7x64 Brenneke

AROUND 1912, GERMAN ammunition designer Wilhelm Brenneke developed an 8x64mm cartridge as a potential replacement for the 8x57JS used by the German military. However the ar y failed to adopt his 8x64.

At th , interest in high velocity small-bores for sporting use was mou ting. In 1906, the .280 Ross was introduced and its 140gr bullet at 2 900fps had caused a sensation. Around 1910, Rigby had taken the 7x57 (which had been around since 1892) and loaded it with a 140gr bullet hotted up to an advertised muzzle velocity of 2 800fps. About this time, Lancaster introduced the .280 Flanged Nitro Express with ballistics very similar to those of the .280 Ross. In 1912-13, Holland & Holland introduced their belted .275H&H firing a 175gr bullet at 2 680fps. Around 1915, Jeffery produced his .280 Rimless with a 140gr bullet at an advertised velocity of 3 000fps.

Quite likely, this trendNovember 1986 edition, former editor Tudor Howard-Davies wrote that the original 7x64 ammo was loaded with 143gr and 177gr bullets at velocities of 3 326fps and 2 994fps respectively – considerably hotter than the 7x57’s 139gr and 175gr at 2 660fps and 2 480fps. The resulting flatter trajectory was much appreciated by European hunters.