I am a 7x57 addict, for reasons, most of them, not of the 'scientific' or mathematically demonstrable kind. Fact is, the little cartrige is much more efficient than sheer numbers may indicate. A sporting rifle made from a mauser 98 action, good scope and trigger, a sling and handloads with Hornady's 175 PSP bullets at a muzzle velocity of 2525 fps is all I use. (don't shoot at game past 200 meters) I have used this recipe, for lack of alternative at the ocasion, in game up to, including waterbuffalo, without reasons of complaint.
I wonder how it is doing elsewhere...
thanks in advance.

Graff,

I was just a young pup when I was given my first 7x57 Chilean mauser. I used it most of my childhood, I sold it for the lastest and greatest 243 Win. Both accounted for many deer & coyotes but my favorite is still the 7x57.

I finally replaced the Chilean Mauser with another but customized with 24" barrel. I use it for my medium game rifle using premium bullets in the 120-160 gr weights. Handloading the 7x57 really makes it shine or show its true colors. Here in AZ it is my Couse Whitetail rifle, light weight but acccurate to 300 yds plus. I would call it the perfect mountain rifle, and would not hesitate to use it for elk with the 160 gr bullets.

Just my .02 worth

BD

I'll let you know how it hunts in Feb. I just got my first 7x57, a custom with VZ24 action, 24" douglas barrel, Timney trigger and Bell & Carlson stock. It shoots fine from the bench, now I'm trying to work up some loads for the Hornady 154gr. SP Interlok. Planning to use it for Texas Dall on the first hunt.

I borrowed a custom job from the ph in RSA. I dont remember if it was 150 or 160 gr loads he had but either way it shot great. It was extremely accurate out to 600 or 700 yards. Not my shooting at that distance though. Longest shot I took was about 350 yards and in all truthfullness was the longest shot I ever took on an animal. It was a pleasure to shoot with no recoil. Results were impressive on the 2 blesbuck and the springbuck I shot with it. I was so impressed with it I am adding one to my collection.

What I like about the 7x57 is that its a old cartridge that has killed everything on the planet. It defies the hype of the magnum fad and teaches people to be marksmen in their hunting persuits.

I especially like the 275 Rigby and it being the same as the 7x57, but that Rigby thought it being a german caliber would make it less popular during war times, so just rename it into something English!!

My brother-in-law has a 7x57 that I used to load for. Of course I had to shoot it a lot to "fine tune" the loads, and managed to hunt with it some. My favorite bullet was a 175gr RN, I don't remember who made it. It was great on whitetail, mule deer, and elk. That's all I ever got to use it on, and while it may be a little light for elk, at least for some shot angles, I don't have any complaints at all. In fact, it was the most fun gun to shoot till I found black powder. It was accurate far beyond distances I shot game. I'm just not a real long range game shooter, with that gun, about 200 yds.

Buell, I actually had mine marked as 275 Rigby, just had to be different.

The old reliable 7x57 just keeps on. I've had a Ruger 77 (old model) for about 20 years, have never needed more than one shot on a deer, all but one (a doe my son shot two weeks ago) have fallen in their tracks. Saturday, I took a leisurely stroll on a friend's ranch just before dinner guests arrived. I was watching a fat racoon and an owl just at the end of shooting light when a nice 8 point whitetail (very nice for this part of Texas) chases a doe. What could I do? One 154 gr Hornady RN at 2400, 75 yards. Fortunately, he dropped in his tracks. Even so, it took a while to find him in the tall grass and fading light. Even thought I've since added several nice rifles to my cabinet, the 7x57 still has a big place in my heart as my first big game rifle. I'll load some 175 gr Partitions and this winter I'll take my son to hunt one of the larger Texas exotics as a tune up for Africa, hopefully summer 2004. Bob

The rifle I take afield most often is a Brno 7x57.

I have a Remington Classic in 7x57 which is my all time favorite rifle. Most of my deer have dropped in their tracks with it. I think it's the best whitetail cartridge out there.

Bob257

7x57 is an excellent cartridge. Both my father and I have Rugers chambered for it. My dad has killed countless elk and sheep with his rifle, while I have killed two very nice bull elk (6 point and 5 point) one cow moose, and many many deer and antelope. In the last two years I have begun using the excellent 150gr swift scirocco. Kills much better then the numbers suggest.

My first hunting rifle was a Husqvarna in 7x57. Since then I have added several more to the collection with my favorite being a fullstock model. Easy to shoot and a dream to carry at 6.5 lbs without scope and ammo.

What makes the 7x57 such a great cartridge? You can spout this and that about the bullets etc all day long...but the real reason IMHO is simply the 7X57 is a "User Friendly" rifle. I don't think any reasonable marksman can shoot it much without becoming GOOD with the thing. Good shots (pretty much regardless of either caliber or game hunted) simply kill things...and very efficiently. No big mystery or magic about the cartridge really.

I just finished hunting using the 7x57 for the first time. I had a 7mm built on a M-48 action. What a pleasure to shoot after using .30-06 and .308 for years. I really don't hunt anything other than whitetails and I can't think of a more perfect cartridge. I also load the 150 grain scirrocco. The shot I had was not difficult ,either for me or the rifle, a big doe at 40 yards, but there were no surprises. Bullet penetrated both sides. She dropped and rolled down the hill, dead. I had to drag her up again, and I wish that she would have rolled up the hill, but that is probably asking too much.

Fast Ed

My longest shot ever on a deer was made with the "lowly" 7x57. I was using Hornady 154 grain bullets over IMR 4350 in a Ruger 77 scoped with a Leupold 2-7x variable. The range was 365 yards. The rifle was sighted for 200 yards. The first shot was under, showing in the snow just beyond the deer. The second shot went over. I finally had the correct hold, and the third shot went into the chest about 6 inches back from where the middle of the neck joins. The deer flinched at the hit, slowly turned and walked about 30 feet to a barb wire fence on the end of my pasture. It jumped, hit the fence, bounced back, collapsed, kicked and died. I also killed a deer at 75 yards with a shot at the head/neck juncture. Went down so fast it bounced. Actually, looked just like a roped calf when it fell.

Pecos45, I think you hit it on the head. It is very user friendly.

One of the three 7x57 rifles I have at the moment. There were five at one stage and I regret selling the two that I did. There is no logic here but who cares when it comes to rifles

The 7x57 is one of those cartridges that performs way better than it should. I shoot one a lot with 140-grain bullets loaded to 3000 and it's going to Africa in May with 160 Noslers at 2850. The 7x57 doesn't outperform standard bullets and has little more recoil than a .243 or .25-06- any kid can shoot it. By the way, these are the same things that make a .270 great.

jstevens,

What loads are you using (brass, powder, bullet, primer??) at those velocities. Also, what length barrel?

The reason I ask is that I am currently having a 7x57 mauser built on a Pre-64 M70 action using a 24" Lothar Walter barrel. This action is obviously strong enough to load to modern pressure levels.

Thanks.

Tim

I have owned several 7x57mm over the years, starting with the Ruger Model 77s, the Mark II and now a CZ 550 American in the wonderful caliber. I have used the little 7 on elk, mule deer, whitetail deer, coyote, antelope, javelina, wile pig and even one wild turkey. Virtually all game were one-shot kills. This CZ topped with a Leupold is the best outfit I have ever owned. I shoot it with 48.2 grains of H414 powder, Hornady 162 grain SST bullets, Remington cases, Federal primers and with the bullet seated way, way out to .01 inch off the lands. My rifle has a 23.5 inch barrel and I get a chronographed average in this load of 2,815 fps with accuracy in the sub .5 moa range with five-shot groups and two minutes rest between shots. This is from a sandbag rest. I talked my little brother into getting a 7x57mm and he got a CZ 550 Full Stock and when a friend of his saw that outfit, he bought exactly the same rifle too. I loaded up some 162 grain regular Hornady (not the SSTs) and he gets 2,765 fps with one-inch groups. He is just returning from the King Ranch where he used it on whitetail, javelina and wild pig. For big game, I want no other rifle or caliber ... Tom Purdom

Shumba
My 140-grain load is a Nosler partition in a Norma case with 53.4 gr of H414 & CCI250 primer. In my Ruger with a 22" barrel it chronographed 3038. The bullet is seated just off the lands about .020. When I was working up this load, 54 grains gave me .001 head expansion, so it's max., I've never thrown a case away with a loose primer pocket, just split necks. The 160 grain is 51.5 gr H414, same cases, primer, etc. This Ruger is long-throated compared to another I had years ago. When I started shootin for it, I had some loads with IMR 4350 that went 2900 in an old rifle, they went 2785 in the new one.