7mm Mauser

[RicinYakima]

I will weigh in here. I have built two rifles for what hunting I may do in my later years. I have no interest in sitting in a tree over bait, but still hunt or walk the ridges. Both are 7 X 57 and on 1903 Springfield actions; one an iron sighted 26 inch for still hunting the black timber or pulp mill plantations. It uses the 175 grain bullet at 2250 f/s and will shoot through anything I find. The other is a 1903 Springfield with a medium 24 inch barrel and Leupold 6X and a 130 grain bullet. It will hit 2800 f/s over the Chrony with H4350 and less than 50,000 CUP. And that is better than my partner's pre-64 Winchester Model 70 with current production 270 ammo. It will shoot 3.5 inch groups at 250 yards, as far as I'm going to shoot anything.

I'm not going to be able to shoot bears, or moose or go to Africa. So I don't really need my 30/06 180 grain bullet loads anymore. There was a guy who wrote a book about 1970 who shot not only the Big Five with the 30/06 but had several world records and piles of dead animals. If Jeff Cooper shot his brown bears and grizzlies with a 30/06 and 220 grain bullets and was complete satisfied, who am I to question that record?

 

[Missionary]

Just did a search on GB.. 68 7x57 rifles for sale and only one NOS and one "New" which is probably a military receiver rebuild.

 

[Ole_270]

If I wasn't slowing down on my "big" rifle use these days I'd probably build a 7x57. To me this sized case through the 30-06 is more for elk sized game with occasional use on deer. Even the ol' 270 has only been used once in the last decade or so. I've taken dozens of whitetail over the years with 243, 250-3000 and 257 Roberts with complete satisfaction. Many of them fully mature bucks up to 174 B&C, with 4 over 160. These days I'm using cast bullets more often. Last year as an example, heavy buck with jacketed 100 grain bullet out of a 250-3000 and 3 does with cast out of the 308.

 

[Petrol & Powder]

Well I've been more than happy with my 06's, kills stuff pretty dead and it's very versatile. But I don't drive Fords either. Dodge diesel and Toyota. Kinda thinking the Tundra is quality like the venerable 7x57.

There's nothing wrong with the .30-06, it just doesn't scratch my itch.

And I did the Dodge diesel for 17 years and love my old 4 cylinder, 5 speed, 4WD Tacoma.

 

[Joshua]

On their website Blaser in Germany still lists 7x57R, the rimmed version, for their single shots.

Josh

 

[Petrol & Powder]

Just did a search on GB.. 68 7x57 rifles for sale and only one NOS and one "New" which is probably a military receiver rebuild.

Yep, in terms of new rifles chambered in 7 x57, I think you are stuck with building one yourself or going the semi-custom route.
At least we have the 7mm-08 to take its place and that's not a bad alternative.

 

[L Ross]

I had a purely practical 7x57 built in 1990. I have probably mentioned it here before, but at the risk of redundancy, here goes. Picked up a sporterized 8x57 at a gun show for 90 bucks, shot a couple of deer with it and used it as the donor base for the 7x57. Says Mod. 98 on the left side of the action and has those little eagles stamped on it. The scope mount is covering the Mfg. name, it has a 4 digit serial number. It had a Jaeger trigger and low swing safety on it. I had an old Green Bay gunsmith rebarrel it with a feather weight barrel against his protestations. It is a Douglas XX. The action was already drilled and tapped for a scope and a Lyman 48 receiver sight. I had the barreled action electroless nickel plated for rust resistance and put it in a Rim Rock stock, later rebedded by Jim Borden after he bought out Rim Rock. Glass i a Vari-X III 1.5x5X. The rifle weighs less than 7 lbs. loaded with a nylon sling.
It always shot well with anything from the 130 Speer Hot Core to the old lathe turned Nosler 175 Partition Semi Spitzer. The only bullet it showed a distaste for was the one bullet I had in mind when I built the rifle. The Nosler Partition 160. After Jim Borden pillar bedded the action and repaired the blind magazine well it shoots that just fine.
With that rifle I have taken 3 elk, one moose, a bunch of deer and a Feral Angus bull. Mostly with the 175 Partition semi-spitzer that I have a treasured stash of. In retrospect, I wish that had been the only rifle I ever used, however I am far too promiscuous when it comes to guns.

 

[david s]

In the early 1980's I walked into the Happy Hocker Pawn Shop in southern Florida. I walked out with a Mauser ES340B Patrone 22 L.R. rifle. Someone had made a target rifle out of it by (badly) fitting a steel Lyman peep sight and front apeture sight. But what an amazing little rimfire action. I kept the 22 rifle for about 15 years till it wandered away but kept the rear peep sight. Fast foward to just past Y2K and suddenly there were a bunch of Turkish 8mm Mausers for sale cheap. Locally a friend went to look at a couple that were for sale and I tagged along. Turns out they weren't a couple of the Turkish variety but a couple of the Germans and still really cheap. We both walked away with one. So what to do with it? Fit one of Calico Hardwoods Weatherby reject stocks and a NECG banded front sight to the 7X57mm barrel. It is drilled and tapped for a scope even though it's built around that left over Lyman peep sight but then it also has a right handed cheek piece even though I'm a leftie. Just easier to get rid of that way if it ever goes up for sale. It shoots the Nosler 160 Partitions very well and has pulled off the Montana trifecta of deer, bear and elk in a single season.

 

[Glaciers]

Nice looking rifle David

 

[Bruce Drake]

The 7x57 has slightly larger case capacity than the 7-08 so in equal strength actions with equal pressures the 7x57 would give slightly more velocity. It's problem is it's length, too long for a short action, not long enough to make full use of a long action. In a good strong action it would serve well for most of the hunting done on this continent.

That's why the Yugo 48 Intermediate actions are perfect for the 57mm case family.

 

[CZ93X62]

CZ dropped the 7 x 57 during the last few years it imported the 550-series controlled-feed Mauser actions. The 8 x 57 departed about that same time. Germany was 0-2 in World Wars, USA was 2-0. The 30-06 remains alive and well world-wide. Winners write the history books AND the downstream outcomes. Anyone trying to downgrade the 30-06, 308, or the 223 has chosen a long, arduous contract. The 7.62 x 39 gets a vote as well.

 

[Ian]

Anyone trying to downgrade the 30-06, 308, or the 223 has chosen a long, arduous contract. The 7.62 x 39 gets a vote as well.

"Coin of the Realm" as someone is fond of saying. I would add .45 ACP and .50 BMG to that list as well.

 

[RicinYakima]

IMHO. the lack of manufacturing ability lost it for the 6.5 and smaller and amount of material for over 8 MM. By 1940 they could make armor piercing, incendiary, tracer and APIT bullet in 7 MM and larger. But it was wasteful to make anything bigger than 8 MM. Where the military leads, hunters follow.

 

[Ian]

Where the military leads, hunters follow.

Very true. 45/70, .303 British, 30/40, 7.62x54R, scads of pistol and revolver cartridges, and so on through history. That got my cogs turning though and I immediately thought that among notable exceptions to that trend would be the .30-30 Winchester, various Remington and Savage sporting rifle cartridges, and many others such as the various British franchises specializing in dangerous game and the special regional needs of places like Alaska.

 

[oscarflytyer]

Trivial Pursuit item: Spanish used Win 94 30 WCFs as Military rifles!

 

[Rushcreek]

The 57mm case can yield about 100 fps more than the .308 case in like calibers in most rifles simply because it holds more powder. The 7x57mm will always be my favorite 7mm.

 

[RicinYakima]

Trivial Pursuit item: Spanish used Win 94 30 WCFs as Military rifles!

So did the US Army! 1917 to guard the spruce forests in western Washington for production of aircraft spars. There are still most of the 400 rifles in collections.

 

[oscarflytyer]

Ric - yes to spruce guard guns. And I may have misspoke. I thought the SPanish used the 94s, BUT, it seems that it was the French that bought them. I think I was thinking of the Spanish clone of the Win 1992 rifles, called El Tigres. And then there were the Win 1895s to Russia in 7.62x54R also....

 

[RicinYakima]

Winchester guys tell me there were more 1895's made in 7.62X54R than all the others put together. I have looked for a shoot-able one for years and never found one.

 

[todd]

my take on both of them....

choose the 7-08 if your NOT a reloader

choose the 7x57 if you ARE a reloader

i have them both and i am a reloader. 140gr bullet and less the 7-08 shines. 140gr bullet and more the mauser's shine.

if i choose between the two.....7 mauser