Thanks one and all for their replies. I had no idea this thing would attract such attention. I have had a long, long love affair with the 7x57mm Mauser, starting with reading story after story by Jack O'Connor in Outdoor Life when he was shooting editor there. He wrote about the .270 Winchester a lot, but he also wrote a lot about the little 7x57mm. When I actually got my grubby hands on one I soon discovered that the factory loads left a whole lot to be desired, so I started handloading for it. My first and second one were in Ruger Model 77 tang model and then one in the Mark II. The caliber hammered game and not me, which was what Mr. O'Connor wrote about it long, long ago. My third 7x57mm is my current one, in CZ 550 American mode. I've used it on elk, deer, antelope, wild hogs and even a wild turkey in Texas one time. Granted, I don't have a lot of experience shooting many, many other calibers, but I feel, why change when you are happy with what you got. So, as far as rethinking my log-in name, just like the caliber, it works for me, so why change it. Hunter Jim, you called it a mythical cartridge in hunting folklore but it is no myth, I can tell you for sure it exists. Hell, I have one. As far as its ability to kill, that's no myth either. I think the ability to kill comes from the fact the cartridge shot in a reasonable rifle does not kick that much, therefore, there is little flinching, if any, leaving one's mind free to concentrate on shooting the weapon. I shoot my rifle a lot, about 500 rounds a year. I do this becuse it is a joy to shoot and does not pound me to death. I also like to see just how small I can get my groups. So, there's no myth there Hunter Jim, just the fact that without kick you can have a lot better shot placement, which in most cases equates to better kills, at least in my book it does. As far as my statement about CZ letting the boat slip away from the dock, I am not talking about CZ's products. I still think that the company puts out one heck of a line of rifles. I have the American in the 7x57mm and the CZ 527 in .223 Remington. I feel that in the end CZ will be the loser for discontinuing this caliber in its lineup. As one poster said, the 7x57mm comes and goes, and comes back again. It has endurance after 112 years, and, I'm sure in the face of the competing 7mms, it will continue to stick around. If CZ were not selling any 7x57mm at all, then by all means discontinue. But if the sales had dropped, to me it does not mean the cartridge is dead, it is just taking a breather. I would have much rather have seen CZ take a breather as well and cut back on production because there are people who still want a modern, well made rifle in that wonderful old caliber, but instead the company just dropped it all-to-gether and for that I feel that CZ did indeed, let this one slip away from the dock. Oh well, enough of my rantings. Take care all and have a tolerable day! Tom Purdom

Are all of the rifles in 7-08 built on actions to short to rechamber into 7x57? If the magazine is long enough for a 7x57, it should be an inexpensive modifcation.

Just a though.

Hog Killer

Hog Killer,

One of the curses that befalls the 7x57 is that it was invented before modern rifles were. It fits the intermediate 98 action perfectly (a Model C, I believe, and very rare). For everything else it is either too long or too short.

Ruger and Remington use short actions for the 7-08 and long actions for the 7x57. Not sure about Winchester.

The cartridge on the left is a 7x64 with a 175 gr bullet. It fits perfectly in an unmodified 98 magazine, with a little room for recoil. In the center is a 7x57 with the same bullet at the same depth. As you can see, it gets lost in a standard action, let alone a long action. The cartridge on the right is an 8x57 with a 200gr bullet for comparison.

So true. The good news is that the short M1999 action is just about the perfect length for the "x57" class cartridges. I think the box on that action is something like 3.150". With a bit of leeway for feeding and seating the bullets out as the throat recedes, call that an OACL of 3.120", say. That will fit a 7x57 perfectly (or a .257 Roberts, 6mm Rem, 8x57S - or even a 6.5x55). Not exactly a factory rifle, I know, but with a barreled action from MRC and a Serengeti drop-in stock, you could probably have your 7x57 for about 1K$, not bad for semi-custom.
- mike