7mm cast

[milkman]

My son (now there's a good child) presented me with a Ruger #1 in 275 Rigby (7x57 Mauser). A beautiful grey laminate with stainless receiver and barrel in 12 twist for cast shooting. (Such a good boy!) I tried a 170 g boolit with good results but the rifle really likes the 130g Lee soup can. Consistent 1.5" 100 yd. groups at over 2100 fps. This was my first year to attempt deer hunting with it and I was a little hesitant because of several cautions I had read not to attempt hunting with cast below 30 cal but I didn't see how a 130 grain chunk of lead at 2000 fps could keep from stinging pretty good so I went ahead.
The first morning I had a nice doe step out about 30 yards from my stand. She was almost facing me and had me spotted as soon as she stepped from behind some trees. I placed the shot in her chest, inside her right front shoulder angled to behind the opposite shoulder. At the shot she ran off carrying her right shoulder. There wasn't much blood for about the first 20 yd., just a small drop here and there and I had started to think maybe the caliber was indeed too small. The blood trail became more prominent and I began to find pieces and strands of lung tissue in the blood and found the deer probably about 60 yards from where I shot her. There was about an inch wide entrance wound in the hide and no exit. The only explanation I have come up with for the unusual entrance wound was that the boolit hit something before it hit the deer and had started to tumble, but it did the job.
The next day I had another doe at about 40 yd, I shot her about a third of the way up her neck from the shoulder and everything went as expected. She hit the ground and there was an excellent wound channel through the spine. DRT

[Three44s]

Congrats on your sons gift to you and your finely harvested deer!

As you discovered there is nothing wrong with your caliber choice! The 7mm TCU with less powder has been a favorite for some decades.

It all comes to accounting for the strengths (and limitations) of the tool in hand and respecting them.

Three44s

[koger]

Thanks for sharing, now we need pics of said rifle and deceased deer!

[richhodg66]

What bullet did you use?

I have killed one deer with cast in a 7x57mm. I plan to work on a better loading, but I used a 287308 which has been hollow pointed. Checked and lubed, it was 165 grains and according to the rCBS cast bullet manual, should have made 1900 FPS at the muzzle. It penetrated well and expended violently. I like the 7x57.

[dale2242]

We bought my great grand daughter a Savage Axis in 7mm-08 for her first big game rifle.
It will shoot a Saeco 145 gr cast with 20 gr of IMR4198 and a dacron filler at 2000fps in one hole groups at 50 yds.

[milkman]

I was shooting the Lee soup can 130g over 4831SC. It was cast from range scrap from a pistol berm, water dropped with a bhn of about 14 lubed with Simple Lube. Quick load said it was over 2100 fps. This is my second Ruger #1 in 7x57. The first wouldn't group no matter what I tried. I sold it the second year I had it. Ruger said they were fine with it, if I recall correctly their accuracy standard with premium factory ammo was 3" at 50 yards. After that experience I do not plan on purchasing another Ruger rifle, but I am pretty pleased that my son had this one and was willing to rebarrel it from 405 Win to 7mm for me.

[missionary5155]

Good afternoon and Congratulations ! Twice !!
That should keep the table full for a while. The fine old 7mm has been doing corn crunchers in for well over 100 years.
We also get alot of satisfaction using our own cast.

[8mmFan]

Thank you for the update on that bullet. I have been wondering about how it would perform on deer for some time. I did some penetration tests on wood with it, a while back, and wrote about that on the Forum. It seemed to me that it would penetrate well on deer.

Congratulations on putting some venison in the freezer!

8mmFan

[444ttd]

congrats!!!!! twice!!!!

[Camba]

Good shooting!
Congrats!
That boolit is my favorite for my 7mms. I have not gotten a deer with it and it is nice to hear about your success.
Camba


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[444ttd]

i used to have a custom 7x57 in 98 mauser that killed alot of deer. but i gave it to my son when he turned 18. i'm building a 93 spanish mauser in 7x57 for my youngest son.