7x57 Range results

[atr]

Ruger #1 at 50 yards
135 gr cast / sized 0.284
(4) / 16gr of 2400
(4) / 26 gr of IMR 4895

It was interesting to me that the point of impact was identical for the 2 different loadings.
atr

sights were Meuller at 4x
lyman #287346
Yes, I am anxious to try this out at 100 yds to see how well it holds up

[swheeler]

Very nice! time for 100 yd

[Larry Gibson]

Also specifics on rifle/sights would be nice. Looks like a lot of good potential there:-)

Larry Gibson

[StarMetal]

Nice shooting. Which 135 grain was it? I have gotten real good results with the LEE 135 grain from my SAKO 7mm08.

Joe

[the_ursus]

Looks good, I have a Ruger 77 (1970's model) 7x57 that has been in the family for a while that's my newest project. I'm waiting on a new stock before I proceed with testing. It should make a fine mountain rifle!

[runfiverun]

joe it was the lyman.
you can bump up the 2400 load for the longer range also 19 grs is where i setteled, but the 4895 load will hold up.

[MtGun44]

Boy, that will WORK!
Well done.

Bill

[atr]

range update 1-22-2010
OK,,,,I did try these at 100 yards.....26 gr of IMR4895 with 135 gr cast
NO Leading
BUT at 100 yards the best I could do was place 10 shots in an average pattern of 2"x2"
any suggestions on how to tighten up the grouping? (excluding the suggestion to improve my shooting capabilites)

[303Guy]

(excluding the suggestion to improve my shooting capabilites) that is limiting!:mrgreen:

Might I suggest paper patching?

[Buckshot]

..........Those are basically 2 of my 4 favorite loads for 7x57 cast. The other loads being 21.0grs H4198 & 18.0 SR4759. I use the RCBS 7mm-162gr, and the Lyman 287405 (Loverin 150gr RN) which is no longer offered. To be precise I use 18.0/2400 and 25.0 4895 (surplus).

I have 3 rifles chambered 7x57 that are very accurate with cast. One is a M98/08 Brazilian, another is a M1897 Rem RB, and the third is a sporterized M98/08 I built for my daughter as a hunting rifle, and it's the only one with a scope. So while the 2 old military rifles are accurate I certainly cannot shoot them as well as your example :-) My daughter's is almost that accurate but it's load is 58.0grs of surplus WC872 and the RCBS 7mm-162 (174grs w/lube & GC) going 2380 fps. Accuracy at 100 yards for 5 rounds is similar to your 2x2 inch results.

One way to try and tighten things up using the slugs you already have cast up is to tighten up on possible variables. Scale your slugs, weigh cases, turn casenecks, weigh the charges, and after doing that try changing primers. After that you can try some softer and harder alloys, plus a couple different lubes.

A couple weeks ago I went to the range to try some cast loads in a K31 I've had for a couple years. I also decided to burn through about 28 rounds of cast I had left over for the rolling block, but to fire them out of an 1895 Chilean I have. I'd checked and they chambered fine. I picked the Chilean because I hadn't shot it since moving to town, and that's going on 10 years now:veryconfu It's a really nice looking old rifle, but as I recalled (and one of the reasons I'd not shot it in so long) it had been no great shakes with cast. It has strong lands but the bore is dark. With a bright light at the muzzle it's obvious the darkness is due to corrosion pitting in the grooves. Anyway this had stuck in my head.

After firing the 50 rounds through the K31 I got the 1895 out. All I'd figured on really accomplishing was to empty out those 28 cases so I could reload them. They were loaded with 44.0 grs of surplus WC860 and SS (Super Sam shot buffer) under the 150gr Lyman. At the 300 yard line the range had a 14" square steel plate swinger. I flicked up the ladder and ran the elevator up to 900 yards (guessing :mrgreen: ) and shooting offhand, let fly. Good windage but about 8' high or so it seemed.

Dropping down to 700 yards another shot was still high but not by much, so I lowered the elevator to 600 yards and the third time was the charm, as I was rewarded with a faint 'Ting'! We had a light-moderate breeze running across the range right to left with some occasional mild gustiness so I'd try to hold on the right leg of the plate's support. It was actually a bit to much right windage but since I really wasn't trying to accomplish anything it sufficed. I was rewarded with a pleaseing number of 'Tings' and some misses raising dust just off the right hand edge.

I thought "Hey, this isn't doing too bad!?" Gopher Slayer had accompanied me and as he was in a lull in his own shooting, I asked him if he'd like to fire off the few remaining rounds. He shouldered the rifle and drew a bead ................and seemed to hold it for sometime before turning to ask me if the trigger really did work, or if there was something else he was supposed to be doing? He thinks he's so funny. It's not bad, but then you're used to double and single sets .............. and he too connected a couple times.

So to tie all this blathering together, in between other stuff I managed to load 50 rounds up for the rifle in the past couple days with the RCBS 7mm-162 and used 18.0 2400 and 25.0 surp 4895 for the next range trip and will put it on paper.

................Buckshot

[NHlever]

Ten shot groups from the skinny No.1 barrel is pushing things unless you really allow a lot of time between shots for the barrel to cool. I would try some 3 shot, or, at most, 5 shot groups to see what the gun / load is really capable of. It is a hunting rifle, and not a target rifle so those groups would be a more realistic example of what you can expect in the field.

[runfiverun]

try lowering the 95 load a grain or so, and maybe a pistol primer.
a filler will help usually also.
24.5 and a filler is a good load.

[303Guy]

Strange things can happen to a boolit. I speculate that if the 50yd group is tighter than the 100yd group, it's because the rifle is launching the boolit true, but some imperferfection in or on the boolit is pulling it off course. Take a look at these examples.

http://i388.photobucket.com/albums/oo327/303Guy/MVC-522F.jpg
Flame cutting along a fold flaw.

These next pics show something rather curious. Bear in mind that I have the boolit to examine in my hand and that the pics don't show all that I can see.

http://i388.photobucket.com/albums/oo327/303Guy/MVC-524F.jpghttp://i388.photobucket.com/albums/oo327/303Guy/MVC-525F.jpghttp://i388.photobucket.com/albums/oo327/303Guy/MVC-521F.jpg

This boolit twisted at a soft spot along its shank!