7x57 Factory Ammunition

famous wolf

I don't handload, but I am very interested in purchasing a 7x57 Mauser. Is anyone out there strictly using factory ammo in the 7x57 with success on deer sized game? My shots rarely exceed 150 yards and I have my .308 if I hunt big fields or powerlines. I understand that most factory loads are somewhat underpowered. However when I compare some of the factory loads to the 7mm-08 I can't see where a deer at 300 yards would know the difference (1200 vs 1500 ft/lbs of energy at 300 yards). Thanks!

charliemeyer007

I think the rolling blocks all have big chambers and usually don't shoot good without fire formed cases, but I haven't played with them for 30 years.

I would buy an assortment of factory fodder and see what your rifle likes. Partial boxes from the gun show could be a good deal. When you find what works best, stock up.

Shot placement is more important to me, a clean miss with a cannon doesn't put meat in the freezer. Bullet construction to suit the velocity is important. Paper energy isn't all that useful a number.

Mobuck

Hornady factory 7x57 ammo is far better than most others. I used Remington 140 grain ammo to harvest meat deer for a couple of years. Even @ 150 yards, the performance is dismal.

yonson

7x57 was the go-to round for WDM Bell in his African hunts. He brain shot 800 elephants and neck shot thousands of animals for meat, using the standard 173 gr. RN solid military round readily available at the time, which suited his purposes perfectly. Sellier & Bellot (Czech) is still loading a 173 gr. round, you might want to try it and also try neck shooting. I have been loading my 30-30 ammo with 180 gr. RN for years, works for me. (Got the idea from Sam Fadala's book on 30-30, he loaded them up to 190 gr.)

chiefr

Since you don't reload and want more power, I highly recommend Norma, RWS, S&B, and other imported ammo. I have not chrono'd Hornady, but the European ammo will give you more FPS over WW or RP.

Yonson mentioned S&B, it is good stuff.

patt7638

I agree that S & B is really good. You can not go wrong with Hornady.

Wulfmann

PPU (Serbian) is cheaper but under powered compared to other Euro brands mentioned above.

Might want to get a cheap press and reload for it.
Factory ammo is not cheap in 7X57 and an easy round to reload plus very easy on brass so cases can be reloaded dozens of times each

nononsense

famous wolf,

Here is a link to an ammunition tracking program:

http://www.gunbot.net/ammo/rifle/7x57mm/

You can choose to put them in several types of order such as least to most expensive. Each listing is also a link to the website where it is being sold.

For fun, I ran the numbers on the PRVI Partizan 139 grain load. It is adjusted for CIP standards for 2650 fps at the muzzle. This is approximately 54,000 PSI chamber pressure which is within the CIP spec of 56,000 PSI.

Hornady 7x57 with the 139 grain SST is about 100 fps faster than the PRVI or 2760 fps per their website.

Nosler Trophy Grade ammunition (most expensive) states that with the 140 grain Accubond the velocity at the muzzle is 2700 fps.

When starting with factory ammunition, you need to test a few to see what your rifle likes. Yes, this can get to be expensive, especially if your rifle like the Nosler...

With a modern action and barrel, I'm running the Berger 168 grain Hunting VLD at 2760 fps. with normal pressures signs.

Best.