7x57?

Yep, magnum loads of powder exhausting at 4,300 fps add a significant recoil force to a rifle.

In my 7x57R combination gun, I will be shooting 140 grain at a max of 2,660, a 154-gr at 2,550, a 160-gr at 2,500, and a 120-gr at 2,750.

But if I found loads which shot to the sights with 120/2,650, and all the rest at 2,400, that would be enough for hunting deer out to 150 yards. And the recoil of a 140-gr with 38.5 gr Varget is pretty mild in any 7x57.

When my son was starting on deer, a friend of his was using a .243. I took my son and a friend of his with this other boy and his father, but for my son and his friend, I cooked up 120-g Nosler BTs at 2,650 fps. The friend with the .243 made several less-than-perfect shots and we had to trail deer. The 7mm-08 had the same recoil, much less muzzle blast, and my two young hunters rolled over deer with confidence with one shot at about 100 yards.
 
This is just for linguistic fun but recently I had to look up what the technical French word for "propellant" was (as opposed to "poudre"/powder), and it's propergol, which I think is beautiful. You can have that free of charge.

You'd not want it in a rifle-cartridge, though! I'll stick with poudre for now.
 
I was reminded of this having bought a nice 1950s 7X57 BSA Hunter with a contemporary variable power Pecar from Kingsdeer on this forum just before Christmas and taking it to Diggle 'A' benchrest equipped range for an initial sighting-in and fun session using some ancient Norma 150 and 154gn PSP rounds in the old wood-pattern cardboard cartons.

Such a rifle is surely crying out to be used in a sporting rifle shoot of some kind....
:)
 
Used one for many years,perfect for all British deer,most antelope and even big pussy cats. Big advantage very little recoil and easy to load for.
 
When my son was starting on deer, a friend of his was using a .243. I took my son and a friend of his with this other boy and his father, but for my son and his friend, I cooked up 120-g Nosler BTs at 2,650 fps. The friend with the .243 made several less-than-perfect shots and we had to trail deer. The 7mm-08 had the same recoil, much less muzzle blast, and my two young hunters rolled over deer with confidence with one shot at about 100 yards.

Southern, Are you bashing the 243? Shame on you!

SS
 
Lebel

I believe the predecessor to the modern cartridge if defined as "rimless, smokeles, high-velocity" is the 8mm Lebel introduced with the rifle in 1886.

SS
 
Not bashing the .243, just found a nice 7mm-08 rifle, a 20-inch Model 70 Compact, and figured it could work as a starter rifle and work as a heavier deer rifle, and found that it worked better than I thought it would. These boys had been shooting .223s since they were about seven years old, but I think the .223 is an expert's cartridge for deer, not a beginner's. The .243 is a fine cartridge for deer, in the hands of a good and patient shot. It is not that I wanted the boys shooting a .30-06 to make up for sloppy shooting; I didn't want sloppy shooting due to recoil and muzzle blast. The 7mm-08 and 7x57 can be made to shoot almost like a .25-06, or a .250 Savage, or a traditional 6.5x55, or a .308, with bullets from 110 to 175 grains. It is very versatile, something a boy can start with and stay with for another 60 years of hunting.
 
By the looks of things from everyone's reply 7x57 is the way to go, not 308 or 6.5!? Sounds like it's very versatile for all british deer species and foxing??
 
By the looks of things from everyone's reply 7x57 is the way to go, not 308 or 6.5!? Sounds like it's very versatile for all british deer species and foxing??

I haven't found foxes to complain after they have been hot with a 139gn Hornady Softpoint out of my combination gun at 7x57 velocities.
 
By the looks of things from everyone's reply 7x57 is the way to go, not 308 or 6.5!? Sounds like it's very versatile for all british deer species and foxing??

Yes and foxing. I have a fox load for my 7mm-08 but to be honest never bother changing to it (often) as I find a 140gr soft point doesn't get argued with! The 7x57 won't be any different and I'm sure there are probably some very nice classic rifles out there in this calibre. A calibre you don't need to 'use it to prove it', it comes with a great pedigree and has produced a great 'father like son' in the 7mm-08 too.
 
By the looks of things from everyone's reply 7x57 is the way to go, not 308 or 6.5!? Sounds like it's very versatile for all british deer species and foxing??
Not sure how you came to that conclusion from all the replies - its definitely one way to go but I wouldn't say it is better than 6.5mm or 0.308in calibres...
 
Not sure how you came to that conclusion from all the replies - its definitely one way to go but I wouldn't say it is better than 6.5mm or 0.308in calibres...

Owning all three (well 7mm-08 which I view the same as 7x57) I personally have found a difference in all three but probably not in the order people might think so just for interest sake, how do you find they differ?
 
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One of the centerfire rifles I have owned the longest has been a custom 7x57. Since 1980 I have had it and it remains one of my most accurate CF rifles. I have never fired a second round at an animal with it which speaks of it's shootability (for me) and it's lethality. Every animal I shot with it has fallen within a body length of where it was standing when I squeezed the trigger. On one hot New Mexico Sunday morning I raised some eyebrows by showing up at a 500M Metallic Silhouette competition (200, 300, 385, and 500m off hand) and taking fifth place in a field of 24 shooters: No scope zero, no practice. I'd been out of town and that was the only rifle I had ammo for the morning of the match. The rifle took care of me!:D I have set it aside for my Tikka 7-08 so that if he is deemed worthy of it (and I'm serious) my 18 mo old grand son will get it when he is of age.

If you are a reloader, and unless you want a 'classic' caliber, I would advise the 7-08 instead. No confusion on load data, good brass availability.~Muir
Was that at the Roswell gun club?
They had up to 1000 yds available when I was there.
Regards Martin
 
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