Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Finn Aagaard on the 7x57

I have three of them too. Two 700's (Classic and Mountain) and a Mauser. The Classic has killed a few pronghorns mostly with 139 grain interlocks. The other two are recent acquisitions. Too many 7mm Mausers have come and gone though.

I liked Finn's articles, no BS just good informative writing.


(7mm = 0.2756")

Same here, was always turning to his articles in the Rifleman he wrote. He had a good elk hunting article write up as well. Very much enjoyed his stuff.

3 are as follows
1. CZ American 550 with beautiful wood
2. Ruger Hawkeye African.275 Rigby
3. Ruger #1

The 270 and 7x57 are both grand old hunting cartridges that do not have to answer to anyone. If one cannot get it done with either of these carridges, there is something seriously wrong with the nut squeezing the trigger.

I can’t go there on .007” bullet diameter! Same with the .257’s and the current crop of .264/6.5mm’s. Make your choice on these bores or just go with all of the above in true loony fashion. I’ve made my choice in several 7mm cartridges. Cheers

My preference is with the 7mm cartridges also. Probably partly due to several gun writers' influence. But as the first article shown in this thread, the diameter of the bullet wasn't so much the issue as the available bullets in the caliber - that's seems to be why the limit on 7mm being the smallest recommended. Today, it seems to me, the construction of bullets isn't as correlated with bullet diameter as it once was. Today you can find decent bullets in smaller calibers than previously available. I know that my search for appropriate bullets in 6mm and 25 caliber was particularly frustrating. Further I let go of my 264 Win Mag, thinking the 7mm RM had a much better selection of bullets.

I've always liked the 7x57, though my only rifle chambered for it was a Ruger 77 RSI I got sometime around 1990. Lovely little rifle, but not especially accurate. I used it as a deer stand rifle, and it work perfectly for that.

Not to be a spoil sport, but I suppose outside of a Mauser 98 sized action, I never found it fish nor foul. I'd sooner use a 270 in a LA, and a 7-08 (or better yet 308 ) in a SA. The 7x57 certainly shines in an M98 or similarly sized action though, and of course there's no law against one in a LA, except some unwritten rifle loony code.

I’ve kinda thought a 7x57 in a Kimber LA would be pretty slick for a fella wanting to shooting longer bullets. The 280’s in Kimbers are sorta limited in mag space. Probably not a concern to most but they’re fairly tight with long, pointy bullets. The 7x57 should be about right for that action.

Again, it’s a nitpick as my brother has a 280 SubAlpine 280 Ackley and it does fine for the most part but there isn’t much freedom for longer than SAAMI lengths.

It's good to know that you would have approved of my Czech VZ-24 7x57.

I am so far down the 270 rabbit hole, there is no hope for me. The 7x57's, 7-08's, 308's, 30-06's and all others have mostly gone down the road.

Had my Dad been not shooting one for 50 years, myself for 40, and been indoctrinated by JOC. Maybe I would have gotten stuck on another cartridge.

It has been a grand looney journey, but hand me a 22-250, 270, 338-06, and 416 Remington. I am set for the rest of my hunting days.

My hunting notes indicate I've hunted with seven 7x57's.

My first fascination with the cartridge was due to Jack O'Connor, though Finns article sure didn't hurt. Took my first animal with one around 1990, a pronghorn at around 375 yards, and since then have taken another 15 species of big game with the cartridge--perhaps not so oddly ranging from what O'Connor once noted it worked on, javelina to bull moose. Have used it North America in Old Mexico, several American states, Canada and Alaska, also used it considerably in Africa on animals from springbok and impala to kudu and wildebeest. (Have also used it both on a wild boar in the U.S. and warthogs on Africa.) A couple of the animals were large mule deer bucks, my favorite big game.

The rifles have been a pair of Ruger 1As (with which I took that first pronghorn), a walnut-stocked Remington 700 Mountain Rifle that was eventually turned into a "modern custom rifle" with a synthetic stock and Hart barrel, a Ruger 77 Mark II, a New Ultra Light Arms Model 20, and a rifle built built by Serengeti Rifles, on a Montana controlled-feed "short" action that was a sort of cross between a Mauser 98 and pre-'64 Model 70, then stocked in one of Serengeti's fancy-grade laminated stocks. The Serengeti is now owned by the Campfire's "RevMike," one of the first over a dozen rifles I started selling off 2-3 years ago to add to the retirement fund.

Dunno if I'll ever own another 7x57, but it sure does work!

"it sure does work". If I recall, you called it "magnificent" in an article. I'll have to go back in my Dad's boxes of magazines and verify that.

MD

I forgot that you had a write-up in Gack #3. I re-read it. Good stuff.

"Brad Approved"... has a nice ring but is of zero value

What, no respect for the sire of the .30/06 and grandfather of the .308?

I built a 7x57 on a Montana 84L and it was a perfect fit. Probably should have kept that one!

No, was speaking of my approval having zero value...

Yaeh, but you've got an 84M MT in 7-08... I prefer the 7-08 over the 7x57, and the 84M over the 84L!

Having that 7-08 is why I was ok selling the x57.
It's certainly my favorite!

That 7x57 from Teeder sure has been a hammer with 162s. Never had much luck with 7mm-08s.