I just put a deposit down on a yet another action: a modern reproduction of an Alex Henry single shot.

I want to chamber it for either the 7X65mm Rimmed, or perhaps the 7X75mm Super Express vom Hofe (also rimmed).

This will be a stalking rifle for red stag or similar game.

Only rimmed cartridges will work in this particular action.

If you've had some experience with these cartridges, I would love to hear what you have to say.

Thanks,

Garrett

I load for the 7x65R, what information are you looking for??

I mostly load heavier bullets (160-175grs) and have used VV N160 powder only, thus far. Data for the 7x65R is not difficult to come by, though.

The 7x65R is a nice, balanced medium caliber. It will do anything a .280 Rem will do (no faint praise), and can even be loaded to similar pressures in falling block actions. Facctory loads are loaded a bit lighter, to cater for the many break-top guns (Drillings etc) chambered for the cartridge.

Reds can definitely be taken with a 7x65R, although large stags in the rut are probably best shot with a larger caliber. The 7x65R will work, though, no doubt about that. I have shot quite a few reds with my .270 Win, so I would not hesitate to use the 7x65R.

Brass is available from a copule of sources, including RWS and Norma. I have only used the RWS brass, and can fully recommend it.

Much to my surprise, of late I discovered I have been using magnum primers (CCI250) for my 7x65R loads. This is a bit unusual for me, and is probably not necessary. But I must have done so because all the loads listed in the RWS manual were using magnum primers???

- mike

Mho,

Thanks...I was mainly looking for peoples experience (in terms of shooting and hunting) with the 2 cartridges.

For the 7X65R I figured I would probably use 280 Remington loading data, since the case capaciities are so close.

The 7X75 SE vom Hofe looks very intriguing.
I haven't yet met anyone who loads or shoots it.

Thanks,
Garrett

My two favorite elk rifles are a pre-'64 Model 70 in .300 Wby, and a Ruger No. 1 in 7x65-R. For some reason not quite clear to me, these days I find the .300 Wby sitting "back-up" in the truck and the 7x65-R in my hands, when out stalking in the field. (Probably the 26" barrel on the M70 plus the length of the action keeps me from toting it as much any more...rather inconvenient to me...)

The last two elk I shot with the 7x65-R both died literally in mid-stride as they ran across a narrow woods truck-trail at about 75 yards. Both of those (shot within 4 seconds or so of each other) were taken with RWS factory ammo using heavy "H-Mantle" bullets.

The next year I took 6 elk with a .270 Wincheser using 150 gr. Partitions and I very much preferred the performance of the 7x65-R. But, the difference was likely not so much between the cartridges/bullets/loads as the different distances at which the animals were shot.

Those killed with the .270 were multiple times as far away as those shot with the 7x65-R. The NPs pentrated heavy bone without opening up at all at the distance over which they were used. They did penetrate completely though, and none of the elk were lost, so I have no valid complaint.

If I had to pick between the two cartridges you name, off the top of my head I would choose the 7x65-R because of the availability of both brass and loaded ammo here in the 'States. If I had the time to chase down brass and ammo though, and IF I was always going to hunt very open grass-lands for elk, I might pick the longer cartridge, just to get any additional velocity available.

Anyway, I love the 7x65-R, and in the types of terrain I hunt (which look similar to moors, except covered with native grasses instead of Heather) it has done everything I asked of it and done it well.

Thanks to you both...that's the kind of input that helps me with the decision.

Garrett

I should probably add that I did an internet search on the 7X75R SE vom Hofe, and found a ton of data on it, as well as hunting experiences.

All of it is in German.

What is about these crazy Germans and their powerful rimmed cartridges??

Garrett

Danke, mein Gott, fur den Deutscheslanders. (I know, my German sucks, but I try....)

Anyway, I love both their high-powered rimmed & rimless cartridges.

They also have fathered some very nice medium powered hunting rounds...like the 6.5x53-R (rimmed version of the 6.5 Mannlicher Schoenauer), the 9.5x57 (both rimmed & rimless), and the rimmed versions of both the 8x57 and the 7x57, as well as the 9x57.

The German "munition-eers" also developed some nice all-round African use cartridges, some of which the Brits take credit for...10.75 x 73, for instance (aka .404 Jeffrey), and a certain big 12 m/m boomer we call the .500 Jeffrey, too. Can't forget the 9.3 m/m cartridges either!

Alberta,

I agree with you about the Germans. They had improved cartridges before we called them "Improved".

I have an old ad somewhere from the Shuler gunwerkes (1930's) that shows a standard 404 Jeffery, and the same case with a sharp (like 30-35 degrees) shoulder that was their proprietary round.

This 7mm Super Express cartridge is looking more interesting.
In the book "Custom Cartridges" by Ken Howell he mentions that the case can be formed from 405 Winchester (Basic) brass.
I found out that the cartridge is actually originally made from 9.3X74 brass, necked down to 7mm with more of a shoulder....much cheaper and better! (Midway has Norma 9.3X74 brass for $22 per 20)
Huntington's has real 7X75R brass, but at $48 per 20.

Regards,

Garrett

quote:

Originally posted by N. Garrett:


This 7mm Super Express cartridge is looking more interesting.

In the book "Custom Cartridges" by Ken Howell he mentions that the case can be formed from 405 Winchester (Basic) brass.

I found out that the cartridge is actually originally made from 9.3X74 brass, necked down to 7mm with more of a shoulder....much cheaper and better! (Midway has Norma 9.3X74 brass for $22 per 20)

Huntington's has real 7X75R brass, but at $48 per 20.

Regards,
Garrett

Now that is all really good information!!

I never tried too hard to find a brass source for the 7x75-R because I was so happy with the 7x65...which incidentally I had built because about 20+ years ago, Ken Howell gave me 100-200 loaded rounds of RWS ammo he had cubby-holed out in his garage in Prescott, surplus to his needs. (Isn't a couple of hundred rounds of free ammo a good reason to build a rifle?)

Anyway, I have a 9.3x74-R too, just never happened to even think about making 7x75=R brass from it. Guess it should have been obvious, but sometimes it takes my light a while to turn on after the switch is thrown.....

As for making it out of .405 Winchester brass...that may be possible, but for many years it was more a case of doing it the other way around, I suspect. New high quality brass for the .405 Winchester was VERY difficult to find until Hornady recently started making it.

Thanks for the info....!

Here is some info i got from the RWS reloading manual.
The 7x75R case looks pretty impressive, but the actual performance is just marginally better than the 7x65R. Withe the same bullets and 15-20% more powder the difference is only 30-100 fps.
It is possible to make brass out of 9,3x74R, but the original case is apparently stronger and the manual says not to use maximum loads in reformed 9,3 brass.
Here in Europe the 7x65R is pretty common but it won't be easy to find a box of factory ammo in 7x75R.
I don't know how strong your action is, but notice that max. pressure of the 7x75R is in the class of 243 and 308Win (3600 bar).