Cast in my 7X57

[JDL]

This morning I shot my model 70 Featherweight in 7X57 for the first time with cast. I was loading last night and couldn't find any 7mm GCs after looking everywhere but, I did find a box of 7mm Hustler boolits ready to shoot. I loaded these, which look to be the Lyman 287436, with 10 grains of Unique and wasn't expecting much accuracy. I just wanted to shoot some cast in my 7MM!:-)
My rifle was sighted in for full power FGC bullets and the first group landed on the lower target, while my aimpoint was the top one, but the group was 1.28". I gave the scope 6" of vertical adjustment and shot another group which landed on the aimpoint but, spread to 2.8" with horizontal dispersion. Final group measured 1.7". Nothing benchresters would like but, I'm pretty pleased/surprised and will be trying more soon with different powders and my own boolits if I can just find them dad blame gas checks. Too much fun!! :-D-JDL

[Fireball 57]

JDL: Glad to hear you dusted off that old Winchester 70. Put some long 7mm Sil cast through the 7mm08. If ya can't find those gas checks, load the 7's with a thimble full of 5744. You might be surprised, though 1.2, 1.7 puts a smile on everyone's face.

[John F.]

Those 7x57 Featherweights are fine rifles. :drinks:

I shot the barrel out of one using it for deer/highpower silhouette/small game with cast bullets, and loved it. Had another one after that... The cast bullet load I used was with 145 gr. RCBS GC Silhouette bullet and IMR 4227, getting around 1800 fps with excellent accuracy and no leading. On my rifle, which was zeroed for 139 gr. Hornady SP flat base bullets (which worked GREAT on deer), using a 2-7X Leupold, a small adjustment would put the cast bullets dead-on at 25 and 50 yards, with sub-inch accuracy at 50 just by culling out the ones with visual defects. No leading, using wheelweight alloy and RCBS green rifle bullet lube, and it worked great on cottontail rabbits (with head shots only!) Using cast bullets didn't hurt my jacketed bullet accuracy without cleaning in-between, and vice-versa, out to 100 yards (the distance I could test), and the scope returned to zero very well, so it was a very flexible rig for woods hunting.

You should have a lot of fun with that rifle! :-D

John

[stocker]

JDL: Using a duplex cross hair? If so what is the value in minutes or inches between the center of cross hairs and the top of the thicker post on the lower side of the vertical cross hair. I have found a lot of cast bullet loads can be tailored to use that aiming point without disturbing your primary sight in.

[JDL]

stocker, It is sort of a duplex, called a 4PCCH that Redfield made 30+ years ago. When it stops raining I'll get back out and see if I can determine the distance to the first thick part of the reticule. -JDL

[stocker]

JDL: I do that with any scoped rifle that I carry for big game sighted in with j-bullets. A lower power cast boolit grouse load is used for camp meat. I have found little conflict with interchanging the few cast boolit loads that may be shot for that purpose with jacketed bullets which are normally a one shot event when hunting. If you plan to use cast exclusively there is no reason not to adjust your scope in the normal manner.