My buddy has a No.1 in 7x57 and he is wanting me to help him develop a good accurate hunting load for his rifle.
I'm leaning towards 140-160gr. bullets and was just wondering about what kind of results other folks are having with this rifle and these bullets weights.

Never had a Number One, but I have loaded for several 7x57s. AA-3100 or IMR-4831 (same thing, different labels) and 139-145 grain bullets is the place to start.

I built one on a Mauser action for a friend with an orchard and gave her 50 rounds of ammo with 48.0 grains of AA-3100 under a 145 grain bullet. You could bust the springs on a good pickup with the deer she has killed with that thing and she still has near half a box left.

[ 06-15-2003, 07:02: Message edited by: Leftoverdj ]

I've owned three Ruger #1's in 7x57 -- two 1A's and one RSI. They each shot reasonably well -- I found loads that would shoot into 1-1.5 MOA. However -- nothing (and I mean pretty much NOTHING) that would shoot well in one rifle would stay on a pie plate in either of the others. The RSI shot best with 120 grain bullets, one of the 1A's shot best with 139 Hornady's, and the other one pretty much required heavier bullets -- 150's and up. So -- based on a relatively limited sample -- it would seem like some experimentation is in order. And perhaps some work to even out the flat end of the forearm, and some attention to the forearm hanger.

Good luck -- it's a fun rifle with some class.

Thanks Guys!
We are thinking of 140gr. Partitions as a starting point.He gets this idea about once a year but so far has never actually went for it.
He currently uses Win.Factory 145gr. fodder and has been well pleased.I guess since I keep telling him the loads he's shooting are kinda lethargic he gets to thinking about having me help him develop a load with more ooomph but then he backs out.Oh well I'll be ready when and if he actually goes for it this time.

RWS2. I have gotten some very good results with the 7x57 cartridge using Winchester's W-760. As the loads I use are way the hell past anything the manuals show, I won't post them. I will say this though, I have gotten velocity as high as 2880 FPS using the Nosler ballistic tip bullet. Pressure at the range while shooting this load seemed like they might be getting a bit too high though in the 110 degree heat we have in Arizona's summers. These loads were worked up in a Winchester model 70 Featherweight, and I have yet to try them in my Ruger #1A.
You are right when you say factory ammo as a whole is pretty anemic. I forget which, but I think either federal or Hornady make a "hot" load with 139 or 140 gr. bullet for the 7x57. maybe both companies do.
My #1 will stay inside an inch with Winchester factory ammo, and my custom mauser 98 will do .75" with that same ammo. The model 70 took more work to find something it liked.
This is just my personal opinion, butI feel that certain cartridges that are deliberately underloaded by the factories, can, in MODERRN rifles be loaded to their full potential with CAREFUL handloading. This includes the 7x57, 30-06 and .35 Whelen. The keyword here is CAREFUL.
My loads were worked up using W-760, Winchester WLR primers, Nosler BT's and Remington brass. The loads I finally settled on deliver an average velocity of 2800 FPS, and cases loaded five times still have tight primer pockets. Extraction is smooth and easy.
Nosler's manual gives no data for W-760 and the 140 gr. bullets.
Hope this helps.
Paul B.

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. 1. 7X57mm.

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, 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!!

CAUTION!! VERY HOT LOADS!! APPROACH FROM AT LEAST 10% BELOW!! A LOT DEPENDS ON THE LENGTH OF YOUR RIFLE'S CHAMBER THROAT!! IF YOU TRY THESE LOADS, IT IS AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!

[ 06-16-2003, 00:36: Message edited by: eldeguello ]

Damn Eldeguello! Those are some really hot loads. I can't come anywhere near them in my Mod. 70. My #1 in 7x57 had to go back to Ruger for a new barel. It had a two inch plus throat and wasn't accurate with anything. I used to have a Ruger 77 in 7x57 that would handle loads like yours. It had a fat chamber and the bore wos something like .0015" oversize and the grooves .001" oversize. Damn thing would give a hot loaded .280 Rem. a good run for it's money. I do most of my load work ups during the Arizona summer. Anything that is starting to show pressure signs should work just fine during the colder hunting seasons.
Paul B.

PaulB, I know those are hot loads!! Actually, the 175 grain/RE 22 load was developed from a Speer Manual load from the early 1970's that used 54 grains of N205 for 2700+ FPS. I switched to MRP after N205 was discontinued, and worked up past 54 grains of MRP in tests, but dropped back due to loose primer pockets that began to develop at 57 grains of MRP!! The WW 760 load with the 140 grain is one I worked up on my own without a specific starting point in a loading manual. As a matter of interest, I tried to develop a real HV load using the 120 grain Nosler Solid-base Boattail that preceded the Ballistic tip type, and was never able to break 3100 FPS no matter what powder I tried-couldn't get enough WW760 or comparable burning rate powder into the 7X57mm case to beat 3100 FPS or so!! So I went back to the 140 grain bullet.

I know I have a long throat in my No.1, and once had a 7X57mm Ruger 77 that was the same way. But I don't know if my bore is oversize, or if the chamber is really large, because I never measured either of these dimensions. However, the gun is accurate and plenty powerful, so what the hell!!

Sounds like it was the Speer #8 Maual. It was quickly replced by the #9 because there were some cartridges that had dangerous overloads. I believe most of them were with the 30-06, but it looks like the 7x57 may have gotten it's share as well. I have all the Speer manuals except for numbers 1,3, and 4. I also have all the Hornady manuals. It sure is amazing how loads that were once considered safe have now been emascualted to wimp status.
I know certain cartridges have been deliberately underloaded due to weak actions, including th 06 and 7x57. The .35 Whelen is another, because Remington felt there were too many ols Winchester 95's and Sringfield 03's still floating around. I've seen two of the Winchester 95's that have been rebored to .35 Whelen, and while that would be a cool gun to have, you'd surely have to stick with the wimpy factory loads.
When I loaded my Mod. 70 to 2880 FPS with the 140 gr. Noslet BT, it was anywhere from 105 to 110 degrees at the range. At that level, I was starting to feel like the pressure was getting out of hand, so I backed off. That was the most accurate load the rifle ever shot, one raggedy little hole with five bullets. Maybe, when it cools down some, I'll try it again.
I still have about 70 of the old solid base Nosler 140 gr. bullets. The old mod. 77 Ruger I had would usually put three into .50 to .75" if I did my part.
I have a good deer load that shoots reasonably well, but I'm going to figure out an elk load that won't kick the snot out of me. Since I took a fall and messed up my right shoulder, even the 30-06 is uncomfortable to shoot more than a few rounds, so it's either the 7x57 or maybe the .308 for elk this year. Frankly, I'd rather use my .300 Win. mag. as a lot of the shots can be at quite long range. Guess I'll have to learn long distance crawling.
Paul B.

PaulB. Right! It was Speer manual #8. There may very well have been some "dangerous overloads in it. With the N205 loads in #8, and in N205 data obtained by some other people at about that time, it appears that there was at least one lot of N205 that produced some pretty spectacular velocities with safe pressures, and that Norma was never able to produce another batch of N205 that was quite as good in the pressure/velocity ratio. This caused N205 to be labelled "inconsistent", and that in turn led to the replacement of N205 by MRP, which seems to be about the same as "normal" lots of N205. When using N205/MRP, I found that it took up less space in the cartridge case than RE 22 does. For example, I had no difficulty at all in getting 58 grains of N205 or MRP into an unfired WW 7X57mm case, but RE 22 leaves only enough room to start a bullet into a new case, even if you use a drop tube or some other method of settling the powder. However, in my R #1, the RE 22 charge of 54 grains with the 175-grain bullet produces considerably lower pressure signs than were produced using a like load of either N205 or MRP!! Even with a 175-grain bullet, I don't think you could get enough RE 22 into a 7X57mm case to cause a dangerous overload. I think you'd have to use something like the Barnes 195-grainer to get into trouble with a typical lot of RE 22 in the 7X57mm!!

[ 06-18-2003, 22:43: Message edited by: eldeguello ]

Now you've got me thunking I'd best check out the throat on the new barrel Ruger put on the rifle. Sure wouldn't hurt my feelings if that 7x57 decided it was a .280AI or something.
Paul B.

Let me know how long throat turns out to be. I have heard that Ruger is now making 7X57mm throats shorter than they used to be, but I don't know if it is true....

I have a 77MkII in 7x57 that also has a pretty long throat, I shot it in Africa with 160 Noslers at 2817fps, so 2700 with 175's seems reasonable to me. That's a hell of a cartridge without heavy recoil. We shot warthog, hartebeest, oryx, jackals, steenbok, and a 55 in. kudu with the little rifle. I'd much rather have a long throat than one that seats down into the powder capacity, but I've never had a 7x57 that wouldn't let the bullet be seated against the rifling. I've also never had a .375 that would let a bullet touch the rifling and still fit in the magazine, and all of them shot well, some of them great shooters.

My old #1-A 7x57 has a very long throat. I have yet to find a load that will consistently shoot under 2" @100y and I have tried about everything. 5 leftover X bullets did produce one sub-inch group but I haven't tried any more to see if that was just a fluke. Despite this the rifle has put at least 2 antelope in the freezer and sure is nice to carry. I am still looking for a good load.
C.G.B.

Cgb. You might want to have a gunsmith do a chamber cast and get a measurement of that throat. My old #1A in 7x57 would not shoot any kind of group, and I had that done. The throat was a hair over two inches long which I felt was way too much. Accuracy was nil, unless you call 5" groups accurate. I sent the gun back to Ruger and after about four months I got it back with a new barrel. She's a shooter now. .375" to 1.25" depending on the bullet and load.
Paul B.

i use hornady 154 round nose with the max load of rl15 and get 1" groups with my 1a..

Eldeguello. Sorry I took so long getting back to this. The throat on my #1 is .327" I took a case and seated a 175 gr. Hornady Spire point backwards just enough to hold it id place, and tried it. Then I seated again. Just before measurement, the bullet made a firm seat into the leade. The case was deep enough into the chamber that I could close the lever with a firm crush fit. I made the measurement at that point with the inside measuring part of my dial caliper. Considering the ogive of most 7mm bullets, you can still seat a bullet quite a ways out. I imagine you could consider that a fairly long throat.
FWIW, before the gun got fixed, A bullet started that way would not come close to touching the rifling.
Paul B.

Sounds like your throat is fairly long on this one, but mine is kinda like your first one. I tried to develop a load using the 150 grain Ballistic Tip, and if I seated the bullet AT ALL in the case neck, it was far from touching the rifling. With a throat this long, this gun should not be accurate, but it is acceptable for three shots, averaging about 1.25" with some loads.

My #1 in .243 never got tight groups until I used the Collet Die along with the factory crimp die to "snug " the bullets in the case.Not a full crimp,just a very light crimp.

Seating close to the lands is for getting uniform start pressures according to Lee.Impossible for my long throated #1.So a very light crimp ensuring uniform start pressure finally made it a great shooting rifle,along with fireformed neck sized cases of course.

I use Nosler BT bullets in it and if you use too much pressure you can actually form a cannelure in the bullet with this die.

It is a good method.I was disgusted with the rifle but now like it real well.Saeed did some tests on crimping and accuracy on this site and his tests and mine confirm that MOST of the time,not all the time,crimping improves accuracy.
All I know is it helped my rifle a lot.

I'm new to this forum and was thrilled to see your post about the #1 in 7X57. I purchased a #1A new in 1974 or 75 and after I went through a bunch of hair pulling, I got it to shoot. I have settled on Hornady 139 gr spire point and IMR 4831. Gets me 1/2" groups even from a warm barrel.

I had a horrible time trying to get the rifle to group adequately until I read an old article in Shooting Times from around 1975-6 about glass bedding the forend. I did that and about the same time tried the IMR 4831.

About 4 months ago, I took the rifle to the range with a box of loads that were put together in 1984 and shot the same 1/2" three shot group that it shot back in 1984. Compared the two targets and had a hard time believing it myself.