Rockydoc
Well-Known Member
My 7x57 is just like Matt's Winchester Featherweight.
Show me (or tell me) about your favorite 7X57 rifles!
- Thread starter RicinYakima
- Start date
My first 7x57 was a brand new Interarms Mark X, full-stock in a very light-colored (blonde, my dad called it) walnut and a deep, rich blue, 20" barrel for a whopping $269. Once again, at Larry's Pistol & Pawn. It shot very well, but the barrel was quite heavy and the overall weight sort of spoiled the idea. Tried a new Tang Safety M77 and it shot 3" groups - and I have made some Tang-Safety Rugers SHOOT, but not this one. Next up was a full custom 98 I bought from my dad and it was a beauty, not ornate, but expertly executed and very nice wood to boot. Trade that one back to him for another M77 Tang-Safety Ultra-Light he sent to Colorado for a 24" tapered octagon barrel in 7x57 AI and that gun was a shooter - once I bedded it properly. The so-called smith who bedded it originally did not relieve the barrel channel and had the barrel angling upwards out of the fore-end with 3/8" between the bottom metal and the front action screw boss on the action and cross-threaded all of two threads into the action. I ended up eventually trading that one back to him for something and don't remember what.
On the 7x57 AI, and maybe others, plunger ejectors may be an issue. The now larger-diameter case (at the shoulder) would hang up in the right lug race because the ejector pushed the case into it as soon as the mouth cleared the breech. Talk about frustrating. That spoiled me on push-feeds and plunger ejectors for good and I went back to Mausers from that point forward. I fixed it by sending a few hours dislocating my pinky with a patch of emry paper glued to it to ease the sharp corners of the lug race, top and bottom. It worked fine thereafter but was not fun. Dang if that rifle won't shoot though! I got a chronograph right about the time I started loading for that rifle and was sorely unimpressed at the velocities, which did not make a hundred fps difference regardless of powder. I'd stick the the original case personally. I burned up a bunch of $8/# H414 forming cases, and splitting the necks on a batch of Winchester cases, which was not the rifle's fault. We had a duplicate short action Ultra-Light done in 25 Souper at the same time and it was literally dead on, velocity and accuracy-wise to the Mauser 257 Roberts I was shooting at the same time. THAT was a no-hassle "wildcat" for which you simply run 243 cases into the 25 Souper FLR die and shot them. No fire-forming involved. No lug race problem.
No flies on the 7x57. I've shot numerous South American 95s and 98s in that cartridge and consider it pretty close to perfect. Torn between that and the 257 Roberts for years, I finally settled on the 6.5x55 for myself.
On the 7x57 AI, and maybe others, plunger ejectors may be an issue. The now larger-diameter case (at the shoulder) would hang up in the right lug race because the ejector pushed the case into it as soon as the mouth cleared the breech. Talk about frustrating. That spoiled me on push-feeds and plunger ejectors for good and I went back to Mausers from that point forward. I fixed it by sending a few hours dislocating my pinky with a patch of emry paper glued to it to ease the sharp corners of the lug race, top and bottom. It worked fine thereafter but was not fun. Dang if that rifle won't shoot though! I got a chronograph right about the time I started loading for that rifle and was sorely unimpressed at the velocities, which did not make a hundred fps difference regardless of powder. I'd stick the the original case personally. I burned up a bunch of $8/# H414 forming cases, and splitting the necks on a batch of Winchester cases, which was not the rifle's fault. We had a duplicate short action Ultra-Light done in 25 Souper at the same time and it was literally dead on, velocity and accuracy-wise to the Mauser 257 Roberts I was shooting at the same time. THAT was a no-hassle "wildcat" for which you simply run 243 cases into the 25 Souper FLR die and shot them. No fire-forming involved. No lug race problem.
No flies on the 7x57. I've shot numerous South American 95s and 98s in that cartridge and consider it pretty close to perfect. Torn between that and the 257 Roberts for years, I finally settled on the 6.5x55 for myself.
FrankCVA42
Active Member
Todd, have some of the Hansen Cartridge company ammo in both 7mm and 6.5x55. Don't know why I ever bought the 7mm as I didn't have a 7mm for years after I bought the ammo. Just like the 3 boxes of 35 remington ammo, brass and dies. Still no 35 rem in any form. Frank
RicinYakima
High Steppes of Eastern Washington
Yep, got a 100 6.5 MS, but never going to afford a rifle for them now! Unless I stumble upon a Greek Mannlicher military rifle.
I picked up a new Winchester M-70 featherweight in 7x57 in the late '80's and put a Leupold m8 3x on it for my son. He took a couple of moose with it, and moved on to a 30/06. I am now getting it ready as my grandson's first hunting rifle. He is 13 and we are starting out shooting some cast loads this summer and moving on up for this fall. I have been using a M70 featherweight 30/06 made in '55 for the last 50 years, but I really like the looks of those push bolt featherweights.
todd
Well-Known Member
i just recently gave my 93 spanish mauser(1925) action and a numrich 6.5 swede barrel to my gunsmith. it was between 6.5 swede or 7 mauser and my youngest son(who i'll give the rifle too) says 6.5 swede. now all it needs is dies and cases, i have some (about 200 bullets) 6.5mm 140gr hornady sst, they are leftover from my 6.5creedmoor that i sold. it will be his first custom rifle, i've already bought him a rem m7(early 1990s) in 7-08. the other custom rifle i have given is my oldest son, 98 mauser in 7x57. someday, i'll have a custom rifle for myself. i already got a 93 spanish mauser(1927) action or a 1895 chilean navy mauser action. it will be a 257 roberts.
my youngest son's stock(richards gunstock)
my youngest son's stock(richards gunstock)
Rockydoc
Well-Known Member
Man! That is one wild stock.i just recently gave my 93 spanish mauser(1925) action and a numrich 6.5 swede barrel to my gunsmith. it was between 6.5 swede or 7 mauser and my youngest son(who i'll give the rifle too) says 6.5 swede. now all it needs is dies and cases, i have some (about 200 bullets) 6.5mm 140gr hornady sst, they are leftover from my 6.5creedmoor that i sold. it will be his first custom rifle, i've already bought him a rem m7(early 1990s) in 7-08. the other custom rifle i have given is my oldest son, 98 mauser in 7x57. someday, i'll have a custom rifle for myself. i already got a 93 spanish mauser(1927) action or a 1895 chilean navy mauser action. it will be a 257 roberts.
my youngest son's stock(richards gunstock)
todd
Well-Known Member
its called apache gold. i was going to go with blue coral laminate, but the apache gold was my son's idea.
Laminated Colors
rifle-stocks.com
todd, my gunsmith (who gave up the trade just because he liked to eat regularly
) always had a penchant for odd things which always appealed to me, and vice versa. I always knew he had some interesting/cool thing to share if he just grinned at me when I came in the shop or hit his table at a show. He'd turn around, go in the back (of the shop) or duck under his table (at a show) and present some franken-mongrel, or a beat up older revolver and share. Everyone else would look at us like we were idiots when there were so many other cool, new guns to drool over.One day at a show, he drug out a Chilean '95 action, with a Swedish 94 carbine barrel screwed onto it and all set it into a cheap, Choate, blind-mag stock.
I asked "how's it shoot?"
"I d'know! I just stuck the parts together and head-spaced it!"
When someone asked him to rebarrel a '94 Swede, the take-off barrel inspired him to grub around the shop and find the other parts the day before the show. I take it that a couple of his friends lost a bet that he could sell it the first day. He knew I'd be in.
I ended up trading something for Spanish Mauser hinged bottom metal, 1916, I think, and hogged out a hole in the bottom of the Choate stock, which took more finesse than I'd anticipated, and had the coolest mutt around. It did not feed for beans, but I handed it to my dad and he brought it back the next day and it fed slicker'n snot. He always was good with feed rails.
This ugly, light little gun shot five into an inch and a quarter at a hundred yards with Hornady 160s and a moderate dose of one of the 4350s. I miss that gun. I sold it cheap to a park ranger who'd come to my house and split all my firewood one day while I was at work, and then wouldn't take anything for it. So, I lied about what I had in the mutt when he needed a rifle to go black bear hunting in some other state. If he ever offers it back, I'll snap it up even though I don't need it.
I offer all this, because the Chilean WAS a 7x57 at one time, and the contrast between my old Chielan and a Swede barrel in your case v. mine is dramatic. Looks like yours will be a real looker, but mine was butt-ugly.
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todd
Well-Known Member
todd, my gunsmith (who gave up the trade just because he liked to eat regularly
One day at a show, he drug out a Chilean '95 action, with a Swedish 94 carbine barrel screwed onto it and all set it into a cheap, Choate, blind-mag stock.
I asked "how's it shoot?"
"I d'know! I just stuck the parts together and head-spaced it!"
When someone asked him to rebarrel a '94 Swede, the take-off barrel inspired him to grub around the shop and find the other parts the day before the show. I take it that a couple of his friends lost a bet that he could sell it the first day. He knew I'd be in.
I ended up trading something for Spanish Mauser hinged bottom metal, 1916, I think, and hogged out a hole in the bottom of the Choate stock, which took more finesse than I'd anticipated, and had the coolest mutt around. It did not feed for beans, but I handed it to my dad and he brought it back the next day and it fed slicker'n snot. He always was good with feed rails.
This ugly, light little gun shot five into an inch and a quarter at a hundred yards with Hornady 160s and a moderate dose of one of the 4350s. I miss that gun. I sold it cheap to a park ranger who'd come to my house and split all my firewood one day while I was at work, and then wouldn't take anything for it. So, I lied about what I had in the mutt when he needed a rifle to go black bear hunting in some other state. If he ever offers it back, I'll snap it up even though I don't need it.
I offer all this, because the Chilean WAS a 7x57 at one time, and the contrast between my old Chielan and a Swede barrel in your case v. mine is dramatic. Looks like yours will be a real looker, but mine was butt-ugly.
i'm wishing that it is!!!!!!! i know nuthin about a numrich barrel. i could have waited for the money to buy a douglas barrel, but my son doesn't care. so i ordered 6.5x55 barrel from numrich. if it shoots 1 1/2" at 100 yards(5 shots) then i am happy.
CZ93X62
Official forum enigma
Not so many years ago, there were a number of commercial makers turning out bolt rifles in 7 x 57. Winchester 70s and Ruger 77-series led the way, Rem 700s kinda showed up, but CZ-USA, Steyr-Mannlicher (drool.....), and a few others were available. I dawdled around on other things, and POOF they all disappeared.
The 7mm Rem Mag kinda stole the 7 x 57's thunder in the same way the 243 Win relegated the 250 Savage and 257 Roberts to "enthusiast caliber" status. What I HAVE done with the 7 Rem Mag is loaded it down a bit, to 7 x 57 Mauser ballistics using IMR 4350 and 145 grain j-words in the 2700 FPS ZIP Code. He has harvested several Oklahoma whitetails with that ammunition, and the deer fall like they are supposed to--even with that weakened 7 Mag fodder. Such loads civilize the 7 Rem Mag significantly.
The 7mm Rem Mag kinda stole the 7 x 57's thunder in the same way the 243 Win relegated the 250 Savage and 257 Roberts to "enthusiast caliber" status. What I HAVE done with the 7 Rem Mag is loaded it down a bit, to 7 x 57 Mauser ballistics using IMR 4350 and 145 grain j-words in the 2700 FPS ZIP Code. He has harvested several Oklahoma whitetails with that ammunition, and the deer fall like they are supposed to--even with that weakened 7 Mag fodder. Such loads civilize the 7 Rem Mag significantly.
TRUE WORDS! You might add 6mm Remington to the list that the 234 did IN without doing BETTER than.
I'm "babysitting" a like new USRAC M70 Featherweight, which has "6.5x55" stamped on the barrel, but the chamber was opened up to 6.5x284. It's a heart-breaker for me since I see the x55 and x57 cases as about optimum for anything I'd ever do.
I waited and waited for the little Ruger full-stock M77, or their little Untra-Light to be chambered in 7x57 and it didn't happen, so I bought the Interarms Mark X, which was a good bit heftier. The older, milder cartridges made sense in short, light rifles. The shorter barrels of the carbines didn't seem to detract enough from the velocity to matter much and the report wasn't as obnoxious as higher volume or higher pressure cartridges in shorter barrels.
I'm gradually piecing together a 95 Mauser action, and have my eye out for a carbine barrel in 7x57 for same. Once I get that far I'll dig through my stack of take-off stocks and assemble a little carbine to use as a rainy day/loaner rifle. I miss having a 7mm carbine around.
todd
Well-Known Member
i always, if asked, what caliber would i get for myself/wife/girlfriend/son/daughter/whoever? i'd ask, do you handload? no, then a 7mm-08. yes, 7 mauser. they are comfortable to shoot and as long as you can put the bullet into its boiler room, its dead.
i don't know how many deer i have killed using the 7 mauser and 7-08. whatever it is, i killed more with the 7 mauser. a 139gr hornady fn(discontinued
) going about 2600fps is a sure pill for killing deer. i have killed a doe at about 300-325 yards with my son's(used to mine) 7 mauser. most of the deer i killed were 40 yards and less. when i was young and spry, i dreamt about hunting elk and grizzly and my son's 7 mauser. i go with 175gr+/- bullets rather than 140gr bullets.
now being handicapable, i use cast boolits. using a 7 mauser, a 145gr fn gc going about 1800-1900fps should be a deer killer.
i don't know how many deer i have killed using the 7 mauser and 7-08. whatever it is, i killed more with the 7 mauser. a 139gr hornady fn(discontinued
) going about 2600fps is a sure pill for killing deer. i have killed a doe at about 300-325 yards with my son's(used to mine) 7 mauser. most of the deer i killed were 40 yards and less. when i was young and spry, i dreamt about hunting elk and grizzly and my son's 7 mauser. i go with 175gr+/- bullets rather than 140gr bullets. now being handicapable, i use cast boolits. using a 7 mauser, a 145gr fn gc going about 1800-1900fps should be a deer killer.
richhodg66
Well-Known Member
I like the 7x57 a lot, only have two at the moment, a '93 Sporter which I rescued from a pawn shop a couple of years ago and a Mexican cavalry carbine.
I shot the heck out of the sporter, almost every day for most of a year, with the Midsouth Soup can bullet and ten grains of 700X. It has a Weaver K4 on it and the original military trigger, but it'll hold two inch groups at 100 yards with that load all day, though I very rarely shoot it from a bench. Killed a deer with it that Fall using a hollow pointed 287308, worked fine, picture f the recovered bullet which went almost all the way through lengthwise. I like this cartridge and rifle combo a lot.
I shot the heck out of the sporter, almost every day for most of a year, with the Midsouth Soup can bullet and ten grains of 700X. It has a Weaver K4 on it and the original military trigger, but it'll hold two inch groups at 100 yards with that load all day, though I very rarely shoot it from a bench. Killed a deer with it that Fall using a hollow pointed 287308, worked fine, picture f the recovered bullet which went almost all the way through lengthwise. I like this cartridge and rifle combo a lot.