7 X 57 Mauser info

[normmatzen]

Has this forum shoved the 7x57 aside?

I just bought a small ring mauser to clean up a bit and turn into my knock-about hunting rifle. I have collected a bunch of reloading data for the light loads needed for the old small ring actions.

However, I would like some real world info from you folks! This gun has a 20" barrel, what bullet weight and powder combo is recommended? I have some 139g, 154 gr and 162 gr bullets and H1000, H4350 and RL-17. I think I'll start with 46.0 gr H4350 and 139 gr bullets.

Any comments?

 

[bankenfeld]

Hallo Norm , we live africa and i think you have spoken about the most underrated cartridge in the world.

I have seen 7mm mausers shooting anything on this planet,not because it was magic but the man behind the gun believed in his weapon , I think we do not have the same faith in what we are doing than our farthers and grand farthers had.

I was 6 years old when i saw my grandfarther shoot 3 lions with his 8x57 mauser , each one shot dead .

WE do not believe in our selves to the same degree as the old folks ,shoot it ,it will kill any animal if you do part.


happy huting

kind regards

Willem

 

[sdneil]

One of my favorites--7x57--Had one now 30pluss years, a pleasure to shoot, accurace with lower recoil, Imr 4350and 4064 work well in mine, 139 hornady my favorite bullet. Neil

 

[shootsanything]

My deer gun since I was 14. Spanish American War vintage, the barrel is like a sewer pipe but still shoots 3/4 in groups and better at 100 yards.

My most acurate load is 139gr Hornady and 40.6gr IMR4320, but wasn't enough for a PA black bear. My current deer load is 150gr Barnes XBT with 46gr of IMR4350 - this has dropped whitetails to 325 yards. I have also pushed to 48gr IMR4350 behind a 150gr Nosler BT, but accuracy fell apart (so did the deer that it hit).

If it weren't such a pain to get copper out of I would shoot it more - better than any factory gun I have shot recently.

 

[2506]

I have a friend that brought me a barreled action from a small ring Mauser 7mm. Many years ago his father had the rifle sported. The barrel was cut back to 22" and had modern open sights put on it and hot blued really well done. Someone broke into there house and was in the process of coming out the door when my buddies father pulled into the driveway. The robber threw the gun and other stuff down and ran away. The stock dropped on the steps of the house and broke the stock into at the grip. My buddy was just a teen age boy at the time. His father gave him the rifle and he put it into his closet hoping someday to get a stock for it. May years later he remembered it after his father died and they were cleaning out the house. The bore in this rifle looked like new. I took it and cut the bolt handle off and made a new one for use with a scope and welded it on. Drilled and tapped it for scope mounts and made the two stage trigger into a single stage adjustable, a little trick an old gunsmith taught me. I got him a composite stock and glassed the action in. Since it is a small ring action I chose a middle of the road load of 46 grs IMR 4350 and loaded up some 154 Gr Hornady interlocks I just happen to have. When I went to the range I found that I did not need to look any farther for a load. This load would shoot under 1/2" at 100 yards. My buddy has killed everything from groundhogs to deer with this rifle and load.
I just happen to have a Spanish "Hornet" Mauser that I picked up a few years ago that is in 90% condition for $100.00 and got a set of Lee dies and a box of bullets, about 75, 145 gr Speer in the trade. Guy needed money. W.M Bell killed about 1000 or so elephants with a 7mm Mauser.