Everytime I read an article on Eleanor O'Connor and her little 7x57 I read that Jack loaded a favorite round for her to use: 165gr Hornady at 2660 FPS. Anyone know what he used to obtain this? I can't find any powder that will do this - you run out of room to stuff anymore in before you get it going this fast. What did he load them with?
Also, anyone have any favorite 7x57 loads they want to share? I have several 7x57 to work with, latest is a Ruger M77 that I can't wait to get to the range and try out.
Regards,

Trapper. This is from O'Connor's book, The Hunting Rifle. According to the book, she used 52.0 gr. of 4831. That has to be the old surplus stuff that's no longer available. be careful working up to that with modern H-4831. He also said tht with the 140 gr. Sierra and and 145 gr. Speer, he used 45.0 gr. of 4320. That has to be the Du Pont version which is probably slower burning than the current version as made by IMR.
He said he didn't have pressure data for 47.5 gr. of 4350 (Du Pont) with a 175 gr. bullet and that one scares the hell out of me. O'Connor also used the 154 gr. Hornady (pre-Interlock) with that 52.0 gr. 4831 load.
I'm not going to give you any of my loads for the 7x57 as they are all way over anything in any book. Suffice it to say, I have reached 2880 FPS with the 140 gr. Nosler Ballistic tip using W-760. I did drop back a bit as the load was showing signs of high pressure. However, the temperature at the time of testing was 105 degrees. The group was .125x.375" Brass was Remington and the primer a Winchester WLR. W-760 seems to be a really great powder for the 7x57. FWIW, the rifle is a Winchester M70 Featherweight push feed. So far, the only bullet that won't group for shit, is the Winchester 150 gr. Power point that comes in bulk bags. Matter of fact, they won't group in any of my three rifles in 7x57 or in my .280 Remington. They're so damn bad, I've even considered melting them down for the load for my cast bullet shooting. I really hate those bullets. Maybe I just got a bad batch, but they really are lousy.
Paul B.

I always advise caution, but I do think that the 7x57 is loaded and SAAMI rated very low. My brother had an old 95 Mauser in 7x57 that shot great, but couldn't be trusted with anything hot at all. Remember that the 7x57 was used in some pre-98 Mausers, and a Model 70 or other modern rifle can handle loads that a Model 95 Mauser could not. Keep an eye out for any pressure signs and work up a load that works in your rifle.

Thanks for the replies - I NEVER start off at max on any load, usually go up to a point, then back off a bit. Just my way of doing things. FWIW, I also have a couple of old Mausers in 7x57 - Mod 93 and Mod 95 - and would not shoot same ammo in these I use in the Ruger, etc. Not really trying to make a 7MM Rem Mag out of the 7x57 but just not sure how Ol' Jack was able to get the velocity he stated from his loads. My best load to date, considering accuracy and speed, has been with H414. Bit of a surprise, that, as I found that IMR 4350 worked best in 8x57. Not as fast as some loads but fast enough, and super accurate in a half dozen rifles.
Again, thanks for the info.

Trap:

My rifles are 2 Rugers, and One Winchester Featherweight in 7 x 57.

Each of the Rugers do have their favorite loads.

One is 40 grains of IMR 3031 with a 175 grain bullet. One hole shooter at 100 yds, with a velocity of about 2650.

Second is 40 grains of W 748 with a 139 or 140 grain bullet. Velocity is again in the 2650 range.

The Winchester shoots any thing down the barrel well. However it is a back up rifle for Elk hunting, and loaded up some IMR 4064 (42.4 grains) with a 170 GR Sierra Round Nose ( discontinued, by have also used the Hornady 175 gr RN as a substitution) Velocity is also in the 2650 range.

Notice a pattern of accuracy at 2650??

Whatever works Right??

I have shot a lot of Ruger and this load works well in the 7x57 in most. I use Win brass, 160 Noslers, 50.5 gr H414 with the bullet seated way out for the long throats. It chronographs 2817 fps and shoots .700 groups consistently. Obviously you work up to this load slowly.

I agree with jstevens. Using powders in the relative quickness range of IMR 4350 which includes N204, WW760 and H414, you can get some pretty fast performance from 139-140 grain bullets.

Be advised the next two loads are hot, and I would not use either in anything other than a No. 1, a M98 Mauser in excellent condition, M70 Win., or Rem. 700!!!! Both are 1 MOA or less in my long-throated No. 1A. 7X57mm, and a Ruger M77. If you decide to try these, work up from at least 5 grains below, particularly if your rifle does not have a long throat-throating makes a big difference!!

1. 140 grain Nosler Partition, or 140 grain Sierra BT: 53.5 grains of WW 760. MV 3000 fps!!
WW cases, Fed. 210 primers

2. 175 grain Nosler Partition: 54 grains RE 22, MV 2720 fps. WW cases, Fed. 210 primers

I have used the 140 grain load since 1976 with no problems, and the 175 grain load since Norma MRP went off the market (it is now back but I haven't bought any since it returned), and I had used the exact same load of MRP for about the same velocity before changing. The RE 22 load gives LESS apparent pressure than the old MRP load did, but takes up MORE space in the case, requiring tapping to settle it in order to get it all in, or use of a drop tube. I don't think it is possible to get too much RE 22 in a 7X57mm case with any bullet of 175 grains or less, if the round is fired in a modern rifle with a long throat.

RE 19 should also be an excellent powder for the 7X57, but I have not tried any yet.

[ 09-13-2003, 16:49: Message edited by: eldeguello ]

eldeguelllo- We are on the same line, I also shoot 53.5 grains of H414 in mine and this load gives 3038 fps in the 7x57. It makes a hell of a whitetail load, but I shoot the 160 Nosler load almost exclusively as I get tired of changing sights, etc for the different bullets. I'll have to give the 175 grain load a try as I already have a bunch of RL22. I haven't tried RL19 either, but it or N204 should work great too.

I shoot a CZ 550 American with a 23.5 inch barrel and a 1x8.66 twist barrel. With the 162 grain Hornady SST, 48.9 grains of H414 powder, bullet seated way, way, way out to .01 inch off the lands, Remington case, Federal primers I get 2,855 fps chronographed and groups that go from the smallest of .216 to the largest at .431 inch (these are three shot groups). The person that warned about use of modern-day H4831 while using an old loading manual is very correct. I fireformed and then loaded some .256 Newton's for my little bro using H4831 powder and the load came from an old book. I reduced loads by 10 grains just for the hell of it and we still had to pry the bolt handle up. I ended up loading about 15 grains under what the old manual listed and this was still a warm load in his rifle. Tom Purdom

[ 09-15-2003, 05:01: Message edited by: thomas purdom ]

Tom, that's one hell of a big difference! 15 grains! Wow! Such a difference would make me suspect that the powder in that can was mislabelled! I've heard of dropping 5% to 10% and working back up when changing lots of the same powder, but this is just plain scary!! In my experience, IMR 4350 loads that produced performance comparable to 4831 loads only needed to be reduced 4 to 5 grains below the 4831 load, for .30/06-based cases!!

I haven't bought any of the "new" H4831, and have about 1/4 of a pound left of the 8 pounds of original G.I. surplus 4831 I bought in 1968! But these days I work mostly with IMR 4350, MRP, RE 22, IMR 7828, H414 and WW 760.

In the summer of 1959, I worked for the Forest Service out of Grants N.M. at a place called Bluewater in the Zuni Mountains! What a beautiful part of the country you have there!! Lots of deer and turkeys!

jstevens, I think it is amazing that we ended up using identical loads of 760/H414 with 140 grain bullets, and are getting the same kind of results! I found that the 140-grain load drops deer in their tracks a lot more often than the 175-grain load, but the 175 grain damages a lot less meat! But the 175-grain is the one I'd select for bear, elk, moosies, etc!! Actually, you use of the 160-grain is probably the best idea, since it is a good all-round weight, and you can use jst one load for everything.

[ 09-15-2003, 15:34: Message edited by: eldeguello ]

Hey, guys. Don't get me started down the J O'C nostalgia trail again this year. Last year, about this time, a thread got going about him over in Medium Bores, and I ended up going in hock to get a 7x57 M70 Classic FWT, then, while at my FFL guy to pick up that one, I spied another one there in .270 Win. Obviously, fate, so, it got put on the plastic, too. The missus was a little peeved when she got ready to start Christmas shopping, and saw how little she had to work with. I'm just getting out of the doghouse now.

BTW - Didn't he use 160 grain Sierra's?

R-WEST

Hey West! Are you trying to tell me that you didn't buy at least one of those rifles for your wife? Mine owns lots of guns, and I'm continually having to work 'em for her to make sure they still work right. It's a disgrace, her owning all those damn guns and hardly ever using 'em!

Actually, I have tried the old "this one's for you, dear" approach a few times. I generally get the look.

R-WEST

[ 10-18-2003, 09:28: Message edited by: bill smith ]

how in the world do you people get so much powder into a 7x57 case...????????

i just got done loading soem 160 grain Swift A-Frame bullets into my 7x57 and i use 45.5 grains of RL-19 dropped through a 4 inch tube. i seat the bullet out to the SAAMI standard which is 3.065 overall length. there is barely any room left in the case.

i keep reading in different manuals that the max load for this bullet weight is as high as 49 grains of RL-19. just for grins, i put 47.5 grains in the case and it was just shy of spilling over the case mouth. how in the heck could i get 49 grains in there???

some of you guys are laoding over 50 grains. what are you doing to the powder before you put it in the case. are you grinding it into flour or what????? i don't know what you are doing, but there ain't no way i could get 5 more grains of powder in my 7x57 cases, much less put a bullet on top of it. please enlighten me.......

[ 10-20-2003, 07:20: Message edited by: bill smith ]

Trapper..the powder O'Connor used to load his wife's 7X57 was IMR4320.

bill smith:

Its no trick to get 54 grains of h414 into a 7x57 case. that powder is so fine that it settles in there compactly without using a drop tube. I have loaded 53 grains of imr 4350, but have to use a drop tube(aluminum arrow shaft)to do it. This load fills the case to the top. I have used this compressed load with 140 noslers for years and have never had a bullet back out(I do not crimp). I have never used R19 but the imr4350 is an extruded powder that really leaves alot of empty space between the power kernels unless you use a drop tube.
BTW- I shoot a Remington 700 classic and a Win 70 featherweight.

bama7x57