Just a random question - is the 7x57 on the downside of its popularity cycle? I’ve been watching a couple of them and they’re not selling, even at reasonable prices. It wasn’t that long ago they’d have been snapped up.

Start calling them the 7x57Creedmoor and they'd be gone in a flash.

Not for me!

I could get buy with a 7x57 for all my shooting, except maybe for prairie dogs.
For those that are still wet behind their ears, it seems to me getting the newest “whiz bang” is what is cool.

I gave my youngest son a choice of a model Seven Remington - walnut and blue or a latest 700 with synthetic stock and crappy finish on the metal. He didn’t hesitate, that synthetic stock was cool.

Bugger, I’m of the same opinion. It’s such a good cartridge. The rifles I’m looking at are in nice shape and don’t show heavy use. If I weren’t at a point where collecting more rifles makes no sense I’d buy another one. I have no appetite for the newest whippey zippy cartridge that fills no particular need except to separate us from whatever discretionary income we might have.

Well, the 7x57 is not exactly "modern". I say that because most of the guys at coffee in the morning some years back, didn`t know what it was.
They do now.

The 7x57 will never go out of style with the intelligentsia.

Put a fast twist barrel on a long action chambered for the 7x57 and throated for long bullets and it will do the same as any Creedmoor cartridge.

Which is exactly not what the Creedmoor was designed for.

If we're going to go down the road of comparisons then consider these: In the 7mm bore size the 7mm08 is a better round for a short action, and in a long action the 280 Rem. is a better fit.

As good as it is there is the matter of feeding it. Most hunters and casual shooters don't reload so why invest in a rifle with maybe one or two loads on the shelf? No dig on the 7X57.

You all make good points. I had a 7-08 in a chitty Kimber. I think the cartridge is good, the rifle was not. I’ve had two 280s. Good cartridge but I couldn’t fall in love. As for ammo availability, yes, valid point. It seems that a lot of offerings formerly available at reasonable prices are either not being produced or are offered at stupid greedy prices. It does make it hard on a lot of us. I reload but even component prices are getting prohibitive. But still…..

I won a Ruger M77 MKII 30-06 in a raffle years ago. When I went to pick it up, I told the shop owner I really had no desire for an 06. He allowed me to pick any other non-magnum Ruger he had in the rack. I chose a 7x57. I put a Leupold VariX-II 2-7 on it and gave it to my oldest son. That rifle shoots everything well but especially likes 140 gr. Core-Lokts. He has killed a pile of deer with it and to tell him that it is old fashioned or out of style would meet with resistance.

It doesn't have to be the latest and allegedly greatest to work very well. My 250 and 300 Savage rifles are favorites in my collection.

Early this month, I purchased a Ruger M 77 chambered for the offspring of the 7x57, a .257 Roberts. Because I have heard good things about the parent cartridge here on the fire I am seriously considering purchasing a rifle chambered for it.

I built a custom 7 x 57 on a Rem 700 action and Pacnor barrel. That sucker shoots fantastic with very tolerable recoil.

Had two Ruger 77s in 7 x 57. Neither shot worth a damn, which is rare in a Ruger... but discovered 40 grains of 3031 for a load with any 7mm bullet and that is what I've fed it ever since.

My featherweight Model 70 is the opposite, it digests anything and does it well... two rifles I'll have when its my time to move on out of this world. Same with my Model 70s in 6.5 x 55 and my favorite 6.5 x 57.

As Ingwe said, the 7 x 57 is for the smart people, not the ones who follow the crowd.

I've been chewing on this one for a bit. Actually I think a long action and proper throat might be the ticket - it's certainly what Hornady did with the 7PRC. For both the 7-08 and .280 we run into head height issues with long bullets seated out where the industry seems to be taking them. Barring a change in case dimension itself, I'm thinking that the mid-length 7x57 case in a long action, with throat dimension in line with those of the newer CM/PRCs, i.e., relatively long but with an absolute minimum of diameter to eliminate (or virtually so) bullet tilt, might just allow the cartridge to have new life breathed into it. Bring it up to modern pressure (65k) and we're golden. Of course, it'd have to be called something different to keep some yokel from blowing up his old rolling block, maybe .275 CM or something like that (Ingwe just threw up a little). Or just standardize the 7x57AI at 65k, with CM/PRC throat/leade dimensions, and be done with it. That would yield the best of both worlds: 7x57 and 7x57AI in the same rifle, and no lawyers getting involved.

Just my $.02

RM

A garden variety Rem 700 long action is plenty long enough to play that game with the 280 length case.

Was challenged to sporterize a '93 Mauser by a friend. Was a retired guy project... so i took him up on it. He said it would make a rifle good enough for the deer hunting i do here in E central Minnesota. It is still chambered 7 x 57.
Sure, it was a '93..... which was given to me. The goal was not a rifle for hot loads........... just a rifle for medium to close in shooting. If i want a high performance rifle I can use my pre-64 Model 70 in 270.
' I learned a lot about how to do this. The final result was a rifle which shoots as well as my other rifles... and it looks ok too.
what else i learned was how fine a cartridge the 7 x 57 is. Mild recoil. Easy to reload. Many bullet choices available.
The best load i found for this rifle is a mild load of IMR4320 [yes i still have some] pushing a 150 gr Partition to about 2500+ fps to about MOA. About the same velocity as the 150 gr Hornady Interlock used in my Savage 99 - 300 Sav. Both work very well on whitetails when i do my job.
Sure we have our favorites. When we do our job as hunters I dont think there is much difference between the 270, the 280, 7 x 57, 7-08 used in good performining modern rifles. Especially when we reload for them.

My M70 fwt (1985) has only fair accuracy with factory loads, which are now pretty much unobtanium up here, at least locally.

It came with dies and several bullet weights, tho. I need to do some experimenting, and haven't.

But it was a good deal! Like I needed another rifle....

So far it has only taken a cow caribou at @ 100, and a calf caribou @ 20 feet.

My brother had a tang 77 in 7x57 that shot factory loads lights out!

One can argue that such and such us a better cartridge for various reasons.
I have a couple 7mm-08’s, a couple 7x57’s, a few 280’s, and a 7mm RM. I had a couple of other 7mm’s 7TCU and a 7 International and another 7mm RM. I’ve sold at least three other 280’s. I’ve also had a few other 7x57’s. I’m not planning on selling any 7mm again.

For hunting the 7x57 hard to beat. If you want to shoot long distances instead of hunt, I can see why you’d think a shiny new ‘whiz bang’ is better.

Was the 700 classic made in 7x57

Odd how the 7x57 seems to fit Mausers perfectly. Mine is on a 24-47 action and really like it. I have a Model Seven in 7-08 that I hunt with nowadays. Soooo much lighter.

The 1981 edition I believe.

back in the early '90s, i, along with my gunsmith (RIP) built a '98 FN Mauser in 7x57. 20" Douglas featherweight barrel, Timney trigger, Fajen 'glass stock, good old 3-9x Swift (old one that had an over-the-counter warranty) and a Leopold one piece mount scope rings. it was a sweet lookin rifle and it shot 1/2" 5 shots at 100 yards all day. it was a discontinued Hornady 139gr FN with either IMR3031 or IMR4320. i killed a lot of deer with that rifle. my oldest son now has it and about 150 discontinued 139gr FN bullets and about a pound of 4320. then when youngest son was born i gave him my early Rem m7 in 7-08 with a Timney trigger. even tho i hunted with both, the 7x57 comes out #1 in my book.

old pix of the 7x57



i have a '08 Brazilian, 24/30 Venezuelan and a '16 Spanish Mauser in 7x57 (all of them are sporterized). the Spanish Mauser is going be a 257 Roberts when i get around to it.

i have, er rather my youngest son has it, a '16 Spanish Mauser ('93 Mauser look-a-like) in 6.5x55 (Numrich barrel), but the 7x57 was my choice on the barrel.

'16 Spanish Mauser being built




i've shot deer thru the 22-250AI thru the 45-70 and what i found is the 7x57 is #1

Thank you, might have to get one

Im always on the lookout for a nice custom Mauser 93 or 95 in 7X57MM, but the ones I see are usually poorly done

I'm content with mine...

DD, did you build that yourself? Stats please?

Nice looking rifle DD!

My 7x57 Swede.

Nice

I would love to have a Winchester Model 54 in 7X57MM in my grubby little paws...........

Nope, it was crafted by Don Allen and his buddy Pete Grisel before Dakota Arms came into being.

TY for sharing DD

I agree about a Remington but the length on Kimbers and a few others is a bit more trite. I think along the lines of the RevMike that a Kimber with a well twisted barrel throated smart would be a zinger in the old Mauser case. It sits in the same canoe as the Swede mostly.

But the 7x Improved with a modern throat might be a gentle Ben amongst a bunch of the fire breathers unleashed upon us the past 10-20 years.

NYR’s Nelson 7x57…. It’s kinda nice.

You know I positively lust after that rifle!

Wow nice rifle.

Matter of fact, a Ruger 1S in 7X57 followed me home just last week. My first one.

Oh geez! I’ve had to change my shirt. Drooled all over myself looking at y’all’s rifles. Just gorgeous.

I will buy a 7x57. But not just any 7x57, even if it’s cheap for what it is.

PPU still loads for it.

So factory ammo and brass.

Deserves a classy rifle.

Ruger chambered a run of their Hawkeye African in .275 Rigby.




GR

Jim Wisner kind of knew what he was (is?) doing.

I have an M70 FWT in 7x57. I like the way it looks and the cartridge gives me the warm and fuzzies. It’s probably not the most practical, or tactical, or whatever. The rifle shoots well enough to hit deer. 7x57 gets a 140gr bullet going fast enough to kill deer. Satisfies all my needs and my wants.

Gawd Ed, between that Mauser and that TLA of yours……

I’ve loved my #1 7x57 for 20 years now. Haven’t shot nearly enough stuff with it, but laid in enough brass and 175 interlocks to last me till I die.

Just wish I’d have bought the push feed model 70 fwt I could’ve grabbed back in ‘98 for $300…….

I prefer hunting with older cartridges. 7x57 (1892), .30/06 (1906), 9.3x62 (1905), .416 Rigby (1912), .470N.E. (1907).

I bought several hundred new 7x57 cases here on the fire, as well as. 300 7mm 160 grain Federal Fusion bullets, which move along at about 2650 fps. Rifle is a 2014 Winchester M 70, also bought here on the fire.

They work as well as they did 100+ years ago. No reason to move into he 21st century.

Had one and used it quite a bit...wonderful rifle!

I have two No. 1s in 7x57. A stock RSI model with the 160 Nosler Partition and RL19 powder at the max Nosler manual charge weight dropped a mulie doe DRT a number of years ago. More recently, I had a K1A rebarreled to 7x57 to make a 24" 1AH configuration and worked up a load with RL 19 and the 150 NP that clocked around 2880 with excellent accuracy. I believe that load was also at or very close to the max Nosler manual charge weight. I can't imagine there's anything I will hunt in CO that can't be taken with that combination. I took a large bodied 9-point mulie buck with it last season in its first hunt. A high shoulder shot at about 90 yards dropped it on the spot. I am probably the world's worst elk hunter at 0 for 16 seasons, but wouldn't hesitate to use that combination if I ever get the chance. I really think the 150 NP in the 7x57 is just about perfect for that cartridge, at least in my rifle.

Since we’re showing some of our 7x57’s, here’s my pre-64 model 70.
I haven’t hunted with it much yet, but the 7mm Mauser holds a special place in my heart due to it being one the favorite rifle of one of my favorite people. Seen the 7x57 work magic on all kinds of game.

If you read Jim Corbett's writings (fascinating reads, BTW), he killed multiple man eating tigers in India with a 7x57.

I'm 49 and just picked up my first 7x75 this year. Nothing I needed but local auction find I couldn't pass up.

Lack of factory ammo is a good thing in my book. Especially in a 7mm Mauser, their usual selection in ammo is crap..

Handloaded the way ya want.. that's the only way to fly in my book..

Biggest Blacktail I've taken with my Model 70 Featherweight, inscribed as a 7mm Mauser on the barrel...

Was hunting in an area where a long long shot was going to be 150 yds.... I took a 205 lb blacktail ( which is considered a big one )... heart shot at 40 to 50 yds, he never knew I was there....The load, which had the recoil of a 223 ( it felt that way) 28 grains of SR 4759, 115 grain HP Speer. Made it easy to take the heart shot, and that 115 grain HP, plowed a valley right thru the middle of the heart... DRT...

Got some pics of all of that, but lord knows if I've ever been able to figure out how to post pics ever since they changed the way that we use to do it...

If you ever sell that piece of kit, someone should punch you in the nose! It's a beauty!

I'm bad for selling guns at times but I don't think this is going anywhere. Thanks

Here is a photo of two of my rifles for closer shooting in a couple of places that I hunt. On top is an Uberti 1885 in .303 British with iron sights. The bottom is my Ruger #1 RSI with a Leupold Big Bore 3x20mm chambered in .275 Rigby (7x57mm). For hunting deer in the woods of the southeast, either one is a good choice.

Very nice.




GR

You don’t have to be old to appreciate the 7x57, but I think you need to have an old soul and appreciate the history.

I have a Ruger No. 1 in 7x57 that was my father’s. I recently bought a Dakota Model 10 in the same caliber. After sighting it in, the first 3-shot group with the Dakota, using factory S&B roundnose ammo, went into a half-inch cluster at 100 yards.

I have what’s probably a lifetime supply of various.284 bullets, and I just bought an Ultra Light Arms Model 20 in 7mm-08. I think I’ll use the ULA for elk and the Dakota for mule deer this year.

Now, to start working up loads!

I have had a 7X57 for over 30 years in one form or the other. I currently have three a 7X57AI (thats the first one I ever had), custom 275 Rigby built on a VZ24 action and a pre 64 M70 carbine. There are two 7MM-08"s one of which is a custom #1 and a Kimber Super America 280. When I go on a hunt the 275 Rigby goes with me. I find myself reaching for that rifle more than any other.

I'm always on the look out for a Ruger No 1 International in 7X57. They just seem "right". Judging by some of the pics, I'm not alone!

I have a Classic in 7x57, it is still a good looking rifle after decades of hunting with it.

Agree.

Same w/ a few other cartridges as well.

Almost tribal.




GR

Two things are behind my thoughts on both chamber redesign and increased pressure.

First, with respect to the chamber, it seems to be common thinking that the reason most 7x57s shoot heavier, i.e. longer, bullets better than shorter/lighter ones is because of the long throat. Knowing that the CM/PRC line of cartridges also have long throats (designed for longer bullets) but also generally shoot lighter, i.e., shorter, bullets equally well, I began to suspect that something else must be going on; so what I did was make a comparison chart between the throats/leades of SAAMI CM/PRC cartridges and the 7x57. I also threw in the .284 Winchester since it seems to be making a comeback in F-Class shooting. The results are telling: it isn't the length of the throat that seems to be at issue as much as it is the diameter. All of the CM/PRC chambers have diameters at either .0005 or .0006 inches above bullet diameter. This undoubtedly keeps principal axis tilt to a minimum. The 7x57, on the other hand, is .0062 or .0063 inches above bullet diameter, quite a bit of difference. Also, the geometry of the throat/leade is considerably different; so in my mind, perhaps it is more of an issue of throat/leade design that makes the 7x57 - in general, I know there are individual exceptions - generally shoot better with longer projectiles than with shorter ones. I expect the only real way to test this would be to have a 7x57 barreled using both a tighter twist and a CM/PRC spec chamber and compare results over an array of bullet lengths. BTW, my guess is that the guys using the .284 Winchester aren't using a SAAMI chamber in competition, but I don't know anyone who shoots one, so haven't been able to ask.

Second, with respect to pressure, on another thread Mathman explained to me how increased pressures might hypothetically be determined using careful handloading and keeping a close eye on a chronograph. Ironically, using his formula, the numbers I came up with for different bullet weights are the same as those Mule Deer came up with when determining what he believes are safe maximum velocities. I have no desire to turn the 7x57 into a .280AI, but what I do want to do is shoot the lighter and mid-weight monolithics in my 7x57s with maximum performance, and that means speed, which also means pressure. Increasing the 7x57 pressure to nearly 65k would undoubtedly solve that problem. Now, since monolithics are generally longer than equal weight C&Cs, the standard SAAMI chamber might handle them well, but getting back to my first point, I also expect modern CM/PRC throat/leade specs would simply be icing on the cake, and it certainly would help with a variety of C&Cs as well. We can always load down, but can't always load up...at least not staying within the reloading manual recipes, even if using 7-08 data. As someone said, it might turn the old cartridge into the Gentle Ben of the recently released fire-breathing 7s.

Again, just my $.02.

My 7x57's. I'm a fan

I had a #1 7X57 International it didn't shoot worth a damn and it went down the road. One I deeply regret was a #1 AB that had very nice wood. This was 40 years ago and I had a friend take it to a small gun show. I almost immediately regretted that decision and figured it wouldn't sell at such a small venue. How wrong I was

Nice collection of fast handling rifles for sure. Be hard to find a better deer rifle than one of those.

I have seen some nice stuff done with Swedes, but this takes the cake.

[quote=ingwe][quote=EdM]My 7x57 Swede.



Looks effective on house cats.

Love the color co-ordination.

This is me. I bought my 7x57 when I was in my late 20’s, but had wanted one for a long time.

I built my first 7X57 in the 80s using a Mark X barreled action and a F a g e n (why did that word get bleeped) full stock 90% inletted stock. I chose to make brass from '06 stuff because factory 7X57 brass was hard to find and/or expensive. That rifle took a lot of deer and still has an honored place in my safe even though it isn't used much anymore.

There have been others since and my safe currently holds three of them. This one seems to get used more than the other two lately:


Mexican Mauser 7X57

Because it contains f a g.

It's Fajen by the way.

I’ve been thinking about this some, of late:

I, too, am strongly attracted by the enviable attributes and extraordinary history of the 7x57.

I recently sold my beautiful Ruger No.1A in .275 Rigby (7x57) ‘cause it never fit me quite right. I retained its 7x57 ammo “fixins,” though. My main hunting rifle is now my Thompson/Center TCR83 Aristocrat (which fits me perfectly and mounts like a fine shotgun) with its .30-06 barrel, and using an over-length, Garand-level (and I believe, Mule Deer recommended) load with 150 grain NBTs at just barely under 2700 fps. I have another TCR barrel in .243 Win., of which I am not particularly fond.

My question, for the dedicated 7x57 aficionados here, is: Do you see any advantage to my having that 243 barrel rebored and chambered to 7x57, using 160 grain bullets at just above 2600 fps, as sufficient to justify the effort when compared to the above .30-06?

Good grief! That's horseschmidt....just about as bad as my spelling it seems.

"My question, for the dedicated 7x57 aficionados here, is: Do you see any advantage to my having that 243 barrel rebored and chambered to 7x57, using 160 grain bullets at just above 2600 fps, as sufficient to justify the effort when compared to the above .30-06?"

I don't think it would work. The diameter of the .243 is too large to accommodate reboring to 7x57 unless you go with the Ackley improved and even that may not work. Probably be better to rebore to 7-08 and it's based on the .308 Win. as is the 243.
PJ

Edited to add: My comment on being too large is at the shoulder area of the .243 cartridge. I just do not think it will work.
PJ

It is possible to use the existing 243’s mono-block the foundation for re-barreling. But, I’m having trouble identifying much practical difference between the two rounds, as they are proposed to be loaded, of course recognizing that each could be goosed up a might, if desired - which it is not.

My answer to that may offend some. I consider the 243/6mm as adequate for small deer. I wouldn’t carry one for large mule deer or elk. I think a 160 grain bullet in a 7x57 is at least one step above the 243/6mm.

As far as comparing the 7x57 to the 30-06, well that’s a whole different comparison.

I can't see reboring a barrel vs buying one in the caliber you want.
I would hunt anything in North America except the big bears with a 7X57 and 160 grain bullets.

I agree. One could use the action and do a rebarrel. It's just the rebore not being feasible. Might be a better idea to just try and find a #1 in 7x57 and enjoy the benefits of both. That's what I did, although I got the 7x57 first and the .243 came later.
PJ

No offense take. I'm not much of in favor of using a .243 on large Mule Deer myself but a coworker I sometimes hunted with when living in Nevada was a huge fan and brought home some might large bucks. He liked to get close and was a very fine rifle shot.

I'm not all that sure one can compare the 7x57 to the 30-06. All I can say about that is the old 7x57 put down many large forms of African game in its origional configuration. Properly handloaded to modern pressure levels with todays bullets it may still not equal the 06 but I think it can come close. I might not like the idea of taking one one of the great bears with a 7x57 but, if that was all I had and I knew that I might run into a Grizzly or Kodiak Bear, I would just have one of my reloads with a 175 gr. Partition, Accubond or even a barnes TSX if the rifle handled that bullet well. The big IF is can I put the bullet where it counts. That's what will determine the outcome.
PJ

The result under consideration would be having this TCR83 in 7x57, in addition to its present .30-06:



(Changing scopes is quicker than changing barrels, and both are quicker than changing my socks.)

I don’t know that a factory TCR83 barrel was ever available in 7x57. So, it’d hafta be a DIY proposition.

But, the question remains: Would a 160gr. 7x57 in the low 2600s offer sufficient advantage over a 150gr. 30-06 in the high 2600s, in the same rifle, to justify the effort to make the barrel?

I’m afraid the answer will be that there’s likely no significant discernible difference in performance. So, the pure romance of the 7x57, alone, may not be enough to justify the project.

What say y’all?

Based on old TCR catalogs starting in '83, I think your list of factory barrels will be limited to the following:

22 Hornet
22/250
222
223
243
270
7mm-08
7mm Rem Mag
308
30/06
32-40 (Silhouette/Varmit barrel)
12ga
10ga

ANY caliber could be ordered from the TCR Custom Shop so if you're lucky enough to stumble across a 7x57mm unicorn at auction or on GunBroker, then it's just your lucky day:

https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/1033/6591/three-thompson-center-single-shot-rifles

My purely personal opinion (based on gut instinct instead of quantifiable data) is that the 30-06 has so many bullet options available that you could find something comparable to the 7x57 round mentioned that would make the rebore harder to justify since the difference would be negligible. But as someone who hopes they never have to justify their quirky purchases, romance & nostalgia are ALWAYS a valid reason to start a project in my book. Personally however, I would find an existing 7x57 instead of a rebore simply because there are plenty of cool choices if you look around a bit.

Given those parameters, the 160 grain 7mm bullet has the greater SD and you would have to increase the '06 bullet to about 190 grains to be fair but, I think you could shoot a hundred animals with each and not notice a difference in the kills. They are both fantastic hunting cartridges!

There’s another consideration: My TCR83 is not fond of loads which much exceed the intensity of that which I mentioned. If I go hotter, I get both primer flow into the firing pin channel, which prevents opening the action before first dry firing to clear the channel, and stubborn extraction. I do have an accurate 180gr. 30-06 load at about 2500 fps, which works very well, though.

My .30-06 loads for the TCR83 are early 1900s-ish in performance, which I find strangely attractive, and may help explain my fascination with the idea of the 7x57 for this rifle.

Agreed! Based on the type of hunting I do in the AR-LA-MS-TX area, my lower weight 140gr .275 Rigby & 165gr .30-06 bullets have proven to be good choices. They'll kill anything I shoot at if I do my part when aiming.

Well, assuming you found a barrel or had one made to use the 7x57 cartridge, you could easily load ammo with regular weak 7x57 data or use 7-08 data. Pressure at a max 7-08 load level would be less that the 7-08 due to the somewhat larger 7x57 cartridge case.The 150 gr. Nosler Partition over RL17 gives a good speed (2800 FPS+) and MOA accuracy from my Ruger #1 and sub-MOA accuracy from a Winchester M70 Featherweight. I think 2600 FPS with a 160 gr. bullet would be qite easy to attain.
PJ

As others have side, can't really be on the downside if it was never very popular in the US. It's a great cartridge for the handloader, I built one on a Win 70 action and it was very nice but like many other rifles, I lost interest and sent it along it's way. I'm confident that a 7x57 with 160 Partitions would be hard to beat for deer and elk, just too many other options with ammo readily available.

That’s the position I’m trying to see if anyone here can talk me out of. The thing about the .30-06 is that it can be made appropriately suitable for everything from mice to moose. Except for a few stray sectional density points, the .30-06 can be made to closely duplicate the 7x57. But, then again, there’s that romance factor, for which there can be no substitute. It’s likely an apples versus oranges, no-win, internal conflict which will continue on and on, until my last breath, I’m afraid. Or, until I should happen to stumble over a complete TCR83 barrel in 7x57, of which there is very slim chance.

+2

Never owned 7x57, but I do have 7mm-08 which is an excellent caliber.

I have loved the idea of the 7x57 for at least 20 years and have purchased and subsequently sold or traded at least a dozen of them including Remington 700 Mountain, Ruger #1A, #1 International, M77 tanger, Winchester 70 Featherweight and Lightweight, Mauser 93, Parker Hale, Husqvarna HVA, maybe more. For one reason or another none of them were all that I had dreamed of. A couple of years ago I bought a well used M77 MKII made in the late 90s that finally seemed to check all the boxes for some reason. It has become one of my go to rifles for deer ever since. It is very picky, but loves 140 grain partitions.

TnBigBore, I’ve had a very similar experience with 7x57s. And I’d be glad to pick up another in a lightweight rifle.

great pictures of some very nice rifles ! i own 3 - 7x57 rifles m77 Ruger ,Ruger # 1 Leopard still in the box yet never been fired , used Ruger #1 in box too .great cartridge !
thanks for posting pictures , Pete53

FYI- It looks like a 7x57 barrel sold in the classified section here last year. So they do pop up occasionally:

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt...e-10-thompson-tcr-83-87-barrels-for-sale

Maybe the guy who bought it would be willing to sell it. Might be worth a PM to find out.

So, there is hope, eh?

Of course there’s hope!

Unfortunately for you, the probability is about the same as getting struck by lightning on a cloudless day while out riding on your unicorn. 🦄

But it might happen…

I bet a guy would have a hard time telling the difference in killing power between 160's in a 7x57 and 180's in a 30-06.

Except, maybe, at the butt pad, perhaps.

I had a Ruger #1 7x57 w/22" barrel. 175gr interlocks at 2600 fps worked great on everything. That's pretty much neck in neck with the 308 win and 100ft behind the 30-06 with a 180. Game couldn't tell the difference. Sold the rifle and bought a couple bolt guns in the same cartridge.





Used one of my bolt guns on a color phased black bear this spring (100 yard shot). It shot so well with factory ammo that i decided i wont load for this one yet. 173gr SPCE from S&B at 2380 fps is pretty close to the original loading- even with the slow load the bear dropped at the shot and didn't make it 25 yards. Very efficient cartridge!

LGS has a pretty nice Rem 700 7x57 for sale.

Took a couple years to track one down at a reasonable price but I have a 7x57 in 700 classic. Gun loves H414 and 175gr round nose bullets. Its a hammer on deer.

Garden variety BDL? Classic?

FWIW, I think the 7x57 is dying, I don’t know why. I have a BACO Winchester Featherweight that shoots 139 grain Hornady SST’s great. The wood is so nice I don’t hunt with it. I need to start hunting with it or sell it. Great handling rifle.

The 7x57mm, like the 6.5x55mm, is a wonderful and versatile field cartridge.

... that doesn't fit well into the man-bun short-action fraud.




GR

I suppose if we're talking about new factory offerings, then perhaps so; but then again on that measure it's been dying for a long time. Nevertheless I do see a number of custom rifles being chambered in it, so there must still be a market.

I don't know why either. I think that a good cartridge fading in popularity is often due to a variety of factors that can have varying levels of impact. With older military cartridges, one negative factor is commercial manufacturers sometimes load ammo more mildly in case it's used in very old surplus rifles for liability reasons. An older round can get a reputation for being anemic because the readily available ammo isn't loaded to its full potential for use exclusively in modern guns. There's also a question of whether or not the country or area of origin is still actively enthusiastic about it. Rounds like the 6.5x55 remained popular in the Nordic countries so I think that helped it in other areas of the world. The 30-06 remains popular over 100 years later because Americans are still enthusiastic about it.

But some countries make military rounds illegal for civilians to use so I'm not sure how popular the 7x57 remained in Spanish countries or if those kinds of restrictions killed its usage in certain areas of the world. I think if gun manufacturers start seeing obstacles like these popping up, they're more than happy to come up with a new whiz-bang replacement in order to sell rifles to customers. I wonder if there's any substantial group out there that is still championing the 7x57. I think with many of the European manufacturers, you're more likely to see a 7x64 Brenneke offered instead. Or a rimmed 7x57r for usage in single shot rifles like the Blaser K95. Right now I think you can get a 7x57 from Schultz & Larsen if you're in an area that sells their rifles: https://schultzlarsen.com/rifles/

But other than custom gun builders, I can't think of a major manufacturer who is still making a 7x57 unless Ruger decides to do a small run of #1's in that caliber one year.

If it's factory, it has to be a Classic or Mnt rifle.

The Mauser Company still offers the 7x57 in the M18/m12/m98 models. CZ recently dropped the 7x57 in 2017ish. Perhaps they might pick it up again.

That makes sense because they invented the round. But Mauser is generally off my radar screen a bit since I shoot left & they don't make rifles for me. I'm more familiar with the Zastava LK M70 (https://zastavaarmsusa.com/product/sporting-rifle-lk-m70/) which has a similar style but comes in left-handed models. They claim to also make a 7x57 but I've never seen one for sale.

I have a LH Zastava 7x57

Since I have a Ruger #1 RSI in 275 Rigby, I have absolutely no need for a LH Zastava 7x57. Still doesn't mean I wouldn't consider buying one if I stumbled across it.

Left-handed rifles in certain classic calibers aren't incredibly common so I usually have to think really hard before I pass on one. I've regretted a few of my decisions.

I believe it is a Mountain Rifle.

👀

I love those old 7x57's. You guys sure have some pretty ones. My first was a model 95 Mauser that i sporterized. It turned out OK & shot pretty good for what it was. Unfortunately it was stolen along with several others, but that one was my first love, so to speak. I got a Remington Classic for my shooter & it is OK as i have never worked with it too much. I have a NIB Mountain rifle also.

My first 7x57 was this Walther Mauser that I bought while living in Calgary, thinking 2006. It is a shooter that I gave to my youngest son for a trip we made to Africa in 2012. He is near 25 now. He had read a couple of books on African hunting and wanted the 7x57 and the Leupold 1.5x5 optic.

Loading his ammunition. The 160 AB.



His first critter.

I had a Ruger #1 RSI in 7x57 for a long time. The only problem with it was that it was too pretty to bang up in the woods. I foolishly sold it off. That little rifle/cartridge combo was near perfection! If anyone has one they may be willing to part with I would be willing.

7x57 is a classic, like 375 H&H, and will never "go out of style". Too much history and panache.

The 7x57 has been my favorite whitetail deer cartridge for many years. I hand load for the Winchester Model 70 Featherweight that combined with the 7mm Mauser is an excellent pairing in my experience.

I built a custom 700 7x57 a few years ago and it is a shooting sum bisch. Love the cartridge