7x57R Viht load

Antonyweeks

Well-Known Member
Hi
I'm looking at a home load for 7x57R. I've the following powders in my reloading set up: N135, N140 and N150. The bullet I think I'm going to start with is a 120gn Barnes TTSX. The reload data on the Viht website seems remarkably similar. Just wondered whether I'd notice a huge difference between the powders as the min fps seems to start around 2575 and max is 2800ish.
Any opinions welcome!
 
The Vihtavuori website doesn’t give loads for the 120 grn Barnes; the loads you are alluding to are for the lead cored Sierra 120 grn bullet & are not transferable to the TTSX.

As regards powder choice, I load the 7x57R & 7x57 (.275 Rigby) & use N150 in my longer barrelled rifles (23 to 25”) & N140 in one with a shorter 20.5” barrel.
The Vihtavuori data for the 120 grn Sierra is for a 22” barrel & the very modest extra velocity that N150 shows over N140 would seem to indicate that with this relatively light bullet N150 really needs a somewhat longer barrel to use it’s legs.

Given similar breech pressures the muzzle pressure of the N150 load will be somewhat higher than the N140. Given a choice of a few powders which give broadly similar results I tend to choose the one which will give a good case fill, complete powder burn in the barrel & lowest muzzle pressure (obviously consistent with suitable accuracy & velocity).
 
7x57R always is used in a break barrel rifle/combination/drilling and they must be loaded at 10% less pressure than the 7x57/.275 Rigby will handle. Just a heads up.
 
Here is a GRT monolithic 124 grain bullet load with N140 giving low recoil but at the top of the load before the warnings pop up.
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The rifle this is for is a Kiplauf with a short barrel so I’m just trying to work out what will keep it pleasant to shoot… :)
What a nice combo that sounds like, shooting a 7x57r in a kiplauff. .-) @Motard shoots that too, i think, and might thus be a man for some input as well 👍 :)
 
Hallo Scipio, unfortunately as I think have written before somwhere the 7x57R is the cartridge that took me less testing to get to the sweet spot. So my data are rare. I am nearly stuck with 43,3 / 43,5 grains of N150 before a Nosler BT 140 grain 870-880 ms, and with this load I harvest boars and roes beteen 160/250 mt. But it worked fairly well also on a chamois hunt on Alps at 360 mt (aiming between second and third reticle mildot stile of Docter 2,5-10x48 scope). Did shot twice from a very uncofortable position at rather 3.000 meters of altitude, just because wanted to be sure not to risk loosing my quarry (limited number's of chamois each years and mosly reserved for local hunters wich I am not cause I live in Rome) when I recovered it both rounds where between hearth and spine. Either than suggesting you not pushing the round over the usuals speed I can only refer to some range test with Nosle BT120 Gr or barnes TTX, same weight, and N135. Loading them with 44,4 / 45,2 of the faster powder You could be able to raise up at 910 MpS, but don't really know if it is worth.
 
Hallo Scipio, unfortunately as I think have written before somwhere the 7x57R is the cartridge that took me less testing to get to the sweet spot. So my data are rare. I am nearly stuck with 43,3 / 43,5 grains of N150 before a Nosler BT 140 grain 870-880 ms, and with this load I harvest boars and roes beteen 160/250 mt. But it worked fairly well also on a chamois hunt on Alps at 360 mt (aiming between second and third reticle mildot stile of Docter 2,5-10x48 scope). Did shot twice from a very uncofortable position at rather 3.000 meters of altitude, just because wanted to be sure not to risk loosing my quarry (limited number's of chamois each years and mosly reserved for local hunters wich I am not cause I live in Rome) when I recovered it both rounds where between hearth and spine. Either than suggesting you not pushing the round over the usuals speed I can only refer to some range test with Nosle BT120 Gr or barnes TTX, same weight, and N135. Loading them with 44,4 / 45,2 of the faster powder You could be able to raise up at 910 MpS, but don't really know if it is worth.
Chamois hunting with a kiplauff in a R cartridge, - that sounds very nice @Motard :-) It also sounds like @Antonyweeks is on the right track being interested in the powders he is.
But does QL give better expected fill and burn rates for n135 and n140 over n150 when pushing a 120 grn copper? Because Gordons reloading tool doesnt. Not when i have run projections with the stock data:-|
 
Being 135 and 140 faster powders you can expect somehow a tad more speed but at the costs of a more empty cartridge, some pressure peaks, and probably but not sure, some a loss on consistence in different temps and weathers.I learned not giving too much attention at the voices as effectivness in QL. Each rifle athough same brand & caliber will act different if loaded with the same cartridge, something that need range testing and cannot be preview on a pc.
 
Good advice @Motard, yes, In the end the software reloading programs likely can't produce completely exact predictions for one users given rifle, cartridges etc.
If they however get me in the Ballpark for where it might be go to look, it's a good start, and one can then go test from there in real life. 👍🙂
 
Just for sake of curiosity here two QL tests same rifle & brass, different pwders and loads for each one. Ballistic efficiency is in favor of the fastest powder, filling ratio & pressure are nearly the same as the preview speed. But I still load the 150 that runs clean and cold. I may try copomg Your's data from the gordon simulation you published to QL as soon s I have some time on Pc and then will share. ps for all those loads QL lists RS60 as a preferred powder followed (not too nearly) from N 530 and then N160-n165 . Any aof those would not be my best choise. With all new calibers I always make my minds on pubblished manuals - Serra, Lee Lyman, Viederladen (the best to me) - as to light-up QL with some real experience background on my mind.
 

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Just for sake of curiosity here two QL tests same rifle & brass, different pwders and loads for each one. Ballistic efficiency is in favor of the fastest powder, filling ratio & pressure are nearly the same as the preview speed. But I still load the 150 that runs clean and cold. I may try copomg Your's data from the gordon simulation you published to QL as soon s I have some time on Pc and then will share. ps for all those loads QL lists RS60 as a preferred powder followed (not too nearly) from N 530 and then N160-n165 . Any aof those would not be my best choise. With all new calibers I always make my minds on pubblished manuals - Serra, Lee Lyman, Viederladen (the best to me) - as to light-up QL with some real experience background on my mind.
Thanks @Motard that is a very kind offer .-) I might just take you up on that, some time next week. If so i'll send you a dm or post it in the 7x57 dedicated thread. 👍

As for this thread, best of luck to @Antonyweeks , and do let us know how it goes :)
 
Thanks @Motard that is a very kind offer .-) I might just take you up on that, some time next week. If so i'll send you a dm or post it in the 7x57 dedicated thread. 👍

As for this thread, best of luck to @Antonyweeks , and do let us know how it goes :)
Yep, you can send me yours full data i'll post the ql results.MeanwhikebYou can have a look a this from viederladen fur jagd & sport, Wich to me is the best nanual around
 

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Those loads are for the unrimmed version so would be too much in a kipplauf IMO.
yes it is @Bavarianbrit, and thank you for being attentive .-) Motard was recomending it for my normal 7x57 (where i am also developing a load), not for @Antonyweeks kiplauff 👍 :)

And thanks Motard, i'll get in touch. .-) PS. If you also have a page for the 7x57 R loads from viederladen, maybe it could be useful here in this thread .)
 
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this are the loads listed for R cartridges. Mind that modern kipplauffbuchse with jager system can withstand same bolt action charges or, if you want to be realky conservative, you can downgrade BA loads of a 4,%.
 

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