The 7x57 in factory guise is a nice accurate mildly kicking round that serves well for most deer hunting so no gripes there but it's like buying a new Corvette and disconnecting two spark plugs. Why shoot a 140 gr. bullet at 2600 FPS when 2800 FPS is easily arrived at? If all I ever hunted deer, that 145 gr. Winchester factory load would most likely do it all but where I hunt ranges can stretch out a bit. I'm just more comfortable with that 140 gr./2800 FPS than the 145 gr./2600FPS, that is if the factory load even gets that fast. I ought to Chrony some if I can ever find any.
Any idea what the Winchester 145gr bullet is? That's the only load I've killed anything with in this gun. It was my longest shot at a deer actually. A bit over 100 yds, probably 125 or so. Shot was a bit 1/4'ing away. Hit the back of leg, heart, and exited above the knee on the off side. The deer died because of the hole in his heart, but the bulled didn't really expand much. Almost not at all.
