Heavy 7mm Projectile Expansion Test for my 7x57

With my newly 18yo camera man still sleeping it off and the handbrake at Mass with the monster-in-law I was left to my own devices this morning.

I am looking for a 'soft' fast expanding heavy weight projectile for my 7x57. My rifle does not shoot light weight projectiles as accurately so I'm stuck with the heavy weights. Testing was done at a measured 100 yards and all penetrated.



I also found an accuracy load with the 173 H-Mantels. Velocity would be in excess of 2,340fps.



173 RWS H-Mantel

It was the first to expand and is the same weight as the the original FMJ load that made the reputation of the 7x57. I was expectiong the nose of the projestile to shear off early, as it is designed to do but was hoping for a larger would channel.

175 Hornady RNSP Interlock.

This one performed exactly as I expected, possibly expanding a little earlier and the least of all three. It kept on penetrating and I assume in the 7x57 would be capable of taking any game out to the limits of it's trajectory with this projectile.

175 Sierra SptBt

A real surprise package, I was expecting this to be a lot tougher and designed for the larger magnums. Its exit hole from the test medium was explosive and in the 7x57 would be perfect for larger deer and antelope such as Kudu and Elk.

175 Woodleigh PPSN

I have field tested this round in the 7x57 on large camels and all achieved full penetrated (except for one frontal shot) and did not expand. It is better suited to the 7mm RM and would probably be better in the 7mm Weatherby and faster for the largest game.

Never though of using wet newspaper to shoot through before. Interesting idea.

The damage from the Sierra, although not opening the soonest, is pretty impressive.
I didn't ctach the FPS on that Sierra. Was it going faster than the Hmantel?


By the way, thanks for the idea for testing.

Excellent post, Code4, nicely done. I am a big Sierra fan and now you can SEE why. I hunt PG with hand loaded 250gr Sierra's from my cz .375 and have never had any problems with them. They are excellent on the big cats as well. A friend of mine dropped a Buffalo on the spot with a 300gr Gameking through the engine room, and the wound channel was almost unbelievable. They are super accurate in my .308 and .375 as well.

Sierra has all but been forgotten in the marketing hype of the super premiums. I used a 7mm 140 SptBt in the same 7x57 to take a 14 pt Red Stag in New Zealand in April 2011. Here is the entry hole angling towards the front right leg with the hide peeled off. It did not exit and the stag was dead on its feet and fell down hill. Range was 200 yards.



Shooting wet paper is only that, shooting wet paper. It is a quick and easy way to make some kind of comparison and has usually confirmed most of my in-field observations.

Thanks for the post, Sierra bullets are very underrated.