I'm mulling over having a new rifle built,and trying to choose a caliber.I'm reasonably aquainted with the 7mm Mauser,and am mulling it over.What are +/- of the 7mmSTW.I don't own any rifles in magnum caliber,and admit that this round does intrigue.Purpose will be for deer/elk.Already own a 30-06 and a 25-06,looking for something different.

Well the STW is way fast, about 600 FPS faster than the 7x57 with 150 gr. factory loads. So you probably want to go with a longer barrel to get all the speed it can deliver. And that's with the Norma load in the Mauser, everyone else is even slower.

Trying to remember something about physics that might apply, F=MA, opposite and equal reactions, etc.!!!brainfreeze!!! I would guess the STW is going to kick a bit more. That might come into play if you like to shoot a lot. When I shoot my 300 and 338 Win MAg I definately cannot shoot as much, and be comfortable, as wth my lighter calibers.

Trajectory at 300 yds. is something like 3" better for the STW, and 9" better at 400.

If you want to shoot way out there I'd go for the STW. If most of your shooting is under 300 yds. then I'd plunk for the 7x57. I had a 7x57 built last year and couldn't be happier, almost no recoil and shoots very accurately at the distances I'm comfortable with.

Good luck, forget about that physics stuff I mentioned, it gave me a headache.

It would depend on what range you think most of your shots will be. As already mentioned, recoil is a factor. Why not a 7 Rem Mag or 7 WSM? Ammo may be more available than STW which is losing favor with the advent of the 7 ultra mag. There are a lot of choses, but isn't that the fun part?

Bob257

I'd use the 7x57 with 175 grainers at 2400-2500 fps and keep your shots 200 yards or less. This is the round that Bell used if Africa so successfully. The 7x57 will be shooting long after the STW has burned out the barrel. You will also have MUCH less blood shot meat with the slower round. Faster isn't always better.

Good Hunting,

My vote goes for a 280

Burke

I would not choose a STW, too much bang for little extra. More costly ammo and harder too find. In Europe the three mentioned later are very easy to find ammo for.

I would rather go for a 7X57 or a 7X64 brenneke. If you need a magnum stick with the 7mm rem mag.

/ JOHAN

If you can get over the "marketing hype" of the 7mmSTW, there is not a bunch of hunting that the 7x57 won't get done for you. If you are enamoured with the fine print of ballistic tables, like we have all been at one time or another, maybe the 7mmSTW is the one to get. And indeed, there are shots better taken with the 7mmSTW, but it all comes at a price of higher rifle weight, recoil and barrel erosion. 98% of hunting situations, the 7x57 will serve you as well - all in mild mannered and self assured way.

If you really want a bigger caliber, IMHO you'd better consider going up in caliber - a .300 Mag or a .338 Mag perhaps?? Depending on what you can handle in recoil...

FWIW, my $.02 - mike

thanks for the replies.I think i'm going with the 7x57.I'm really not comfortable with shots much beyond 250yrds,and I'm a bit of a traditionalist,so the 7x57 would suit me better.Now,next question,what rate of twist would you recommend for the heavier(176-195gr)bullets?

I agree that the STW is a let-down. Mine uses a lot more powder to just go a little faster than the 7mm Rem. I am not at all happy with it and have been thinking about having it redone in the 7mm RUM, which actually does what the 7mm STW was supposed to do, but fell short when it became a SAIMI round. And I absolutely refuse to go above listed maximum in the reloading manuals.

A lot depends on what action your using, I would not use a 7STW on a Mauser action for example...

As for myself, I really like the 7x57 Mauser and it will do well enough for elk, but you have an 06 so ????????????

You might split the difference and go with a 280 or Rem 7 Mag, but you still have an 06 so??????...

When you have an 06 it makes chooseing anything else a duplication of sorts...as it covers ALL the bases well enough.

If I were you I'd build a 338 Win. for elk and then you have the whole shebang covered..It is the ultimate elk rifle.

what about the 7mm-08

why not have an '06, a 7 RUM and a .280 Rem! I have them, along with a .270 Wby, how's that for duplicating calibers...

I have to agree on the some of the notes on the 7STW. I had a #1 rechambered to 7mm Dakota as a long range hunting rig. I easily get 3250fps w/ 160gr bullets. I also have a wonderfully light .280. All of the animals I have taken w/ the 7mm Dakota were well within the range of the .280 (under 150yds). I would go 7x57 or .280 & keep your shots under 300yds. A 1-9 twist will handle bullets thru 175 easily.

I can tell you this much about both rifles. I have a STW with a 27" douglas air gauge barrel that will put 3shots 150bal.tip you can cover with a dime. It chrono's 3400+. 160gr par. ave. 3385fps. and will shoot less than 1". My 7x57 with 19" barrel 162gr hornady will do 2800+. By the way they are both built on mauser actions. R
Ray I thought I would put my 2 cents in. As for as Elk m stw will push a 175gr par at over 3250fps. If that want kill him as far as a person needs to be shooting I guess need to get a bigger rifle. Ray I think you said that once upon a time. fws

[ 04-11-2003, 23:53: Message edited by: toto ]

I like traditional caliber so I vote for the 7x57. If your making it a regular hunting rifle definitely go for the 7x57, if your having heavy barrel, big scope etc. I would opt for the 7mm stw. Sought of depends on your intended uses.

I own a CZ 550 American in 7x57mm Mauser and ounce for ounce, you cannot go wrong with this cartridge. I use mine for everything from elk to wild pigs. My rifle has the european twist of 1x8.66, which is specifically geared for the heavier 7mm bullets. I shoot the 162 grain Hornady SSTs in mine and am getting sub half minute of angle groups when I combine this bullet, H414 powder, Federal 210 cases and Remington cases. I had one group with 48.9 grains of H414 go .216 inch and it chronographed at 2,855 fps. Good luck ... I know you'll like the litle mauser. Tom Purdom

I would consider the 7-08 over the 7X57. The 7X57 requires a long action and is chambered with a long throat, which has no advantages these days. If you want to go that route, then do a .280.
I currently own and use a .280. I used the 7X57 for almost 30 years. I've owned and used two 7 mm Mags. The STW case would be better than the Rem Mag because it allows the same velocities with lower pressures. Or you have more lee way in finding an accurate load at acceptable velocity, etc. Assuming, of course, you action will handle it. Some, like the Rem 700 will. Others won't.
The 7X57, according to some, has an edge over the 7-08 because it can handle the long 175 gr. bulets better. Well, first of all, not by much. Second, with today's premium bullets, there is no real advantage to the 175 gr. 7 mm bullets on game. E

The 7-08 is a little dog compared to the 7x57. First I see no advantage in the short action. Second what is wrong with using the 175 grain bullets? These bullets work fine on elk inside of 300 yards and are less expensive than the so called premiums. I wish I had the money I wasted trying to get noslers to group in my 300 Win Mag or Barnes X bullets in my 7x57. The 175 spitzers also carry more energy to 300 yards than any "Premium"? bullet that is lighter. Best of all it is no trick to get smooth feeding from the 7x57 in a mauser action (surprise). Longer throats allow more room for powder in the case and long necks make the cartridge more versatile with all bullet weights,

Short actions permit a shorter, lighter rifle. Long throats tend to shorten the life of the barrel and are harder to find accurate loads for.
According to my Barnes #2 manuel, a 140 gr XBT fired at 2800 fps., which is easy to do out of a 7-08, has 1692 ft lbs. of energy at 300 yds. and shoots much flatter than a 175 gr. X. The 175 gr. bullet, which Barnes lists no loads for over 2500 fps. in the 7X57 has only 1599 ft. lbs. at 300 yds.
The 140 gr. X should retain close to 100% of it's weight. A 175 gr. bullet, of conventional design, would be lucky to retain 2/3's of it's weight. That's less than 120 grs. after expansion.
I don't know what your problem is with either the Partition or the X. I've loaded the Partition in 7X57, the .280 and two 7 mm Mags. All of them shot 1-1.5 MOA with factory barrels, Remington, Ruger and Browning.
I've shot the X out of two factory .308 barrels, and two custom .257 and 7 mm barrels, a total of four different bullets. If you clean the barrels right, and look a little longer than some of the easier to load for bullets, I've found all of these will shoot under 1.0 MOA. E

I haven't seen any proof that long throats wear quicker though it would seem to be the other way around. I have no problem with partitions, no use for X bullets and no need for either when velocities are under 2800 fps. As far as the difference between the trajectory of a 175 grain spitzer at 2500 fps and a 140 grain spitzer at 2800 on game the size of elk, it's not much at ranges under 300 yards. The velocity difference is close to a 100 fps, again not much.

I'd like for someone to explain how a longer or shorter throat has any effect on barrel life. I'd rather have a 7x57 with a long throat, I can always load the bullet out to where it will touch the lands, even with 140's. If the bullet is seated .050 from the lands, the rifle won't know whether it's throat is long or short. I sure don't like to have to jam a bullet in with the base below the bottom of the neck in any caliber, which heavy bullets in a 7-08 will have to be loaded this way. I also have never worried about 1/2 lb of difference in weight, since I always like a heavier barrel profile anyway, it hangs better offhand. It's easy to load 160gr 7x57's to 2800 in a 22'' barrel, not so in a 7-08.