Hunting Rifle in 7x57 Mauser

K

Kleab

New member
I get more and more interested in the 7mm Mauser everyday and would love to find a rifle chambered for the round.

So far, the only rifle I've been able to find is a Ruger #1. It's not a bad gun, but I would prefer a bolt action and something that would be able to hold multiple rounds.

There was a similar thread to this one posted about 11 years ago, but most of the rifles mentioned are no longer in production. If anyone knows anything about this round or a way to track down a rifle for it, please let me know!

Oh, and I should probably mention it would primarily be a hunting rifle, so I'd rather avoid the older Mauser rifles, despite how great they may be. I'd hate to destroy one with too hot of a load.
 
If you were to look I am sure you could find a M98 large ring Mauser that has already been converted into a hunting rifle. There have been thousands of them imported into the US over the years and I would bet that a large number have been modified in one way or the other.

FWIW, I have shot the 7X57 round for years and it is not a round that you need to hotrod. With modern bullets it will perform just fine at modest pressures. If you want a 7mm magnum, buy a rifle already chambered in that caliber.
 
What I have is a Remington Classic in 7x57 Mauser. Loading for it can be tricky as most loads shown are 45,000 max. It can go higher, but really why in most cases, why try and make a 7x57 Mauser a 280 Remington?

Anyway, with the lack of components I had to fish up a non book load. I used Alliant R-17 in place of IMR 4350. Basically a 1/1 load from an older book instead of one that is cut down further. My load is 46.8 grains behind a Winchester 150 grain PP. I looking at 2600-2650 with that load, haven't shot it over the Chrony yet.

I basically built the rifle up for my 15.5 year old nephew. Now that I find that he is not applying himself in school and is failing several classes it gets to stay in my safe. Stays there until he gets his act straight! I would trade that rifle for one in 7mm-08 just because he can find ammo easier. But it would have to be a like rifle.
 
... If you want a 7mm magnum, buy a rifle already chambered in that caliber...
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Excellent advice and also that applies as a general rule that should be followed in most cases with rifles and particularly in regard to hand loading endeavorers.
 
I haven't looked, but you have, and since you're not finding one why not consider something in 7mm-08? If you aren't reloading, there's a variety of different factory ammo available and the 7mm-08 is going to be around for a long time.

As far as using a 7mm Mauser rifle, I'm not sure you have much to worry about with too hot a load unless you're doing your own loading, and I'm sure there are plenty of safe workable loadings available. Many a custom hunting rifle has been built using a Mauser action.
 
Yep, 7MM-08 and 7x57 are very, very close ballistically. If you want a long action pick the Mauser round, if you want a shorter action go with the necked down .308.

If you reload, either cartridge offers great flexibility. If you don't reload, as others have said, you may be able to find more factory ammo in 7MM-08.
 
Winchester is offering the M70 FWT in both 7-08 and 7X57 currently. If you really want the 7X57 I'd go that route. You'll probably have to special order through your LGS or online.
 
I didn't know that Winchester is again offering the 7X57 in their Model 70 Featherweight. Back in the '80s when U.S.R.A was building the Model 70, I bought a Featherweight chambered in the Mauser. It's a rifle I wouldn't live without.
 
Well, the OP wants a 7x57 simply because he wants a 7x57. There is nothing wrong with that as long as we don't think it has some kind of special "magic".

In all practical applications a 7mm-08 would be a better choice. Rifles abound and are inexpensive (Ruger just came out with the American in 7mm-08) Plus ammo is much easier to get.

But, you want a 7x57 specifically, go for it.
 
The 7x57 is a very fine oldie .Over 100 years of hunting excellence !! Handloading can improve it .
 
While Winchester & Ruger both made 7x57 bolt-action rifles, CZ also offered it's CZ-550 American w/24.6" bbl in 7x57.

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FWIW, it doesn't much matter whether or not one of the above rifles are currently in production, since they're fully supported by their respective factories, and the aftermarket.

I'd just go shopping for a "like-new" used specimen I could afford, and never look back.


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You can still find Ruger 77s chambered in 7X57, as well as old Interarms Mausers chambered for the round. Remington made the Classic in 7X57 in 1990, and Winchester chambered the 7X57 on and off for many years. I love the 7X57, it is a fine hunting cartridge and kills things right there, but I would guess the 7-08 would be the same. Lots of old M98s in 7X57 to be found, just look on GunsAmerica or Auction Arms.
 
Thank you for the input everyone!

So, to explain a little background on why I started looking into this cartridge, the original plan was to get a CZ 550 Medium Lux in 7mm Rem Mag. I'm a huge CZ fan and this rifle would be mainly for elk.

My biggest concern with going for the 7mm Rem Mag is that it wouldn't be something my wife would enjoy shooting. Happy wife, happy life. In looking for a round suitable for both elk and my wife, I came across the 5x57 Mauser.

When comparing the 7mm-08 and the 7x57, everything I've read leads me to believe the Mauser is a much better cartridge for elk. Would I be misled in making this assumption? Is there a better cartridge out there that would fit these specs?

I'm definitely not opposed to a used rifle. The CZ 550 American would be ideal, I just haven't seen any for sale in 7x57. Thanks again for all the input!
 
When comparing the 7mm-08 and the 7x57, everything I've read leads me to believe the Mauser is a much better cartridge for elk. Would I be misled in making this assumption? Is there a better cartridge out there that would fit these specs?
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No, not really. A bullet traveling at a given velocity will have the same effect regardless of what it is fired from. There is no real world advantage to the 7x57 over the 7mm-08. The fact though, that some 7x57 rifles come with longer barrels could give the edge to the 7x57, but a slight edge it is.
 
The 7x57 actions on older rifle's tend to be a little longer, this will allow you to use more case space with heavier bullets.
But, older actions may not hold up. They are SO close I would probably recommend 7mm-08 with 140 grain. And call it done.
But, I love Old calibers Too. So, Its Kinda up to you. Have you looked at .284 win?
 
I agree about the 7x57 being better than the 7-08 for elk, due to the long action allowing heavy bullets to be seated out further, thus allowing a more energetic load for these large animals.
 
Find a used Savage/Stevens and rebarrel it to 7x57. Had a Ruger 77 tang safety rebarreled to 7x57 with an inexpensive Midway A&B barrel (now Green Mountain). Enjoy shooting it at range.....one of my most accurate rifles.
 
The 7x57 has fewer good ammo choices if you're not going to handload it. I've used the 7x57 as a deer rifle for 20 years and one of my rifles has never fired a factory load. If you simply must use heavier bullets, the 7x57 handloaded will handle those bullets better than the 7mm08. Otherwise, there's really no difference in performance. With the premium performance bullets available, I'm not sure there's much need for bullets over 150 grains in standard(nonmagnum) 7mm cartridges.
 
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