Ruger M77 7x57 gamble

Ben

Ben

Moderator
Staff member
I have a Ruger 7 X 57 mm.
It is a nail driver with the Lee, 132 gr. ( Soup Can ).
Sized .2863 ", gas checks are my own .014" Amerimax aluminum checks, loaded with 10.0 grs. of Alliant Unique.


A lot of people say there is something magical about 10.0 grs. of Unique. Maybe they are right ...... ? ?










Here is my Ruger with the Vari X -II , 3 X 9 X 50 with plex reticle.




Soup can's below that are lubed with Ben's Red and then rolled in Ben's Liquid Lube :





Can you tell that I like this cast bullet ?


 
waco

waco

Springfield, Oregon
I own one Ruger 77 with a tang safety. Mine is a .22-250 and it was my late uncles rifle. It was made in '77-'78
Very accurate with J-words.
 
Dick West

Dick West

Member
Range report:
Here's what it looks like for those who've never seen a M77.
RugerM77.jpg
Rugerbutt.jpg

Shooting went well. 139g Hornady boat-tails. The 18g loads of IMR 4227, which I was hoping would take the place of 4759 did good.
7x18gr4227.jpg
But good ol' 4759 (20g) did the best. Btw, I used cases made from '06 federal cases. (Yes, I should break down and by 7x57 factory cases. I'm a cheapskate..)
7x20gr4759.jpg
These were shot at 100 yards.

The trigger's a little heavy--5-pounds or so-- but crisp.
the Leupold scope isn't as sharp as it should be at 100 yards. (I compared it to a 4x nikon).

Conclusion: I love this rifle especially since it doesn't seem ammo sensitive. I just guessed with these loads.
Question: What's a good cast bullet (Since it seems to like 139g ok, the Lee might be a good bet).
Finally, I've got to find a powder to replace 4759.
 
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fiver

fiver

Well-Known Member
the rcbs 145gr silh will shoot in these.
I have the 168 too and it just uses more lead.
 
Dick West

Dick West

Member
I'm still waiting for an anvil to fall on me. They guy who set the price on it at Cabelas told me it was only worth that much because it was a tang-safety model and they aren't worth as much as the more recent models with the fancy new trigger. Worse, he said, nobody wants 7x57. What do I know? I just figured a Ruger 7x57 is worth at least $300 to me. (not to mention the scope).

I think the objective of the scope needs to be screwed out slightly, to bring it into sharper focus at 100. Beyond that, it seems to be all quality. First Leupold I've ever owned, maybe i'll see if the factory will do it.

Think I'll order the Lee mold this week.

I'll saw this on NOE's site--looks like it would leave crisp, round holes. I think its on sale until Monday--but I haven't had a chance to pound cast my chamber yet.
thor.png
 
Ben

Ben

Moderator
Staff member
Probably be a great bullet for your 7X57mm, but the Lee Soup Can 132 gr. is a fine shooter also.

Your chances of getting a bullet of the correct dimensions are MUCH BETTER with Al at NOE than trying to roll the dice with Lee.
 
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Ian

Ian

Notorious member
The regular Lee 130-grainer worked great for me in 7mm-08. IIRC it casts right at .285 on the bands and .278" on the nose with weak alloy. I no longer have a use for it if you want it, Dick. Pound cast that chamber and lets see if it has a "modern" short, abrupt throat or a more classic throat like the military rifles had. I'd put money on that Thor bullet shooting well, and with the nose shape all you have to do to make it fit any throat is seat it to kiss the lands.

Making cases from any '06 derivative is my preferred method of getting case necks that are thick enough to work with in 7mm. Cast bullets really like the total neck clearance under two thousandths and the case bodies/necks to be perfectly concentric with each other.
 
Ben

Ben

Moderator
Staff member
You might get lucky and get your hands on a soup can 7 mm mold that throws the bullet at the correct dia. It is a dice roll when purchasing a Lee mould now.
 
Dick West

Dick West

Member
BTW, I looked for 7xmm brass online and it appears temporarily extinct. But I've got about 50 re-sized '06 and 40 Serbian 7mm that should last me until the market opens up. The Serb brass has a slightly bigger rim and the only shell holder I could find that it accepts it was, IIRC, an RCBS .22 Swift.
 
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