Just can't resist any longer! How good is the 7mm x 57

11 October 2010, 07:04

Dave,
It's a 19" barrel (octagon to round with a full-length rib and integral front sight) on a G.33/40 action. If I'm ever in the poor house (again), this would be one of the very last rifles I'd part with.

I have the parts and pieces to build a very similar rifle in 9.3X62 but I'm going with a 21" barrel on that rifle.

Wildcat Junkie,
This rifle shoots 150 grain Partitions between 1 and 1.5 inches. I sighted it in when I got the rifle and it liked the first load I tried so I've never played around with loads for this rifle at all. I've checked the zero before a few hunts but I haven't had to touch the scope adjustments in 5-6 years.

12 October 2010, 01:40

Panzerschmied

quote:
Originally posted by ForrestB:
I've wasted enough time and money on 7X57s to know to stay away from them. I've been trying to sell this one for $275 but I can't find a buyer...

Trade you my suburban for it!!!Headin' to S.A. saturday,,,you pay for the gas tho!

12 October 2010, 02:17

Doubless

I sincerely regret ever having a custom 7 X 57 made for my now 25 year-old son back when he was ten. I literally wore myself out walking to and from the target because the darned thing refused to put bullets in different places on the 100 yard target so I could guarantee it was hitting! At the end of a trip to the range I was absolutely dead.

To top that, in the years since I have become increasingly tired of having him call me to help drag animals back to the truck. They fall where they are shot, and typically it is a pretty good piece from where the stand is located.

Because of the sheer monotony and predictability of the cartridge, the powder I bought for it 15 years ago is trying to go bad on the shelf, the new brass is trying to tarnish, and I can't justify buying new projectiles to play with because the darned rifle won't miss so he has to shoot more than once and use up some of the ammunition I loaded for it.

All in all, if I had it to do over again I would probably consider a 7 MM Mauser; supposed to be a heck of a deer caliber.

12 October 2010, 06:49

bartsche

quote:
Originally posted by Doubless:

To top that, in the years since I have become increasingly tired of having him call me to help drag animals back to the truck. They fall where they are shot, and typically it is a pretty good piece from where the stand is located.
The trick is to teach to him be patient and only shoot them if there is a good chance that they will roll down hill and land no more than 15' from the pickup. roger

Because of the sheer monotony and predictability of the cartridge, the powder I bought for it 15 years ago is trying to go bad on the shelf, the new brass is trying to tarnish, and I can't justify buying new projectiles to play with because the darned rifle won't miss so he has to shoot more than once and use up some of the ammunition I loaded for it.

All in all, if I had it to do over again I would probably consider a 7 MM Mauser; supposed to be a heck of a deer caliber.

12 October 2010, 06:51

bartsche

[QUOTE]Originally posted by bartsche:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by Doubless:

To top that, in the years since I have become increasingly tired of having him call me to help drag animals back to the truck. They fall where they are shot, and typically it is a pretty good piece from where the stand is located.

The trick is to teach to him be patient and only shoot them if there is a good chance that they will roll down hill and land no more than 15' from the pickup.

roger

16 October 2010, 06:48

Lamar

since mauser invented his cartridge first i think everybody else is using the wrong sized action.
sorry just my opinion...
i wonder where we would be if all we had were the 7 and 8x57 imagine not having to walk more than 20 steps to dead animals.
remington not copying the thing exactly and calling it something else and ripping off a winchester case to do it.
shame..
i did find a way around being caught with x57 ammo in camp though.
i now downsize cases from the too large family of knock-offs.
and avoid the questions such as, why did you bring a box of ammo with only 12 rounds in it?
you had 13 last year didn't you?
what caliber is that again?
i keep telling them it's a new experimental cartridge designed just for deer and elk sized game, but i think they are getting suspicious..

26 October 2010, 18:04

eljefedouble

Thank you kind folk, especially ForrestB!
I am one of the eternally beholden few, who you guided into the dark side.
Just a plainjane Zastava Mod 70 (thats what they're called , here in Oz) in 7x57.
Later, when I have more coin, it shall wear a full stock and a butterknife handle...it was a bit of a teter totter between a 308 and this one, but naturally, the dark side won.

26 October 2010, 21:28

bartsche

quote:
Originally posted by eljefedouble:
Thank you kind folk, especially ForrestB!
I am one of the eternally beholden few, who you guided into the dark side.
Just a plainjane Zastava Mod 70 (thats what they're called , here in Oz) in 7x57.
Later, when I have more coin, it shall wear a full stock and a butterknife handle...it was a bit of a teter totter between a 308 and this one, but naturally, the dark side won.

Never could get use to a butter knife bolt handle. Just a little hard on my hand.

roger

27 October 2010, 00:48

Von Gruff

quote:
Originally posted by Lamar:
since mauser invented his cartridge first i think everybody else is using the wrong sized action.
sorry just my opinion...
i wonder where we would be if all we had were the 7 and 8x57 imagine not having to walk more than 20 steps to dead animals.
remington not copying the thing exactly and calling it something else and ripping off a winchester case to do it.
shame..
i did find a way around being caught with x57 ammo in camp though.
i now downsize cases from the too large family of knock-offs.
and avoid the questions such as, why did you bring a box of ammo with only 12 rounds in it?
you had 13 last year didn't you?
what caliber is that again?
i keep telling them it's a new experimental cartridge designed just for deer and elk sized game, but i think they are getting suspicious..

They can be very expensive to build as well and when I built mine I could onlu get half a stick of timber and had to patch it up a bit in length with mismatched steel bit and odd coloured wood.

Von Gruff.

27 October 2010, 19:28

eljefedouble

Bartsche, going by what i read, I shall shoot but once, and the game will roll onto my ute rack-almost, so a butterknife handle is ok.Not for me the frantic reloads of a CQB service match

Von G-agree with your signature and am headed there. What do i do after the 404 and the 7x57??
I am a polygamist and will not be separated from my 8x57 and the others...there is a chileno mauser in 7x57, by Loewe , beckoning ,oh so seductively...

27 October 2010, 20:41

fla3006

My favorites:

27 October 2010, 23:02

George Semel

Well my guess you have just 275 dollars in butt plate medal. Looks like about 7 thousand dollars worth to me. Nice buck by the way. I would give you your 275 dollar asking price.

29 October 2010, 15:12

eljefedouble

Fla3006, now tell us about em...

29 October 2010, 21:51

Brazos Jack

If you only hunt my native state of Texas, a 7x57 is ideal as your only hunting rifle. It will take game up to about 350 lbs from any reasonable angle at up to 300 yards. It is in that broad class of excellent non-magnum 6.5mm, 6.8mm (.270), and 7mm cartridges that are all equally ideal for these purposes. Choosing between the 6.5x57, 6.5x55, .260 Rem, .270 Win, 7x57, 7-08, or .280 Rem is like arguing how many deamons can dance on the head of a pin.

Of these, the .270 is the most popular and widely available and therefore you are currently more likely to find ammo in isolated places. So in this class I favor the .270 for its ease of availability only.

Performance wise all are great for the purpose I described.

None, including the 7x57, is ideal for larger animals like large elk or moose. I know many elk fall to these cartridges every year, but many are lost on long range rear quartering shots where more suitable cartridges would have saved the day.

But for whitetails, mule deer, or antelope at up to 300 yards this cartridge class should be every hunter's first stop.

30 October 2010, 21:44

jstevens

Have to disagree on this one. Too many dead elk, oryx, kudu, etc. Quartering shot with a 7x57 isn't much of a problem, neither with a 7-08 or .270 with good bullets. Probably more of them lost with a .300 Mag than these little game killers. Penetration is not a problem with a 160 grain 7mm.

30 October 2010, 23:32

fla3006

eljefedouble, both are Brno 7x57s, top a 21-H with see through scope mounts, bottom a ZG-47 with Meopta Artimis 6x scope in Warne Premier detachables. Both had alot of use in the Canadian outback before I got ahold of them. They also work well on South Texas pigs & whitetails.

31 October 2010, 00:22

22WRF

Boy, this it getting to be a great thread. The two Forrest's have shown some great 7mm Mausers. Everyone has got to love those BRNOs and that mannlicher style by Wiebe has to be one of the most beautiful 7 x 57s ever made!

Less we forget, here is another fabulous 7 x 57, also made by Wiebe, and currently owned by another gentleman who posts on this board.

31 October 2010, 00:24

bartsche

quote:
Originally posted by Brazos Jack:
If you only hunt my native state of Texas, a 7x57 is ideal as your only hunting rifle. It will take game up to about 350 lbs from any reasonable angle at up to 300 yards. It is in that broad class of excellent non-magnum 6.5mm, 6.8mm (.270), and 7mm cartridges that are all equally ideal for these purposes. Choosing between the 6.5x57, 6.5x55, .260 Rem, .270 Win, 7x57, 7-08, or .280 Rem is like arguing how many deamons can dance on the head of a pin.

Of these, the .270 is the most popular and widely available and therefore you are currently more likely to find ammo in isolated places. So in this class I favor the .270 for its ease of availability only.

Performance wise all are great for the purpose I described.

None, including the 7x57, is ideal for larger animals like large elk or moose. I know many elk fall to these cartridges every year, but many are lost on long range rear quartering shots where more suitable cartridges would have saved the day.

But for whitetails, mule deer, or antelope at up to 300 yards this cartridge class should be every hunter's first stop.

Good posting. Well said

roger

08 November 2010, 17:31

eljefedouble

While we are still bad mouthing this bad for nothing 7 a bit of a thread hijack.
, I plan to use my Zastava mod 70 on upto elk size game, max out 200m. Am a recent converto to the sightron big sky range-clearest optics I used after i started wearing glasses.
So, is it a 1-5x20 Sightron or a Zeiss MC Conquest 3-9? yup, thats what I have to spare.The leupold is afar 4th in queue.
Advice appreciated.
End of Hijack -TIA

08 November 2010, 23:31

303carbine

quote:
Originally posted by Greg K:
Would I be foolish to take a perfectly good Browning LH A-bolt Stalker in 30/06 and have it re-barreled to 7x57? I have a 7mm-08 as my 7x57 wannabe rifle but I would really like a 7mm Mauser.

That's the best thing that could happen to a
30-06.

09 November 2010, 06:00

sagi

I borrowed a friend's chilean mauser with a williams peep sight to take to the range to entertain me while waiting for my 300 h&h to cool off. I loaded up some 145 speers and shot a few groups that were plenty good for 200 yard deer, and this is coming from someone with little experience in iron sights (mostly that my eyes won't focus well on the front sight or target, so there is a level of guessing)

before this I was plotting a savage switch barrel in 223 and later on 7mm08, and after going through the reloading books the difference I see between 7mm08 and mauser is simply 200 fps.
thats not enough for me to care, and the bonus is I'll save money on dies by going with the mauser.

09 November 2010, 08:36

Captain Finlander

I am really getting tired of all these pictures of butt ugly guns!

09 November 2010, 13:19

Kabluewy

Pretty is as pretty does. This one does pretty well for me. It's not custom made, but I had it custom tweaked.

Still, the damn scope is worth more than the rifle, and the stock doesn't have near as many squigley lines in the wood as some posted above, nor as much of that wonderful camo color, with varying shades of brown and blotches, and such. This one is more straight grain and even color, much like the old time Euro trash previously shown. And the bolt handle is obviously a cheap immitation of the real thing.

I'm thinking that I should just keep it hidden in the safe, with the chance that someday it will become acceptable to be seen with in public, and maybe as respectable as its cousins, those snooty old BRNOs. I can hear it now. Talking about the integral groved receiver bases, the C-ring and the small ring, three-position safety, those classic lines of that American style stock, etc.

There's no need to mention accuracy and durability, as obviously that's superfluous, and it's looks that really matter - eh?

Then again, what the heck, I think I'll just take it hunting. I doubt that the deer and hogs care if it's butt ugly, and most of my hunting buddies shoot ugly guns too.

After all, it's chambered in that gawd awful 7mmx57, which is so unpopular that CZ recognized early on there was no need to import but a few, to satisfy the limited market. I suppose they are right, since I'm so easily satisfied with this one.

KB

09 November 2010, 21:46

bartsche

quote:
Originally posted by Kabluewy:

I'm thinking that I should just keep it hidden in the safe, with the chance that someday it will become acceptable to be seen with in public,

Hell----- I'd take it on a date!

roger

10 November 2010, 07:05

Captain Finlander

quote:
Originally posted by D B Cooper:
I really hate the 7x57. It's boring, everything I shoot just falls down.

Where's the fun of tracking in thick under brush until O' dark thirty? The thrill of gutting and dragging your game out after mid-night in freezing rain, because you couldn't follow the blood trail in the dark with a weak flashlight?

The 7x57 Sucks! Especially this one, cause it won't shoot over an inch at 100yds. What's the point of shooting something in the same hole again, when it wouldn't die the first time!(OH...never mind...it did.)

Thinkin' about just jammin' it muzzle first in the mud out by the road, with a "FREE" sign on it.(as soon as hunting season is over)

I can't stop looking at your ugly rear-end, non-shooting rifle!

I've always liked the featherweight stock but always wanted it in nicer wood. Who did the stock work or better yet where did you get it?

10 November 2010, 08:08

Dewey

I think that the two Brnos that "fla30-06" posted the pix of came from an old friend of mine who died some years ago and the Warne rings came from my very close friend whom I was just on the phone with. I have quite a few of these rifles and some very nice ones, in 7x57, .30-06 and 9.3x62 and I have "dibs" on another ZG-9.3, from yet another friend.

These WERE very popular in ...the Canadian outback...or, as we call it, "the bush" and for damn good reason. My first bolt action sporter in 1965 was a 21H in 7x57 and the one I now have is pristine and has lovely wood, not a usual thing with these...shoots too, but, I hate DST.

A guy can do a LOT worse than a good 7x57 loaded with a 160NP at 2700 for even Moose and Elk; among the most skilled and experienced hunters I have ever known were two men who spent huge time in northern BC and the Yukon and the Brno 7x57s were their only rifle....just plain works.

10 November 2010, 17:14

Rae59

Dewey, what powder are you using to get 2700 fps. with a 160 gr. NP? I had a hard time getting to the high 2600 fps. with a 150 gr. Rem. CL in a 22" barrel. (My particular rifle wouldn't group very well until I used RL-19- now getting just over 2600 fps.)

10 November 2010, 20:10

Dewey

RE-22 in long throated Brno 22H rifles with their 23.6" barrels. Norma brass and CCI 250s with a caseful of powder will just cut 2700 and will give good groups.

MY HVA and Brno21H rifles, with 20.5" tubes certainly run slower. I load 140NPs in these as they are "deer rifles" for me.

I have read a LOT of very high velocity figures for the 7x57 in various gun mags.....maybe a little gunwriter BS in there, too.....

10 November 2010, 21:52

Von Gruff

I run the 160gn Woodleigh at 2700fps in mine over 46gn H4350 (AR2209) WLR in Graff Brass.
Get 3235fps from 51gn BL-C2 and Fed 215 for the 120gn GS custom
Both of these in my 25in Barrel

Von Gruff.

17 November 2010, 19:53

eljefedouble

quote:
Originally posted by Von Gruff:
I run the 160gn Woodleigh at 2700fps in mine over 46gn H4350 (AR2209) WLR in Graff Brass.
Get 3235fps from 51gn BL-C2 and Fed 215 for the 120gn GS custom
Both of these in my 25in Barrel

Von Gruff.

Hi Von Gruff:
what have you used the 160 woody's on?
TIA

17 November 2010, 20:17

Finman

One thing that made my eyes pop was the print out from my chrono which showed factory 175gn RWS do 2750fps out of my 25' barrel...I am struggling to get 2600fps out of 47.8gn N160 behind a 150gn GMK... wish I knew what powder them chaps at RWS are using...

Finman

17 November 2010, 21:34

ALF

I have asked this before:

What is a "long throated" 7x57?

Is there/ was there something like a "short throated" 7x57 or is a "short throated" 7x57 an American invention by American commercial gunmakers who'se sole intent is to market the cartridge as a light bullet high velocity shooter?

17 November 2010, 22:09

Jerry Liles

The specifications for the 7x57 chamber were based on the 175gr military load, and, as a result, the chamber has a "long throat". This is the normal or standard 7x57 chamber. I'm not aware of any commercial rifle with a "short throat" chamber. I suspect there are custom rifles with short throated chambers though I've never run across one. I believe even the .275 Rigby version has the standard throat as it shoots the military load just fine.

Jerry Liles

17 November 2010, 23:29

MHC_TX

quote:
Originally posted by 22WRF:
Boy, this it getting to be a great thread. The two Forrest's have shown some great 7mm Mausers. Everyone has got to love those BRNOs and that mannlicher style by Wiebe has to be one of the most beautiful 7 x 57s ever made!

Less we forget, here is another fabulous 7 x 57, also made by Wiebe, and currently owned by another gentleman who posts on this board.

I gave it away....(to my wife)......she is taking it deer hunting next week.

17 November 2010, 23:48

Von Gruff

quote:
Originally posted by eljefedouble:
quote:
Originally posted by Von Gruff:
I run the 160gn Woodleigh at 2700fps in mine over 46gn H4350 (AR2209) WLR in Graff Brass.
Get 3235fps from 51gn BL-C2 and Fed 215 for the 120gn GS custom
Both of these in my 25in Barrel

Von Gruff.

Hi Von Gruff:
what have you used the 160 woody's on?
TIA

They havent taken any meat yet. The load was developed in case I get to go after PG (lotto necessity), but a big Red or a Wapiti would be a good target size for them.
I have 160gn soft nosed bullet I cast and run at 2415fps. These expand well with excellent weight retention that I use out to 200 yds + and this has been very sucessful so far on Fallow - Goat sized animals. Results have proved a quicker kill than previously experienced with 139gn SST's, 150gn coreloct's or 150gn Speers on the same light bodied animals. This is the animal size that the 120gn GS Customs are carried in the day pack with the scope for, but so far have always been able to get within 200 yds so the cast bullets and aperture sight are all that is required.

Von Gruff.

18 November 2010, 09:13

vapodog

Posted for Roger.

18 November 2010, 09:16

bartsche

quote:
Originally posted by vapodog:

these are two more 7x57s

roger

18 November 2010, 18:08

eljefedouble

All,
Thank you for keeping the fires going.I know it will be a bit of a long wait for me,but i will look forward to a lot of info and pics(drool) here.

19 November 2010, 06:00

bartsche

thanks 4 posting the pics,VD.

roger

19 November 2010, 21:41

Fat_Albert

Why do I wast my time trying to tell you goobers that you need a minimum of a 375 Rum to hunt deer. Just ask all those Experts here on AR. The final nail in the coffin for the 7x57mm is that when you go from a 26"barrel to a 20" you can lose as much as 20fps per inch.