7x57R Sauer drilling test with 150gr DL1 bullet homeloads

Pine Marten

Well-Known Member
Hello everyone!

Today, I was at last able to take my restored Sauer drilling down to the BSRC at Bisley to test my homeloaded 7x57R rounds, using those Belgian DL1 bullets that I imported from France. I'd settled on a limited range of loads, staying away from the absolute maximum, and skipping the minimum too, asisted by using Quickload as a check. So I settled on four loads at 0.5gr increments from 40.0gr of N-140 to 41.5gr. In the middle of the target you can see the group of S&B facrory loads with 140gr SP bullets, the patches were for shots when I was adjusting the elevation. The first group is essentially perfect. The next one much worse, the one after that worse again, and that's where I expected things to settle. But then the heaviest load performed excellently again! I think I'll go with that one. Either way, it's great to have it confirmed that this rifle can shoot. Now I await May 2nd when I may have a chance to use it in the field!

Drilling_target_BSRC_120415.jpg
 
That's something I'd like to do generally, but the BSRC range is 100m. I could book a range once in a while at Bisley for 200 and 300m and should do, it's just a matter of finding the time...
 
Yes, on paper, or rather in pixels, it's on a par with my 7mm-08 loads. By the way, that flyer in the 40gr group top left is no such thing, it was just an attempt at adjusting the elevation. I'm tempted to stick with that load for accuracy, but then the 41.5 one is almost as good but with a bit more clout and range.
 
Seem like very acceptable accuracy. Every sauer I've fired has likes the heavier bullets for some reason. I'd also check where my drilling is shooting at 50m with slugs, just as a once off check for regulation incase you take it somewhere you can use the slugs.
 
PM,
can you post some photos showing the ditterence between this bullet an others?
To what COAL did you seat them?
 
Southern, it's the one on the left here:
dl1_210.jpg


From memory the whole cartridge is just over 3" long, and according to Mister Quickload the charge takes up 87.3% of the case space.
 
The cuttaway of the SPT looks a lot like the old Trophy Bonded Bear Claw, a bullet for tougher big game.
The RN DL2 looks like the Hornady 154-gr Interlock RN, a great bullet, sadly discontinued in 2012.
 
The DL1 is actually a hollowpoint rather than a soft point, but yes, it does have a bonded core. The front end is actually rapidly expanding, but the thick copper jacket at the back does mean that it will happily deal with tougher game. I've only used one so far on a Chinese water deer, which is the opposite of a tough species, and it expanded very convincingly indeed. More pertinently, it's used quite a lot now in France on the full range of medium and big game there. The DL2 tends to be used in a more specialist way on driven boar and red deer (which are generally much bigger in Europe than in Scotland).
 
The cuttaway of the SPT looks a lot like the old Trophy Bonded Bear Claw, a bullet for tougher big game.
The RN DL2 looks like the Hornady 154-gr Interlock RN, a great bullet, sadly discontinued in 2012.

I didn't know Hornady had dropped the 154 RN , that's to bad , and nice shooting PM . It's a great feeling when you find the right load .

AB
 
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