The old 7 mm Mauser - what can it do today?

[GatorFarmer]

I ended up with a Chilean Mauser thus chambered. It had the bolt bent and scope mounts installed. I need to get a new rear sight for it. It has aged well for being pre 20th century. What is the 7 mm Mauser capable of?

 

[Gunslinger808]

I have an old Chilean 7X57 as well.
With it you should have no problem getting minute of angle (with the right load), and it's good out to 600m.
It'll do just fine on Deer and Elk.

 

[WR Moore]

Check out the current issue of "The Rifle" on the news stand. Depending upon barrel condition and such, it should take care of anything you're likely to run into in SC and quite a few other places.

Briefly, it was used quite successfully to take non-dangerous game up to 1000 lbs by quite a few folks with the right ammo.

 

[Alpo]

It can and has been used to successfully take every land animal on the planet, including African elephants.

W.D.M. Bell and His Elephants

 

[310Pilot]

The 7x57 Mauser is an excellent cartridge, flat shooting, typically good accuracy, and capable of taking any game animal in North America, as well as Africa. It is well proven on both continents, with a long and admirable history. IIRC, it was one of Jack O'Connor's favorite calibers. It never achieved as great a following in the US as the "home grown" calibers, such as 270, 308 and 30-06, but is quite capable in its own right. I used to have a custom Mauser 98 action Mannlicher carbine in 7x57 which was extremely accurate, and a joy to shoot. The only rifle I currently have in that caliber is an FN-49 semi-auto (Chilean, IIRC), which is quite rare, very few were made, and only for one country. It is much more accurate than many military rifles, and delivers a good punch. Enjoy that Mauser!

 

[DWalt]

As noted, the 7mm is very capable of doing about as much as anyone in North America needs. It might not be the best choice for very long range shooting or for really big game, but otherwise it will perform as well as a .30-'06, .308, or .270 in most hunting situations given the correct bullet, and is far better than anything in the .30-30 class. Despite its advanced age, it deserves to be a lot more popular than it is.

 

[BearBio]

The 7x57 Mauser is an excellent cartridge, flat shooting, typically good accuracy, and capable of taking any game animal in North America, as well as Africa. It is well proven on both continents, with a long and admirable history. IIRC, it was one of Jack O'Connor's favorite calibers. It never achieved as great a following in the US as the "home grown" calibers, such as 270, 308 and 30-06, but is quite capable in its own right. I used to have a custom Mauser 98 action Mannlicher carbine in 7x57 which was extremely accurate, and a joy to shoot. The only rifle I currently have in that caliber is an FN-49 semi-auto (Chilean, IIRC), which is quite rare, very few were made, and only for one country. It is much more accurate than many military rifles, and delivers a good punch. Enjoy that Mauser!

I understand it was THE favorite of Mrs O'Connor. She took 18 head of african game with 19 shots.

 

[41RF]

It is a fine round with adequate power and a milder kick than some. I've had a Mauser 98 (FN 1924 carbine), and a Mannlicher carbine. Very accurate in both.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

Rigby in England calls it 275 Rigby, with their own loading. Jim Corbett took a tiger with it at 400 yards. I have several boxes of Norma loaded with 154grain semi-spitzer, these are almost the same round at half the price. The foriegn loadings are much hotter than American loadings and the 139 gr. is probably what the military sights are set for( the 174 gr round nose was for rolling block rifles). I have a Ruger No.1 in 7x57 that is a real hoot! Enjoy, Ivan.

 

[steveno]

I had Ruger #1A's in 270 and 7 x 57 and they both shot very good. I paid $287 (that has been quite a few years ago) new for the 270 and not much more for the 7 x 57. I got rid of the 7 x 57 just because the 270 had better wood on it. I should have swapped the wood first and kept the 7 x 57. the 7 x 57 is good enough for just about anything you want to shoot and very pleasant to shoot .

 

[deadin]

I keep meaning togetout and shoot this 7x57. Maybe one of these days......

 

[mjr]

I keep meaning togetout and shoot this 7x57. Maybe one of these days......

Oh, do I covet that! Very nice indeed.

 

[CW Spook]

Lots of the old cartridges are badly overlooked these days. 7x57, 8mm, 30-06, 7.62x54. .303 Enfield...even the old 30/40 are sufficient for all but the largest, most dangerous game and Bell & Corbett could well argue even that point.

 

[badge]

It's a wonderful round with a great deal of history as several posters have pointed out. It's also a kitten recoil wise which is nice for many shooters.

 

[Wyatt Burp]

I keep meaning togetout and shoot this 7x57. Maybe one of these days......

I've been saying the same thing for a long time but haven't gotten around to it.

 

[nawilson]

I love those old Mausers! 7x57 will do most anything on this continent that you need and do it with style. If I recall, hand loaders can really get the most out of the cartridge as some of the factory loadings are anemic.

 

[keith44spl]

The 7X57 is a dandy of an all rounder....




Su Amigo,
Dave

 

[Alpo]

I've been saying the same thing for a long time but haven't gotten around to it.

Ayup. Mama Bear, here, in the middle. I'll get her shot one of these days.

 

[Texas Star]

If this Chilean Mauser is a M-95, go easy on jhe loads. The steel and heat treatment won't sustain hot ammo.

O'Connor said that the reason why he favored the .270 over the 7X57MM was that the barrel throats of the 7mm were made for the original 175 grain bullets. With shorter 139-140 grain bullets loaded hotter, barrel throats eroded sooner.

That said, if you use standard US factory loads, not the warmer stuff from some factories, the '95 Chilean Mauser will drop deer and the like easily at average ranges.

As for how it performed militarily, keep in mind what this same rifle did in the hands of the Boers against the British and what the Spaniards did to our forces in Cuba in 1898. Technically, the Spaniards had the Model '93, but it was almost identical to the '95.

Now: why did the Boers/Afrikaaners order the M-95, not the better M-98? I wrote years ago to the South African military attache at their embassy in Washington, D.C. He passed my letter on to a museum official in South Africa and that man looked up the dates when the Transvaal and the Orange Free State ordered those rifles and carbines. The order was placed in 1896, soon after the Jameson Raid. There was a mix of turned down bolts and straight bolts. I think the carbines all had turned down bolts. The arms for the Orange Free State were marked O.V.S., meaning in Dutch and Afrikaans, Orange Free State, Oranje Vreei Staat. If Peter or Theur see this, maybe they'll correct my spelling, which I think is off a bit. (Peter lives in South Africa and Theur is Dutch.)

The results that those Mausers achieved at such battles as Spion Kop (Spy Hill) are pretty grisly.

 

[Wyatt Burp]

Texas Star, thanks for bringing up the Chilean/Boer Mauser connection. I'm not into the various military Mausers EXCEPT the Chilean ones bought or diverted for sale to the Boers. However that worked out.I especially like the ones with the traditional carved stocks with the Boers sweathearts or wives names carved in them and various designs that are almost a kind of folk art.
I remember an old Jack Lott article about the boers and how the dads would give their son a rifle and two cartridges and tell them to go hunting. If they came back with no game and only one or no cartridges, it's off to the woodshed. That would teach anyone to be a great rifle shot, which is an understatement when it comes to the Boers.