Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Reloading "experts"

Down at the club I was having a conversation with a "Book Smart" reloader. I mentioned that my one deer rifle is a 7x57 Mauser Remington 700. The response was "weak", "can do better than that.

The thing is I'm not using a book load. I'm not using a load that some developer might think could get dropped into a rolling block. I'm using 47.2 grains of R17 with a Federal 205 and 154 grain Hornady Interlock bullets. I'm running right at 2800fps with no stress on the rifle or brass. Formally I had used IMR 4350 that I built up in the same way. That nips the heels of a 280. Only one of the 11 deer I killed with that rifle went over 50 yards and that was because I hit him a bit too far back (back of one lung angled through the center of the opposite). Angles through the chest and through the shoulder I never recovered a single bullet. One, face on shot, I recovered from the front of the hip muscles. That retained 138 grains.

The difference is in reading and understanding. Knowing rifle strength, case capacity and what many people disregard, case design.I use Winchester brass and I dissected a 280 case and a 7x57 case. I found no difference in the case head of the 7x57 and the 280, but then again I didn't think I would.

Now tell me, what in the eastern United States that would not kill cleanly. Hell, I'd shoot an elk with that load.

A lot of folks like the 223 for big game. So I guess your bordering on a dangerous game rifle. Hasbeen

My experience with the 7X57 is somewhat limited, although I have used one in the past to kill a few deer with, a Model 70. I used IMR 4350, a load recommended by Jim Carmichael, that was max as far as I was concerned. If I remember correctly, it chronographed at about 2850 with a 140 grain bullet. It was a good deer killer. My son used a 7X57 that I'd put together on a 98 Mauser action, and I loaded for it with a little less powder, same 140 grain bullet. It was a deer killer as well.

i live in the southwest. 2800fps and a 150grain bullet have killed a lot of elk.

You can't let the know it alls do your thinking for you. Use what works for you and gives you the confidence to take the shot. Loading discussions and shooting ranges can be great, but they can also be a real PITA.

That’s way plenty of gun for deer and pigs!

Karamojo Bell killed elephants with a 7 X 57. He waited for the right shot to present itself and put a bullet down the ear canal into the brain. I believe he was using a heavy round nosed solid bullet.
Jerry

Some loads just seem to kill especially well and that's what I've heard from others about the 7X57. I have a Ruger .270 that for some reason is slow even with a slightly over max load of 7828. It shoots the outdated 150 Win. power point at around 2750fps but seems unusually deadly on large hogs. The proof of the pudding is in the eating. As to the 7X57 on elk, well the .243 W is used on elk.

I could have killed most deer with a 22lr. And would have if legal.

That said you can't just assume pressure is safe vs speed. I mean you can find load data for modern rifles and speed is relevant to pressure every time.

Even a milder loaded x57 will kill stuff all day long.

The fascination with another 100 or 150 FPS never ceases to amaze me. Had one friend pushed a 25-06. He loaded "safe" but hot ammo. Eventually the lugs beat the recesses back enough he could not unlock the bolt. We had to remove the barrel. Safe. I'd say not. Lucky is more like it.

Getting same speed as cartridges with more powder capacity for the most part is scary to me.

My long range plan for hunting rifles in my elder years when I can no longer (or want to) tolerate recoil is a 7x57 and a .257 Roberts, both of which I own. Happy Trails

It is true that some cartridges are loaded to be safe in the weakest firearm likely to be used. It is also true that without pressure measuring equipment, you never really know if your "off book" load is truly safe. Or you've just been lucky so far.

Don't claim to be an expert, but...

If you were to bring this up in the Big Game Reloading subforum rather than here in the nut house, you'd find that many of us regularly use 7mm-08 data as a guide for modern 7x57's. Alliant indicates 44 gr of RL17 for 2669 fps so you are pushing it beyond wisdom, you really should tone it down or switch powders.

But it is anything but weak, your acquaintance knows less than he thinks.

Now to be serious.
What rost 495 said is exactly right. If you are getting significantly more velocity than published material. You might rethink your load. Bullet and powder companies have equipment to measure the pressure’s of load combinations, handloaders don’t have. Chances are your loads are higher than what is considered safe pressure’s .
Hasbeen

The cartridge's history is equally "weak". It should be abandoned in favor of "stronger" cartridges like the 6.5 Creedmoor. Get with the program or get left behind.

You know how many Elk have been killed with the old 30-30...Speed don't kill elk,shot placement does..

I’ve killed elk with a stick and string, plenty of deer and elk have been killed with a 30-30. So it’s all relative, if it shoots good, run with it.

Ever heard of W.D.M. Bell? Google him and see what he killed with the 7x57.

There is nothing like the well-placed shot. From my experience at public sight-in days, 6 out of 10 hunters have difficulty hitting a paper plate at 100 yards. Arguments over 100 fps plus-or-minus don't have much meaning when you can hit what you shoot at, the elk/deer/pronghorn will never know the difference.

Armednfree - I started my hunting with the 7x57 Mauser in 1962. Bought a mil version Chilean M95 through the mail from Sears for about $14 and converted it - slowly and amateurishly - to a hunting rifle. The only commercial ammo I could find then was 175 grain round nose stuff. Started reloading and found that the 140 grain was just about perfect for deer and downward and the 160 grain (or a bit more) was great for elk and bear. Shot a bunch of those species with that 7x57 for about 20 years until I got a few more dollars and branched out some. Still have that rifle - always will.

Due to cautions stated to me way back then, I was somewhat careful about pressure in the M95 but, with later 7x57s in different actions, I loaded up fairly hot. Can't think of any game in the East that it would not easily slay when properly loaded - am thinking the biggest thing you would hunt would be moose up in Maine, etc. and they are not all that difficult to kill with good shooting.

Some reloading "experts" have heavy head knowledge - often impressive - but some have opinions worth a lot less than the info they know.

People are generally stupid, I couldn't stand having to go to a gun range and listen to all the fuggery.