Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles 7x57 loads in a modern action

I shot 140gr partitions today as well as 139gr Hornady Interlocks. It didn't care for the partitions much with either 48gr or 47gr of imr4350. 48 grouped about 2" at 100. 47gr grouped about 1.5", maybe a little less.

It REALLY liked the 139gr IL's. But the 47gr load of imr 4350 was the favorite and easy on the shoulder.

Tzone, you might try Varget with those Partitions, faster powder is supposed to help with them sometimes, or so MD has said. Or stick with the IL's, heck they'll work fine.

Regarding compressed loads, the Winchester brass I have has noticeably more interior volume than RP or the other brands in my collection. I'm sure that varies from lot to lot.

I've been wondering about powders, myself. In a 700 action, I've been able to get excellent accuracy with 154 grain Interlocks over R15, but they're s l o w w w... (low 2,500's fps). When I tried H4350 and H414 with that bullet, accuracy went to [excrement].

I've been thumbing through the Gun Gack book again, and noticed MD listing some 154 and 160 grain loads with R22 that got up to 2,700+ fps. D'ya suppose it would be worth checking out that slow of a powder (H4831SC and 4000-MR are also on the shelf), or maybe go to something on the faster end, like H4895?

FWIW, this rifle has always liked heavier bullets. Its favorite factory stuff is 175 Federals, and 173 S&B SPCE.

FC

fwiw, out of cases producing mild velocities like the 7x57, whitetail find non-premium bullets irresistible.

Horns & BTs over h4350 are an easy load for accuracy here with 140s and for that matter 150s. Do prefer fine-tuning an accurate combo from the getgo, over trying to remedy one that isn't...:)

FC, my preferred powder is H4831 (SC or classic) with the 154's & up. RL15 was good for 120's though.

That's the plans so far. Now I have something to work with. I do have some
154gr RN I'd like to play with. This will be a woods rifle after all.

My hunting load in my Featherweight, ( for Deer) is 44 grains of 4064 or IMR 4895, with either the 140 grain Ballistic Tip
or the 139 SP Hornady... Velocity is pretty much right on 2800 fps..

The Ruger 77, pretty much is 40 grains of 3031, with bullet weights from 139s to 175s...
about the only charge the Ruger likes except for some 30 grains of 4198 with 130s to 175s
and 20 to 28 grains of SR 4759, with the lighter bullets, 140 grains and under...

The Ruger is VERY Picky... the Featherweight will shoot ANYTHING real well.

I'd love it to like the 175's but those make more of a pattern. There is nothing like a RN in the big woods, to me anyway. Anyone ever tried the 165gr rem corelokts that Remington puts in the .280?

Do you notice that you need a longer or shorter COAL helps? I haven't seen anything great yet.

I pretty much seat bullets out to magazine length...if the throat will take them...

I usually will make a dummy round and ram it home and let the throat tell me what it
will take...

on the Ruger, this rifle ( I use to have Two of them) wouldn't shoot anything but patterns
as far as a group goes.. I was to the point of going to rebarrel both of them.

I don't know why, but I decided to try a charge of 40 grains of 3031 from an Older Hornady
manual with the 175 RN...at the range, It gave me a half inch group...

that blew my socks off, as that didn't make sense for that rifle...so I went home and loaded up
some more, with both the RN and the SP in 175 grains...

back to the range and same thing....

so I started trying other bullet weights and brands with 3031... once again, the one charge
it loved with each bullet weight was 40 grains of 3031... same thing with the other Ruger..

a campfire friend in WVA wanted a 7 x 57 Ruger for his son, so I let one go, but told him
that was the load he needed to feed it, for dependable accuracy...

Even with the 175s, the Ruger's throat, would take longer than a magazine length seated bullet.

So that is what I use on it.

on the Featherweight... I just seat the bullet to the cannelure on a 175 RN and it returns little groups
so I don't mess with it anymore than that..

hope that answers your question T.

best of luck with yours.

It does. Thanks. I'll play with length next. Loading manuals are all over the board on them. The last batch went out at 3.063" COAL and there were no issues in the mag or the chamber. Hornady consistently list the COAL at 3.00" I'll make up a dummy round and see what it comes up with.

I think I need a different powder to try as well.

If you are trying to get better groups with a Featherweight, I bought mine used for an unbelievable price...

Low miles, but it had already been professionally bedded..

I did the same with my 6.5 x 55, and even tho that was a great shooter, that tightened up its groups also.

Bedding it is the next step. But, not until after this season. I also bought it used for a great price. It's a push feed. It now has a Timney trigger that breaks nice and crisp at 3#.

I'd like to find another or maybe have one of my 06's rebarreled. This has become my favorite cartridge.

I have a few, but have recently been concentrating on my MRC ASR. I know folks complain that it's a heavy rifle, but the more I shoot it the more I like the weight-forward balance. It seems to hold steadier for me than my FWT. And I haven't yet found any loads in which it isn't accurate.

Just my $.02

It seems to like 46 grains of IMR4350 and 140gr partitions. Loaded to 3.063 COAL. It came up with 7/8" at 100yds. But it REALLY liked 120gr Nosler Ballistic Tips on top of Varget. Those were 3/4" at 100. I can't remember the grains 100% without looking at my notes, but I think it was 44 grains.

This is a very old thread, but does anyone know where to find the referenced article?

Thank you!