Since I have been deciding which size action (intermediate or standard) for which cartridge for three rifles we are having built.

It got me to wondering.

Each Mauser action was designed for a specific size cartridge commonly the 7x57 or 8x57 and was intended to go into a standard length action.

Then why did they make the magazine box so much bigger than the cartridge? As in the standard mauser box of 3.315 long but 7x57 cartridges are not that long. Or are the military rounds that long?

The standard Mauser is considered overly or unnecessarily long for the 7x57, but that's what they were designed for. Right?
Though some were chambered in intermediate length actions of 3.118 or 3.232

Were there any 06 length cartridges in the early 1900s when the mauser was designed?

What am I missing?

Allen

The standard length action was designed for the original 8x57I, which used a heavy round nose bullet. When the military switched to a lighter spitzer, it left a little extra room in the magazine.

For the 7x57, Mauser usually used the intermediate C action for commercial rifles. Military contracts for South/Central America were filled using standard length actions, to keep production costs down.

The commercial Mausers chambered for the .30-06 were made on a standard length action, with a cut in the front receiver ring to allow for loading the longer cartridge.

It is true both 8x57 and 7x57 were chambered in "standard" length actions, sometimes even the same model action. But, remember that the magazines were diffeent length and also the feedwells.

The 8x57 with 196 grain spitzers was a long cartridge.

The standard 98 was designed for the 8x57. Other cartridges were made to work in them, with changes to the actions of course.