Well, sad tp say I haven't fired a shot since December 2019. On 1.2.20 I was in a bad motor vehicle wreck. Truck was totaled and the doc said no shooting until I clear you. Finally got clear a year later one th have a damn heart attack on 2.27/21. Doc put in a couple of stents and said no shooting. Don't want the shake the stents loose. Finally get cleared bingo, fugging cancer. Asked the doc to put the port for the chemo on my left side so I could start shooting again. S.O.B. put it in my right shoulder. I have quite figured it out yet. Is God telling me no more shooting and hunting, or is the decade of the 2020s trying to kill me or just bad luck with the doctors?
Sorry to have the add the sob story but at the time of the accident I was working with loads for the 7x57. Primarily working at 7-08 pressure levels. I have one load that does 2880 FPS with the 150 gr. Nosler Partition that shoots bug hole groups. Temperature at the time was about 105*. Recoil is mild in a Winchester M70 Featherweight and a Ruger #1A. It does show pressure problems in a custom Mauser. The load was worked up for an upcoming elk hunt.
I'd been considering doing more light load work for a while. The 06 and .35 Whelen were about as much fun as I could stand for a while which led to the experimentation with the 7x57. Using my chronograph and carefully monitoring velocity I reached a safe 2880FPS and a very tight group. Discretion decided to drop back a hair just in case so settled on a load doing an honest 2800 FPS. Groups still .75" or less. If I ever get that damned port out, I'll see how that load works out. I can always drop back to factory level and hope to get close enough to my game to get it done. My 06 flat out loves the 165 gr. Accubond and recoil with my load ain't all that bad. The .35 Whelen worries me a bit but if push came to shove I could probably handle the kick long enough to anchor my game. Just wish that damn chemo would stop. FWIW, I'll officially be 84 in 8 more days.
PJ
