Helping a buddy. Any loads with 140 and 160 gr pills?

This is for a modern Ruger BTW.
It should do as well as the 7mm-08 or better right?

been along time since i used one but my notes show 41 gr of H335 and a 139 gr hornady. good round a bit more than the 7/08

My wife's 7X57 likes 47grs of H414 and the 140Accubond. Far from max but very accurate in her rifle.

quote:

It should do as well as the 7mm-08 or better right?

darn tootin.....go to Hodgdon's website and find loads you like and just work up 1/2 grain at a time.....you'll nearly duplicate the .270/.280 class of performance with the 7 X 57.

Vapodog,
What is your best performance with the 7x57 with 140 gr bullet? Just curious since I have never shot one but the Sierra manual has it coming up short compared to what I get from a 7mm08.

51.0 grains IMR4350 139 hornady, 140 nosler

quote:

Originally posted by Dwight:
Vapodog,
What is your best performance with the 7x57 with 140 gr bullet? Just curious since I have never shot one but the Sierra manual has it coming up short compared to what I get from a 7mm08.

Sorry.....it's been quite a while since I had a 7X57 and the bullet I shot was a Hornady 139 grain interlock and it was in a 1908 Brazillian action.

IIRC it was doing about 2800 with H-4350 and I had a long ways to go as the primers still looked dome shaped. I never hot loaded that Brazillian action.....but it killed deer nicely!

quote:

What is your best performance with the 7x57 with 140 gr bullet? Just curious since I have never shot one but the Sierra manual has it coming up short compared to what I get from a 7mm08.

Curious as to the pressure that the manual loads to. I believe max for the 7x57 is 51,000 the 7-08 is 61,000 while the 6mm rem(same case as the 7x57) is loaded to 65,000. I have never had any problem matching 7-08 velocities. I also normally seat my 7x57 longer(ofen not possible in the 7-08 due to mag lengths) to increase net case capacity.

Both are great rounds. If you owned one there is nothing to gain by switching or adding unless you have lots of play money and romm in the safe. If I could have gotten my hands on a 7x57 many years ago I would probably not be such a 7mm08 fan. It is interesting reading about Bell's success proving you don't need a cannon to shoot big game.

In a long throated rifle, you can shoot the 140's to 3000 fps at 64000 psi or 160's at 2800. This is with H414 and Win. brass in a 22 in. Ruger and an FN Mauser. I have shot tons of game with one here and in Africa with 160 NP at 2800 fps. My old Ruger is my everyday rifle, like a pair of old jeans and looks about like a 10-year old pair of jeans as well, but still works.

Those are good numbers. My 20" tube averages 2840 with 140s and I am 2 gr under max for this rifle. This one has only shot deer and it does not get shot a lot because it shoots too darned accurate and I am afraid to wear it out. I have had it since 1982 and just upgraded to a HS Precision stock on it.

Rugers are finicky...

If these don't shoot well, as my two don't...

Seat the bullets to magazine length as the barrel is long throated...

Then do a load of 40 grains of IMR 3031, with either of those bullet weights...

the 40 grains of 3031 have tightened up many a Ruger 77 Mk 2, that shot worth crap.. like both of mine did...

That is the only diet that they get in most cases...

Meanwhile my Winchester Featherweight in 7 Mauser will shoot anything I feed it just fine!
go figure...

Funny,
I just sold a 7mm mauser dies and all and damded if I didn't go right out and buy another.
My experence with the old one, a cz 550 full stock was that with 140s it liked H-414.
I gave the book of my load data to the guy that bought the rifle so I can't give you chg weight.
I am gonna start with 49 grains in my new (used) Ruger #1A, I think 51 grains is a great load but I will start at 49.
With 160s it liked RL-19 and I loaded some of that under a sierra 140.
...tj3006

quote:

Originally posted by vapodog:

quote:

It should do as well as the 7mm-08 or better right?

darn tootin.....go to Hodgdon's website and find loads you like and just work up 1/2 grain at a time.....you'll nearly duplicate the .270/.280 class of performance with the 7 X 57.

That is what I figured. My quickload tells me the same thing if I plug in 63000 psi (or thereabouts) instead the 50000 or something like that they have posted in the software as max for the 7mm Mauser. I figure if a Ruger #1 can do this in 30-06 with modern brass so can a 7x57mm.

I have used H-4895, IMR-4320, IMR-4350, WC-852(H-380), AA-3100, and IMR-3031 (that B17G/Seafire reccomends) to produce some very good loads. Bullet weights run from the 130 grain Speer to 160 grain Noslers with velocities running 2400 to 2850 fps and outstanding accuracy. As you can see, it's not a difficult cartridge to load for.

Easy to see why a 7X57 is so popular. Doesn't take much to make it work great. My 7mm08 likes all bullet weights and most powders. Be nice wives were that easy to get along with.

My alltime favorite load is 162 gr Hornady SST over 48.3 grains of H414 in Remington cases and Federal 210 primers. In my CZ 550 American I chronographed this load at 2,815 fps average and it shoots groups about a half inch large at 100 yards. My rifle also shoots 160 grain Nosler Partitions exceedingly well with this same powder charge. I have used my CZ for elk, mule deer, whittail deer, antelope, javelina, whild hogs, coyote and turkey. I even used it on a 325 yard shot on a 5x5 bull elk and dropped the bull with on shot behind the shoulder. I have not shot 140 grain bullets out of my rifle and no factory loads at all. Tom Purdom

I have used H4350 powder and load to the same velocity as the 7mm-08. I took this load to NZ on my last safari and it was perfect.

I have a lot of H4831 powder, so I am going to try that next, not to mention is a bit slower.

RobertD,

just one question. I thought PETA was the acronym for people eating tasty animals?
GWB

POP,
You should try some lighter monometal bullets in the 7x57. 130gr or 140gr, ours or others. It will transform the rifle to such a versatile all rounder, you will not believe it. I have taken kudu, springbuck and everything in between from close in to over 300m and it just knocks them down every time. You would be looking for about 2800fps with a 140 gr mono and 2900fps with a 130gr mono.

Hunt description
Middle and bottom pictures

Hey Pop,

For sure H414 is the powder for this cartridge. The only caliber I have reloaded more then the 7x57 is my 35 Whelen and I can tell you I tried many mnay different powders. When I hit upon the H414 (someone here suggested I try it)it was like shooting a whole new rifle. The bullet I have setled on and works extemely well is 160gr Nosler Accubonds. You can get this over 2700 fps and it will do everything you need from a light rifle.

I have experienced Rugers with extemely long throats. I beleive they did this to handle the 175 gr round nose bullets. Try playing with the seating depths and getting the bullet to the lands. If the OAL is then too long for the magazine, install an '06 length magazine in the rifle. This is not an uncommon fix with the Rugers and 6mm Rem, 7x57 or 257 Roberts.
Good luck

quote:

Originally posted by Dwight:
Vapodog,
What is your best performance with the 7x57 with 140 gr bullet? Just curious since I have never shot one but the Sierra manual has it coming up short compared to what I get from a 7mm08.

Dwight. First off, I think the Sierra manual is a piece of shit. Note that their data in the latest manual uses a rifle with a 26" barrel. Actually, this is a bit of an improve,ent as their earlier manuals use an 1895 Mauser with a 29" barrel. Who in the hell are they trying to kid? They don't cheat fair. Using a barrel longer than standard lets them get higher velocity with less powder. FWIW, in the latest Nosler manual I have, they're starting to do the same thing as Sierra which in my opinion is also not cheating fair. And then you wonder why you can't reach their velocity level without running into pressure problems.

Paul B.