Anybody else like the 7x64 Brenneke cartridge?

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SwampWolf

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Seventeen years ago, I bought a new Ruger MKII RS rifle, chambered in 7x64 Brenneke. This century old cartridge is a ballistic twin of the .280 Remington (likewise, the .270 Winchester) and is still very popular in Europe. With a B & L 3000 Elite, 2x7 scope mounted, this rifle has proven to be one of the most accurate of the many other rifles I have. You won't find 7x64 Brenneke ammunition on the shelves of your local Wal Mart stores but I have found it at Gander Mountain, Cabela/Bass Pro stores and online businesses.

I'm just curious if anybody else has any experience with this cartridge and if anyone has recommendations for reloading an accurate deer hunting load? I prefer using 175 grain bullets.
 
Oh boy.

I just put a 7mm Brenneke "fan boy" on my ignore list for his inability to communicate without being an argumentative bore. Maybe he will be along in a little bit to support his pet cartridge.

Or, he might not show up, and some other reasonable members will be able to give you some helpful information.
 
The reloading question should be addressed in our handloading section. General discussion of the cartridge and rifles chambered for it are fine here.
 
It is/was a fine cartridge, but found no love in the US given the timeframe. Lever rifles were the norm, and anybody seeking a boltgun had some very good options in sported military actions or commercial offerings from Remington and Winchester in 30-06 or .270. When the US market did become interested in such a round, Remington introduced their .280, and fumbled it horribly. Despite poor marketing and choice of rifles, bullets in the initial offering, it still enjoys a pretty good cult following. I suspect the same powders that work well in .280 and 30-06 heavy would work in the 7x64. IMR/H4350 and 4831 would be my first tries. For deer hunting, the 175 is overkill. Unless your rifle will not stabilize lighter bullets well, I would look to the 145-150 grain weight in a well constructed bullet such as accubond, partition, Speer Hot-Core or Grand Slam. The latter is a lights out deer load in my .280, and I use the 140 NBT for longer range scenarios. Both are accurate and deadly on big Northern deer at intended ranges.
 
Well, Europeans like it, quite a lot, you can get many new rifles chambered for it such as certain models of T3X's and X-Bolts, and I've heard in many countries, a 7x64 will have better resale value than a 270. Of course, the opposite here (even more so). And the 280, 280 AI and 7 Mag crowded it out.
 
I've only seen one rifle chambered in that cartridge in my life.
I'm sure it's a good cartridge. It was just overlooked kind of like many others.
 
7-08, what's the question? Just kidding. I like 7 MM's. If a guy wants something different from a 7 MM Mag, or .280 Remington.
 
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Oh boy.

I just put a 7mm Brenneke "fan boy" on my ignore list for his inability to communicate without being an argumentative bore.

The only things I'm a "fan boy" of are Bryers butter pecan ice cream, bacon and Pabst Blue Ribbon beer (important components of the basic food group). There are many cartridges that are the equivalent of the 7x64 Brenneke (if you lay a 7mm Brenneke round next to a .280 Remington cartridge for instance, it takes a sharp eye or a micrometer to distinguish the difference in terms of size and configuration between the two cases and, ballistically, they are virtually the same) and I'm not here to proclaim which of the many 7mm options are better or worse. I started this thread just to get some feedback from shooters/hunters who have had some experience with the 7x64 Brenneke.

I have not reloaded for the cartridge yet but I have tested the rifle for accuracy with four different factory ammunition types: Remington "High Velocity" 140 grain Core-Lokt pointed soft-point bullets; Remington 175 grain Core-Lokt pointed soft-point bullets (both twenty round boxes of Remington ammunition selling for $12.95 less rebate @ Cabelas at time of purchase); Federal "Premium" 160 grain Nosler Partition bullets (twenty round box purchased for $14.36 @ Fin Feather Fur store in Ashland, Ohio at time of purchase) and Speer "Nitrex Grand Slam" 175 grain bullets (priced @ $20.99 for a twenty round box but tossed in for free when purchasing the rifle at Guns Galore, Fenton, Michigan). I listed the prices and places to show that ammunition for the 7x64 Brenneke could be found at reasonable prices from stores that sell sporting goods and firearms, if not the "big box" retail merchants.

Though I have not sent that many bullets down the Ruger's bore yet, so far I have not fired any three-shot groups from the bench @ 100 yards with any of the four different types of bullets that have been over one and a half inches. Several three shot groups with the 140 grain Core-Lokt bullets have flirted with being under one inch. Accuracy results are doubtless more indicative of the rifle's potential than the ammunition's capability. It will be interesting to see if I can improve on the factory ammunition performance with reloads-if I ever get around to it.
 
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