7 mm Cast bullets

Ben

Moderator
Staff member
I'll be holding this one in a few weeks.
98' Mauser FN Commercial, 7X57mm.
I thought that I better plug up the casting
pot and cast some 7mm today.
I have several 7mm moulds , but I decided
to start with this one.
The RCBS 7mm 145 gr. SIL ,gas check.

I've yet to fire this particular cast bullet
in any 7mm rifle that it didn't excel.

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j2Bicdp.jpg

Here the bullet is being fired from one of my 7X57mm rifles at 100 yards.
That is 6 bullets in a group that is a shade over 1/2 ".
1633984605537.png
 
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Rick

Moderator
Staff member
That indeed a fine shooting bullet in everything I've run it through.

Mine casts WW +2% Sn as follows.

As cast Dia. .2849"
Nose dia. as cast .2786"
Bearing surface .330" @ 33%
Meplat .120" @ 42%
Bullet length 1.00"
Nose length .675"
 

Ben

Moderator
Staff member
Rick,

Mine is pretty much like yours except my bands are a bit fatter
at .2864 " with air cooled WW's.

Ben
 

Mainiac

Well-Known Member
Man,what a pretty rifle!!!
Older,i presume, because of the old redfield widefield.aint seen 1 of them in years.
 

Ben

Moderator
Staff member
Definitely an older rifle.
I'm getting the rifle , but the current owner wants to keep his Redfield scope.

Ben
 
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CZ93X62

Official forum enigma
That RCBS bullet's "format" just plain WORKS. Absent size references, it looks very much like my 22 and 24 caliber designs labeled as "SP", for "spitzer" I suppose. The front half of the bullet gets some bore-rider support while taking advantage of the spitzer form to some extent for ranging ability/wind-bucking.
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
is that a Mark=X...?
if so they have a fairly generous throat IME
just M.O but they were built around the old military load using 175gr. bullets.
I'm basing that on the 2 I've had.
oddly the Charles Daley I had didn't have that big throat and loved the RCBS 145gr. bullet, it fit like a glove.
wish I still had that Daley.
 

Ben

Moderator
Staff member
is that a Mark=X...?
if so they have a fairly generous throat IME
just M.O but they were built around the old military load using 175gr. bullets.
I'm basing that on the 2 I've had.
oddly the Charles Daley I had didn't have that big throat and loved the RCBS 145gr. bullet, it fit like a glove.
wish I still had that Daley.
s726vtx.jpg

This one IS NOT a Mark X.
This one is an FN Belgium, 98'
I'm not aware that Interarms ever put a stainless steel barrel
on any of their Mark X rifles.
 
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Rick

Moderator
Staff member

mine is a saeco 281 145gr fn gc. i have to shoot it in yet.


Have that SAECO also. Haven't done a lot with it, got it for the 7-08 but one of those never got around to it things. Given the dimensions it should be a fine hunting bullet except for the skinny nose. Probably why I never did much with it.

While it is marked a 145 gr bullet mine casts WW +2% Sn at 140 gr, it has a skinny nose only measuring .275".

Bearing surface .535: # 59%
Meplat .170 @ 60%
Bullet length .900"
Nose length .475"

SAECO # 281 145 gr 7mm-small.jpg
 

Ben

Moderator
Staff member
Looks like a bullet that would have worked well in a 7-30 Waters in a lever action.
 
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fiver

Well-Known Member
I wasn't sure if they ever did a stainless barrel either, but you never know... LOL.

I have a bullet similar to the one Rick shows up there, but it's a 150 cut by Walt at NEI.
good mold but I've never done a whole lot with it.
the 2 rcbs molds [145-168] seemed to work fine in most everything.

the 7x57 ICL with the 5-R rifling wants a bit larger nose [280-281] if I'm going to get any sort of guidance or support there, and since it's throat is cut for the Hornady 139gr. interlock it makes most cast fitment a little more difficult.
 

todd

Well-Known Member
Have that SAECO also. Haven't done a lot with it, got it for the 7-08 but one of those never got around to it things. Given the dimensions it should be a fine hunting bullet except for the skinny nose. Probably why I never did much with it.

While it is marked a 145 gr bullet mine casts WW +2% Sn at 140 gr, it has a skinny nose only measuring .275".

Bearing surface .535: # 59%
Meplat .170 @ 60%
Bullet length .900"
Nose length .475"

View attachment 23440


mine weighs about 146gr and its a mixture of lyman #2 and a smidge of tin.

i want to take it deer hunting, but this year i probably won't.
 

todd

Well-Known Member
Looks like a bullet that would have worked well in a 7-30 Waters in a lever action.



my dad has a contender with a 14" barrel in 7x30 waters. he also has a early rem m7 in 7-08. i have 2 early rem m7 in 7-08 and 2 98 mausers in 7x57. my oldest son has a custom 98 mauser(FN) in 7x57 too.

back in the day:rofl: , the 7mm were loaded with a 139gr hornady flat nose and they were great on deer, but the 139gr hornady fn was discontinued. i have 200 +/- 139gr fn still left, but they are like platinum.

i use the saeco 281 just because it is a flat nose and i can bring the 7's back to what they once were.