7x57

[Tunaman]

I have a hankering for a caliber that none of my buddies have and I have pretty much decided on a 7x57. I am going to build it on the "cheap" on a Steven's action, A&B barrel from Midway and maybe a Boyd's JRS stock. Here is my question. The Max cartridge OAL with most 140 grain bullets is 2.82. Could I get away with using a short action or would I be better off using long action. I don't plan on shooting anything heavier than 140 as I have a few other 7mm rifles that are better suited to heavier bullets. does anyone have any suggestions?

[LONGTOM]

If you really want to go the cheap way get one for a HANDI.
I just shot mine for the first time yesterday.
Very pleasant to shoot.
Mild recoil and done a very nice job in the accuracy department as well.
With factory REM 140s I was getting a solid 1" to 1.25" three shot group.
I know this isn't what you asked and I can't tell you.
This is the first 7x57 I have ever owned.


LONGTOM

[Tunaman]

I would love to find a 7x57 handi. They seem to be harder to find than my 401k. I think that I will try this build but thanks for the advice. I am glad to hear that that 7x57 is shooting for you.

[LONGTOM]

Post a WTB, maybe someone will be willing to part with one.
Then again maybe NOT!!!

I got mine from a friend who had his fun with it and wanted to move on.


LONGTOM

[rickt300]

Here's how it is, if you are going to build on a long action you should build a 280 Remington. The short action is too short for the 7x57 I believe. Build your 7x57 on a 24/47 Mauser action and us the F14 taper 7x57 barrel. You will get an action specifically designed for a cartridge the length of the 7x57 and with a little tuning there is really no equal to it in terms of reliability and extremely useful accuracy.

[AtlLaw]

I got a 7x57 Handi a couple of years ago and really like the caliber.  So much in fact, I picked up a Swedish Mauser action and am going to have it rebarred in that caliber.  I wouldn't put the 7mm in a short action, but then I've never understood the short action craze anyway.     I blame it for the 260 being based on the 308 cartridge case rather then the 30/06!    

[03A2]

Since max COAL for most short action cartridges is 2.800-2.810, I don't see why a short action wouldn't work, especially with flat bases.  Remember, the 6mm Rem and 257 Bob are based on the same case and both have been built on short actions.  I also want a 7X57 but would build it on a long action in case I decided to load 175's warmly.  I like lots of options.  I used to worry about little details like 1/2" of action length, but noticed that some of my long actioned rifles were shorter (maybe a 1/8th inch) than some of my short actioned rifles of similar  barrel length, due to differences in stock and action make.  I would not build a 280 because the 7mm mauser was introduced in 1892?, making it, I believe, the longest running, unchanged smokeless sporting cartridge, one of those little details that does still appeal greatly to me.

[Mikey]

Tunaman:  rickt300 is right about action length.  You should use a long action.  I think the 7x57 is a gentleman's caliber, for alla you gents out there, and if I was going to build one it would be on a 98 Mauser action.  Even if you only load a 140 gn boolet into the 7mm, the action length would be exactly what the col and the 98 action call for.  If you ever decide to go up to a 175 gn slug you can definately load it long, if you need to, and never need to worry.

Here's an example::::  I have a Swedish 98 - it's a Husquarvarna sporter, a 98 action made for the 8x57.  I loaded up a bunch of round for accuracy testing with some 195 and 200 gn bullets, loaded them long, and in loading both slugs to just kiss the rifling I found the overall length of the loaded cartridge to be longer than a factory 180 gn 30-06, which is a 62-63mm case length.  I feel it is better to go with the longer action and, of course, the 98 action was made for the 7x57.  Good luck and let us know how it goes.  Mikey.

[Coyote Hunter]

Using a short action is asking for problems as the 7x57's max COL is longer than what many short actions can accomodate. 

Use a long action or a Mauser action designed for the 7x/8x series.

[Graybeard]

To take MAXIMUM advantage of the potential of the 7x57 you do need a long action but yes they can and will work in short actions as well. You do need to seat your bullets a bit deeper into the case on them than say on a 7-08 and this is especially so with heavier bullets from say 160 to 175 grains. Using the 140-150 grain bullets most commonly used it really is of no concern.

Folks talk of losing case capacity due to deep seating but this is mostly BS as most loads don't use 100% of case capacity anyway and unless your load is a compressed one you really lose nothing.

I do agree tho that if you use a long action then go with the .280 not the 7x57 or better yet the .280AI for something really unique your friends won't have.

[Tunaman]

Thanks for all of the advice guys. I was really not tied to either long or short action, I was just a bit perplexed as the max coal even with 180's falls somewhere in the middle of the two action legenths. I thought about the 280 but i really like the idea of an old meteric cartridge that is still in use. This will not be the last rifle that i own so, maybe the 280AI will come down the line. I think that I will go with the Long action, but again, I will stay in the 120-140 gr bullets. I have a 7-08, 7mm rem, and a 7mm stw so if I need a heavier 284 bullet, it will go in one of these. This will be an eastern whitetail rifle. I will let you all know how it works out. By the way, Graybeard, Do you have a 7x57 700? If so, how does it shoot and how do you feel about the rifle/cartidge combination. There is a 700 avaliable in one of our local shops but in my opnion they want a lot more than what it is worth in the condition it is in. There is some rust on the barrel and reciever but the bore looks good.

[Graybeard]

By the way, Graybeard, Do you have a 7x57 700? If so, how does it shoot and how do you feel about the rifle/cartidge combination.

Nope that's one I don't have. I do have a Model Seven 25th Anniversary rifle in 7-08 which is the ballistic twin of it. This one has a 22" barrel unlike most Model Sevens and same as the LSS Mtn. Rifle in 7-08 I bought so performance of the to should be identical. Even in 18.5" and 20" barrels of other Model Sevens I've bought the performance of the round is super so no reason the 7x57 should be the same.

My first ever centerfire rifle was an old mauser in 7x57 so I do have a soft spot for the round but tend to buy 7-08 rifles instead.

[Selmer]

There is a very nice M700 Mt. Rifle Laminate/blued available at the 24hourcampfire.com classifieds for a good price.
Selmer

[Badnews Bob]

The M 48 mauser action is an intermidiate action and fit the 7x57 very well, you may want to look at one of those.

[federali]

The 7X57 is one of the all time great rounds. Easy on the shoulder, allowing most hunters to shoot better with it. It's taken game all over the world and I think it was James Karamojo Bell that used a 7X57 to cull elephants, killing more than 1100 in his lifetime. For those of you old enough to remember the writings of Jack O'Connor, he hunted the world with a .270 while his wife, Eleanor took all manner of game with a 7X57.
Good luck with your 7mm project.

[Graybeard]

There is a very nice M700 Mt. Rifle Laminate/blued available at the 24hourcampfire.com classifieds for a good price.
Selmer

To the best of my knowledge (I do not claim to be all knowing) that configuration has never been offered by Remington at least not as a cataloged item. The laminated stocks are always fitted to stainless metal and blued is always fitted to walnut it seems. There has been some minor cross over of that recently in the newer CDL SF models.

[Tunaman]

There is a very nice M700 Mt. Rifle Laminate/blued available at the 24hourcampfire.com classifieds for a good price.
Selmer

To the best of my knowledge (I do not claim to be all knowing) that configuration has never been offered by Remington at least not as a cataloged item. The laminated stocks are always fitted to stainless metal and blued is always fitted to walnut it seems. There has been some minor cross over of that recently in the newer CDL SF models.

This may be another case of Remington's gun of the month club.

[Tallwalker]

Well, if you want something really unique, have the barrel stamped 275 Rigby when you get your 7x57 built. Same cartridge, and at least one gun company did that for a few. The 7x57 can be a bit finicky about feeding from some actions for some strange reason so you might want to check before you get too far with some dummy rounds. On the other hand, .257 Roberts rounds (same case) feed like corn through a goose in my .308 Ruger MKII......... and I wish Ruger would chamber the short action in that caliber,  or Remington for that matter!

[Brithunter]

Ahhhh the .275 Rigby is a specific loading using a round nosed bullet. This was as I understand it due to Rigby surviving a shot to the head in WW1 which glanced off his tin hat  he was convinced that if the bullet had been round nosed instead of a spitzer it would have gone through his head rather than glancing off. So his version of the 7x57 used a blunter nosed bullet.

Yes I happen to like the 7x57 and it was a rifle in this chambering that I used back in 2003 for my Missouri Whitetail hunt using Hornady 139 grain BTSP bullets. It proved effective but I don't believe that my loads even with this bullet would have fitted in a short action. The Mauser action is not a short action and was designed for this length case so if your going to build a 7x57 then use a Mauser action or a modern action of the proper length which most likely means a long action  .

[Coyote Hunter]

...
On the other hand, .257 Roberts rounds (same case) feed like corn through a goose in my .308 Ruger MKII......... and I wish Ruger would chamber the short action in that caliber,  or Remington for that matter!

The .257 Roberts max COL is too long for a Ruger short action magazine.  Not a problem as far as I'm concerned, my Ruger M77 Bob shoots far too well to care about action length.

[yooper77]

I shot my first deer with a old Spanish 7x57 Mauser with 140 grain Herters hollow point bullets loaded with IMR-4350.

The rifle still had the straight bolt and military stock with a modified rear peep sight made from a Allen head bolt.

The headspacing on the rifle got too bad so now its warm and safe in the house.

yooper77

[Tallwalker]

I would choose a long action for sure for the 7x57. The Ruger is the shortest "long" action available, and would be a good choice. I like GOOD Mauser actions too, and have built a few 7x57 / 257 Roberts rifles on them. They are easier to bed than the Ruger. The .257 used to have a problem with long chamber throats, and short actions, or filler blocks in the case of the model 70 Win. These days the throats in factory chambers are much shorter (The throat in my Ruger is shorter than the throat in my old Remington 722), and anything that will fit in the chamber will fit in a Ruger short action. I agree with Coyote Hunter........ they shoot well enough not to worry about the details very much!

BTW Sturm Ruger did ship a bunch of .275 Rigby's, so one more thing to keep the collectors looking for I guess.

[Tunaman]

well, I had what i thought was a good plan but it is amazing how things change. I walked into a local shop to order the stevens for the project when low and behold I spot some nice wood. I crept over to used gun rack and picked up a Mod 70 featherweight in 257 bob. This rifle was a 10+ in the wood and blueing departments and it just felt so right in my hand. I talked to the guy behind the counter and he was willing to knock a few bucks off of the price and what do you know, the bob followed me home. I traded off my last bob a year ago and I have regretted ever since but one thing is for sure, this is a much nicer looking rifle. I hope that it shoots. If it does, My daughter may shoot it this year.  Needless to say, The 7x57 will have to wait for a while.

[Brithunter]

Oh dear what a shame  means you have to get another rifle later on..................... pity that 


Oh nice find!

[LONGTOM]

Just another reason to buy another gun!!!   


LONGTOM

[Coyote Hunter]

well, I had what i thought was a good plan but it is amazing how things change. I walked into a local shop to order the stevens for the project when low and behold I spot some nice wood. I crept over to used gun rack and picked up a Mod 70 featherweight in 257 bob. This rifle was a 10+ in the wood and blueing departments and it just felt so right in my hand. I talked to the guy behind the counter and he was willing to knock a few bucks off of the price and what do you know, the bob followed me home. I traded off my last bob a year ago and I have regretted ever since but one thing is for sure, this is a much nicer looking rifle. I hope that it shoots. If it does, My daughter may shoot it this year.  Needless to say, The 7x57 will have to wait for a while.

Tunaman -

Congrats on the Bob. My Ruger .257 Roberts is easily my favorite rifle.

[Boxhead]

A great round for sure. I searched long and hard for a classic rifle for the classic caliber and found this post-war Walther Mauser for $500. It is light, accurate and shoots dead on to the folding sights too.

[Coyote Hunter]

Had my Roberts at the range today, along with a couple .30-06s (Savage and Remington).  We spent a little time at 100 yards before moving to the longer ranges where we shot balloons at 200 and 300 yards, clay pigeons at 400 yards, and teel at 500 yards.

The most accurate rifle of the day was the Ruger Bob and 115g TSX running about 3000fps avg.  Had planned to take both .30-06s elk hunting but may take only one and the Bob.  That thing is just too much fun.

[Tallwalker]

Coyote Hunter, I think you posted once, but I don't remember if your Ruger Bob is a standard Hawkeye, or the Ultra Light?

[DC]

All I can tell you is that I had a 7x57 FN Mauser...step barrel, sporterized...and I wish I still had it. It was a great gun and a great cartidge.