL-15
MRP2/now Norma 217=RL-25

And ADI/Hodgdon equivalents:

AS30N=Clays
AS50N=International
AP7ON=Universal
AR2205=H4227
AR2207=H4198
AR2219=H322
Bench Mark2=BenchMark
AR2206H=H4895
AR2208=Varget
AR2209=H4350
AR2213SC=H4831
AR2217=H1000
AR2225=Retumbo
AR2218=H50BMG

DF

Thanks

Alright, John, let's hear the details!

And thanks for the info. I'm collecting 7x57 data since sometime soon I hope to start doing something I haven't done since the early 1980s: handload. I enjoyed your "beginning handloading" article in Guns magazine as I'm going to be starting from ground zero again. It was helpful.

But back to the details....

Mike

It's actually not a completely new rifle. My NULA Model 24 .30-06's barrel is getting a little tired, and is also a 24" #2. I'm getting older and along becoming less fond of hauling around any extra weight, either on me or my gear.

Also don't tolerate recoil like I used to, and don't travel as much, where taking a .30-06 can come in handy if you need more ammo. Haven't found an '06 kills big game any deader than the 7x57 does, either.

Found a take-off, like-new, 22" #1 contour 7x57 NULA (Douglas) barrel here on the Campfire and will screw it on sometime soon, though whether before the hunting season just coming up is doubtful. It will save about a half-pound of weight, and still kill stuff.

Nice!

Isn't it funny how weight/recoil/etc become issues as we get older? Or is it just becoming a bit wiser....

Actually, I can still shoot rifles of heavier recoil fine. Last year I did two articles for AMERICAN RIFLEMAN where I had to shoot .300 Winchester Magnums quite a bit off the bench in various tests.

But I don't want to if somebody's not paying me--or there's some other compelling reason, like a Cape buffalo.

Cash or Cape Buffalo - yeah, that'd do it!!

Anyone here with experience using Ramshot powders in the 7x57?

Big Game works pretty darn well, since it's close to H414/W760 in burn rate, but far more temperature-resistant and cleaner burning. Hunter also works well with heavier bullets, say from 150 grains up. It's burn rate is usually a little slower than the 4350's, around Reloder 19's.

Thanks John....have both Big Game and Hunters on hand. With a pair of brand new Model 70 7x57's I was hoping they would work well.

What is a good load with Hunter and the 160 gr bullet?

Life circumstances have prevented me from doing much shooting over the past year or so but was able to get out today and shoot some loads in the Model 70 FWT I have been playing with the last couple years.

160 gr. Speer Hot-Cor's shot right about an inch or a touch under propelled by 48.5 grs. of 4350. Nosler 150 BT's did almost as well with 49.5 grs. of the same powder. If memory serves correctly those loads were getting just about 2700 and 2775, respectively. It has been over a year since I shot them over a chrony.

John,

Do you have any loads for Big Game and 140 grain bullets?
I've been using IMR-4350 and then H-4350 for some time. Would like to try another powder just because.

Thanks,
Steve

Steve and Bea175,

Thought I'd answer both of your questions about Ramshot powders in the 7x57 in one post.

What I often do when handloading "modern" 7x57's (and I haven't owned any other kind for years) and can't find any data for certain powders is use 7mm-08 data as a starting load. For some reason Ramshot doesn't list any 7x57 data, but the 7x57 has a little bigger case than the 7mm-08 so this is safe.

The problem is a maximum load, since as I mentioned earlier in this thread the throat-length of 7x57's is all over the place. As an example, I've owned 7x57's where as little as 48 grains of IMR4350/H4350 was a practical maximum with 140-grain bullets, and other rifles that easily took 50+ grains.

So I can't reasonably suggest a maximum load for all rifles. Instead I suggest adding powder until muzzle velocities are no more than 2900 with 140's, 2700 with 160's, or 2500 with 175's. This assumes "normal" barrel lengths.

The one difference between loading Ramshot powders and many others is they're ball powders, so often shoot more accurately with hotter primers. The most extreme example I've seen was soon after they were introduced. Big Game looked like a good powder for the .220 Swift, but after working up to Ramshot's listed maximum 5-shot groups from my rifle averaged around 1-1/2". However, that was with a standard LR primer. I remembered their tech guy saying magnum primers often produced better accuracy, so switched to the Federal 215. Groups shrank to 1/2" to 3/4".

John,

Many thanks for the info and I'll give Big Game and Federal 215 primers a literal and figurative shot.

Steve

JB
Did the Serengetti 7x57 go down the road?
John

John,

Nope, it's still here--and over the next couple of days I'm loading a bunch of new-load ammo for an article.

Be sure to load up something for the pigs.

I've not had good luck with Speer Hot-Core bullets -- no expansion. i'd like to hear how they work in your 7x57.
(I prefer Hornady Spire Point Interlock bullets for deer and antelope)

Bugger,

Are you talking about Hot-Cors in general or just in the 7x57?

John: In which publication do you expect the article to appear?

Mule Deer
I've had trouble with 6mm Hot Cores. I've shot a lot of 7x57 loads and with the velocities I've gotten I would be concerned about heavy Hot Cores (160 grain) in the 7x57. If you or someone else has had good luck with the that heavy a bullet in the 7x57 with Hot Cores, I'd bow to your/their experience.
I'm a big 7mm fan from 7TCU, 7 International, 7x57, 280 and 7 Mag and the only failure I've had with any bullet in the 7mm is 160 grain Speer Mag tips in 280. (If I told you what happened you'd probably say I'm lying and probably would ignore anything else I'd write, but I had witnesses.)
I stopped using Speer as big game bullets in the smaller calibers, even though they often get excellent accuracy, sometimes better than most.
I may use the 250 grain hot cores in my 350 - they are tempting -since it shoots very accurately and deep penetration is important to me with that rifle. I'm open to hear your's or others experiences.

BTW, the only 7x57's I've owned is a military mouser (the mouser was my first high power rifle - 1960 or so) and a Remington classic. The classic will be avilable at my estate sale unless my kids grab it.

GUNS magazine.

Thanks, John; I'll be looking for it.

I sold my John Rigby 275 but am still playing with another 7mm Remmy and a 280.

JW

John, any pictures of the Rigby? I'd be interested to see any you might have.

Thanks

Mike

Guns Magazine -- Vintage Performer
Quote
"The load I used almost exclusively was the 139-grain Hornady, both pre- and post-Interlock, along with IMR-4350 in W-W cases with W-W standard large rifle primers. "

That's my favorite too!! Although I have used different manufacturer brass and primers. The IMR4350 along with the 139 Hornady plain base and BT is the only jacketed load I use any more. And a 170 grain cast is the only other load.

Bugger,

I haven't used the 160 Hot-Cor in the 7x57, but have used the 130 and 145 with good results. Would be puzzled if the 160 didn't work, however, as have shot a number of animals with 160-grain Sierra softpoints from the 7x57, and over the years found the performance of Sierras very similar to Hot-Cors in the same applications.

Off the top of my head, have also used these other HC's on big game: 105 6mm in the .243 Win., 100 .25 in the 250 Savage, 140 in .264 Winchester Magnum, 165 .30 in .30-06, and 200 .338 in .338 Win. Magnum. Haven't had any real problems with any, but have never used any of the Mag-Tips on big game.

Thanks John
The 105 HC in 6mm was the issue for me. Quite a few years ago, I shot a nice 14+" pronghorn at 100 yards through the lungs while he was still laying down at sunrise. He got up and starting trotting away; 4 more shots through the lungs and by that time the pronghorn was walking. The last shot was through the neck and he fell. The grouping with that 105 grain bullet was the best that rifle had shot up to then <".25 MOA - 5 shot groups. Since then Hornady has come out with SST and a 58 grain bullet that shoots as well as that 105 grain Speer in both my 6mm's.
But back to the pronghorn there was no expansion with any of the hits. Each exit wound looked to no larger than .25".
I'm puzzled that for you the Hot Cores worked like Sierras since the results I've (and others I hunt with) had with Sierras is very fast expansion, sometimes with little penetration -- the opposite end of the spectrum to the Speer 105 HC.
Well, I'm an old dog, and I know there's always something to learn.

Results from a 280 (on a rifle I built on a military Mauser action) for the 160 grain mag tip. One devestating blow-up on a pronghorn and one one-shot kill on a cow elk shot through the shoulder. Seemingly opposite results??? For accuracy, that 280 preferred Speer Mag tips over any other bullet. I more or less gave that rifle with a Weaver K4 to a friend in Denver about 30 years ago.

Bugger,

The only problems I've seen with Sierras have been when they were driven too fast and then used at short range.

Most cup-and-cores or any type work best when driven no faster than about 2800 fps at the muzzle, and 2700 with a heavier bullet is usually better, because the bullet will retain more velocity at longer ranges so still expand, yet not have as much tendency to come apart up close. Have shot many animals with the 160 Sierra GameKing from the 7x57 at around 2650-2700 and never had a problem from 100 yards to almost 400.

Have seen the 130 Sierra .270 GameKing come apart a few times when driven at 3000 fps or more on closer game, though it usually works fine from 200 yards out. In general, if I want 3000 fps out of a cup-and-core and might shoot something under 150-200 yards, the Hornady Interlock is the choice.

When I used the 105 Speer Hot-Cor in the .243 the muzzle velocity was around 2800 fps, and only one bullet came apart--but the core still penetrated and killed the deer. When I used the 140 Speer Hot-Cor in the .264 Winchester the muzzle velocity was around 3200, but I only used it for deer in open country, minimum range about 200 yards, and the result was always a wound channel and exit of about 1".

Have only seen one softpoint cup-and-core not expand (or at least not expand much), a 120-grain Nosler Solid Base from a .257 Roberts at about 2850 fps. Shot a big mule deer buck in the lungs broadside, just behind the shoulder, and he went 200 yards before falling. The hole through the lungs was very small, as was the exit. In fact only found one tiny drop of blood, right where he was shot.

But anything is possible, and you never know when some bullet company tweaks the design, or somebody on the assembly uses the wrong lead alloy for the cores, or does something else to screw up some bullets. But those are the exceptions and not the rule.

160 Partition has been known to kill something now and then.




So has the 160 Accubond.




"Very powerful gun. Shoot very fast. Hit very hard."
Moses (in pic above) after seeing the 7x57 in action.

Gotta try me some more partitions. Most reports sound like they always expand and always penetrate. What more could one ask of a bullet? I usually go for the heavier cup-n-core bullets to get this kind of performance, but at the expense of trajectory. Sounds like the 160gr 7mm partition is a do-all in the 7x57. Who can argue with Moses?

Yeah, and even the lighter Partitions penetrate pretty well from the 7x57. Maybe a dozen years ago I got up on an eating-sized mule deer buck in lodgepole timber, and shot him at 30 yards as he faced me, right at the dimple in the bottom of the neck. He collapsed, and while field-dressing I traced the bullet's path through the diaphragm, but lost it past that. Figured I'd left it on the ground in the gutpile, but about a year later bit into one of his round steaks and thought I'd found a chunk of bone. Instead it was a 140-grain Nosler Partition, perfectly expanded! Don't know whether it was me or Eileen who cut the steak while butchering, but must have sliced perfectly on either side of the bullet.

Killed one of my two biggest-bodied mule deer bucks with a 160 at about 275 yards up in Alberta about 5 years ago. He was angling somewhat toward me, so I put it in the shoulder and we recovered it from under the hide toward the rear of the ribs, retaining 90% of its weight. That was one big buck: We got 130 pounds of boned meat off him, and the normal ratio is three times the boned meat just about equals live weight.

So,if my math is right,that mule deer weighed 390 lbs alive,correct?

Somewhere around there. Killed another one about the same size in the high country along the Rocky Mountain Front here in Montana in 1993, also using the 160 Partition, but used a really big cartridge--the .280 Remington.

All of this 7x57 talk has certainly caught my interest.

I have an FN-made Brazilian Model 1922 (98 Mauser) in its original miltary "carbine" configuration (18.5-inch barrel) and original stock. Last year, after many years of using iron sights with it (and due to the unavoidable effects of aging), I had the receiver drilled and mounted a 1.5-5x scope. At the same time, I had the bolt handle replaced to clear the scope. I ended up replacing the trigger with a Bold, too. The end result looks cool, is incredibly handy, and comes up to my shoulder surprisingly fast, and on target.

Over the years, I've settled on two loads for paper punching: 175-grain Hornady RN pushed by 49 grains of a surplus equivalent of the ancient H450; and 139-grain Hornady SP pushed by 50 grains of IMR 4350. Despite the long throat, the 139-grain load hovers around 1 to 1.5 m.o.a and about 2,670 f.p.s.; and the 175-grain load is giving me a solid 2,450 over the chronograph, and it averages in the 1.5 to 2 m.o.a range.

I call it my version of the .30-30 because it is a short, handy, close-range rifle.

I have never taken any animal with a 7mm bullet before (because I normally use one of my .300 Win Mags or .30-06s). Hopefully, that will change soon.

I have been told by many people that the 175-grain Hornady RN is a good all around bullet for close range shooting of animals from deer to moose, so this is the load I will use for hunting. I have also been told to be careful with the 139-grain bullet because it "blows up like a Ballistic Tip". I'm curious about what some of the experienced 7x57 users think about these bullets.

In closing, I don't need to use this rifle necessarily as my "all around rifle" -- I'll keep my Remington 700 Stainless Mountain Rifle in .30-06 for that purpose. Instead, I want to use this rifle for closer range hunting. This is not to say that the rifle is no good at longer ranges -- last week I put three shots with my 175-grain RN load into a 4-inch long horizontal "waterline" group at 300 yards, in a shifting wind, using the tip of the bottom Duplex post as an aiming point. (I will readily concede that there must be some element of fluke in this.) I just like the idea of something short and handy for the dense forests of British Columbia.

Ballistic Tips don't blow up and certainly not at 7x57 velocities.

Dang,the ones I shot down here are,maybe 150 lbs +/-.

Surprised you didn't blow the deer to pieces with such "really big cartridge."

P17,

Aside from seconding what Son of the Gael said about 140 Ballistic Tips in the 7x57, I have shot a bunch of big game with the 139-grain Hornady Spire point from both the 7x57 and .280 Remington, ranging in size from pronghorns and doe deer to bull caribou and eating-size elk. Have never seen one "blow up", and the very few that didn't exit were perfectly mushroomed.

Any love for the 154 Hornady in a 7x57?

Nothing.

Partitions do it all the time,and it doesn't matter if they are 25's or 375's. You get the same thing, time after time.....expansion and penetration.

They are among the most boring BG bullets I have tried.

Yeah, it works too!

It's actually hard to find a bullet that doesn't work in the 7x57, because the velocity isn't tough on jackets and cores, even on close-range shots.

I did have a factory Prvi 139 C&C go to pieces on a really small boar. There's a picture of it on the "Corn Eaters of Florida" thread in the Big Game forum. I was really surprised.

Mule Deer

I also noticed a lack of reloading data for the 7x57 in Ramshot's website so I asked them. This is their reply:

Hi Patrick,



Big Game is the best choice and I have listed some guidelines for you to use:



Caliber: 7x57 Mauser.

Barrel length: 24�

Pressure spec: <56565 Psi/3900 Bar (CIP) original



Powder: Ramshot � BIG GAME�.

Bullet weight: 100-110 grains.

Start load: 47.7 grains (2975 - 3075 Fps)

Maximum load: 53.0 grains (3275 � 3375 Fps).

Bullet weight: 120 grains.

Start load: 45.0 grains (2700 - 2800 Fps)

Maximum load: 50.0 grains (3000 � 3100 Fps).

Bullet weight: 130 grains.

Start load: 43.7 grains (2575 - 2675 Fps)

Maximum load: 48.5 grains (2875 � 2975 Fps)

Bullet weight: 139/140 grains.

Start load: 42.0 grains (ca 2550 Fps)

Maximum load: 47.0 grains (ca 2900 Fps)

Bullet weight: 150-154 grains.

Start load: 40.8 grains (ca 2450 Fps)

Maximum load: 46.0 grains (ca 2800 Fps).

Bullet weight: 160 grains.

Start load: 40.5 grains (2350 � 2450 Fps)

Maximum load: 45.0 grains (2600 � 2700 Fps).

Bullet weight: 175 grains.

Start load: 39.6 grains (2300 � 2400 Fps)

Maximum load: 44.0 grains (2500 � 2600 Fps).

Moby1,

Thanks.

I tried Ramshot's 7mm-08 data in my 21" barreled 7x57 (which has a throat on the short side), and with 48.5 grains of Big Game and the 139-grain Hornady Spire Point Interlock got 2875 fps and excellent accuracy, with apparently mild pressure.

Also tried 48 grains of Hunter with the 160 Sierra GameKing and got around 2675 fps and good accuracy, which is just about exactly what I get with 46.0 grains of H4350. Again, pressure is apparently mild.

In both loads the primer was the CCI 250. A different primer and throat length would make some difference.

Yes. Yes there is. I started shooting the 154 in a couple of my 7x57s a couple years ago, and they kill deer just fine. IME the 175 tends to blow bigger holes and not stop in the animal, but the 154 does work. I load them over 44gr of H4350. Some rifles can handle a bit more powder than that because of the variability of rifles chambered for 7x57, but it works in my bolt rifles. Still use 175s in the drilling.

Just came back from the prairie myself from checking the zero on my worn out Ruger 77 7x57,(1974 Manufact.) The 160 gr Noslers will be ready next month to try to fill the freezer. Nothing spectacular to mention just normal 1" groups and 2650fps, plenty of each to kill what needs killing.....

Anyone using any Ballistic Silvertips?

The most accurate hunting bullet in my 7x57 is the 140 gr Ballistic Tip. I believe that is the same bullet without the black coating. My load is 48.5 grs. of H-4350 at c. 2800 fps.

Same bullet with 52 grains of RL19 runs about 2750 in mine and is absolutely awesome in the accuracy department.

Plus +1.

That is also an excellent load in my rifle with the 140 Ballistic Tip. Winchester brass has more capacity than Remington brass. With the same loads I always get about 50 fps less with the Winchester cases. I don't worry about it and case life is excellent.

In my experience the Winchester brass is a little bit more consistent and a little bit easier to work with than the Remington cases.

Semper Fi Marine

Thank you sir.

It should be noted that this load is using Winchester brass as well.

I shot a doe in the shoulder with 165 grain Sierra Game King out of a 06. The bullet didn't enter the chest cavity. The doe tried to run off on three legs. And I had to shoot her again.
My brother-in-law shot a Bull Elk with 300 Win Mag and Sierra bullet (I don't recall the specific bullet, but he thought it was appropriate). The elk eventually got away. He followed the bull quite a ways. He swore he'd never use Sierra bullets again. He switched to Nosler Partitions. He felt that there was little penetration with the Sierra's.
Like you said if the bullet isn't driven to fast, the issue will go away. But if I'm on the prairie or in the mountains and expect up to or more than 300 yards for a shot, I'll probably be carrying a 300 or 338 and if I get a 15 yard opportunity it is too late to switch bullets.
What has worked for me is primarily Interlock bullets from Hornady and Nosler Partitions. I've never had a failure with either of these. I also have not had problems with Remington bullets, but they usually don't shoot as accurate as the Interlock�s and Partitions (as if an extra 1/2" to 1" groups size would make a difference) I have heard from others that Sierras work OK for them - I wish them luck. Personally, I don't want to increase the chance of wounding a game animal, which I think might happen.
I acquired a 264 Win Mag in 1969 and had issues with all of the cup and core bullets I tried then - I didn't try them all, I am sure. I settled on Nosler Partitions (140 grain, if I remember right which were turned on a screw machine) for deer and antelope - never a problem. I didn't have the fortune to try the 264 out on Elk.
I do not understand the Speer bullet failures I've had and I have not experimented with them on game animals after the failures.

Basically I agree with what you've said, and I'm sure you've shot more big game than I. But for some reason we've had some differences on a couple of occassions.

The loads used on the two Oryx I posted earlier in the thread. Rifle is one of the 2013 run of M70 Fwts. Disclaimer: these are at or near max in this rifle. Be careful.

Have used Sierras out of a .300 Savage, and worked fine. Tried a 130 Sierra boattail on deer, out of a warm loaded .270. Hit a buck about 90 yards, with a quartering shot just behind the shoulder, and the result was quite decisive. No exit, but all I found was the jacket. The clockwork was pretty well mush. The deer never knew what hit it, but I'm not so sure that would have been the case, had I hit the shoulder bone.

My model 70 Featherweight uses those also, for most of my hunting with it...my load is 44 grains of 4064, 140 grain Ballistic Tip, giving an MV of 2800 fps ( on the nose no less) out of it's 22 inch barrel...

my Ruger usually goes heavy weight, 40 grains of 3031, with a 175 grain RN, running an MV of 2650 fps...recipe out of an older Hornady Manual...which says the load should yield 2450 fps..

but 3 chrony's listed it at 2650... my cheap Shooting Chrony, but same readings out of a Pact and an Oehler...

addendum on the Featherweight... a load of 28 grains of SR 4759, with a 120 grain bullet, has the exact same point of impact at 100 yds as the 44 grains of 4064 and a 140 grain ballistic Tip...

Was that 165 the spitzer or the "hollerpoint"? I've used the HP with no issues in an '06 and a .308. The SP, according to Sierra, is a little softer. In fact, they recommend the SP for use in .30 cal handgun loads for just that reason.

I'm heading out Friday with the 7x57 and 139 gr Hornady's and IMR4350 powder in my Remington classic - with a 2x7 Leupold on top. Plan on Antelope meat in the freezer. I got some 120 grain hollow points in case I get into a dog town after the antelope. POI is slightly different in height only. I'm actually getting anxious as it has been a couple of years since I drew a goat license.

;-)

Great thread.

Thanks

Saw this and thought "now why would anyone need a load to shoot Mule Deer?" He's a regular sort, seems a little over the top to me.

I'd think about any 160 gr. bullet powdered by any 4350 powder would drop a regular sort of mule deer.

I appreciate the information on this subject. I own a push feed Model 70 in 7x57 and have used it on deer and three elk. Reloading data for the caliber varies substantially, so experience from users is highly desirable. H414 with 150 gr. bullets has worked well for me but I normally shoot off of a bench in 40 and 50 degree temperatures but hunt in colder weather, so appreciate Mule Deer's input on the temperature and accuracy problem.

With 160 gr. bullets, which I have used for most hunting, IMR 4350 gives good accuracy. 160 Partitions were used on elk, with two recovered and looking like advertisement photos. R22 gives excellent accuracy with 175 grain bullets.

Hello,

I have two 7x57. The first one a so-called Plezier Mauser (mine is not exactly like the ones went to South Africa in the Boer times). It is one of the very few Original Sporting M93 Mausers made by DWM. I have it since 1972 when my Grand Father gave it tome. He had received it from his father.... The other is a M1935 Argentine Mauser made as sporter at our Government Arsenal around 1970. It was from its start a 7,65x53 Mauser. I change the original barrel and put an original mint military one made by S.I.G. (marked S.J.G) for the 1912 Chilean Mauser.
Both has a rifling twist of one turn in 222,5 milimeters. Around one turn in 8,76". The standard original Mauser designed.
It has been, and still is my main hunting rifle/cartridge. For European Red Deer, Fallow Deer, Axis Deer and Wild Boar.
I ended using mostly 154 Hornady Spire Point, 160 Speer Mag Tip, 160 Nosler Partition, 173 H-Mantel, 175 Speer Mag Tip and the 175 Nosler Partition.
I use the 154 grs Hornady for the Axis and Fallow Deer. The rest 160 to 175 grs for the big Red Deer (almost an Elk by size ) and the Wild Boar.
I load the 154 Hornady near 2800 f/s, the 160 grs around 2750 f/s and the 175 grs at 2650 f/s.
The Original M98 Mauser barrel has around .350" of freebore. This, plus the lenght of the magazine, allows to load the cartridge to an OAL of 3,25" and a .4" of free bullet travel (Nosler 175 grs). With my former not-anymore-mine Mannlicher-Schoenauer GK 7x64 and 60 cm barrel I could never reach more than 2700 f/s with that 175 grs Nosler Partition bullet. The actual case capacity with the OAL the magazine permited (being the freebore a long, long one, almost double the 7x57 one) was no more than 5 grs greater than the 7x57 as I load it. Period.
Those velocities are with Winchester cases, Std. primers and 4350, R19 and the GREAT R22 powders. The cases last 10 loads without any problem. But I use cases with no more than three reloads for hunting.
In my experience the 175 grs Nosler with that load is perhaps the best for those big game animals. And I would not have any problem to use it as an all around load in the 7x57. For our Blackbuck (India) antelope, I use specially the 139 grs Hornady at 2900 f/s, but any of the other would be perfectly apt too.

Best Regards

PH

John,

What velocities would you expect with H4831(long or sc) with 150, 160 and 175 gr bullets?

thanks,

Scott

It would depend on barrel length, but about the same as the list you quoted, with the 150's at 2800 or so.

Sorry 22 to 24" barrels

Any real advantage of H4350 or H4831?

One thing that has always bothered me was the Nosler 150 gr data that shows max velocities for H4831sc around 2600 IRC. What are your thoughts? Did they get a funky lot?

Thanks,

Scott

I have 5 7X57's in the gun room a couple of #1A's and a 700 Mountain Rifle have seen the most use as our Michigan woods rifles for 15 yrs between the wife, sister and I. I loaded 140gr Game Kings at 2500-2600 for the girls and 140 PT's at 2800 for myself, both with H4350. They were all boringly effective....30 or so kills over 15 yrs. Never caught a bullet at our short ranges (under 125 yds. Haven't used one in 10 yrs now...writing this may make me dig one back out for this season....