That’s pretty much my experience as well. I bet it was Mike back years ago that I got on the 17 kick. Been one of my favorites since.
Just order a Lilja 1-7 7mm barrel Kimber Contour. I have not been so excited about a new rifle since the Mashburn. A 7x57 on an 84L action should be really...
What about the grand old 444? I have heard it is the same case head size as the 06.. Might be able to make that work and in a bolt gun, I can't see anything stopping that, as far as deer species.
You aren't kidding. I remember when I reloaded in my garage with a bench about 4ft long and made good ammo. Now I have 4-6ft benches and it's still a mess.
You can use 30/30 dies for it. Double check my dimensions but I believe it’s almost identical but it was loaded with a 190 vs a 160 for the 30-30.
I’d say around 600-700 for that rifle. At least going by those pics.