Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 7x57 questions

7x57 is an amazing cartridge. People seriously underestimate its potential. Modern ammunition is seriously underloaded because there are rifles chambered in this cartridge going back over a hundred years now. You will find the ammunition for military small ring actions was loaded around 51,000 CUP where modern ammo MAXES out at 46,000 CUP. With proper milsurp ammunition loaded to military specs (154grn spitzer boat tail at 2,900Ft/s), 7x57 will shoot flatter than most 308 or 30-06. I personally have a Chilean small ring that I hand load 175 grn SMK's for. It will shoot 1/2 MOA all day long and has never failed to kill anything I pointed it at. Milsurp ammo is still readily available in large quantities for a decent price. I have 2,070rnds of reloadable Winchester military full pressure 7x57 for sale right now on the classifieds for .46/rnd (compared to $1/rnd+ for modern). And I have another 15,000rnds of mixed surplus in boxes in my closet. Not to mention my Chilean is considered an Antique so it isn't on paper anywhere. I would seriously consider rechambering or rebarreling in 7x57. It's ballistics are nice, accuracy is awesome, shoots soft, hits like a hammer, and ammo is cheap.

I am another one that has shot pretty much everything with a 7x57, an old Ruger with a Leupold 2-7x Euro scope. It shoots consistently .7 with several loads, never needs sighted in, and I have so much confidence with it that when it goes off, something is going to die. I would venture a guess that I've killed more game with a 7x57 than many of the internet commandos have killed period. As far as the original question, it doesn't really make any logical sense to change a 7-08 into a 7x57, they are one and the same. Of course logic would tell me I only need a .223, a .22 lr, a 7x57, a 12 ga shotgun, and a .375/.416 to kill everything on earth. I have more than five guns.

Here is Cabelas page on available cartridges. There is only one choice for the 7-57, 358 W. and 12 for the 7-08!

Ammo

While that may be true. Look at prices. Easily $1/rnd if not more. While 7mm milsurp ammo is readily available and easily as accurate as any modern non-match loads. With my 7x57 I get 1-1.5 MOA with WRA south african contract surplus and 2-2.5 MOA with DWM surplus. And I buy that ammo at .43-.46/round. That's less than half the cost per round for modern 7-08 ammo.

In all seriousness, if someone was starting out and didn't have thousands of empty brass, the 7-08 is the only way to go. The same goes for my favorite killer of coyotes, the .220 Swift. When I run out of brass, I'll do the next one in some variety of .22-.243.

Looks tho you got both lungs!!

Taking mine to Africa in 5 weeks.....175 grn Hornady SP over RL-22.
Didn`t some guy named Bell shoot some big stuff with it? Maybe JB knows.

Jim�is that you?

I been shooting deer on my property here in CT for a very long time, and a 7 x 57 works as well as any. My only 7 x 57 is a rifle that I bought almost 40 years ago. Never had a problem finding loaded ammo or components to load ammo for the most part. The only thing that is missing is that Remington stopped making the 175 gr RN load. It was one of the best shooting and deer collecting loads you could get. It didn't get the "Big Punch in a Small Case" moniker for nothing. These days it don't matter much, I would not mess with your fathers rifle, keep it as it is and how he shot it. In about 30 years you will be glad you did.

Ya ruint da sholders, butcha saved the hams and backstraps. Prolly din't havta track it, either. Good shootin' there.

Ask Ingwe,he knew Bell very well.

Have enjoyed the 7x57 a lot for a long time. Recently had some fun working on loads for a little competetive shoot that never happened in the end, but got some interesting results from 44g of 4895 with a 120g Hornady flat base bullet (labeled as a handgun bullet).

Personally, one ought to try to get a rifle in ever caliber, IMO
Since 7-08 is one of the 7mm's I don't have, I'd keep it that way.


But seriously, my dad built a 92 Winchester for me in an odd caliber that I've considered changing a long time ago. I'm glad I didn't. He passed away close to 40 years ago now.

154's at 2900....no way....not with safe pressures.

It may be possible,although I don't know if the 154's will be able to seat in the case.

I run a 140 grain Ballistic Tip, over a charge of 44 grains of IMR 4895 out of my Model 70 Featherweight in 7mm Mauser....
2800 fps MV and pretty effective on what I need it to be.....

exact same point of impact also, when I load it with 115 gr Speer HPs over 28 grains of SR 4759, and recoils like a 243 if even that much...

Good luck on your trip to Africa Paul....
I am sure you are talking the Africa south of Europe.... not Oakland...

The 140 Ballistic Tip is a great bullet in the 7x57--kills quickly, shoots flat and accurately. But then almost any bullet works great in the 7x57, one of the cartridge's several virtues.

Yes it can happen at safe pressures. That was the standard military load for quite a while. I should mention that was with a 29" barrel.

Hmmm...am I seeing an article coming up?

Already published it some years ago--but that doesn't mean it's not time for another!