Does anyone still use the old 7mm Mauser these days?

Here's mine:

I haven't gotten around to shooting it yet, but it has a decent barrel, so it should be fine....

RemingtonM1902.jpg

Same with me. Middle one. Has excessive headspace for modern 7x57, which is normal for these, I understand. Neck-sizing the brass prevents moving the shoulder back.

 
For making brass for guns with excessive headspace, first expand the neck with a 30 caliber ball (I used a Lyman 30 caliber M-die), then neck it back down to 7mm, a fraction of an inch at a time. Each time you neck it down a little, try it for fit. When it finally fits in the chamber and the bolt closes, stop. You end up with a "false shoulder". When you fire it the first time, the shoulder fills and fireforms to the chamber.

 
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I decided to "learn" about the 7x57 when the first Ruger 77s came out. The long throat and I didn't get along, so it went to a Ruger collector. Then came a #1 AB that didn't know it was supposed to put three shots close together, and I didn't want to ruin its value, so that went the same way.

A Remington 700 Classic was next. Put up in a Chet Brown kevlar stock with a Leupold 2 1/2 x 8, it's been my usual backup rifle after taking a couple of mulies. It loves the 140 Gr. Nosler CT @ just under 2900 fps.
 
Many years ago I got a quick lesson about the Spanish pre 98 actions
and the 7X57 cartridge when I bought a sporterized 93 or 95 Mauser in
7X57. A few rounds fired resulted in bulged brass and one punctured
primer and escaping gas and I very quickly got rid of it. A sound rifle
in original condition would probably be fine with moderate pressure
factory loads and handloads. The Spanish rifles that are of original
Spanish make are known for likely having somewhat soft steel. This
is not readily apparent but results in bolt locking lug setback in the
receiver if fired repeatedly with full power ammo that exceeds original
military specs.
The 7X57 cartridge has taken on mystical powers in the US like some
other metric foreign rounds but there isn't anything really special about
it. It's big brother, the 8X57 is an underated ctg. in the US but is a
far better big game round. I have one 7X57 rifle today. It's a true 98
Mauser carbine with a 17.5" barrel made by FN for Venezuela back in
the 30s most likely. From what I've read the short carbines were made
for the rural police departments and never were subjected to the
heavy useage of military combat. Could be because mine has a well
used exterior but the bore is excellent. I bought it at a gun show back
in the early 70s. I have dies, brass and bullets but all I've ever done
so far is fire a few US factory SP sporting rounds through it. There's
nothing really wrong with the 7X57 ctg. and nothing really special
about it either. As for the pre 98 actioned rifles I would suggest that
anyone really interested in Mauser rifles acquire the Kuhnhausen shop
manual.
 
I have an 1895 Lowe rifle that was cut down by bubba. From the look of the barrel I swear he used a pipe cutter. Have to take off about 2" from the 21" long barrel. He got carried away with the tourch. Gonna cut back the stock to the first barrel band and when done will have a williams rear and something up front. Barrel was kinda cruddy but a few hundred passed with a used 30 caliber bore brush has brought a shine back. So that is where it stands now. I do have some old Hansen Cartridge company ball ammo to try out before I start reloading. Frank
 
The 7x57 is the Euro version equivalent to the .270, or maybe 7x51 aka 7mm 308. Many folks argue the 6.5 Swed is better, but generations of hunters around the world prefer the 7x57 and new rifles are cataloged.
Geoff
Who read way too many gun books in a misspent youth.
 
It's not difficult to form 7mm brass from .30-'06, and that's what I did for the first 7mm rifle I had. Just make one pass thru the FL sizing die and trim the neck to length. The standard procedure for handling a rifle having excess headspace (assuming you are a reloader) is simply to neck-size the cases only after the first firing. Just back off the sizing die a little to do that. Then you have zero excess headspace thereafter. Strange how so many people don't understand that (or anything else about headspace), and it works fine so long as you are not planning to use the same ammunition in multiple rifles of the same caliber. Also it allows the brass to last forever, as the case body is not worked.
 
For making brass for guns with excessive headspace, first expand the neck with a 30 caliber ball (I used a Lyman 30 caliber M-die), then neck it back down to 7mm, a fraction of an inch at a time. Each time you neck it down a little, try it for fit. When it finally fits in the chamber and the bolt closes, stop. You end up with a "false shoulder". When you fire it the first time, the shoulder fills and fireforms to the chamber.



Another method I have used is to seat the 175 gr RN very shallow so it engages the rifling & forces the cartridge back against the bolt face. Serves the same purpose. :cool:
 
I have 3 Brazilian contract DWM Mausers, one is a carbine with 20 in barrel, very handy woods gun. Great guns for a great cartridge. So strong an action that I accidently put a .308 Winchester round through the carbine, no problem.

I also have a Ruger 77 with the skeletal type stock with a Springfield armory 6 power on it.

The 7mm Mauser has taken a few Elk and deer with no problems. One shot DRT. 170 grain bullets, have great ballistic coefficient and sectional density. If it was good enough for W. D. M. (Karamojo) Bell , it's good enough for me.

Easy on the shoulder too.
 

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Using a ballastics calculator on the 7mm Mauser using a 125yd zero the bullets path from the muzzle to 125yds varies 1/2" to 3/4" with the 175gr bullet. It's a very flat shooting round. We copied the design when we developed our 30-06.

I planned on playing with my '93, '95, 1908, steyer 7mm mausers but the prostate cancer interrupted those plans. I have the surplus ammo. The Brazilian 1908 7mm Mauser is a large ring.
 
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I have a Model 70 Featherweight 2013 Shot Show edition chambered in 7X57.

It's not my first 7X57, but it's by far my favorite.


Can you post photos of it? Sounds like a really nice and interesting rifle.

What ammo do you use in it?
 
I have 3 Brazilian contract DWM Mausers, one is a carbine with 20 in barrel, very handy woods gun. Great guns for a great cartridge. So strong an action that I accidently put a .308 Winchester round through the carbine, no problem.

I also have a Ruger 77 with the skeletal type stock with a Springfield armory 6 power on it.

The 7mm Mauser has taken a few Elk and deer with no problems. One shot DRT. 170 grain bullets, have great ballistic coefficient and sectional density. If it was good enough for W. D. M. (Karamojo) Bell , it's good enough for me.

Easy on the shoulder too.

Your Mausers have 98 actions, big difference between them
and Spanish made pre 98s. Ever read the story in the AR
magazine about the guy who sporterized his Arisaka and
used it for deer hunting? He knew conversions to 30-06
were popular so he rechambered his rifle to 30-06.
Used it for a while and took one deer with it. The brutal
recoil got to him so he had a gun smith look at it.
The owner was none too bright the gun smith discovered
because the Arisaka was a 6.5 mm not a 7.7 mm. Yep
factory 30-06 ammo fired through a 6.5 mm bore.
Strong rifles protect foolish people sometimes.
The 7X57 is a fine cartridge but it's the bullet that takes the
game animal and the 7X57 is in the same class as the
7mm-08 ctg. Both are fine light rifle cartridges but are not
quite the equal of the longer .270 and .280 rounds. The
short .284 Winchester that was supposed to equal the longer
cased rounds seems to be a forgotten ctg. today while the
7X57 and 7mm-08 remain popular.
 
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The 7x57 and 6.5x55 to me are two of the finest medium game calibers ever made. Especially if you handload. The factory rounds for both are pretty anemic in the U.S. compared to the European loadings.
 
Many years ago, I put together a 'budget' ultimate deer rifle. Had read about the attributes of the 7x57 for years. Put a Barbera Mauser 7x57 barrelled action into a Bell & Carlson synthetic stock. All the in-the-white metal was shipped off for coating in black Teflon. (that was the rage then).
She served as an admirable deer gun for several years.

Somehow, as I aged, this rifle grew heavier. I loved the caliber, but wanted something shorter, lighter and more compact.
Traded it for a Remington Model 7 in SS with synthetic stock in 7mm-08.
Put my old Redfield 2-7x scope on it.

Now, I had a short action, and the 7-08 is a near ballistic twin to the 7x57. Best of all worlds for me.
I have far too many long guns fitting the description of 'deer rifle', but the M7 is my go-to meat gun.
 
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