Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles 7x57 loads in a modern action

Well I want to push it that fast because I am building a competition rifle. I just picked up a nice featherweight in this chambering. I am in the process of gathering components but have not started loading for it yet. I also have a 7mm barrel blank on order and a donor action standing by.

I could go with a .280 or .284 win but was hoping to have some brass and components commonality.

I don't plan on loading my featherweight to those velocities for hunting these poor Texas whitetail. I don't want them to 'splode. I doubt I will be using my amaxs on them either although I have in .308 with good success but some meat damage.

You can probably at least approach 2800 fps in a 26" barrel.

It is a 26" barrel

In a 24" barrel, I get 2732 FPS with 48.5 grains H4350 and 2762 FPS with 51 grains RL19 and Hornady 162 grain BTSP bullets and 3.190 COL. These measure in the mid 50 KPSI area. Your results will surely be different.

Could you push that a little more? Maybe.

As MD said, this is a great round with mild recoil. It's very capable of taking big game out to as far as I care to walk to pick it up.

It's a real sweet spot. I wouldn't mess with it. With prudent bullet and load choices, there is absolutely nothing wrong with a 2500 FPS muzzle velocity for a big game round.

Is that the factory barrel?

I have an tang safety ruger 7x57mm. I cant get 2800 ft/sec with a 150 grain bullet, not that I would want to anyway. Puzzling little rifle that one is.

No it is a match grade barrel from Hawk Hill.

Bump

the one whitetail I have taken with the 7x57 was with a 140 NBT moving at about 2600 at the muzzle. worked like a champ

I run 140 AB's up to 2900 out of the M70 Featherweight with RL17. Cases seem better than running a less pressured load of RL19 with a 140 BT at 2700.. I run my loads up to around 60-62K PSI via QL, and try to stick with it.

Haven't seen any negatives and when run up to 60K, the 7mm Mauser is very awesome.. It has made me a believer.

Tag

My rifle likes 48 grs of H or IMR 4350 under either a 175 Partition or old style Grand Slam for a very accurate 2700 fps, it is a mild shooting, low recoil and noise stone cold killer with unbelievable penetration with expanding hunting bullets.

I'd happily use mine without concern for elk, moose and buffalo [bison] inside 400 yards.

Excellent. I haven't loaded mine yet. I shot a have bodied 8 (204 dressed) with a factory loaded 145gr Speer I believe. I wasn't impressed with the expansion. Penciled out but big heart in and lower leg exit. I have 120gr nosler ballistic tips, 120gr ttsx, 154gr rn Hornady. I have imr 4350 and varget.

I have not done any serious reloading for the 7X57 in years. When I did, I was reloading for 2 of them, my son's custom 98 with 22 inch barrel, and my Winchester Model 70 Lightweight with 22 inch barrel. I used Hornady 139 grain SP's, and IMR4350 powder, 48 or 49 in the Mauser, and 51 grains in the Winchester. I could never quite reach the 2800 fps mark, but it didn't matter, as they both killed deer dead, and that was what really mattered. I keep thinking I need to drag the Model 70 back out and mess with it again.

Data taken with a good measurement system is the highest quality data. But if you're willing to settle for a somewhat lower grade of data, estimates from QuickLoad are respectable.

If you have three rifles, identical except for chambering, one in 7mm-08, one in 7x57, and one in 280, then at equal pressures and the same bullets, the wear and chance of failure for each will be the same.

Here's a set of QuickLoad data that helps put those three cartridges in perspective.

Good perspective,there, denton, thanks.

I can tell you from personal experience that the 120 NBT and 154 Hornady will expand quite nicely. The Barnes probably will too, I just haven't used it.

Denton , thank you for the QL data comparison, and as a new to me owner of a M70 7x57, a much better understanding of the closeness of the 3 cartridge's in performance potential.
Ron

Yes, that helps! Thank you.

Other than signs on the shell and primer how do I know what I'm approaching? I'm not trying to make it a .280, but it looks like I can get pretty close if I really wanted to.

I just like this rifle a lot. I grab it more than any others. It's a light recoiling, easy to carry, and quick to my eye gun. I've only shot one deer with it so far so I can't really say it's a killing machine. But, with 120gr NBT's or 154gr RN's, I don't think there will be any issues.

I have taken game up to Red Stag and wild horses in size with the 7x57 as well as the usual stuff and it never lacked anything, once I used the appropriate bullet to the game hunted but that same can be said for anything else.

My loading over the last 35 years with this cartridge includes 25 bullets and 13 powders and it is most difficult to find a bad combination for deer sized animals and only when they go over 500 pounds, "may" some additional testing be required with heavier bullets.