X,
The 7mm Mauser is a very fine rifle,if the one you are looking at is in good shape buy it.Federal makes a factory load for it and it is by all means good for deer and elk.

A 30-06 has more power than th 308 winchester and 270 winchester.
The 30-06 would be a good all aroud preformer.

"The 7 X 57 Mauser round performs (when loaded to potential) exactly like a smaller edition of the Springfield (.30-'06) cartridge. It propels bullets of the same sectional densities (but 20 to 30 grains lighter) to very similar velocities, and the trajectories are virtually identical.
Like the .30-'06, it is a thoroughly dependable round that gets the job done efficiently without any great fuss or furor.The '06 is more powerful, and may be preferable on the biggest beasties. But for 90% of all the big game hunting that most do, the 7mm Mauser is ample. It is one of my favorite cartridges."

Quoted from "Hunting Rifles and Cartridges" By Finn Aagaard, a lifetime professional hunter and gun enthusiast

Don't worry about it! Any of the cartridges mentioned above will do a fine job on deer size game if you do your part (proper shot placement with good ammo). The 7mm-08 and .308 are excellent short action cartridges. The .270, 7mm Mauser (7x57), 280 Remington, or 30-06 are all good standard rounds to use. Ammo is readily availabe for all. The 7mm Mauser selection of ammo may be limited in factory loads, but it's a good
round for those who "roll" their own.
Shop around. Try out your friends' guns. Pick the rifle, in any of these cartridges, that
fits you best, that you like, and fits your budget. Savage is good, so is Remington,
Ruger & Winchester.
By the way, any of the above cartridges will also handle black bear, and even Elk in most cases.

Checked the rifling on the 7x57 today. It's in spiffy condition. Shiny rifling that doesn't look rusted or the like.
Also, the bushnell scope on it magnifies from 3x to 9x so its pretty much a done deal. Also checked the federal webpage. They make ammunition with 185 grain bullets for the 7mm mauser. All my bases are covered.
Putting it on layaway day after tommorrow.
Not bad for a $299.00 dollar gun.
Also according to Federal's charts. The 185 grain bullet should still have 900 pound/feat pressure at 300 yards. Which according to the stuff I've been reading is about the minimum you want when a bullet hits a deer. Could be wrong. But I'm pretty sure I read that right.

Taking the advice of several people along with what I've read on the boards here, I put a Rem 30-06 on layaway. It is in near perfect condition.
It looks fantastic. Synthetic stock (black) and a blue barrel makes for a sleek looking gun.

Are you sure you want a 700? That sounds like an ADL, is it new or used? They can be had new in the U.S. for around $300-$400 new. But as I have said before, I would stay away from a new Remington. If you don't like recoil, that 06 will rock you pretty good, where the 7MM mauser will simply give you a little "Love tap" on the shoulder. Myself, I think I would prefer the 7x57.

For the 7x57 Mauser try to find a 150 grain bullet for deer, even 140 will do. Those heavy bullets around 175 grain will be at an "disavantage" for deer sized animials in 7mm cal..

The 7x57 is a great cartridge, but like all cartridges, you need to match the bullet for the size animial you are hunting. Useing too heavy of a bullet will cause you to loose animials, because the small animial doesn't offer up enough resistance for the heavier bullet to expand well.

Drilling Man

Recoil isn't a problem. As for the exact remington model I couldn't tell you. I checked the gun from muzzle to recoil pad and everything was fine. Also, according to the Wal-Mart catalog I couldn't find a new remington for that price. Keep in mind this is with a bushnel scope 3x - 9x like the mauser.

The reason I decided against the 7x57 was the ammuntion. I would be limited to buying ammo off the net, or reloading the ammo. I'm not going to like that I can tell you.

The 30-06, from what I've read, should be enough for anything I want to hunt big game wise in the Continental United States. That was the final decision maker.

Much as I like the 7 X 57 and Mauser actions, it's tough to disagree with your choice. A 30-06 rifle will serve you well in a wide array of venues.

Xavantes

As far as I'm concerned you made the right decision. I just went through the same process of deciding on a new gun & caliber. I've been shooting a 6.5X55 for several years and wanted something with which I could hunt larger game if the occasion presented itself. (Plan to do some bear hunting this fall)

I chose the 30-06 because of all the reasons that you and others have mentioned and because I'm so used to the lite recoil of the 6.5x55, I picked the Browining BAR for the reduced recoil offered by an automatic. I'm quite pleased with both the gun and the caliber and can't wait to see how she performs in the field this fall.

Good luck with your new Odd 6.

firstshot