Have a great little G&H 7x57 and have been playing around with versions bullets and loads
Because it's a peep sight and it's hard for me to tell if it's me or the load I'm having a bit of a struggle settling on what works best.

Wondering if anyone else has this same rifle (early G&H) and what load they are using. Overall cartridge length, powder (all I have is 4350), bullet type and weight. Note I'm not shooting matches, just deer under 100-yards. (And yes, I know that just about any load will work)

Thanks,

Jay

I haven't messed with a 7x57 in years, but it's probably throated for a 175-grain RN bullet, so I'd start there and work my way to lighter bullets. A lot of the early guns shoot that weight a lot better than they shoot lighter weight spitzers. G&H knew how to put a rifle together, so I wouldn't be surprised if it was VERY accurate.


Okie John

I've been loading 140gr round nose and seating them out as far as possible. Can you (or
anyone) recommend a modern bullet that is close to those used when this rifle was made in the 30's?

Thanks,

JDG

Here are some options:
http://www.midwayusa.com/produ...ound-nose-box-of-100

https://www.midwayusa.com/prod...soft-point-box-of-20


Okie John

Unfortunately the bullets are discontinued.

That's unfortunate. Keep an eye on older gunshops. A lot of them still have back stock lying around.


Okie John

Hawk makes 175gr round nose bullets in .284. Not inexpensive but available. Stock they have heavier jackets, great for elk and bigger game but they do a run and make them with a thinner jacket for deer. The 175's are 1.22" long.

I had amazing luck with the Remington 175 RN CoreLokt bullet in a 7x57 in the factory load. It literally would shoot under 1 MOA FOR 5 shots all day long. That rifle was a Ruger and it would not shoot anything else I tried. Lighter bullets were all over the target.

I would try any 175gr bullet you could find, or maybe buy some Sellier&Bellot 173gr for under $20 and give them a try on the cheap. Good luck!

A follow-up question: I use this rifle for deer in MI where shots are under 100-yards. I'm going to need to get velocity to get decent performance from the bullet. Accuracy aside, any idea many fps will it take to get the bullet to open up?

Thanks,

Jay

I think I have an answer: 40 gr. will produce around 2300fps, max load for a 7x57 and about what the original cartridges velocity.

I don't remember the load but my favorite load in a military twist barrel was 160gr Speer Grand Slams at a listed velocity of 2600 fps (I didn't have a chronograph back then). I'm sure you can find a load of 4350 that will get you there.

Is your 4350 IMR or Accurate?

quote:

Originally posted by MARK H. YOUNG:
I had amazing luck with the Remington 175 RN CoreLokt bullet in a 7x57 in the factory load. It literally would shoot under 1 MOA FOR 5 shots all day long. That rifle was a Ruger and it would not shoot anything else I tried. Lighter bullets were all over the target.

I had the exact same experience with a #1 and Federal 175s. Any 140 I tried was shotgun-like in performance, but those 175s were ridiculously accurate.

quote:

Originally posted by Doublegun:
A follow-up question: I use this rifle for deer in MI where shots are under 100-yards. I'm going to need to get velocity to get decent performance from the bullet. Accuracy aside, any idea many fps will it take to get the bullet to open up?

Thanks,

Jay

A lot of those bullets are designed to open up at the original muzzle velocity of 2,400 fps. You could pump them up a little faster if you wanted.


Okie John

4350 IMR

My son has a custom Springfield in 7 X 57 with standard 10" twist. I have loaded for him for years, and the load that shoots best in his rifle is 50 grains of AA 4350 in Winchester cases behind a Speer 145-grain Grand Slam, lit with a CCI-200. I push them up to within about .008-.010" off the lands, so they are "loaded long".

I would recommend that since you are using IMR you cut back at least a couple of grains and work up to this load. I was told years ago by an Accurate Powder rep that their 4350 was one grain slower than the IMR. I found that to be true.

Those G&Hm WR, and H&H rifles like the Brno mod. 21 and 22 have 30-06 length magazines 99% of the time, and long throats 95% of the time..Here is how I have dealt with it:

I run a close fitting round dowell rod into the muzzle to the bolt face and mark it with a pen at the muzzle..then I take a 175 gr. bullet (I use Nosler partitions) and I stick the bullet only in the throat lightly snugged. then run the dowl back in and mark it again..measure the distance between the two marks and you have your chamber specs for that specific that usually matches the twist in those fine older guns. back off what ever you want and test fire. I sometimes back of 50 thous. to start with..but my other approach is as follows:

This has worked great for me and simplifies my life. By seating the bullet .284 into the case, (that's one caliber deep in the case) and shooting some groups, it always seems to work and keeps me from becoming anal...With the long throated Mausers, every single one Ive owned shot both the 130 Speer, the 160 and 175 Noslers with accuracy..that amounts to probably two dozen 7x57 Brnos or custom rifles is my best guess..but it always works...So much for bullet jump causing inaccuracy, Ive spent a life time trying to prove that theory of bullet jump, if your gun won't shoot short bullets with a long throat, its less than desirable barrel, not the old wives tale of bullet jump being inaccurate as many profess to. Probably going to light a fire with that statement as so many have read that fable and apparently believe it..

Doublegun:

It is simple to do.

For the heavy bullet ( 175gr ) and the light (140gr) simply load to the advertised velocity of the original. This is not difficult to do especially if one wants to shoot a gun "regulated" to original loads.

As to the issue of the "long throat" I'm having difficulty understanding what this is because the throat dimension on the original 7mm Mauser is what it is ! it is not long it is not short, it is right for the 173 gr RN bullet!

Mauser set the original dimension and that was how it always was. This was accepted by CIP in the 80's. All Euro derived 7 x 57's have this dimension.

The Early Brno's ( 21' and 22's all have this dimension as they were built on original Mauser tooling and to Mauser dimensions. The actions were slightly modified by Jelen of Brno to cut down on manufacturing steps.

Back to Mauser:

The original Freebore dimension was set at 19.2mm for the M93 Rifle and this was the dimension accepted by CIP in 1984.

All 7mm Mausers military and sporting have this freebore dimension and it applies to the 275's we were in the British trade because their barrels and barreled actions derived from Germany

Now if we go to Brennecke's 7mm ( the 7x64) we see a 34 mm freebore, but that as we know is a cartridge designed 24 years later

Now there are later modern American guns that shortened the dimension and not only that SAAMI changed the case dimension. This lead to problems with Die and shellholder function when using Euro derived cases. In early American gun magazines there were articles covering and lamenting this obvious difference.

Alf,
You have some Brnos, perhaps you need to take a chamber cast or try this:..

I have more than a few and I can seat a Nosler partition .284 deep in the 7x57 case and they feed very well thru every Brno mod. 21 or 22 that I own or have ever owned..I have on hand a G33-40 and it will take the same bullets so seated without any change to the action, or mag box, they all have 30-06 length boxes btw...Its one of the beauties of the Brno and G33-40s.

I think the confusion is that by Mausers very act of cutting the throat to fit a 173 gr. bullet apparently seated out to fit the original magazine that in itself makes it a longer throat and magazine box than any USA product rifle. Brnos are in effect G33-40 and the earliest of Brno 21s and 22 were actually G33-40 actions.

I have 14 Brno 7x57's in 21 and 22.

43.5g of Imr 4350 under a hornady 139gn interlock or gmx loaded to crimp into the cannelure works for me.

For my Mauser in 7x57 I use a Sierra or Hornady 139 or 140 gr flat base bullet loaded with one caliber diameter of bullet in the case neck in front of 49.5gr H4350.

When I seat to not quite touch the lands I don't think there's enough bullet in the case neck to be secure so I compromise on the seating depth. The load gets about 2800fps and is pleasant, cuts cloverleaf groups, and is deadly on white tails. Out to 300yds it does not give up much velocity at all to the boat tails. Unfortunately the boat tailed versions are not accurate in my rifle giving patterns more than groups.