Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles 175 Grain Interlocks in the 7x57: Where to Start?

I know that a two shot group means virtually nothing, but it was all I had left after an afternoon on the range with another rifle/load combination. This group is at 100 yards from a Zastava M98 (1:8.66" twist), Prvi brass, WLR, 43.0 gr Hunter, 175-grain Deep Curl. I haven't chronographed it, but if the load data is accurate is should be in the 2300 fps range. I've settled on it as my hunting load for this particular cartridge/rifle combination since it's rare that a shot exceeds 200 yards - generally well within 50.

FC

My Rugers shots patterns, not groups...

Until I stumbled upon one last load to try out of a Hornady manual...
40 grains of 3031 with the 175 grain RN....

Half inch group! didn't believe, thought was a fluke, went home and loaded
some more , this time some with the 175 SP instead.. same 1/2 inch groups..

book said MV should be 2450s fps...chronograph seemed to disagree, and came
in at 2650 fps....so did a friend's Oehler...

brass didn't seem to think there were any pressure issues..

same 40 grain Charge of 3031, worked the same for accuracy with 160 down to 139 grain
bullets also...so you can guess what the Ruger digests....and what powder is all it is fed.

A good starting point would be 160’s.

Yeah, right - there’s always a wiseacre!

The local place only had 162 Amax’s and 175 SP’s. I wasn’t patient enough to order online.

FC

A 175 gr Hornady RN at 2300 fps will knock the snot out any deer or pig. I used AA3100 until it was gone and now use H4831SC. Most any slower powder (and probably many mediums) will do the job.

Mine HATES 175 RN. I wish it didn't. It's also not liking 154gr RN's. I wish it didn't.

Joe I used about 39 grains of IMR4895 behind that bullet to good effect.

I remember you suggesting 4895 for the 7x57, but I didn’t think you meant with 175’s.

Conventional wisdom suggests using slower powders as bullets get heavier, and yet you (4895) & Seafire (3031) have had solid results with faster powders and 175’s. Maybe you guys have Nuclear wisdom.

Since you’ve both been at this longer than I’ve been born, I’ll certainly give those powders a whirl if the R22 load won’t replicate yesterday’s results.

Thanks.

FC

I used the 175 gr, Hornady Spire point in both my 7MM RM and my 7x57. In the 7MM RM I shot an elk twice broadside behind the shoulder at 90 yards and he fell at the first shot but then tried to get back into a 15 foot deep ravine so I shot him again. Major damage and no exits. Huge 7 point bull though. Load was a max amount of R22. The 7x57 was loaded with a max for my rifle amount of AA4350 and this was used on several deer. I'd say I was getting no more than 2550 out of my 19 inch barrel. I recovered one bullet that had tumbled and broken in half but the rest all exited. On feral hogs I recovered almost half the bullets I shot into them. I was a bit less critical of shot angles on hogs so there was more to penetrate but after one season I went looking for other bullets. That particular box of bullets seemed pretty soft, they killed well though.

Try Rel 17.
I get 2640fps and very small groups using 46 grain under the 175gn Partition bullet in my BACO Super Grade..
John

Sorry I'm late to the party but I'd be on Big Game like stink on schit.