7x57 info

[Earle]

Just got myself a sweet little Brno carbine in 7x57. I want to use it for this fall's black bear hunt. Looking for recommendations for bullet selection. I do handload. Shots are typically 50yds or less. Rarely over 100. What will dump the most energy inside those ranges? Thots appreciated.

 

[Tgood1]

i use 140 grain partitions out of my no.1 for bear as that is what shoots best and little recoil. No complaints with numerous bears taken with that load from myself, nephews, other kids.

 

[Red Leg]

The 150 and 170 gr Oryx are both very effective on bear and plains game.

 

[sgt_zim]

Depends on what weight bullet you want to shoot. Walter Bell killed more than 800 elephants with 173 gr RN bullets fired at about 2300-2400 fps out of his 7x57

If you want to shoot 140 gr and you're up there around 2900 fps MV, you could run into the same situation that John Nosler ran into way back when when he had multiple catastrophic failures of regular cup-and-core bullets on a moose at 50 -75 yards away. Prolly wouldn't be a great idea for a bullet to inflict a flesh wound on a black bear from 50 yards.

140 gr you have a few options - Nosler Partition or Accubond, Swift A Frame, Barnes TTSX. Hammer makes a 136 gr that would work well, assuming you have at least an 11 twist in your barrel.

If you want to go heavier, Norma Oryx 156 gr is a good choice. Speer Grand slam 160 or 175 gr would also do the job. So would Partitions.

 

[375er]

In that situation I think the old 175 gr round nose would work very well.

 

[Earle]

Lot's of good suggestions, guy's. I'm thinking i should be looking at the heavier weight options, 160gr-175gr?

 

[375er]

At 50 yds you do not need to worry about speed and trajectory. Penetration is your friend. Find some heavy bullets that shoot and go hunting.

 

[sgt_zim]

Grafs has 156 gr Oryx in stock and a pretty good variety of Barnes as well

Powder Valley has TSX 160 and 175 gr, Speer Grand Slam 175 gr, 160 gr Accubond

Midway has NAB 160 gr, TSX 160 and 175, Speer Hot Cor 160 gr

Don't know if you can order from them from Canada, tho. I expect your selection up there, if you have to buy from somebody in Canada, won't be a lot better.

 

[WAB]

175 gr Swift A-Frame at 2,300 fps. There is no need to try to improve on perfection.

 

[Red Leg]

The 150 and 170 gr Oryx are both very effective on bear and plains game.

Actually that is a 156gr 7mm Oryx. In any case, it and the 170 are terrific on largish game with a .275 / 7x57.

 

[7x57Joe]

I don't know what size bear you're hunting but, I think I would use a heavy bullet under the conditions you describe. I would want complete penetration and hopefully the drain holes won't be plugged up with fat. I was told by a friend that black bear are not difficult to kill (I have never hunted them) but, anything that can bite me, I want to make sure of getting through their living quarters.

 

[Tgood1]

tremendous difference between a +/- 200 lb bear and a 400+ behemoth. i shoot what my gun likes. Couldn't ever make the heavier bullets work in that 7x57

 

[7x57Joe]

tremendous difference between a +/- 200 lb bear and a 400+ behemoth. i shoot what my gun likes. Couldn't ever make the heavier bullets work in that 7x57

If your rifle was a Husqvarna, it was rifled with a 10" twist so they would only stabilize lengths of about 150 grain and lighter. Normally, 7x57 barrels are rifled with 8.7" twists and will stabilize lengths of 175 down to 130 grain from my experience.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

I loaded 160 gr Swift A Frames and 175 gr Nosler Partition.

The 160s are 2550 fps and the 175s are 2460 fps. I used Ramshot Big Game, because I had it on hand. Worked out well. Low SD and ES and group very well and similar enough POI for both bullets.

 

[Witold Krzyżanowski]

I use 7x57Mauser from Sellier&Bellot with bullet Sierra Game King 175gr and SPCE 173gr.

 

[Dewald]

Just got myself a sweet little Brno carbine in 7x57. I want to use it for this fall's black bear hunt. Looking for recommendations for bullet selection. I do handload. Shots are typically 50yds or less. Rarely over 100. What will dump the most energy inside those ranges? Thots appreciated.

Are you going to hunt with open sights or with a scope. I have a similar Brno Mod 21 with 20&1/2” barrel and it works wonderfully with 175gr Stewart or Woodleigh round noses at around 2400 fps. The sights happen to be. Perfectly regulated to those loads, and at under 50 yards open sights are a lot of fun and a great challenge.

If you are going to mount a scope on it, I believe the most practical bullet is a 156-160gr premium, be it the Norma Oryx, Swift, or for that matter even a Nosler Partition, traveling at about 2650 fps. That keeps you covered out to 250 yards.

Please post a picture of your rifle if you don’t mind.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

For a long time, I extensively made use of the (now unfortunately discontinued) 175Gr Winchester Super X soft point for the 7x57mm Mauser.

It served me extremely well, achieving a chronographed velocity of 2443 fps out of the 23” barrel of my Churchill Gunmakers Model Deluxe (which was appreciably close to the advertised velocity of 2450 fps).

In recent years, I had Hendershots Custom Ammunition load me up 100 cartridges using Winchester cases and 175Gr Hornady Interlock bullets (they fortunately had some of the old discontinued round nosed variety in stock, so I opted for this style of bullet over the currently manufactured Hornady Interlock Spire Point bullet).

They performed extremely satisfactorily, as well.

This year, I had Hendershots Custom Ammunition load me up 100 rounds with Winchester cases and 175Gr Speer Grand Slam bullets. So far, I’m extremely satisfied.

 

[Earle]

Brno 21F. Lovely little rifle

Are you going to hunt with open sights or with a scope. I have a similar Brno Mod 21 with 20&1/2” barrel and it works wonderfully with 175gr Stewart or Woodleigh round noses at around 2400 fps. The sights happen to be. Perfectly regulated to those loads, and at under 50 yards open sights are a lot of fun and a great challenge.

If you are going to mount a scope on it, I believe the most practical bullet is a 156-160gr premium, be it the Norma Oryx, Swift, or for that matter even a Nosler Partition, traveling at about 2650 fps. That keeps you covered out to 250 yards.

Please post a picture of your rifle if you don’t mind.

 

[pilar]

I like heavy for caliber pills , but the new prescription mono‘s are punching above the weight class

Sellier & Bellot 7x57mm Mauser (7mm Mauser) Ammo 150 Grain Lead Free Ballistic Tip @ 2700fps​

 

[Dewald]

Brno 21F. Lovely little rifle

Indeed so. Congratulations on a wonderful find. They are some of the few fullstock rifles which does not struggle with accuracy, along with the old Mannlichers. The rifle makers of yesteryear certainly knew how to get the basics right.

Given that you have the post 1948 model after serial number 23000 with the integral dovetails, I would keep a neat little Schmitt und Bender 4x32 or a Zeiss Diatal 6x36 in some Talley QD mounts handy and experience the best of both worlds with your rifle