Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters O'Connor on the 7x57

Great writing from the best of the classic gunwriters.

JOC was alright but he was no Elmer Keith 😉

What? No mention of BC? How did O’Connor manage:). Superb article. Makes me want to revisit the 7x57. Maybe if a nice Ruger #1 comes along at the right price….

Lou

I have a 7x57 sitting in the corner of one of my safes. It has killed Fallow deer, and wild pigs. Even a fox as a target of opportunity. It was made by Zastava, and the barrel is just great. Like JOC 200m is my self imposed limit, and it's been a one shot killer at all times. Favourite bullets are the 139gn SST and the 154gn Interlock. Only H4350 is used with Norma brass. I nearly sold it a while back but realised I had a keeper, and pulled back from the brink.

I think you have that the other way around. Keith led a very interesting life, but when it came to writing, he wasn't even remotely in the same league as JOC.

I’m not certain if I’ve read that exact piece, but since Old Jack, like most gun scribblers, often recycled stories to make his points, I think I’ve read all the individual parts in one place or another. He certainly had a way with words, and lived in a golden age for hunting opportunities.

Thanks for posting. That’s one lengthy post I didn’t skip or scan through.

They are scarce. I was on the hunt for a MR in 257R a couple decades ago and could only find one but the old fellow would not let it go. I ended up just having one built. I still own it and still like it.

Same goes for the 7x57 .... I had one done up on a FN-98. Both are keeper guns.

In reality, there is nothing outstanding about the 7x57. There is a whole list of middle-of-the-road cartridges that will give similar results, but it seems to have an attraction about it for gun heads. It has a bit more panache than a 308 or 270.

That was a fantastic read, and all of your comments, greatly appreciate it, I learned a lot :-)

I mostly agree.

JOC was definitely the better writer but I usually found Keith more fun to read. Two completely different styles though.“Hell I Was There!” was one of my favorite gun books as a kid.

I’ve had this article on my hard drive for years! Love it. Nice pic of the M70 too.

If you have any other such "gems" on that hard drive you were fooling around with, please pass them along.

Happy to check

Absolutely correct, Keith was no where close to same league as JOC.

Great article. I've never read this one by OConnor.
I've owned several 7 Mausers, have carried a few for pronghorn hunts, but if memory serves I've never dropped anything but a coyote with one. Presently I have two that are great shooters (a custom built on a Mex receiver) and another in a single shot. The latter I carried yesterday for the deer opener. I rattled in a doe/fawn a couple times, but never saw horns. It was one of those glorious fall Montana days you don't want everybody to know about. A snow/rain mix forecast for next week!

I've had a few 7mm's over the years, but settled on this Mexican action to make my keeper. I don't try to make a 7mm Magnum out of it, but shoot the standard loads, which are pretty mild. About all I will challenge it with are deer and hogs. It has done all I have asked of it and I don't expect that to change.

Damn fine looking firearm, what a beauty!

The 1936 Mexican action is my favorite SR 98 military Mauser action to build on.

That is a stunning stock.

Agree. I'd be very pleased with that.

One the years I've has something like love/hate relationship with the 7x57. First instance was with a neat little 1893 Mauser someone had made inoi a Rigby style sporter. I was living in a small town in Nevada and the only 7x57 ammo on hand was some Federal 175 gr. round nose. Well, the cartridge made its reputation on similar loads and I could stalk well enough should I see a deer so I took it out opening day. About 8AM I spotted a nice eating size buck and took the shot. Easy shot at roughly 75 yards and the deer took off. My wife who was with me and I searched for that deer until it was too dark to see anything. I found what the coyotes had left the next day. Shortly after that I sold that rifle.

My next 7x57 was a Ruger M77 that I founds on consignment at a local LGS. I had one hell of a time finding an accurate load but took it hunting anyway I'd found a load that did 2" so went with that. Never saw a deer that year and a few problems with the rifle besides poor accuracy so it got traded off.

I fond a Ruger #1A in 7x57 that was fairly priced but frankly I never could get a decent group. When I took it to my gunsmith one of the first thing he dod and do a chamber cast. Rifles aren't supposed to have 2+" throats so back to Ruger it went. It's a decent shooter now but I almost dumped it as well.

Next was a Winchester XTR Featherweight and it has been a pleasure to work with after my gunsmith glass bedded and did a proper trigger job. Barrel fouled badly and it took some long hours getting the copper out. A firelapping job has pretty much cure that problem and it groups better that before the firelap.

About a year later I got the urge for a custom rifle and used an FN Mauser that was a .270 Win. rebarreled it to 7x57 and put it into a stock. came out real nice. Problem is when I got that 270 way back when as part of a trade, it had a problem so I stuck it in the closet and forgot about it. I didn't remember why I'd stuck it away and as the problem was intermittent, neither did my gunsmith.

Did a deer hunt with the M70 XTR, shot a deer which though not a fault of the cartridge or rifle ruined a knee to the point I needed to be helped off the mountain. I've only lost/not recovered two deer that I've shot and both were with the 7x57.

last but not least, I was headed to the range to do a final check on the sights of my M70 XTR 7x57 two days prior to leaving for New Mexico for a cow elk meat hunt. Bad car wreck that totaled my truck and put me in hospital for fours days, thus losing my hunt and the deposit.

I'm seriously beginning to think the 7x57, at least for me is a jinx, a Jonah as far as a hunting cartridge. I've never had any kind of problems using various rifles on game except the 7x57. Only lost two deer in many years of hunting and both were shot with the 7x57. Since that car wreck I've been to messed up to even do a hunt and at 85 years old, not sure I'll ever do another, DAMMIT!
PJ