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.
