Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Powders for 7x57 Mauser

That seems to be about it. Quickload estimated velocity for #4 was 2546 FPS and for #9, 2697 FPS. There was one other difference that I think I forgot to mention. The loads for the Mauser had IIRC Winchester primers and the M70 I used CCI primers, only because that's what was in the new cases. I read somewhere just the other day that CCI primers had softer cups than Winchester which could explain some of the cratering. However, I really have to get out and get more powder, My supply of Re17 is very low. I already have a very good load with the 150 gr. Nosler PT for the M70 and I'd like to see if the FN Mauser takes to that load as well. I'll be staying as far away from the range as possible with it being the Memorial day week end and all the mall ninjas and Rambo wannabes will certainly be there. That means I won't be.
Paul B.

No.9 also is right at MD's "magic" velocity of 2700 fps. With that velocity and accuracy, that might just be your hunting load.

I found a box of test load I made up probably about three years ago. The load was 47.0 gr. Re17 and the rounds had either the 150 gr. Nosler Partition or 150 gr. Nosler ABLR. Half the loads with each bullet had Winchester brass and half had Remington brass. I remember making up the loads for the M70 and had planned to shoot 3 shot groups and then using my Lyman tong tool seat the next three a little deeper and so on. My mistake was I forgot to take the tong tool.
I also took my 257 Bob out with me today. I had a few rounds loaded up with the 100gr. Barnes TSX. IIRC, they were running around 2900 FPS. Not one round hit the paper or the backer. I shot one at a rock on the berm with a fellow spotting for me and he could not see where the bullet hit.

Next plan, quit shooting and take up something simple like quantum physics . Not really. Two things up front. Clear all copper fouling from the barrels. I have a load for the M70 with the Partition. Why that rifle was all over hell and gone needs to be addressed. It dies tend to copper foul a bit so that'll be the first step.check all screws, you know, the usual subjects. Do the same with the .257 Bob plus do a bore siting while I'm at it. Tried to do a bore site at the range and due to the small bore didn't get anywhere. I think next I'll do a pressure work up for the Mauser with the ABLR. That damned bullet looks just too good to not shoot well. Come to think of it, I also have some 120 gr. and 140 gr. TSX bullets for the 7x57. I have gotten the 140/TSX up tp 2800 FPS but lousy accuracy so far. I notice that Barnes shows that 140 gr. TSX bullet to be good for elk in the 140 gr. weight. I think I used H4350 with that bullet years back. Gonna see how Re17 and it get along. So many choices.
Paul B.

Lots of good advice here on bullets and powders. When I get time to begin test the Fwt. and Mt. Rifle, I'll start mid range at 140-150 with H4350.
Its good to have a couple in the safe.

Decided to pull my old beater Mauser out today and shoot up some old reloads. It was scopeless so I put a Leupold M8 4x on it. I had 4 boxes of 7x57 ammo loaded with the 150 gr. Ballistic Tips powdered with WC 852 that I had put together back in 2014. Well 4 5 shot groups of 3 inch suck I found my action screws were a half turn loose, both of em! Tightened em up and went back at it same crap! So I decided to thoroughly clean it using Turtle wax chrome polish and a tight patch. Ran that in and out 4-5 times and then cleaned the residue out with clean patches. Went back out and immediately was back in business. POI had dropped to the 4 oclock position, first two an inch apart, 2nd pair touching and last three shotter 2.5 inches high, centered and right at an inch. Now the wind was heck 20 to 35 MPH gusting and shooting was a sporting proposition so I quit while I was ahead. So now I have more than 40 empty pieces of brass and some 160 gr. Partitions looking for a home hmmmm. Think I will load some up using IMR 4350 and play some more tomorrow.

Good idea using the chrome polish....never thought of that. May have to try that. Good to hear.......good luck with your 160gr Partitians.

I found upon inspecting the fired brass that 1 in 4 had split necks! Much of this brass had been fired plenty of times before. My "new" brass collection resides in unfired factory loads, Federal, PMC, Remington and Winchester collected long ago so I guess I am going to pull the bullets and dump the powder from that to load the Partitions in. No shooting this weekend as I am covered up with family for Fathers day.

I agree and H414/W760 is a great powder in the 7x57 with 140-160's. I have shot so much game with this rifle/powder combination that I wouldn't even guess how many, temperature sensitivity doesn't worry me much, it's a hunting rifle, not a 1000 yard match gun.I just work up a load when it's 100, so I know it's safe, then hunt with it.

Safety is not the sole concern re temp sensitivity.

I've used RL19 for many years in my 7x57. With a 140 grain Nosler Partition, it shoots excellent groups and performs well on whitetail deer.

I'm aware of that. I have always worked up loads that didn't change impact with relatively small changes in powder charge/velocity before the words 'nodes' and 'ladder tests' existed. For the most part, with a hunting rifle, it's a non-issue.

Finally got a decent day to go shoot. Ran a double test with Re17, One set was with the Nosler 150 gr. Partition and the other with the 150 gr. Accubond Long Range. I started with 44.5 gr and went up in 0.5 increments to 47.0 gr. which had shown good accuracy in an M70 FWT. Rifle is a custom based on a commercial FN Mauser action. Cartridge of course was the 7x57. The first loads would usually put two within an inch and then blow the third out of the groups. Actually the flyer could be from any one of the three shots. One load, #4 IIRC put two touching and blew the third shot 4 1/2" to the left. Vertically if it had stayed in the group it would have been a .250"x.375" group. Bullet was the Partition. After that particular set groups went haywire and scattered. Was it the loads? Scope? Something get loose in the scope mounts? I even had some of the ABLRs put two nearly touching the a shot out of the group. At the start I allowed a timed two minutes between shot and by 0830 it was starting to get hot so gave three minutes between shots. Once the temps get near 100 even a ten minute wait won't let the barrel cool very well.

My other two 7x57s were easy to find great groups but this Mauser is driving me sane.
Paul B.

Got an old '96 Mauser 7x57 for my son's 13th BD

Started working loads, more interested in lighter loading with accuracy.

45gr of 4350 with 140gr BT or 145gr Win SP

Outstanding accuracy and 9 deer later, I see no need to change.

Took the rifle out, last season. Grandson turned 13. 145gr Win and deer dropped in its tracks @185 yards, makes a happy boy.
Less than hour later, 140# hog @ 130 yards met the same fate.

Well the next batch of tests for the 7x57 should start tomorrow. I'm just gonna run the 150 gr. Accubond Long Range at different seating depths using the load that was the last one before starting to see pressure signs. I should have made a same set using the 150 gr. Nosler Partition but the heat drove me out of the shed where I do my reloading. Brass will be the well used Remington that I started with, CCI 200 primer and 45.5 gr. of Re17.

The rifle was a J.C. Higgins M50 in .270 Win. so I'm not worried about the strength of the rifle. barrel is a 23" Douglas that showed to be quite accurate shooting Winchester 145 gr. factor ammo on that same rifle. When I did a test run using the same load in a Ruger #1, Winchester M70 FWT and this Mauser running the 175 gr. Hornady round Nose, the Mauser averaged 150 FPS faster than the 2315 Average from the other two rifles. This rifle has an extremely tight chamber which just may be the source of the higher pressures. I just don't know. I do know that so far, the 150 gr. ABLR has not been accurate in any of those 7x57s nor in a custom .280 Remington.
Paul B.

Paul:

Thanks for the update. JB has mentioned that in his experience some 7x57s just don’t like boat-tail bullets. Any chance of loading a 150-grain flat-base?

Mike

Yeah, I guess I'll know tomorrow. I get decent results with the 150 gr. Nosler Partition so I'm good there. I can push it to 2900 should OIO feel the need and as a matter of fact that is the most accurate load in my M70 FWT . I can't say what they'll do in the Mauser so I'll have to do a run with those as well. I got a bit of a late start this AM so by the time I was done with the ABLRs it was way too hot to keep on keepin' on.
Paul B.

I just gotta wonder about all the angst and drama over the selection of temperature sensitive powders. Sure, if you know you are going to be hunting in Sonora on the 4th of July, you may want to step your charge weight down, if you know you are going to draw a wildebeeste tag in Cut Bank Montana in January you can stoke 'er up pretty good...but good grief, has it occurred to anyone that we have loaded the '06 and 7.62 with funky old blc-2 and H380 for eons? Korea and eastern Europe to Africa and SE Asia.... c'mon guys, you are going to extremes (pun is the lowest form of humor).

Oh my. Going to an extreme? I think not. I may not hunt in Sonora and I do most of my reload experiments right here in the Sonora Desert but hunt in New Mexico when temps can be as low as 4 above zero (been the and done that)so yes, working with powders that that may give problems due to temperature extremes is something I look closely at. I'll be doing some load testing tomorrow and it's forecast to be around 100 so I'll be working in the upper 80s to lower 90s during the time I'm there. FWIW, it was 4 above zero in the late afternoon when I shot my elk last year. The late Elmer Keith once said, "I believe every man should scratch his own fleas in whatever manner he chooses." I think the same should work when deciding on powders for handloads.
Paul B.

PJ....in your post on page 2 you said you didn't notice much difference in poi. Which was kinda, sorta my point. But you are dead on right, powder choice on your bench is a matter of personal preference. When a poster asks for input from other's experience here, I don't think any of us try to lead him astray. I was merely pointing out, in my flawed communication, that the military felt quite comfortable loading millions of rounds with ball powders for a variety of climates. My position is, perhaps we are overthinking temp sensitivity...any small change in MV is generally overshadowed by the variables in shooting game animals offhand at varying ranges. Admittedly, the new trends of long range sniping of game animals may benefit from more stable powders.

Sometimes the changes in velocity cause differences in POI other than vertical.