I am in the process of rationalising my reloading practices/setup. Over the years, I have accrued a lot of different loads/projectiles for some of my rifles and it has to change. I like to have just one main load for each rifle so that I do not have to worry about resighting between shoots/hunts and so I can keep sufficient ammo/components on hand for any short-notice trips.

So, I am starting with my 7x57 and would like to know what other AR members recommend for the 7x57 for deer/antelope sized game. I am looking for a good projectile that can be used for deer, antelope, pigs and general plicking - in other words, a projectile that has good terminal ballistics but which doesn't have a premium price tag (does such a beast exist?) as I shoot this rifle a lot for a wide range of purposes.

I've included this post here in the Aust/NZ forum as I want comment on projectiles that are readily available and affordable in our corner of the world.

hi i shoot two 7mm's a 7mm08 and a 7mm rem mag and use 150gr remmington core lokts in them both

i have shot a heap of deer and pigs with them and havn't had a single problem with them and can highly recommed them
they are the cheapest projectile on the market and perform very well i am yet to recover on yet as they all exit leaving a good exit hole which is what i like a bullet to do

hope this helps

quote:

hi i shoot two 7mm's a 7mm08 and a 7mm rem mag and use 150gr remmington core lokts in them both

Thanks for that info. I have used the Corelokts on occasions for competition/plicking but haven't had the chance to shoot any game with them. I was hoping that they would be good for game as they shoot well in my rifle but, without some first hand experience, I wasn't sure about them - they being cheap and all!

For those who might be interested, this is the rifle in question:

It is a 1976 Brno ZKK600 with the pop-up aperture which has been re-stocked (Jeff Slee semi-finished blank - my work) with ebony forend tip and grip cap, and sports PME QD scope mounts (Trijicon 1.25-4x scope) and a PME 3-Postion bolt-shroud safety - the result is an excellent rifle that shoots well and has, in my opinion, a fair amount of class for a re-worked factory rifle. (The stock isn't really this light and bland - that is just the result of my poor photography.)

a good old bruno
they are very good straight shooters

you wont be disapoited with how the core lokts perform on game i havn't lost a deer or even come close to it with them

i shot 9 deer over the roar with them and not one took a single step all booommmfffaaa!!! flop
the only negitive point with them is if you are shoulder shooting you will loose a bit of meat due to the damage they will do but you could fix this buy aimming a little bit behind the shoulder or neck or head shoot instead

i have also shot 2 deer with one shot 4 times now uesing them aswell

as i said above you wont be disapoited and if they shoot well in your rifle you will be onto a winner with them
happy hunting

For a 7mm and the types of uses you have mentioned I would opt for some Nosler accubonds...............I have been using them in the .300 RUM and they are a good bullet, if I owned a 7mm I would set up for them. I am like you I like to get one load for each caliber and stick to it if I can, I may shoot up a supply and the change bullets occasionaly though ie. when I run out of speer 9.3 270 gr bullets I will try a lighter 250 gr bullet I think.

For my 7x64 I recommend Hornady 139gn interbonds. As the bullet is similar to the accubond they act as a bonded ballistic tip and perform above their weight.
They have performed equally well on large and small deer species.

regards

Mark

Hello BwanaBob,
You have a very nice rifle. I have a ZKK 601 in .308 from the same year and I always wanted but couldn`t fine here one in 7x57 as yours!
Together with the .375 H&H, the 7x57 is my favourite caliber.
I have 2 7x57 and reload for them from 30 years ago. One of the rifles is an Original DWM sporter with an 1893 action (the only oder one exactly like mine I ever saw was for sale in an add in Gunsamerica) It is a very well made rifle and the barrel is still very good because the rifle have been in my family from new and perhaps I am who have used the rifle more. The other 7x57 is a M98 mauser 1935 with a new military barrel.
I strongly recomend the Hornady 154 gr Spire Point as an ideal all around bullet for your intended use. With any of the 4350 or simmilar powders you are done.
Best Regards
PH

Hi Bwanna,
In my 7x64 I use 162grn RWS TIG projectiles for general use. A friend uses 154grn Hornadys for general use with his 7x64 and another friend who uses a BLASER 7X57R single shot uses RWS CONE POINTS for general use.
The 140 and 160grn Woodleighs work well also and are obviously redly available here in Aus.
Cheers
ozhunter

I just got through with the exact same quest. In my opinion The absolute best bullet, on game, in the 7x57 is a 150gn Nosler Partition. These are a little less than US$14 per 50 if you buy seconds direct from Nosler. They shoot around 2700fps using 48.5gns of H4350 in my commercial Mauser. The beauty of this bullet is that it will open fast on smaller deer yet have excelent penitration on larger game. I have used it on small deer to 300lb hogs and will use it on a red deer this fall. A friend broke both shoulders of a bull elk a 185yds. I consider this to be a perfect combo for anything under 300yds and ,less than 500lbs. As for cheaper plinkers, I find that 145bt speers using the same amount of powder shoot to about 1/2 inch higher and to the right in my gun. This is close enough to practice with. In fact if I shoot a five shot group with both the ten shots average about 2,5". If I had to pick just one gun to do everythig the 7x57 and 150PTs would be my choice. capt david

Hornady SST's

I use the 162 hornady SST's in my 7mm-08 with great results.

I have used them on game and for silhouette shooting with excellent results for both, the silhouettes go down with authority and the pigs i've shot with them have been virtually ancored to the spot.

The SST's are extremely accurate in my rifle, they seem to perform extremely well at 7mm-08 velocities at close or long range.

The 162 hornady SST is now the only bullet that I reload for game of all sizes, I think they work so well that I would not hesitate to use them on sambar if the oppotunity presented itself.

A very nice looking rifle!

Thanks for all of the inputs, guys. This is one of the great things about this forum - being able to draw on the experience of others.

cheers,
Bob

Nice looking rifle you have there. Go ahead and post more pictures of it when you can.

If the MV is about 2700 fps or so most any cup and core bullet will work well on game like that. So tell us what bullets that you can get and the members can comment on them.

I have used the 130 Speer Hot Core, 140 Sierra Pro Hunter and 150 Rem. Corelokt all with good results in the 7mm on deer and large varmints.

Another vote for Corelokts - they just work well on deer and are accurate in my rifles as a bonus.

I'm getting good results from Barnes Triple Shocks.
Solid Copper Bullet.
Holds together well on the big deer.
Using it in. 7-08, 7mm Rem Mag and 7mmRem SAUM
I use 160 gr bullets in the Magnums and 120 gr in the 7-08.
Result is heavier bullet performance but lighter bullet speed.