Bob...
Glad you now have a better understanding. But I forgot one HUGE factor...
RECOIL !!!And the LACK of unpleasant recoil is a big factor in the reason so many knowledgeable hunters choose the 7x57 cartridge (aka "7mm Mauser" and ".275 Rigby") as their preferred hunting cartridge. The 7x57. like the 6.5x55 Swede. seems to kill far beyond what their ballistics indicate they should... and they do it with less-than-expected recoil.
With the exception of the "big bears", the 7x57 is easily capable of taking ALL new world big game animals and, in a pinch, the 7x57, backed up by a guide using a .338 Winchester Magnum or a .375 H&H Magnum, will take the "big bears" as well, but shot placement becomes
extremely important at that point.
With about the same recoil as the .270 Winchester (which has a fairly light recoil) firing 130 grain bullets, the 7x57 is an excellent choice for an "all-around" big game rifle cartridge.
Incidentally, about the turn from the 19th. to 20th. century, (1900), an ivory hunter named "Karamojo" Bell, an excellent marksman, used a 7x57 Mauser to shoot and kill over 1,000 elephants in Africa. Most of 'em were one-shot kills. However, I doubt if anyone would recommend the 7x57 as an "elephant gun".
Strength & Honor...
Ron T.
