Looking for a mild 7X57 load

hoekster · January 26, 2010, 05:39 PM

I've got a nice Spanish Mauser that I'd like to shoot a little more often. I've found that the heavier 175 gr. bullets shoot the best, so I'm looking for a safe load using that weight bullet - preferably Hornady SP's. I know that the "classic" 7X57 load was a 175 gr. bullet at around 2400 fps and it was considered low pressure enough to be used in the old guns. If anyone has the recipe for something like that - that you know to be pretty safe - I'd love to have it. I would especially like to find a load using H or IMR-4350, since they have a good reputation for accuracy/consistency. Any recommendations out there? Thanks!

socagee · January 26, 2010, 10:29 PM

I am looking for about the same thing for a friends 95 mauser. Don't know much about these rifles. What is the weakness of these rifles? I have found a load in an old lyman book that gives 44 grains of I 4350 as a max for a 160 grain bullet.

hoekster · January 27, 2010, 12:58 PM

The '93 and '95s are rated at 46,000CUP, which is about what the regular factory ammo is rated at for this cartridge (Stay away from +P, light magnums, etc). It's not a hot rod, but still more than adequate for anything I'll ever hunt at woods range. On top of that, the guns are some of the slickest actions out there. Hopefully somebody has some experience with these guns and knows a few good loads.

mapsjanhere · January 27, 2010, 01:13 PM

Looking at the Hodgdon data, the max they get with a 175 gr is 2300 ft/s at 46,000 CUP. Alliant gets it up all the way to 2,600 but doesn't list a pressure. Sorry, I don't have any specific loads for the Hornady bullet.
In regards to the "weakness", the pre-98 models don't have the 3rd locking lug which prevents the bolt from launching in your face if the other two fail.

Scorch · January 28, 2010, 04:12 PM

I owned several old 93 and 95 Mausers. I loaded 139 or 140 gr bullet, 41.0 gr IMR4320, velocity was about 2,650-2,700 fps. Relatively mild load.

Since you want to use 175 gr bullets and IMR4350, try 44.0 gr IMR4350 behind a 175 gr bullet. Velocity should be around 2,400 fps.

hoekster · January 29, 2010, 10:47 AM

Here's what I learned over at Alliant Powders' "Ask the Expert" site:

"The closest I can come to what you want is some data from the Lyman 49th edition handbook for a 175 gr Speer bullet. It should be okay with your Hornady 175 gr.

7x57 - 175 gr Speer:

RL 22 powder: start - 38.6 grs (33,000 CUP) @ 1948 fps... max - 48.6 gr (compressed, 45,800 CUP) @ 2473 fps

I recommend that you start with the minimum charge wt and work from there. Thanks for your note.

Ben Amonette, Consumer Service Manager, Alliant Powder Company"

Scorch · January 29, 2010, 01:52 PM

I wouldn't use RL22 powder, it's very slow. And the Speer bullet is designed for 7mm Rem Mag velocities, so it doesn't expand worth a darn (just trust me on that one). But I guess the Alliant experts are just like everybody else, if you don't know, just open a book and pick one! Eenie meenie miney moe . . .

Lawyer Daggit · January 29, 2010, 09:21 PM

I use an Australian ADI powder (Australian Defence Industries) so you would need to visit their site and look for equivalent powders.

Try Nosler 125 gn Ballistic tip, winchester large rifle primers and ADI 2208 (36gns) overall length 2.64 inches.

I use this in a Winchester model 70 featherweight and have taken a lot of feral goat with it. One feral goat was at a laser measured range of 375 yards.

I would drop back a few grains and work up to 36 gns, although I do not regard this as 'hot' in my model 70 which is showing no pressure signs with this load.

A reputable gun writer in Australia named Nick Harvey, who has written a widely followed book on reloading, and who has a lot of personal experience with the 7x57 recommends:

Speer 115gn 53 gns of Win 760- varmint and predator
Sierra 120gn with 52gns of Win 760 -goats and pigs
Speer 130 and 51gn of Win 760 -chamois and tahr
Sierra 140 gn with 50 gn of Win 760- medium deer
Nosler partition or speer mag tip 160 gn mag tip with 48gns of AR 2209 large deer
Sierra 175 gn with 50gn WXR big game

These were developed in a Mauser 98. He recommends reducing these loads by 3-4 gns when using old Mauser model 93 and model 95.

Cheers

dumbodave · January 30, 2010, 02:24 AM

Back in the mid-60's I was mentored a lot by an old guy who had some odd ideas. He was kind of a physical wreck (from arguing with an old steel wheeled tractor) and very sensitive to recoil. He had a post war BRNO rifle made for him at the BRNO factory in 7x57. Wish I knew what happened to that rifle... He used H4831 to shoot 150 grn bullets and was that ever accurate! He said he tried many other powders but liked the H4831 because it had a noticably gentler recoil. He also liked the fact that H4831 was so bulky that you couldn't put enough in the case to create a dangerous condition. He shot a lot of moose and deer with that load.

hickstick_10 · January 30, 2010, 02:32 AM

I have a hankering that if a man were to screw around with IMR trail boss and lead bullets, youd have a fine plinking load. Ive seen a 308 loaded with trailboss and it was hilarious to see it shot, very quiet.

Huffmanite · February 3, 2010, 05:43 PM

Reduced load for 7X57 mauser (or any other bottle necked cartridge) with trail boss powder and jacketed bullets is possible. New 2010 Hodgdon Reloading Magazine/manual has article for using Trail Boss with Jacketed bullets.

Take the cartridge case, seat a jacketed bullet (one normally used in your particular caliber) in it you want to use. Mark where bottom of bullet is in case. Remove bullet, fill with TB till you've reached the mark, then measure powder. Then multiply number of grains of powder by .70 to find amount of powder to use. Example, lets say a 270 Winchester holds 20 grains of trail boss powder beneath a seated bullet. 20gr X .70 = 14 grains. Start with 14 grains with your jacketed bullet. Article then goes on to say you can use as much as 20 grains Trail Boss in the 270 Win example. Also, article in Hodgdon manual says you can't put enough Trail Boss in a cartridge with any grain jacketed bullet normally used in a particular cartridge that would be unsafe to shoot due to cartridge being over charged.

January 26, 2010, 05:39 PM	#1
hoekster Junior Member Join Date: February 23, 2009 Posts: 6	Looking for a mild 7X57 load I've got a nice Spanish Mauser that I'd like to shoot a little more often. I've found that the heavier 175 gr. bullets shoot the best, so I'm looking for a safe load using that weight bullet - preferably Hornady SP's. I know that the "classic" 7X57 load was a 175 gr. bullet at around 2400 fps and it was considered low pressure enough to be used in the old guns. If anyone has the recipe for something like that - that you know to be pretty safe - I'd love to have it. I would especially like to find a load using H or IMR-4350, since they have a good reputation for accuracy/consistency. Any recommendations out there? Thanks!

January 27, 2010, 01:13 PM	#4
mapsjanhere Senior Member Join Date: August 6, 2009 Location: Albuquerque Posts: 2,832	Looking at the Hodgdon data, the max they get with a 175 gr is 2300 ft/s at 46,000 CUP. Alliant gets it up all the way to 2,600 but doesn't list a pressure. Sorry, I don't have any specific loads for the Hornady bullet. In regards to the "weakness", the pre-98 models don't have the 3rd locking lug which prevents the bolt from launching in your face if the other two fail. __________________ I used to love being able to hit hard at 1000 yards. As I get older I find hitting a mini ram at 200 yards with the 22 oddly more satisfying.

January 28, 2010, 04:12 PM	#5
Scorch Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2006 Location: Washington state Posts: 15,249	I owned several old 93 and 95 Mausers. I loaded 139 or 140 gr bullet, 41.0 gr IMR4320, velocity was about 2,650-2,700 fps. Relatively mild load. Since you want to use 175 gr bullets and IMR4350, try 44.0 gr IMR4350 behind a 175 gr bullet. Velocity should be around 2,400 fps. __________________ Never try to educate someone who resists knowledge at all costs. But what do I know? Summit Arms Services

January 29, 2010, 01:52 PM	#7
Scorch Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2006 Location: Washington state Posts: 15,249	I wouldn't use RL22 powder, it's very slow. And the Speer bullet is designed for 7mm Rem Mag velocities, so it doesn't expand worth a darn (just trust me on that one). But I guess the Alliant experts are just like everybody else, if you don't know, just open a book and pick one! Eenie meenie miney moe . . . __________________ Never try to educate someone who resists knowledge at all costs. But what do I know? Summit Arms Services

January 26, 2010, 10:29 PM	#2
socagee Junior Member Join Date: December 23, 2009 Posts: 3	I am looking for about the same thing for a friends 95 mauser. Don't know much about these rifles. What is the weakness of these rifles? I have found a load in an old lyman book that gives 44 grains of I 4350 as a max for a 160 grain bullet.

January 27, 2010, 12:58 PM	#3
hoekster Junior Member Join Date: February 23, 2009 Posts: 6	The '93 and '95s are rated at 46,000CUP, which is about what the regular factory ammo is rated at for this cartridge (Stay away from +P, light magnums, etc). It's not a hot rod, but still more than adequate for anything I'll ever hunt at woods range. On top of that, the guns are some of the slickest actions out there. Hopefully somebody has some experience with these guns and knows a few good loads.

January 29, 2010, 10:47 AM	#6
hoekster Junior Member Join Date: February 23, 2009 Posts: 6	Here's what I learned over at Alliant Powders' "Ask the Expert" site: "The closest I can come to what you want is some data from the Lyman 49th edition handbook for a 175 gr Speer bullet. It should be okay with your Hornady 175 gr. 7x57 - 175 gr Speer: RL 22 powder: start - 38.6 grs (33,000 CUP) @ 1948 fps... max - 48.6 gr (compressed, 45,800 CUP) @ 2473 fps I recommend that you start with the minimum charge wt and work from there. Thanks for your note. Ben Amonette, Consumer Service Manager, Alliant Powder Company"

January 29, 2010, 09:21 PM	#8
Lawyer Daggit Senior Member Join Date: December 5, 2004 Posts: 1,181	I use an Australian ADI powder (Australian Defence Industries) so you would need to visit their site and look for equivalent powders. Try Nosler 125 gn Ballistic tip, winchester large rifle primers and ADI 2208 (36gns) overall length 2.64 inches. I use this in a Winchester model 70 featherweight and have taken a lot of feral goat with it. One feral goat was at a laser measured range of 375 yards. I would drop back a few grains and work up to 36 gns, although I do not regard this as 'hot' in my model 70 which is showing no pressure signs with this load. A reputable gun writer in Australia named Nick Harvey, who has written a widely followed book on reloading, and who has a lot of personal experience with the 7x57 recommends: Speer 115gn 53 gns of Win 760- varmint and predator Sierra 120gn with 52gns of Win 760 -goats and pigs Speer 130 and 51gn of Win 760 -chamois and tahr Sierra 140 gn with 50 gn of Win 760- medium deer Nosler partition or speer mag tip 160 gn mag tip with 48gns of AR 2209 large deer Sierra 175 gn with 50gn WXR big game These were developed in a Mauser 98. He recommends reducing these loads by 3-4 gns when using old Mauser model 93 and model 95. Cheers

January 30, 2010, 02:24 AM	#9
dumbodave Member Join Date: January 30, 2010 Location: Calgary, Alberta Posts: 46	Back in the mid-60's I was mentored a lot by an old guy who had some odd ideas. He was kind of a physical wreck (from arguing with an old steel wheeled tractor) and very sensitive to recoil. He had a post war BRNO rifle made for him at the BRNO factory in 7x57. Wish I knew what happened to that rifle... He used H4831 to shoot 150 grn bullets and was that ever accurate! He said he tried many other powders but liked the H4831 because it had a noticably gentler recoil. He also liked the fact that H4831 was so bulky that you couldn't put enough in the case to create a dangerous condition. He shot a lot of moose and deer with that load.

January 30, 2010, 02:32 AM	#10
hickstick_10 Senior Member Join Date: August 8, 2009 Posts: 477	I have a hankering that if a man were to screw around with IMR trail boss and lead bullets, youd have a fine plinking load. Ive seen a 308 loaded with trailboss and it was hilarious to see it shot, very quiet.

February 3, 2010, 05:43 PM	#11
Huffmanite Senior Member Join Date: February 17, 2006 Location: Northeast of Houston, Tx Posts: 393	Reduced load for 7X57 mauser (or any other bottle necked cartridge) with trail boss powder and jacketed bullets is possible. New 2010 Hodgdon Reloading Magazine/manual has article for using Trail Boss with Jacketed bullets. Take the cartridge case, seat a jacketed bullet (one normally used in your particular caliber) in it you want to use. Mark where bottom of bullet is in case. Remove bullet, fill with TB till you've reached the mark, then measure powder. Then multiply number of grains of powder by .70 to find amount of powder to use. Example, lets say a 270 Winchester holds 20 grains of trail boss powder beneath a seated bullet. 20gr X .70 = 14 grains. Start with 14 grains with your jacketed bullet. Article then goes on to say you can use as much as 20 grains Trail Boss in the 270 Win example. Also, article in Hodgdon manual says you can't put enough Trail Boss in a cartridge with any grain jacketed bullet normally used in a particular cartridge that would be unsafe to shoot due to cartridge being over charged.