I believe that the best cartridge since the 30-06 was/is the 280 Remington. The 7x57 was previous to the 06 and is a cartridge hard to improve on...
I've had a couple 7x57's and that is an excellent cartridge if the Mauser action isn't soft, the free bore matches the magazine length, the barrel on the Mauser action wasn't made during a major war, etc.
My present 7x57 is a Classic 700, which I like as much a my 7mm-08 and my 280's.
The only rifle with a new cartridge is a 204. I wouldn't have bought that if it wasn't on my brother's estate sale.
When I was a kid I shot a lot of squirrels, grackle's and bunnies. Don't do that much anymore. So the smaller cartridges don't shine that much for me. I might get a 17 rim fire though.
