Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Gunwriters and the 7x57 Mauser

I found an old copy of a Jack O'Conner book in the school library as a kid, "The Hunting Rifle," I believe. The Featherweight XTRs in 7x57 were out about that time, and after reading O'Conner, I wanted one badly. Finally picked one up 15 years or so ago. Decent rifle, average shooter, sold it. Bought a couple of more 7x57s over the years with the same result.

My least accurate 7-08 or 6.5 Creedmoor has shot better than my best 7x57 I've owned. I don't understand why people like 7x57s when more available .308s, 7-08s, Creedmoors and .270s and .280s are available.

I know people love them. I just don't understand the allure. I don't understand the fascination with calling them .275 Rigby either. That's sort of like putting fake, stick-on '57 Buick Roadmaster vents on a 2007 Ford Explorer to me.

I guess I'm not the market the round attracts. I may feel different if I'd lived when O'Conner was writing about his custom 7x57s.

It's a polite, efficient cartridge with a long, storied history in the hunting fields. Some of us like that sort of thing.

Several years ago, I was offered a military 7x57, nicely redone in a beautiful Mannlicher stock. With a 6-18 Simmons scope, because the old gentleman only shot at the range any more. After fitting a 4x Leupold, I went to the range with my brother for a pre-season site-in. After years of shooting moa and sub-moa rifles, I was disappointed with 1 3/4" groups. My brother said, "You know what I'd do? I'd stop f'ing around and go hunting." So, I adjusted the scope to hit 2" high at 100 yds, shot the 300 meter pig three for three, and had an enjoyable deer season. None of my 7s are benchrest accurate, but they kill deer just fine.

My least accurate 7x57 with usually stay within an inch although with some loads, 1.25" is about the best it will do. Good enough for any game animal out past 300 yards. My most accurate 7x57 does anywhere from .50" to about .80" depending on what load I'm shooting. That's a Winchester M70 XTR Featherweight that I found at a gun show. A custom rifle based on an FN commercial Mauser action is also showing serious promise in the accuracy department.

So yes, I like the 7x57 evven thogh so far it's been a bad luck or jinxed cartridge for me on the hunt. I won't go into any details but the only two deer I've ever lost in over 60 years of hunting were shot with the 7x57. Jinx? Planned elk hunt for Jan 2020. Two days before the hunt, bad car wreck. In hospital during the scheduled time for the hunt. Rifle was to be the M70 XTR 7x57. In 2021, I'm working on getting an elk hunt set up, again planned to use the 7x57, heart attack in February. IN 2022 I'm told I have cancer. Learned that in the month of March. Had a hunt planned for later this year. Makes me wonder what in hell 2023 has in store for me, that is if I'm still above ground and not stores as ashes in some jar? Yes, I still like the 7x57 even if it apparently doesn't like me.
PJ

WMD Bell also known as "Karamojo Bell" (a veteran of the Boer War) was a professional hunter in Africa who like Bill Cody and others shot thousands of animals - almost all elephants - for profit not as sport. Although later in life, as a PH he became the traditional hunting guide, he was still called on by local government to take on dangerous, troublesome animals usually just one-on-one. Not only his favorite but the only caliber he used for two-thirds of his life was the 7x57 also referred to as the .275 Rigby. From his written records, over 800 of his elephant kills were made with Mauser 98 rifles chambered for the 7×57mm Mauser/.275 using early 1900s standard 173 grain military ammo.

The only thing better than a 7x57 is a 8x57…..

For accuracy on the converted military rifles it’s generally better to stick with 175gr slugs as they had longer throats on the chambering to handle the standard military slug in use at that time.

It ain't magic.

130-180 grain bullet
Appx 2500-3000fps.
A bullet that expands but doesn't shatter.



It will kill stuff good.


But so will lighter, heavier, faster, even slower.

Have mentioned this here and there, but one of the reasons the 7x57 acquired such a great reputation as a hunting was its moderate muzzle velocity early on. Due to this, even the primitive cup-and-core bullets of the day tended to hold together, whether expanding bullets with the lead-nose exposed, or "solids" FMJs.

Have had a long-time similar experience with 160-grain Sierra GameKings handloaded to around 2675 fps. Have shot some "deer-sized" game in both North America and Africa with that combo, at ranges from 150-325 yards--and have never recovered a bullet.

For larger game I do prefer some sort of controlled-expansion bullet, and have used the 156 Norma Oryx, 160 North Fork and 160 Nosler Partition with fine results on game from 500-1000 pounds.

Might also mention that perhaps my most accurate 7x57 was the first I ever put together, with a Brownells/Shilen pre-chambered/threaded 1-9 twist barrel on a VZ-24 Mauser action--fitted by a long-time local gunsmith who knew his stuff.

I stocked it myself by sawing/rasping/chiseling/inletting a blank of New Zealand-grown Juglans regia, making it a blind-magazine stock. It would regularly put three 140 Partitions just about touching at 100 yards, with 50.0 grains of IMR4350.

But a couple years later somebody talked me out of it. He got the rifle and 2-3 boxes of 140 Partition handloads--and within a month had shot 'em all up on ground squirrels. He then wanted me to load some more ammo for him--and I strongly suggested he learn to handload. (The language may have been stronger....)

But have owned several 7x57s that shot like that with specific handloads, with bullets from 140-75 grains. Dunno why it shouldn't be just as accurate as a 7mm-08, .280, etc. if made right.

Pretentious wankers, the lot of them.

Have you no classics of any kind in your life?

Had a similar experience.

14, was fixin' to get a .25-'06, let some "know-it-all" talk me into a .30-'06... and then "The Hunting Rifle" lead me to the .270 meat-gitter.


Never looked back.

Although, if Ole' Jack had mentioned the 6.5x55mm? Think I'd of had one sooner.

A great companion cartridge.


The "7's," for all their advantage and fanfare, never took.




GR

Not sure why the 7 x 57 gets a bad rap. This one hasnt been around all these years because it DIDNT perform.

The good ones endure. the good ones from way back got better with modern bullets and modern powder and modern rifles.

Perhaps some of us stay away from the 7 x 57 because they avoid things metric when they have a choice.

I sporterized an old Mauser and kept it in 7 x 57. Shoots well with factory loads and much better with my reloads. The cartridge is often underrated by those who havent worked with it very much. MOA groups happen often [when i do my job] when i push 150 gr Partitions with mild loads of [the ill fated ] IMR 4320. and 1.5 MOA stuff with a similar load pushing 150 gr old Winchester pointed soft points.

Yeah, i am sorta old school. The other rifles i hunt with [and reload for ] are a Pre-64 Model 70 in 270, and a 1959 Savage 99 in 300 Savage. All have taken deer. A Chrony tells me that the 7 x 57 loads and my semi-mild 300 Savage loads[ 150 gr Coreloks] move at about the same speed.

If you have a modern rifle in any of these oldies [and especially if you reload ] and you do your part these cartridge perform very well.

Whats not to like???

I've often thought of rounding up a Kimber 84L to have rebarreled to 7x57. Dunno why, I just like it. The only one I've owned was a G&H Mauser .. possibly the most gorgeous rifle I've ever had .. and .. I guess I miss it. Basically does what a 7mm-08 does but with a little more flexibility regarding powders. The powders that gave me the best "V" and "A" in the 7mm-08 did so with charges that were somewhat too bulky for the case and were a pain in the ass to keep bullets seated at the correct length on. 7x57 doesn't seem to have that problem. The other plus .. I haven't messed with .270 in the Kimber long action but the .280AI was just a bit too much and would tap me on the eyebrow 2 shots out of 10, just enough to make a flinch. So .. a little less recoil for that package would be welcome .. to me.

Tom

Rifles like women are individual and like specific things. I have a 275 Rigby (I just though calling it a Rigby was cool) built on a VZ24 action that love H414 and 140gr Sierra Game Kings while a 7x57 AI built on a Sako action shines best with 160's either partitions or accubonds and IMR 3031. Right now I'm playing with a Pre64 carbine in 7X57. It's a sweet rifle but I haven't found it's magic potion....yet

Maybe the best use of the 7x57 in this day and age is the rimmed 7x57R version in an dainty single shot, perhaps a combo gun? Even then the ammo and component brass isn't common but if your going to own something that is different and set apart than the rimmed version actually has a function.

I have a Win 70 classic FW. It shoots sub MOA with factory PPU thunder ammo and I am currently loading 140 gr TSX that shoots the same.

I took a buck three years in a row on opening day, but have hunted other rifles for the past several years. It was a pleasure to carry and shoot.

Checking back on my notes, etc, I have tried 3 Mod 70 Fwts in 7mm Mauser, and one Mod 700 Classic, and none of them would shoot well. I think I just happened to get everyone else's "cast offs", ha. So, I am just going to have a Mod 700 LA made up with a #2 Shilen. Now, Bless God, I hope to see the old war horses potential, ha! While I have a small amount of lighter weight components, my plan is 150s to 160s...with a handful of 170-175s. I ordered it with a 9" twist. Will start with a 24" length, see what it does/feels like. Right now, it will be in its old ADL wood stock ( I'm a bit nostalgic/sentimental too it seems.) I'm going to have a 1" hole drilled through the butt of the stock before adding a pad.

Interesting thought. However, my Ruger #1A pretty much much covers that base just fine. I still get comments, probably from newbies on, "What make rifle is that?" or "What's a 7x57 cartridge and what is it good for"? Quite a few questions can follow after either one of those two questions. About the only thing I'd like to see is a Ruger #1 7x57 with a 24 to 26" barrel and the Alex Henry forearm. It would be an interestig rifle to play and hunt with.
PJ

I purchased a Sauer drilling 16x16/7x57R a couple years ago, a very light aluminum-action gun, and oddly enough found 5 boxes of PRVI factory ammo for it on the shelves of my local gun store. Turned out that during the early stage of the "shortages" the store ordered what they thought was standard 7x57 ammo--and the rimmed stuff turned up.

Eventually the 7x57R went to a good friend, partly because I already had very nice 6.5x57R and 8x57R Sauer drillings, which pretty much cover my hunting needs. My friend also got the PRVI ammo, and some other brass (he already had 7x57 dies), but I was in the same store last week and saw ANOTHER stack of 7x57R PRVI ammo. Turned out the same thing happened--they ordered what was supposed to be standard 7x57 ammo, and the rimmed stuff showed up!

I'm going back to the store today, Capital Sports in Helena, and if they still have the 7x57R ammo will post it here--just in case somebody needs some!

Looked at the ballistics and think I will stick with my .308.