Better commercial 7x57 Mauser ammo?

MD

MD

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I understand that most commercial 7x57 ammunition is loaded mild due to the large number of older ex military 7x57 small ring Mausers in use.

I have a more modern example, a 1955 Husqvarna lightweight.

Is there a commercial 7x57 load out there that is hotter than the norm that I could get some good hunting velocities out of?
 
Maybe I should ask this:

What is the hunting performance of standard Remington, Winchester or Federal 7x57 on deer and black bears? On moose?

I don't usually like to shoot past 200 yards though sometimes circumstances demand that.
 
The now standard American load seems to be a 140 grain pointed soft point at around 2660fps, a very mild load, though pretty effective on deer and black bears. I have killed four deer and one smallish black bear with five rounds of 140 grain Remington loads. However the longest range was about 90 yards. I have shot Norma 150 grain factory loads but not at game. The Norma box claims 2755 with the 150, I think. If you are contemplating moose I think the old 175 grain round nose would be hard to beat, that old long, heavy bullet established an awesome record on heavy game in Africa at the beginning of the last century. That is as long as you weren't shooting at long range. The best solution for versatility is probably handloading, yourself or sucking a buddy in to do it. It is no big feat to load the 7x57 up to .270 Winchester ballistics. My 2 cents.
 
A friend of mine really liked the Federal 175-grainer. He killed quite a few whitetail with it and was satisfied with the expansion he got. He had no interest in trying lighter, faster loads.
 
I myself bought a large quantity or Norma for my full stocked Ruger #1 many years ago and haven't needed anything else since I also hand load.
 
Several years ago I sold a Husqvarna 4100 in 7X57 to an RCMP member up here. He is a friend, and the rifle was for his wife, so I loaded up some 175 gr Hornady RN, and purposely kept them down around 2200 fps for her to hunt caribou and moose. Basically, it was a 30-30 load, but with a much higher sectional density.

Their young son took the rifle one day when they were off calling moose. Long story short, the lad decked a huge bull with a single shot, dad was tickled, and mom still uses the same load.

Velocity isn't always the end of the story. That load, sighted in three inches high at 100 yd, is flat enough shooting to easily kill most big game animals with a dead on hold to 250 yd, AND has enough power to do it. Any of the commercial loads will be at least as powerful.

Ted
 
Hornady has the "Superformance" with a 139gr. bullet at 2760, a step up from the usual factory offering. My handloads will still beat that by a considerable margin. If your typical shot is 200yd or less, you won't be handicapped by the old 175 gr. bullet, especially if moose are on the list. It would be worth the effort to hit the gunshows to scrounge up a few boxes. I found the old Winchester load was considerably faster than Federal.
 
I found half a box of Hornady "Custom" loads with 156 grain bullets at a gun show and they were good but it turns out they quit making that load in 7x57. Darn!

I've been loading 140 grain Interlocks in it for now with my little Lee Loader kit but it is faulty and I can't set the die to seat the bullets as far out as I'd like so they meet the lands. I've been told by the previous owner that the HVA 4100 lightweight I've got has a very long throat.
 
MapleSugar said:
By coincidence, I already posted a similar response in this thread.

http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?820491-7x57mm-Mauser-ammo

In short, Prvi Partizan 173 gr. SP would be really hard to beat.

It is pretty close to the old Spanish military load and doesn't have its velocity neutered.
Click to expand...


Good post, however the problem with the PP 173 gr load in his rifle is that the Husqvarna barrel in 7X57 has a 1:12 twist, and does not stabilize long bullets well. The 175 round nose works fine, but spitzers, and semi-spitzers like the Prvi, are not accurate out of the slow twist.

Ted
 
MD said:
I found half a box of Hornady "Custom" loads with 156 grain bullets at a gun show and they were good but it turns out they quit making that load in 7x57. Darn!

I've been loading 140 grain Interlocks in it for now with my little Lee Loader kit but it is faulty and I can't set the die to seat the bullets as far out as I'd like so they meet the lands. I've been told by the previous owner that the HVA 4100 lightweight I've got has a very long throat.
Click to expand...

MD, just put as many washers with a 1/4 inch hole between the seater stem and the top of the die as you need to seat the bullets out further.

Having said that, the 175 gr RN will pleasantly surprise you, I'm sure.

Ted
 
The last time I used factory loads on game was well over +10 years ago, and those happene to be in a 7x57. I used RWS 162gr KS on a very big bull moose. It worked exceptionally well. The ammo is, however, quite expensive and hard to find.

Ted - I always thought a mild 175gr Partition load would be just about the perfect light recoil big game getter. IIRC the original 173gr loads that made the 7x57's reputation in Africa were loaded between 2200 and 2300fps.
 
I remember seeing photos years ago in an old Jack O'Connor article of his wife with a rather large tiger taken with a 7x57 and the 175 grain roundnose load. WDM Bell whacked over 1000 African elephants, most with the 7x57 and 6.5x54 MS using 160 and 173 grain roundnose solids. Those long, heavy for bore size solids will really penetrate.
 
Why not? said:
Good post, however the problem with the PP 173 gr load in his rifle is that the Husqvarna barrel in 7X57 has a 1:12 twist, and does not stabilize long bullets well. The 175 round nose works fine, but spitzers, and semi-spitzers like the Prvi, are not accurate out of the slow twist.

Ted
Click to expand...

Hmmm, thanks Ted. I didn't know that.

The right twist for a 173 gr. spitzer is about 1 in 9", isn't it?

Does anyone know the twist rate in a 1935 Brazilian Mauser?
 
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