Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles ? for those of you who prefer the 7mmMauser to the 7/08

I have had a 7x57 for all most 30 years have killed many deer and quite a few Elk with this little gem. Always my goto. I have just started reloading and have ran into a snag, some of the brass will jam in the tube well others of the same make work just fine. Had this problem years ago with factory ammo, switch brands, no problem for years, Any ideas!!

I agree, especially in today's world with laser rangefinders and better scopes, there is no reason to run a super-dooper-ass-kicking magnum because "flat" cartridges aren't that important.

Are they all the same grain bullet?



Travis

Feel the shoulder with fingernails. There may be a ripple if your seating die is not set right.

His stating it happened with factory stuff made me think it may be a short throat, with longish 175's.



Travis

Only if he has a nose like a Tucan...

At the LGS yesterday and looked a M70 FW in 7x57 (nice!),and a Kimber 84M Select in 7/08,which was also "nice"....and lighter.

I got to thinking which of these I'd rather have,and being honest would grab the Kimber....not because of the cartridge but because I would want the trimmer, handier rifle, at this stage of the game.

But I am tromping old ground, since I have owned and hunted with little Remingtons in 7/08 when the cartridge came out,also a Kimber Montana and M70 Compact....and some 7x57's like the early FW, Ruger M77 and Rem MR.

So I left them both where they were,because much as like both cartridges,I confess that I would rather have a 270 or 280 than either one.

It's interesting what the LGS guru/sales personnel will say in an attempt to get a sale. If you handload, the 7x57 has the advantage (even in 93/95 mausers) over the 7-08, but if all you shoot is pre-loaded, brightly colored boxes of Factory "hand-me-down" ("hand me down that box of core-lokts...") ammunition then the 7-08 is the one you want to go with.

The same goes for the 260 vs. the 6.5x55; the 6mm vs. the 243; etc. pick one, any one, it really doesn't matter, if one is a shooter they will live it, learn it, and love it or get something else.

Since most of us who have been "rolling our own" for at least the last 30 years or more, we realize that speed isn't everything and sometimes its just plain fun when you make a shot to hear your buddy say, "WOW!!! What gun are you shooting this time!!"

And then, you can give them a hunting history, geography, math and science (ballistics) lesson all in one when you tell them about DWM Bell, 100s of elephants and the 175 gr loaded 275 Rigby.

CWM: All true!

Funny thing is I would spend some long chedda for a custom 7x57.....but NEVER for a 7/08. Odd!

An ultralight 7-08 with about 20 inches of barrel is about the sweetest rough country mountain rifle in existence.

In my opinion.

bullcamp I can imagine you are right.

I keep wondering why I ever sold my Kimber Montana.

That rifle sorta takes away the need to build custom for a lightweight 7/08 IMO.

Oh, I dunno, one can still build custom "mountain rifles", AND/OR "DGRs" at a "whiteman's price" that can, will and do function better in the field than any of the recently popular commercial offerings.

Last weekend, I had to go to a friend's home to sell him the second and nicest of my matched pair of Brno 21/22 carbines in 7x57. I did this as I recently also sold my matched pair of Brno ZG-47 std. rifles in .30-06 as age and health are making the end of my mountain years only too obvious.

He is VERY welloff by inheritance and is an obsessive accumulator of guns, mostly rifles. He also recently bought a Kimber Mountain Ascent in .308Win. and I was able to carefully examine it as I have done scores of Kimbers, from many Montana's to a Caprivi-.416RM.

I did NOT care for the thick wrist of the Kimber stock and found the entire piece a bit muzzle light, so, I am not going to buy one as I HAD been seriously considering. YMMV, of course, this is just MY feeling, another hunter may well just love one of these and more power to anyone who does!

I have a LOT of relatively highend, light to very light "mountain rifles" ranging from my customized old Husqy HVA, 4100,7x57 with Wisner safety, Brown Kevlar stock and various modded parts,to my Martini-modded Dakota 76-.338WM, this in a "Hill Country" Micky std. fill, Ralf's custom front Euro sight and a Talley peep on Talley QD mounts. These range from my two custom HVAs at about 7.25 to the Dakota at roughly 8.5 lbs. scoped and this is a "good" weight for BC rifles, IMO and IME.

However, as I am an "old" guy now, I had an opportunity to buy a rifle one of the best gun builders, former guide, BC Conservation Officer, hunter and "gunaholic" I have known in my half century plus of this insanity had built as his personal "sheep" rifle. I have described this little 6.25 lb. jewel on other recent threads, so, won't here, but, it IS a 7-08 and it feels like a Purdey.

I have owned and used seven different 7x57 rifles since my first purchased in 1965 and these include a pair of new Brno ZKK-600s in 1968, my little HVA, one of those that ONLY shoots light bullets well and four examples of the superb Brno 21/22 series of "smallring" Mausers, including one "roundbolt". I have this and two pristine "donnor", actions from the above AND, one of my best "finds", quite recently, a 98% ZG-47 carbine, super lumber, original machined scope mount, Lyman 3x and a piece that many of my gun buddies are pestering me to sell....NOT yet!

So, my feeling on this comparison, is that the original 7x57 IS the "better" choice of the two for MOST uses, as the 160 NP at 2700-2750 is about "perfect" for we "meat hunters" and the legendary "rep" of the 175s tells us all we need to know about what this outstanding original Mauser creation, as with all Mauser gun items, can, will and has done for so long.

However, for we ancient, doddering, grumpy and obsessive gun geezers, who want the "U/L" models so popular now to slowly grunt, moan and stagger our way up the mountains we scampered up in our youth, the 7-08 offers SO much in it's suitability to be chambered in ultralight rifles that, while weighing about 6 lbs. all up, unloaded, have the power, accuracy and shootability to consistently kill larger game at reasonable hunting ranges.

While, I REALLY love my little Remmy Seven STS, full custom 7/08 and am seriously considering the purchase of a Murphy Precision Ti base and two sets of rings for it, MUCHO dinero imported into Canada and then a pair of silver VX3 2.5x8 scopes, I have to admit that this is THE ONLY "pushfeed" of the remaining 30 hunting rifles I still own and I much prefer the Brno, Mod. 70 and HVA actioned rifles for MOST purposes......maybe an "alpine" gunbearer?????

After, ALL of this cogitation and palaver, like our friend here, Bob, I actually prefer the .270 Win. and my real favourite, the superb .280Rem. to these smaller-cased "Sevens" for my uses. This, just keeps it all "simpler".....

Kute, I personally have no love for the Kimber "Mountain Ascent" as I think it's too much of a good thing in all ways, but "thick wrist"...?

I've never considered the Montana/Mountain Ascent to have even remotely a thick wrist... it's actually quite svelt.

I have broad, thick palms and smaller than average fingers, so, many stocks do not always "feel right" to me. That rifle, in .308Win., just felt a tad TOO light, a skosh muzzle light,something I detest in ANY firearm and the wrist felt a tiny bit too thick, but, this was only my first impression.

I have often found, with the various synthetic handles I have and have had, that the wrist area of ANY of them can feel "odd" to me at first. I know that you like the Bansner's and so I decided in 2011 to order 3 blanks to fit some of my custom rifle projects. When, after about twice the wait time they had told me would happen, but, still in a pretty fair time, all in all, these arrived here, I was kinda choked as the same issue was evident.

But, since our annual income had dropped by 50%, I really could not justify the cost of "Edge" stocks for all my rifles, as many are mostly just used at the range and seldom go anywhere. I thus had "brno284" here, install these on an FIE Musketeer, .308Norma, a minty piece given me by a friend, on my full custom HVA 4100, Kreiger Fwt. 280 and one of my beloved Brno 21/22 rifles redone to ,280 with all the goodies.

WOW, I could not believe just HOW nice these felt, when on the actual rifles and have been telling a lot of younger folks who seek my help in getting sound hunting rifles built for BC to buy these and see just how damned good they are. So, this is all to just say that I would need to USE this little rifle for awhile to really decide IF the handle does suit me.

For me, to date, THE synthetic stock to have and it is not available now, is the AHR original Micky designed by Jerry Fisher. I have been tuning my latest 9,3x62, a CZ-550 "American" with one of these superbly installed by "brno284" this morning and I gotta say, that, BOY, does this feel GOOD. The Micky MKX Classic and the fine, discontinued Rimrocks also feel just fine to me and Browns always have been good.

That said, I had a pair of "Legend" stocks for P-64s, here, perhaps among the first to hit BC and I absolutely revere Darcy Echol's work, his rifles are SO elegant, but, while one was an "Edge" fill and the mate was "Std. Fill" and they WERE to go on my pair of pristine P-64-H&H chambered rifles, I chose another route as they just do not suit my "squarehead" physique...and, I want to be able to get down on my irons on my .375s, right quickly like, which is impossible for me with this pattern.

Anyway, it is perfect Grouse weather here, my combo guns are restless, but, I must stay home to assist my ailing "CEO" and thus am kinda mulling over "the PERFECT rifle"......you would think that after almost 50 years of buying rifles, I would have it by now, eh!

Kute, I have average sized hands... the Kimber wrist is quite svelt in my paws.

But agree on all other counts on the Mountain Ascent... a poor solution in search of a non-existent problem IMO.

Agree too on the Banser's grip... a bit thicker than I'd like, but still, great stock geometry. Really, the Kimber is a more svelt version of the Bansner, and suits my build better than any other stock.

I'm ordering a McMillan Edge Compact for an M70, but only because of its quality and weight... the stock geometry is really something from the 1950's. Ridiculous really.

Hope all's well in your camp my friend...

I just ordered (and it will be here this week) a Montana Rifle Company XWR--SS in 260 Remington. I'd previously owned one in 7-08 and my only complaint with the rifle was the grip. They too use the BC with the aluminum bedding block and the grip is a little chunky for my hands. Not too bad, but not perfect either for someone with normal sized paws.

I'm thinking a McMillan will resolve that issue.