Good day Gentleman,

I have recently inhereted my grandfathers 7x64 brenneke Sako and am eager to work with it a bit. I also received 180 rounds of RWS ammo but it must be roughly 15 years old! Packaging is still sealed though.

I'm starting to look at my reloading options and would like to see what your recommendations are from personal/educated experience.

I am new to reloading so please excuse my ignorant questions.

What I have more or less looked at is.

RWS brass
Somchem S365 gr - not sure where to start off
CCI primers
Swift A frames 150gr

Any tips you might have for me or any other reccommendations? I might also be getting some 150gr swift sciroccos to try out.

Thanks,

Simon, this is my favorite 7mm .
good luck on your quest to find the perfect load with it.. stick with heavy bullets, and moderate vels . it is a lightening bolt

Ditto. Most 7x64 rifles have long throats, for heavy bullets (160-175 grs). IMR 4350 is always a good choice for standard length barrels.

Simon I am not familiar with Somchem 365 powder but my Mauser 7x64 really likes 160 gr bullets and IMR 4831.I would suggest starting with 50 grs of IMR 4831 and working up to a max of about 54 or 55 grs ,watching for signs of excessive pressure. Hope that helps.

You can load the 7x64 with .280 Rem data (work up from below). The Lapua manual has 7x64 data on-line (Lapua website). Norma probably also has data in its on-line manual (can't access that from work).

I load a friend's 7x64 with 154-160 grs bullets with the equivalent of RL22/Norma MRP (RWS R905).

The 7x64 is the .30-06 of Central Europe. Popular to the point of being ubiquitous over here.

- mike

Several years ago, I got a good deal on a lot of 175gr 7mm bullets, and since then I've been looking for a 7mm rifle that would shoot them accurately. I finally found one about a year ago. It's a CZ 550 in 7x64. I like the rifle very much.

KB

47.3 to 52.5 grains for 150-grain Barnes X
49.5 to 55.0 grains for 152-grain PMP SP

[From 1997 Somchem data courtesy of Cape Guns]

My CZ 550 Lux likes 160-grainers better than 140- or 150-grainers. Best load is with 160-grain SPEER and 56 grains H4831SC. Pieter Deidrick's load [PH in 2001] was 53 grains S365 with 160-grainers. FWIW both my .280 Remington (America's 7x64) and my CZ 550 use identical loads -- the .280 prefers 140-grainers. For 150-grain Sciroccos I use 51.5 grain IMR 4350 which on Somchem's burn rate chart is very close to S365.

Geniet dit!

Hi Simon,

I had a Mannlicher-Schoenauer GK in 7x64. I used it a lot for Red Deer around here in Patagonia. In my experience, the best powders for 150 to 177 grs bullets were H4831/R22/IMR7828. By far! With 150 grs the H4831 is perfect. And with 160/177 grs either R22 or IMR7828 shines! With slightly compressed loads This two powders gave me the highest velocities with normal pressures! I think 4350 a little to fast for 150 grs and up bullets. Anyway I ALWAYS like near 100% density or slightly compressed loads.

Good Luck!

PH

As "a Brit" and therefore from "Yurrup" I actually personally prefer 280 Remington to 7x64!

And not just only on price, but even here in England Remington 280 cases are almost HALF THE PRICE of European manufactured 7x64 cases.

If I were in the USA I certainly would not hesitate to select in a bolt action loaded to MODERN pressures 280 Remington in preference to 7x64.

That said 7x64 is probably (with 280 Remington) all you really ever need in a .284" calibre and for practical purposes every bit as equal to 7mm Remington Magnum plus no loss of magazine capacity.

I was looking for my first high performance rifle, so I went to my Uncle Hans, asked what'd you think I should buy, as I needed the rifle to be all around, as it is the only one I would have. He immediatley suggested the 7X64, then hesitated, and then said buy a 270 Winchester. His reasoning? The ease of getting 270 Winchester cases in those days. I love the 270, but if then were today, I'd be shooting a 7X64. I offer this because I hope you guys find it interesting, also there is much more romance in the 7X64 than any 280.

Simon,

Welcome aboard! I use VVN-160 & VVN560 (slow burners) w/150 grain bullets.

quote:

also there is much more romance in the 7X64 than any 280.

from one Gerry to another ..... my sentiments, also!

Great! Thanks for the response guys. I cant wait to get to the reange to try it out a bit! Appreciate the opinions & feedback.

BNagel,

Dankie. Ek sal die geweer geniet. Glo my.

Gerry: You also have good taste. My Uncle Hans was from Darmstadt, and many of my other relatives are from, Frankfurt. Family names Eden,Edderheimer, and Peter.

Jerry

quote:

He immediatley suggested the 7X64, then hesitated, and then said buy a 270 Winchester. His reasoning? ......

The 7x64 Brenneke IS the Tuetonic version of an American .270 Winchester; it fills the same níche here that the .270 does in North America.

I meet countless Germans with only 1 rifle and if they usually only have one it's in many cases a 7x64. It covers alot of territory for those who hunt locally. Large enough to handily wallop Piggies & Red Deer but not too overpowered for Roe Deer, either.

It's ALMOST a "improved" cartridge design; the neck somewhat shorter & an abrupt angle, good capacity and solid perfomance for those who require a cartridge that has to reach out into fields for "longish" shots.

I'll tell you what has amazed me most about the 7x64. It's the fact that it was developed a long time ago, and it has the yurro CIP long throat, and it's still accurate. I have long been an advocate of short throats, American style, and would never think of having a custom barrel made with the throat of the 7x64. The reason I have one is because it came that way from the factory. It truely amazes me at it's accuracy. That German fellow who drempt the cartridge up, knew what he was doing, IMO.

It just amazes me that we can have two different solutions, the 280, with the generally abrupt and short throat, and the 7x64 with the long and tapered throat, and they are both good solutions. Frankly, I'm not technical enough to sort it out. Still, I find it interesting. Bottom line - I have enjoyed the easily obtained accuracy from my 7x64, and frankly I have struggled to get similar results from the 280.

Also, I have had similar results with CIP chambers and throats in 6.5x55 and 7x57 and 8x57 and 9.3x57, so I know it's not coincidence. Yet, I have custom chambered rifles, in 308, 338, 458, 9.3x338 for examples, with minimum throats, and they have produced excellent accuracy too. It could be confusing. One would logically think that one solution would be superior than the other, and it would be evident, but apparantly not.

I'll probably never get to the bottom of it, but it's there to ponder.

KB

Simon,

Somchem does have data. I wil lcheck tonight and post tomorrow (if I remember!).

Nice 7mm.

You can buy PMP ammo as well, or just the brass, but I can't comment on the quality.

quote:

Originally posted by ARWL:
Simon,

Somchem does have data. I wil lcheck tonight and post tomorrow (if I remember!).

Nice 7mm.

You can buy PMP ammo as well, or just the brass, but I can't comment on the quality.

Thanks, cant find online data on somchem anymore...

Also gentleman, what would your favourite bullet be for the 7x64 and why.

Simon,

It's my favorite of the 7mm calibers, and generally it's extremely accurate. It is usually designed to shoot heavier bullets in the 170-175 range. Stay with the heavier bullets and I think you'll find better accuracy and you'll take your gun from being a medium size game getter to a nice red stag cartridge.

I have a couple of double rifles in it's rimmed equivalent, the 7x65R, and they both were regulated with 175gr bullets.

I think the mistake is to try to equate this caliber to an American .270 or .280, both of which were designed for 150gr bullets. This caliber, as in most German cartridges, was designed for heavy bullets, and performs best with such.

Mike

quote:

Originally posted by Simon Steyn:
Great! Thanks for the response guys. I cant wait to get to the reange to try it out a bit! Appreciate the opinions & feedback.

BNagel,

Dankie. Ek sal die geweer geniet. Glo my.

Lekker, ne?

Simon,

I've had mine for a while now and I've had nothing but fantastic results on animals as large as gemsbuck and red hartebeest with 139-grain Hornady Interbonds. They penetrate like crazy, retain weight extremely well and the perfectly-mushroomed bullet (all the rest went straight through, even on a gemsbuck at more than 300 metres) I've been able to recover weighed in at almost 90% of unfired weight.

I received the rifle shortly before a hunting trip last year so I had limited time for load development, hence why I settled on the 139-grain Interbond at 2 960 fps. I'm currently developing a load for the 160-grain Partition and/or Swift A-Frame and/or Sierra SBT, and thus far 2 780 is a breeze with S-365 and Federal 210's in Norma cases (BEWARE PMP cases - they are much thicker and you will experience pressure problems much quicker with them!). In my rifle, 2 850 shouldn't be a problem.

I have a bunch of RWS cases as well and they are a bit heavier than Norma, at least according to my scale, but I haven't tried them yet so I can't comment on that score. Thus far the Normas have worked so well that I will continue using them for the forseeable future. That, and the fact that someone gave me 800 once-fired ones still in the factory boxes!

My feeling is that 160-grain is likely the 7x64's sweet spot, and I'll probably use that bullet weight exclusively once I've finished the 139's. S-365 also works like it was made for the 7x74, so you're on the right track.

You're welcome to PM me for my loads.

I use the 162grn RWS TIG bullet with mine.
Why? Always worked well for me.

nice boar

Yo Oz - Nice porker; the Boomer & your cartridge selection are also not too shabby.


This first bullet I tried in the 7x64 was the .284" Hornady 154 gr. R.N. and so far I've never even considered another bullet.

Oz, Blasers rule!!!

Sorry simon,

I keep leaving the data at home!

Hopefully next week. It does appear in the Somchem manual by the way, which is where I'll get it from.

At last....

Somchem 1997, p37 (Afrikaans edition)

7x64mm Brenneke: 24" barrel, Sako cases, CCI200's

130gr PMP - COL 83.7mm
51.7-57.5gr S365, 2622-3061 fps
47.9-51.5gr S335, 2782-3055 fps

152gr PMP - COL 82.5mm
49.5-55.0gr S365, 2487-2887 fps
82.4mm COL? maybe a typo...
45.1-48.5gr S335, 2533-2749 fps

170gr PMP - COL 83.0mm

47.7-53.0gr S365, 2356-2717 fps
43.7-47.0gr S335, 2392-2602 fps

Obviously develop loads with the usual caution and provisos, and be aware of changing components... All the usual disclaimers apply

Baie dankie! Wardeer die informasie.

The 7 x 64mm is an excellent cartridge! Whilst I have never owned one, I did have a .280 Remington which I played around with for a while and shot a number of deer and pigs. Ballistics are identical between the 2 cartridges. Best powder I used in my .280 (Remington Mountain Rifle, 22 inch barrel) was Winchester 760, for both accuracy and velocity. I could quite easily achieve 3100 fps with the Nosler 140gr Accubond and 61grs of 760, though I dropped back to 60.5 grs to get a tad over 3050 fps. Not very far off 7mm Rem Mag ballistics (less powder and shorter barrel) i'm sure you will agree. Even out of that thin mountain rifle barrel, groups were between 3/4 and 1 MOA at 100 yards.

For several years I owned a .280 Remington in an FN Mauser, and a Johann Springer-made Mauser in 7x64.

Of the two, I much preferred the .280 Remington. In my two guns (hardly a big test, I know) the .280 was much more accurate....as in more than 1/2 MOA more accurate.

And, I used equally heavy bullets in both guns and the .280 Remington would readily accept loads which caused primer leaks in the Springer.

I DID like the tang safety on the Springer, but ended up selling the 7x64 and sticking with the .280 Rem.

Doesn't proove poop; just the way those two rifles turned out to perform. Next time it might well be the reverse.

I'm glad to see this discussion still going. I'm still enjoying my CZ in 7x64. I bought several boxes of factory ammo, at a good price, and thought it was a good idea at the time. But they were a little dissappointing in accuracy. So, I have heard of others pulling the bullets and seating another and I figured it wouldn't hurt anything.

I bought a collet type bullet puller, and tried a few. I weighed the powder in several pulled cartridges, and the charge was very consistant. While the powder was not in the way, I neck sized with the primer pin removed from the die. Then I put the same powder back, less two grains. Next I seated some 175gr Sierra BT Gamekings. The groups were much improved.

Accuracy with the improvised load is more than acceptable, at less than one inch at 100yds. That's the first time I've done something like that, and it turned out as good use of the powder, and primers already paid for. I'll have hunting ammo a long time with that purchase. I also tried some Hornady and Remington 175gr bullets with similar results, but the Sierras are clearly the most accurate.

Also, the pulled bullets work well in my 7x57.

I know that the 175gr 7mm bullet isn't favored much these days, but it doesn't seem right to argue with what a rifle shoots accurately. Besides, I have a bunch of 175gr 7mm bullets. I don't even know how many, but over 1000. It's about time that I got a rifle that likes them.

KB

Somchem burning rates.


http://www.reloadersnest.com/burnrates.asp

Walter got himself a Blaser R93 in 7x64.

He would not trust me to load his ammo, unless he was watching over my shoulders.

I developed a load with the Nosler partition 150 grain bullet for him, and thought of playing a trick on him. In his loads we used the federal 210 primers.

When he was away, I thought of loading some fun ammo to make him mad.

I loaded Nosler 270 caliber bullets into the cases, using the same poadwr charge, and the CCIBR200 primers, so I can tell which is which.

The surprising thing was these shot about 2 inch groups at 100 yards!!??

I then got my trusty Dremel tool, and drilled uneven ammounts of lead from the rear of these Nosler Partition bullets.

That worked like a charm!

I was getting 3 feet groups at 100 yards!

We went on safari to Zimbabwe, and on teh first day, as usual, we check the sights on our rifles.

I let everyone know what is happening, except Walter.

He was shooting all over the place, one shot actually hit the ground half way to the target!

By that time he was hopping mad, which is just what we all wanted.

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:
Walter got himself a Blaser R93 in 7x64.

He would not trust me to load his ammo, unless he was watching over my shoulders.

Uh Huh, small wonder why he wants to look over your shoulder. That's an amusing story.

I'll bet removing an uneven amount of lead from the back of 7mm bullets would have a similar effect.

Of course you finally told him what was going on, and gave him the correct ammo -- right?

Tell us the rest of the story. Success with the 7x64, etc.

KB

quote:

The surprising thing was these shot about 2 inch groups at 100 yards!!??

Saeed, it's quite difficult to get a Blaser to shoot poorly!