Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Mule Deer-7 x 57 advice needed

To Mule Deer and all you guys

I am thinking of buying a 7 x 57. But I have read about accuracy problems and non standard chamber problems. John do you have any suggestions about the chambering of too much bullet run out etc., etc.? If you were going to build a 7 x 57 for yourself how would you have the gunsmith chamber the barrell. I like the idea of a 26 inch barrel as the British mostly had on their .275 Rigby. Any and all comments from all in this forum are welcome. I also wish to use as many different bullet weights with accuracy if possible.

roanmtn

Dunno where you got the info that "the British" mostly used 26-inch barrels. The two original Rigby rifles in .275 had 23.5 inch barrels.

The last 7x57 I had built was with a Pacific Tool & Gauge reamer that had a "target" throat, shorter than most. I would tend to go with something like that.

To tell the truth, I'm using the 7mm-08 more and more these days. It gets the same ballistics with far less hassle, both in finding accurate loads and buying brass. I realize it doesn't have the "panache" of the 7x57, but am also tending to become more practical as I get older, having wrestled with lots of panache over the years. (That said, just spent yesterday morning at the range with an Marlin Model 1893 in .32-40....)

Once a Rifle Loony, always a Rifle Loony

"but am also tending to become more practical as I get older, having wrestled with lots of panache."

Whoa, there John. We can't be facing up to that. What is this world coming to????

But, I am a 7x57 owner just because one became available.
I bought and dialed in a load in a 7-08 for my nephew.
That 7-08 chambering is the second best thing to happen with the 308 case.
A lot of bang for the buck.
Just my opinion though.

My R#1 in 7x57 really likes the old Nosler 150 gr Solid base bullets.

You gotta shoot em to know, so get to loading and shooting.

I'm building a Rigby copied 275 as we speak. Throated for 175s with 25 inch barrel. I anticipate zero issues. Left hand Zastava action heavily worked over for.function, 1909 bottom metal,Gentry 3 pos safety, new handle. Front and rear sights milled to original Rigby specs.

John will tell you the .275 Rigby was actually intended for lighter bullets, say 140 to 150 as it was supposed to be used for Red deer and the like. The 7x57 was the heavy bullet gun ( and I prefer the 175s myself)

However, all that said, I bought a Ruger African in .275 Rigby. John told me to shoot the lighter bullets in it. I didnt listen, and it hated the 175s. Stepped down to 150 gr. NBTs and magic happened!

If I get to know him for another 25 years, maybe I'll listen to him...maybe

Tom,

Earlier this year I decided on a hunting-firearms adventure somewhere between ultimate practicality and ultimate panache, a lightweight Sauer drilling in 16x16/7x57R. It came with a 1.5-6x Zeiss, also very practical....

You are most every woman's nightmare as to an influence on husbands and sons.

Keep up the good work.

I saw a similar drilling in a local shop a year or so ago and thought that might be a necessity, but I caved.

FWIW, IMHO, I think you would be much better served by going with a 7mm-08. It is for all rights and purposes an improved 7x57. Nothing wrong with choosing 7x57, but 7mm-08 is the better choice. Either way, enjoy your choice!

Have a Forbes LH 7-08 very nice rifle light and accurate minimum chamber. Also have 2 7 X 57 LH Zastava 7 X 57 and a Ruger #1 both have long throat and are accurate but not as accurate and more fussy than the 7-08 Forbes. They sit in the safe and the Forbes gets used.

can I borrow it?

I am having a Rigby Stalker clone made here in Canada in 275 Rigby. Almost finished. Builder sent a couple pics yesterday.

In my many discussions with the gun maker I wondered about excessive throat length typical with a std 7x57 throat. We ended up getting a 7x57 Match reamer which will address this issue.

Dang y'all are pissin' me off now! Here I was going to build a rifle in 6.5x57 and got talked into a 7x57, I've got it almost ready to shoot after 3 years and now a bunch of you telling me I shoulda got a V8? I mean 7-08. Well I have it and I'm going to use it, LOL!

If you don't need heavier bullets, a 6.5x57 would be a great choice with a bit of extra cool added.

,

Well, it's too late for this one but I may build one yet. I agree with you on both points, the 6.5x57 would be very cool and a great performer on deer and hogs. And I hear a lot of people use 6.5x55s on elk, so the 6.5x57 would work for them too. I don't plan on shooting heavy bullets in the 7x57. I've got a .270, a 280, and a 7 Mag for that. Actually, for what I hunt and how I hunt a 7x57 wll do just fine as would a 6.5x57. I don't even use heavy bullets in my .270 when deer hunting. I've used 140 grains a time or two but I've stopped that and gone back to 130 grain Sierra Game Kings. They're a death ray on deer and hogs and I imagine they're what I'll use in the 7x57, only 140 grains.

Filaman,

One of my two other drillings is another, but slightly heavier, Sauer in 6.5x57R (the shotgun barrels are, of course, 16-gauge). The rifling twist is 1-8, and even with the slightly lower-pressure loads used in drillings, it duplicates the factory ballistics of the 6.5 Creedmoor.

It's also very accurate for a drilling. In fact, the guy I bought it from (luv2safari here on the Campfire) stated it was the most accurate drilling he's ever owned. With a 4x scope it will put five in an inch or less at 100 yards with all the bullets tried so far, which include the 129-grain Hornady Interlock, 129 Nosler AccuBond Long Range, and 125 Nosler Partition.

Maybe, if you can promise to shoot flying birds, instead of ground-sluicing them.

But...but...they're so much easier when they aren't moving....


Besides...23 million turkey hunters can't be wrong...they LOVE ground sluicing them with a shotgun.

Yeah, I never could figure out why it's SO sporting to ground-whack gobblers during the spring breeding season, when they're hormone addled. Why can't we do the same thing with rooster pheasants?

I have an 8 x57 and a 7.08. I also have a 284 win,a 308, 300 savage.

It seems for me resizing the 308 7/08 case and the 284 case as hard to get done reliably. The 8 x 57 and 300 savage I get along with better.

I don't know why.

So then maybe we should only shoot at deer outside the rut and only shoot at them while they are at a dead run? Not sporting to shoot at them while they are standing still? LOL!

Just pulling your leg a bit! Have a great weekend. Happy Trails

I had a 275 Rigby built on a VZ24 action two years ago and never regretted it. Also there is a 7X57 AI that loves 160gr bullets and a pre 64 M70 carbine in 7X57. I also have a Weatherby Ultra light 7mm/08. There isn't a deer that will know the difference with a 140gr -160gr bullet put in the right place. Enjoy the 7x57 it has the class and is well proven over time to get the job done. The Rigby like H414 and 140gr Accubonds, The AI favors IMR 3031 and 160gr Speer Grand Slams but I'm going to try some 160gr Accubonds, the M70 so far has only seen factory 140's.

Thanks John

I read somewhere that the British used 26" barrells BUT I guess the Actions came from Germany with 23 1/2 in barrels. Maybe you're right as the 7mm-08 would solve a lot of problems connected wity the 7 x 57mm Mauser.

roanmtn

Talk about sporting! Where I grew up we did a lot of squirrel hunting. State law required that we only shot the male squirrels!

CJ

Redid a small ring Mauser in 7 x 57 to make a decent deer hunting rifle. New barrel, trigger, stock, etc. a retired guy project instigated by a guy who challenged me to do it. To use here in E central Minn.

Have run some 300 shots thru that barrel. Works wel nowl with different reloads. All my loads are moderate to mild.

Shoots MOA+ groups with 140 grain Sierra ProHunter stuff.

Shoots bout the same groups with factory Winchester 150 grain pointeds.

Shoots bout 2 inch groups with those ugly Remington 165 grain Round Nose things.

Shoots MOA with 150 grain Partitions. The lighter bullets I push with IMR 4320.

Except for the Winchester bullets, it shoots better with a slightly dirty barrel.
I seat the bullets out about to magazine limits.

Only problem is that the 165 gr stuff doesn't feed well because of the wide blunt tip.

7 x57 works well on deer. Its your rifle, do what you want.

Started with one 7x57 my F-I-L gave me, shortened restocked (by him) military rifle. Added a Santa Barbera in a Ramline stock (the price was more than right) Which has since been restocked with a decent piece of walnut in the M70 fwt style. Then an older fella that hung out, and had a lot of work done at our LGS sold me a Mannlicher stocked military rifle that had the barrel shortened and was rechambered. The first rifle now wears a Douglas fwt barrel. All are chambered so the 139 Hornadys are seated at about 2.9-3" OAL. None shoot the bragging size groups we're all used to, but they all shoot deer as far as I care to shoot.

A little over 40 years ago, I built my first 7x57 as a casual target rifle. It was built on a 721 Remington action and the Hart barrel was chambered by my mentor, Art Bourne with a reamer he made. He used a separate throater to cut a throat which was 2845 in diameter and just right for the 168 Sierra. It shot great. Later, I barreled a BRNO ZKK 600 and chambered it the same way. It also worked very well. So it was that, when I drew up a reamer for PTG about 7 or eight years ago, I drew it up to duplicate the chambers we cut with Art's reamer. I've used it to cut several chambers including my own Ruger 77 and it still works just fine. GD

I love my 7mm Mauser Featherweight.. and it gets out in the field a lot..

but my favorite round is the 6.5 x 57 I did one on a Model 70 action... went a little overboard in over thinking it..
did a 28 inch Pac Nor barrel, in a heavy magnum contour, 1 in 8 twist..done by Kevin Wyatt...

It ain't light but it sure is accurate...even waaaay out there...

I have a Winchester Featherweight in 7x57 (BACO) and it shoots very tiny groups with factory Hornady 139 SST's.

You saying a rifle that won't shoot 1/2" groups all day long will still kill a deer?



DF

greydog,

Interesting to hear the history of that PT&G 7x57 reamer. I has a custom rifle chambered with one about a dozen years ago!

A friend had purchased the reamer for his custom 7x57, then when I was getting one built he offered to loan it to the company making my rifle. They ended up purchasing it from him.

By the way, this required you to walk up and shake the tree until you heard their nuts rattling!

I’m no gunsmith but a lifelong hunter. The 7x57 is one of my favorites. Good luck on your build

X2 ....... The throat is much shorter than the std configuration to the point of being too short for 175gr RNs. Most won't be using this bullet so no big deal but a nice bonus for most lighter bullets including the 160gr NP which I used for moose hunting last year.

I had my 6.5x57 up the range yesterday. No wonder I love Hornady Interlocks. Out of eight different bullets the 140gn Hornadys shot the smallest group. They beat 130gn Gamechangers and 129gn SSTs. Cut a three shot group into 0.7 inch at 100 metres. Rifle is a BRNO ZKK 600 with a Maddco #1 24" barrel, Swaro 3-9x36.

In a medium or long action the 7x57 hands down. Panache, history and just a good round. It will also beat the 7-08 by around 100 fps at modern pressures.
The PT&G target reamer sounds like a good way to go but even the military chambers will usually shoot well with 175 grain RN bullets.

I think the 7x57 would be a lot more popular if so many people had not gotten shot at with them starting with the Spanish American war, Roosevelt and the rough riders, on through WWII. This is almost like a reverse testament to the effectiveness of the round.

If I were building a high end rifle the 7x57 would be on the short list. The 7-08 to me there was never a reason for it's existence, sorry fans and yes I know about it's silhouette origins and that it may have more of the elusive inherent accuracy than the x57 but not enough to matter. Yes it fits a short action better but not by much.

My 7x57 is a Number 1A so not worried about action length at all.

Actually, a Number 1 in 7mm-08 just wouldn't be cricket.

There are some good suggestions here on reamer selection. However, a 7x57 reamer with a standard length throat will have the potential to shoot well provided that the throat is tight and the barrel is good.

I am shooting a 154gr sst in mine that’s seated over .100 thousandths off the lands with a oal of 3.250. It shoots excellent over healthy doses of h4350. I didn’t check exactly how much jump to the lands because of magazine restrictions.

I think a lot of the accuracy problems with this cartridge are to do with the anemic pressures of factory ammo and reloading data.

If you have strong action, why not see if the rifle shoots better with some extra pressure. ( it’s been my experience that most rifles do )

To get the most of this cartridge you have to hand load and be quite an experienced hand loader. The 7mm-08 is a better choice for most.

Always puzzled me why so many are outraged by the notion of whacking them with a “cleverly concocted rifle cartridge”, Jim Carmichael’s term, but are all about 70-yard shotguns with 2oz of depleted uranium shot and soda straw chokes.Fortunately, I live in a state with sensible rules for the most part.

I can even use a “cleverly concocted” 7x57 load iffen I want to.

I live in Florida where Osceola turkeys live. Calling in a wary old gobbler ain't nearly as easy as he thinks.

Ain’t easy here either Parson. A five-round box of TSS is probably a lifetime supply for me.

Mike,

Back when I was really into turkey hunting, I went to Florida, called in an Osceola and shot it at about 20 yards. They are indeed tougher to call in than western turkeys, partly because they don't talk as much. But it's not impossible, even for a hick from Montana.

No offense intended, John. Turkeys can be a challenge anywhere, mainly because they have excellent eyesight and can pick up the slightest movement. And calling one in to close range can be about as exciting as anything. There's a reason folks get addicted to it.

I ain't gonna stop ya.

Something tells me they taste the same!!😎😎

Fuggers taste pretty darn good too!

Big platter covered in fried turkey tits, fresh caught fried crappie and fried morels in the spring with some suds to help rinse it down is a very hard combination to beat!

Yep!

Amen on that brother.

My #1 7x57 wouldn't shoot worth crap so I had my gunsmith check it out. It took a chamber cast showing a 2" throat so I sent it back to Ruger with a copy of my gunsmith's report. It took a 7 month wait go get it back but it's tack driver now.
I also like my M70 XTR 7x57 which was a good shooter from the get go. A custom Mauser I had built up though shows high pressures when trying to get past factory ammo specs.

I've been getting some interesting results with 150 gr. Partitions and Re17 in the M70 and #1 but the Mauser balks and anything much over factory levels It even has the long throat for 175 gr. bullets. It's quite accurate with Winchester 145 gr. ammo when I can find some.
Paul B.

I have a 7x57 700 classic it’s easy to get to shoot well. My wife has a left hand Tikka 7mm-08 and it is easy to get to shoot well.

I like classic cartridges and the 7x57 pretty much is classic!

If I were to build a 7x57 it would likely be on a 700 action, but many other actions would be suitable. I wouldn’t go with a short action though.

I used my 7x57 700 Classic for my antelope rifle and it worked very well with 139 grain Interlocks. It also is an excellent deer rifle.

The only 7x57’s I’ve owned that were difficult to shoot well (not impossible) were military 98 Mausers. They liked long blunt bullets, I believe heavy Speer bullets worked well in the ones I worked with. A friend borrowed one of those and dropped an elk cow with a single shot.

I have a 1956 Steyr Mannlicher MC 7x57 and it shoots good with 140gr Remington Corelokts. When I first got it I had no brass so I bought a box of 140gr Remington ammo. It puts 3 into 1" at 100 yards with a 4x scope IF I do my part. I loaded some 140gr Corelokts seated out and the rifles didn't like that. I seat the bullets to the cannelure and all is well. I looked at the bore with my Lyman bore scope and it's a bit rough with shallow pits. I cleaned it down to bare metal and I won't make that mistake again! It took several shots for it to settle in.

Back at the beginning of the month I declared 2021 the year of the Rigby look alike G33-40 7x57. Then I amended that resolution to include my Ruger 1 RSI 7x57.
My Ruger 1 257 Roberts wants to have me impeached!
So now what?

I had this 7x57 built by a local gunsmith on a pre war oberndorf action when I was in my mid 20's and still young and foolish.



I don't know how he cut the chamber but it shoots the full range of bullet weights accurately. 120 Ballistic Tips, 145 Power points, 154 Hornady's and the old 170 Sierra RNs.

Not a target rifle but I get 1" to 1 1/2" if I do my part.

Dan

Nice rifle but looks a little out of sorts without irons I think and the scope is out of proportion to the rest of the gun. Certainly a hunter's rifle, though.

Thanks, I totally agree with you. My gunsmith didn't want to put sights on the thinner barrel thinking it would mess with accuracy.

The rifle originally had a Leupold vari x ii 2-7 in low rings. This photo has a Bushnell 4200 3-9 in medium rings. It now wears a Bushnell Elite 2-7 which is really more fitting for this rifle.

Dan

Dan,

If you look at other full stocked rifles many of which had thinner barrels I do not think accuracy would necessarily be affected too much. I hunt 20mm tubes so I suppose all scopes look a little big.

My Merkel K1 in 7x57R is a fantastic rifle. I’d highly recommend the cartridge, only problem is finding a rifle that suits your loony specs!

She caught the Katy and left me a mule to ride...

Nice piece of kit that is.

Drillings can be scary accurate.

JP Sauer 16/16/7x57R drilling at 100 yards.

I've probably owned three dozen 7x57s over the years, mostly bolt actions with a couple of combination guns and a semi-auto FN49 thrown into the mix. My favorite factory built 7x57s have been the Remington 700 Mountain Rifles, the Ruger 77 RSI, and the Winchester/USRA 70 Featherweights. Since I'm not a double barrel shotgun guy, drillings have never interested me.