Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Good 7x57 Mauser loads

How about. "Pet low meat loss loads"

All interesting info for me as a newbie to a 7x57. Much to consider but if most won't get all stressed about it, I've questions.

Mods, feel free to wipe out anything undesirable that I may post.

While I know everyone feels broadside ribcage shots ruin little meat but, believe me, after processing over 3000 whitetail in my life when I had my shop for such.........that's not always the case. Others feel rib meat is something less than desirable but being old school (and old) I waste nothing unless bloodshot.

My next deer will put me in the triple digits (not a brag, just making it clear I'm not in any way inexperienced) but I've only taken a FEW with a centerfire. My weapon of choice for 4 plus decades was a 54 cal black powder rifle, recurve or longbow.

Center fire rifles are not new to me either. I've had dozens and loaded for them starting at age 16. 50 years ago. However the ONLY deer I've taken with a centerfire was a .358 caliber wildcat. Only a couple years ago did my state allow standard deer rifle rounds and those past couple years I was incapable of going at all, let alone finance a rifle and loading gear once again. All of it went South when the bottom fell out from under my feet physically and financially.

But..........I'M BACK. Slow but able and I've GOT QUESTIONS on the bullets and velocities mentioned.

The old "cup and core" 358 Speer 180s were seriously "bang flop" deadly............but lord a' mercy if you hit bone! ARGGHH! I'm talking fist sized entry caverns (Hole ......just don't seem appropriate. lol) even with the bullet continuing on and being lethal.
I've always ASSUMED that the higher velocity (and normally lighter bullets, regardless of construction) create the most 'SPLAT' effect, jellies the most meat and creates the most meat loss.

With this assumption in my mind for the 7x57, I've already settled on the fact I'm going to shoot 160-175 grain bullets. Months of studying load data from every source I could find (Mule Deer's too) I've a solid grasp on what is what with the mighty and old 7mm Mauser BUT the majority of the posts concentrating on the 150(ish) and lighter bullet weights has me scratching my chin........a little.

PART of what may be different for me compared to most is even though I've ONE spot where I can set up and 'no other hunter with any brains would sit here!' is the general opinion of a few friends but I CAN get 300 yard shots. In other areas I can, and have, shot deer at 30 FEET, and not just a few (and NOT from a treestand) so........I've QUESTIONS about what kind of SPLAT I'm going to have on a whitetail with this round at any CLOSE ranges. It's not like I'm going to wait for the deer to go away a bit. I go into "full auto mode" when a shot appears. (old habits die hard.)

Talk to me about (photos????? Are they allowed?) the entry/exit holes in deer/elk/whatever.......and the ranges, bullets used and velocity on contact estimation???? Asking a lot, I know.

Some look upon "meat hunters" with disdain these days. If such offends anyone of this esteemed group please consider one simple fact:

If not for those of past generations whom started all this for the SINGLE reason of acquiring meat for loved ones and themselves....this would not be the grand sport it is today.....at least IMHO.

Oh yes! A fine older buck is much appreciated, admired and looked upon with more pride than I should, but such is not the yardstick that measures if I have a "successful season" .....or not.

The LOVE of the hunt is my first reason to do so, but believe me, I've sat in front of the wood burner contemplating the question of "Would I still hunt deer if I didn't love venison?".........After decades of asking myself this.........I still do not have a concrete reply.

Just........FWIW, and only my opinion, like bullets, all venison is not equal. After the statement above on the number of deer (and some elk) Ive butchered I've "cold hard rules" that MUST be followed or the quality of the meat will suffer.........badly. I CAN say (and am a bit proud, sorry) to say I've fed venison to extended family members "who cannot stand deer!" who ranted over the meat.......and REFUSED to accept it was the deer in the photo hanging on the wall. I've spend 3 decades on the subject and feel I have it cornered.
I'd rather eat venison I've handled from day one to table..........than the best porterhouse the grocery store can produce.

THIS is the reason I give lots of thought to not only accuracy and effectiveness but what kind of disaster is left to butcher around and why "SO FAR" I'm looking at possibly two loads for my own use as long at the point of impact isn't radically different. Slower (2400?) for "woods rounds" and my best "loaded to the gills" rounds with bullets that will open up down range for "out in the field" (which is literally where I'll be sitting , LOL)

Not intending to start any debate, but I've noticed mentioning within several "African hunting" forums the practice of "head or neck shots". for meat animals.
I simply find it curious that such is considered an approved practice in one country.........yet often (and often heatedly) chastised in yet another country.. I seriously can see both sides of that "discussion" but let's not discuss that HERE. Another thread perhaps should the subject be undecided but I'm 90 percent positive I know where most hunters stand on it.

So..........for now. Opinions on your choice of bullet's viability if .........up close and personal OR at what ranges you have found them to be both effective., but not causing undue meat loss.

For those that could care less, I will fight for your right to see it that way. I only ask that I am allowed the same respect.

I'd post a photo of my "new to me" 1981 Remington 700 Classic in 7x57" but......it looks like all the classics (and posting a photo looks difficult, LOL) Besides, most would toss their cookies if they saw what scope I have on it until I make a decision on which better one I'll buy when I can.

God Bless
and thank you in advance for any replies.

This is the last deer I killed with my 7x57. Range was 28 yards, shot through both shoulders leaving a quarter size exit wound, and he made a dash of 25 yards. Bullet was a Hornady 139 gr. with a MV of 2553 fps.
entrance


exit

Steve692:

A lot of guys shoot 150-grains down, I generally shoot 150-grains up in several different 7x57s. There are a couple of reasons for that, not the least of which is good penetration with a slower moving bullet. I don't hot-rod any of my loads, and inside 200 yards (self-imposed limit) I get good results with bullet weights from 150- to 160-grains at about 2500 fps. When I go up to 175-grains, I drop the velocity to about 2300 fps, matching the old "classic" load upon which the 7x57's reputation was built. One benefit of the 150- to 160-grain loads is that they all shoot to more or less the same point of aim at 100 yards, so I don't have to worry about sighting in for the different loads from any of the guns in which I use them. I use the 175-grain loads only in a Zastava M98 with a 1:866 inch twist. It's not the prettiest rifle that I own, but it is certainly one of, if not the, most accurate.

As for terminal performance, I too would classify myself as a meat hunter. I'm generally on our lease at lease once per week, and when the mood strikes I usually come home with a little porker for the pot. Because of the terrain, the shots are generally short - well under 100 yards - and I almost always try for a CNS shot, since I pig that runs even 50 yards is a lost animal in the dense scrub. Just about any bullet that hits the hard skull of a pig is going to do massive damage, but with a stout bullet, if I shoot for the spine instead, the lower velocity keeps any meat damage to a minimum, especially with the "bonded" (really, plated) Deep Curl bullets that I like to use. They expand well, but don't seem to come apart.

I don't know if any of this helps, but the bottom line of my own experience is that a good, heavy, slow-moving bullet will do everything I ask it to with minimal meat damage...just as it always has.

Just my $.02.

RM

Both replies are great info. Pretty much what I expected on meat bullet velocities but just with bullets a bit lighter than I'd have grabbed at first.
It will be a fun time for me to work loads later this summer and just see how much POI changes bullet weight to bullet weight and altering velocities.

"Custom hand loaded hunting rounds". Ya gotta love this sport and all the options one can entertain.

I'm sure there will be a learning curve for this old goat but since I've got a 100 yard section of yard beginning 20 yards from my back porch........I'm sure I'll figure something out and improve on it as experiences teach me.

EXCITED for deer season to come around. It don't feel like my first time.........but dang close!

Thanks!
God Bless
Steve

Well, I've been playing with the 7x57 off and on since about 1973. In better than 60 years of deer hunting, I've only lost two, both shot with the 7x57.

First one was with a neat customized 1893 Mauser. Whoever built it like the 275 Rigby style and that's what the rifle looked like. At the time i lived in a small Nevada cow town and the only ammo the local hardware store had was the 175 gr. round nose by Federal. I shot a deer about 8 in the morning, shot maybe 75 yards and the deer took off. The wife and I looked for that deer until it was too dark to see anymore. I found what the coyotes had left by the birds. That deer had run over 200 yards from where it was shot. Years later I chronographed that ammo in a different rifle (Winchester M70 Featherweight) and found velocity was only 2000 FPS, nowhere near the advertised 2400 FPS. I sectioned a couple of bullets and think the jackets were way too thick for the velocity. Cause of the loss most likely poor bullet selection and too low a velocity.

Second loss was an eating size Desert Mule Deer shot about 50 miles north of Wilcox Arizona. Shot was about 100 yards and the hit was a solid right behind the shoulder as I sow red at the point of impact. The deer left the the herd which ran up hill while the one I shot ran down into a gully. To get to where the deer ran down I first had to go up to the top of a ridge to look down into the gully for the deer. On the way up my foot turned one way on the loose rocky ground and the rest of me went the other way. No more right knee. This deer was shot with the 140 gr. Nosler Ballistic Tip, early version which was supposed to be on the fragile side moving out at 2800 FPS. I believe the bullet hit a bone on impact. My son in law and his son refused to go find the deer preferring to carry me off the hill and to the hospital in Wilcox. The knee only hurt when I tried to stand or walk so I could have sat on the hill till they found the deer. I haven't hunted with them since.

So much for the tales of woe. You'd think I'd give up on the 7x57 but not yet. These days I no longer hunt deer, only elk. I hunt a private ranch and have had so far 100 percent success rate although last year almost came to a bust. One elk with a 30-06 and 6 with the .35 Whelen. This year I'm probably courting disaster but I think I'll be using one of my 7x57's at least one day on the hunt. One load I'm considering is the 150 gr. Nosler partition at 2700 FPS using Re17, Winchester brass and WLR primer. Another consideration will be seeing what I can work up with the 160 gr. Speer hot Core. Seems the late great Jack O'Connor and his wife liked that bullet and the lady took almost all her big game in the world with the 7x57 and that Speer bullet. I've used the 165 gr. Speer HC bullet in several rifles chambered to the .308 Win. and meat damage was not bad I've shot deer with that bullet at 2550 FPS MV (Long story) from 35 feet to 250 yards and deer died. A bit messy if a shoulder was hit but nowhere near as bad as when from a Sierra. You should be able to reach about 2600 FPS with the 160 gr. Speer using one of the 4350's. I'm going to try and work with Re17 as it worked so well with the 150 gr. bullet.
Paul B.

Paul:

I've had good results with Big Game under a 150-grain Hot-Cor. Yes, I know: the Hot-Cor skips from 145 to 160 grains, but I bought a bunch of pulled 150-grain bullets from Rocky Mountain Reloading, and when I asked what they were, the answer was "Federal" - which, everyone confirmed, is a propriety Hot-Cor. Whether made by Speer or someone else, they are very accurate in my rifles over 41.2 grains of Big Game (Prvi PPU case, WLR primer) for a very mild 2500 or so fps (interpolated from Ramshot data, not chronographed). That isn't screaming velocity, but inside of 150 yards they are plenty effective and they shoot well under an inch at 100 yards. They're easy shooting for practice as well.

Mike

I suspect if you start with a pound of something in the 4350 burn rate class and a box of 160 grain Partitions you'll get to where you want to be without much fuss.

low meat loss, at close range?

30 grains of 4198....or RL 7

about any 120 to 140 grain bullet in 7mm....

or 154 or 175 gr RN if you can find them.

same with old 139 gr FN Hornady...

My personal use... 115 grain HP Speer....

PJ, the last elk I took with the 7x57 was with a 150 NP at slightly over 2700 fps with total penetration. I don't think you'll court disaster at all with that load.

At what approximate range, Joe?

thanks in advance
God Bless
Steve

Steve, the range was approximately 35 yards. Most of my hunting is close range in thick brush.

Yehaaaaa! I bet that was a tad more than " a little exciting"! I know I'm close to stroke level on whitetail when I've gotten 10 yard shots with any kind of weapon.

I think an elk at 35 would probably push me over the hump.

Keep in mind I've seen exactly seven elk in my life in two hunts. All were cows at 20 yards going 800 mph down the mountain side.

I'll openly admit I'm envious of all who live in elk or moose country and are able to hunt them annually.
Thanks
God Bless
Steve

Last elk hunt I was on was pretty exciting. Very near the place I killed the one at 35 yards, I bungled into a whole herd at roughly the same distance, certainly not over 50 yards. They were coming over a rise and I had heard them approaching, so I brought my rifle to my shoulder to prevent excessive movement in case there was a shooter among them. Lead cow comes up broadside, stopped, and stared at me. Cows and calves go by down the mountain which seemed to take hours and then, horns, lots of horns appear on the other side of lead cow! I now got into shooting position just waiting for bull to walk past the cow as the others had done. Waiting, waiting, waiting, seems to be hours but, was only seconds. And then, bull takes a step forward and.......the cow does too, and they walk together down the mountain and I didn't have a shot! So, they disappear and I unshoulder my rifle, the adrenaline kicks in and I start shaking like a dog trying to pass a peach seed. I had to sit down until it subsided and the thought passed through my mind that a fellow could have a heart attack pursuing a love. All of my hunts have been wonderful, whether my tag was filled or not but, this one stands out in my memory.

I just received my Ruger M77 Hawkeye RSI 275 Rigby. The 7x57 caliber is new to me but had been diligent in my research to establish some basic guidelines of where to start and what to expect from this cartridge. To begin with I am at a bit of a disadvantage as my rifle only has an 18 1/2" barrel. I had pre loaded a bunch of ammunition to sight in and test when the rifle arrived and yesterday I spent the day at the range with these results at 110 yds.

Remington Brass
Win. L/R Primer
120 gr. Hornady SP
Varget
OAL 3.025

After sighting the scope I shot 7 strings of 5 starting at 38 gr. up to 45 gr. of Varget. I found this powder to work very well with the lighter bullets in my 6.5x55 and results were more than satisfying with the 7x57.
The best group was 0.62" with 43 gr Varget and an average velocity of 2672. That will do nicely for 120 gr.

My next experimenting will be 150 and 160 gr. bullets with IMR4350 . I will post results when I get a chance to get out again.

For Pronghorns I've used 139 grain Hornadys in a 700 Classic. Don't recall the load. Do recall it was 1+MOA - 5 shots.

Here is a little porker (exit wound side) that I took early last evening from about 40 yards. The load is:

Bullet: 175-gr Deep Curl
Powder: 43.0 grains Ramshot Hunter
Primer: WLR
Case: Prvi PPU
COAL: 3.065" (SAAMI)
Velocity: 2300+/-

It's nothing fancy but it works.



I shot this little fellow a few weeks ago with the same load. You can see a bit of lung protruding from the exit wound. The distance was just a tad under 150 yards (laser-ranged).
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This is the old Zastava M98 with the 1:866" twist that shoots those long, heavy Deep Curls so well.

Here is the last one I shot with a 7x57, last year. Shot at about 20 yards. This is the entrance hole. I was shooting federal 140gr blue box.



Here is the exit. Deer ran 50 yards after the shot.



The only other deer I shot was a big buck at 90 yards. It was a speer 145gr hot core. Not much expansion on that one. That deer ran 30 yards with a hole in his heart.

I like the caliber. I'd love to get my 154gr RN load tuned up. I'd use that mostly.

Tag for RL 17 loads

I've been playing with Ramshot Hunter with the 120's working up to max per the latest Nosler manual. Results have been impressive accuracy wise with most groups being MOA or less at 100 yrds. I've settled on .5 grains below book max getting a five shot mean of 2980 fps with a 22" factory barrel and CCI 200 primer.. No need for me to push it any for hunting TX deer and hogs.

Interestingly the SD on five shot strings have consistently been 3 or below which for me is off the charts. Generally I smile when I get it to 10 and below.. Yes I know low SD has yet to kill and animal and higher SD doesn't necessarily mean you will get worse groups but it does give you a good consistency metric.

Since I haven't made any changes to my brass prep or loading routine I'll need to give credit to the cartridge/powder combo and will try Hunter in other appropriate cartridges. The fact that Big Game and Hunter meter like water also make life good.

Question - I often read that mag primers are a good choice with Big Game. Does anyone know if the same holds true with Hunter?