The 7x57, along with the 6.5x55, are cartridges that by their existence prove beyond doubt that newer is not necessarily better. It's almost as if the designer knew not only what he was doing at the time, but what wonderful propellants and projectiles would be available beyond his lifetime. Smooth feeding, easy on brass and shoulders, bore diameter that is sufficiently supported by your basic soft point bullet, plus the vicarious link to history thru the use of a 100+ yr old round. It is a proven standard, an often copied blueprint, a routine success. Good grief, I believe I just defined "fun".
My first centerfire was a pre 64 Win 70 in 30-06, on which I really learned to shoot and reload. Dad won it for me in a sales contest and it was a nice high school graduation present that summer of '63.
In my later years I have learned to appreciate the 6.5x55 Swedes, having collected a few and lucked into a nice little Ruger red pad 1-A in 7x57 that needed quite a bit of refinishing on the wood. It turned out to have very good wood under a totally clouded ruined factory finish. While not my most accurate rifle it is surely one of the nicest sporters to shoot I have. Another nice mild round is a 9.3x57 in a pretty Husqvarna M46 sporter.
Everything you said about those old Mauser cartridges is so true!
