Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles 7x57 bullet choice..

I had no idea that Speer made the fusion



That would be my first choice also as they have both been flawless in 7-08.....but I have these fusions and cor-loc that need used up and want to give them to my nephew..I want him to shoot a lot to get good with the rifle..free ammo would be no better way to do it..he just doesn't have the money to buy factory ammo...
Don't want him to be one of those guys that just shoot a few rds the week before hunting season..

At 7x57 velocities, it's almost harder to come up with a bullet that wouldn't work well on deer. I settled on the 154 grain Hornady SP, since it shoots the best in my rifle.

FC

^^^^^^this^^^^^^

But more specific, Hornady 154 grain InterLock.

I shoot heavies through mine (though, admittedly, it doesn't get shot all that much). I've come to like 175's at 2500 out of my #1. Currently pushing them with RL-22.

I really like the Hornady 175 RN, but they quit making them. I'm shooting through a batch of 175 GameKings that shoot OK for what that rifle will be used for, but when I run through them and run out of Hornady Blue Noses, I'll probably switch to 175 Interlocks.

I guess my thinking behind the heavies is that I've already got a .25-06 shooting 100's or 120's. 140's out a 7x57 seem a bit redundant to me (but no less effective for anyone else).

About the only thing I can take issue with is a modern rifle in 7x57 can be loaded up to or use 7-08 data. I have three rifles chambered to the 7x57. A Ruger #1A, Winchester M70 Featherweight and a custom based on an FN Mauser that used to be a .270 Win. so the action is strong enough. I have had no trouble working up to 7-08 standards in the Ruger and M70 but that Mauser is a bit of something else. Case in point. I've always heard how the 7x57 made it's reputation with 173/175 gr. round nose bullets so digging through the data I have on hand I determined XX.X gr. of powder Y would deliver the roughly 2300 FPS the round was supposed to deliver. I ran three rounds over the chronograph with each of the above mentioned rifles. I'm going from memory here but the Ruger was the slowest at IIRC about 2320 FPS. The M70 was a bit quicker at 2340 FPS and that Mauser 2450 FPS, a full 120 FPS over the combined average of the first two rifles. I later question my gunsmith who built the rifle about the throat and he said he used the standard long throat found in most 7x57 rifles. That rifle has the tightest chamber of any rifle I have ever owned. That slight bulge that a fired cartridge case get from lying in the chamber is almost not there on brass fired in that rifle. Could that be the cause? What bothers me is how quickly pressure rises regardless of bullet seating or primer. I would think I could get decent velocity with less powder due to whatever is causing pressures to rise so fast but so far no go. Accuracy is no problem as the higher the pressure goes the tighter the groups. I cannot go much past what pressures Winchester and Federal load their ammo to without running into problems regarding pressure. Damn thing is driving me sane. Anybody have any ideas????
Paul B.

A tight chamber will theoretically give higher presure with less of a given powder charge...but doesn't sound like the problem as who cares the charge as long as you are a heaving the normal Bol range...
Premature presure signs are something I have addressed before....distance to throat can be a problem...causes a spike in presure ...usually seating depth can remedy this...but if I were you I would consider doing a chamber cast and see if the neck may be too tight....I had a reamer one time that cut too tight of chamber and nec..I don't recall the cal but I got it from a retired gunsmith and it appeared to have been re sharpened..I just replaced the reamer...the old ones are just used for roughing...

No need to do a chamber cast to see if the neck of the chamber (or the combo of brass and chamber neck) might be too tight. Instead try to insert a bullet into the necks of fired cases. If the bullets won't slide in easily, then the necks are too tight for that chamber.

OR the neck of the chamber is a little shorter than standard. This results in the front end of the neck being lightly crimped around the bullet. If that's the case, trim the brass a little shorter.

I've shot a pretty big truckload of whitetails, from does to some big N Mo. bucks with a 140 TTSX pushed to 2950 fps by H414. I have shot exactly one twice.