Hunting Rifle in 7x57 Mauser

[TATER]

Savage99,
Got'ya, When you said, It's not easy to get a shot at a buck in VT. "and" Running shots, I thought It might be a regional thing.
though, we have a season in which you can hunt with dogs, I know of no one who does.
I can understand trying to put meat on the table. But, taking a running shot would bother me too much. Heck, It tears me up
If they go 50 yards on a clean shot. I hate to know something is-a-hurt'en out there.

 

[Paul B.]

"Apart from some disparaging the 7x57, I am somewhat amused by some disparaging the '93 and '95 Mauser actions."

RevGeo, I hear what you're saying. A few years back Kimber imported a bunch of 1893 Spanish Mausers that had been converted to (GASP!) 7.62 NATO. He had the H.P. White Laboratory proof test those rifle to be sure they'd be safe with factory .308 Win. loads, stamped them as .308 Win. and put a synthetic stock on them. They must have sold out fast as I never could find one. From what I hear, the big gripe against the m93 and M95 mausers is they have no provision to handle escaping gas should primer leak. Easy fix would be to have a gunsmith drill two holes in the bolt just like the M98 Mausers have. Wouldn't be a 100 percent perfect solution but would go a long way towards alleviating that problem.
Contrary to what Savage 99 says, I'd have no problem using a 7x57 under the conditions he hunts. A very long time go, I hunted the rain forests of northwestern California and when I say that stuff was thick, jungle would be more appropiate. I've used the 30-30 and 30-06 with specialized handloads fo the 06 back then. If you hit a deer in that stuff and it went much more than 25 yards, it was lost. Never lost a one back then.
If I'd had a 7x57 back then, I would have just used the 170 gr. Sierra round nose and never looked back. My hunting buddy back then said that was all he'd ever use. I still have a few that I'm hoarding but Sierra dropped them a while back and will not make more. Too bad as they've been the most accurate bullet in my 7x57s. These days I use the 175 gr. Hornady's and they shoot quite well. The 140 gr. ballistic Tips ae very accurate in my M70 and Ruger #1A but the load is too hot for he custom Mauser. have to tinker some with that one. I'm halfway through my 7th decade and the harder kicking rifle just aren't all that much fun anymore. I still use them where it's necessary but prefer the lighter kicking Mauser round.
Paul B.