7x57 vs other calibers out there
 

I'm about to purchase my first hunting rifle and I'm a bit green to all this. My Father in law has expressed that he feels a .270 would be a fitting gun. He uses a .270 Savage himself. I know a .243 is probably the lowest I would want for Deer in the southeast (GA). I don't want to go with the lowest caliber. I also don't want overkill, but I would like the option to hunt bigger game should the opportunity arise (such as elk or bear).
At my local store I found a Mauser 7X57 with a nice scope (don't have specifics but was magnified nicely when I looked through it) for around 300 dollars.
There were several other rifles there, a Savage .243, a couple of 30x06's and some higher more expensive calibers. Right now the 7x57 (which I understand to be a .283 if you use that to measure) and a nice 30x06 are my main two contenders.
I was looking for some input.
/Xav

RE: 7x57 vs other calibers out there
 

My first rifle was a 7x57, which I used when I lived in the northeastern US. It is a nice deer rifle for your area and would be fine on black bear. I am sure it would work for Elk too - but you would have to discipline yourself - some shots that one might take with a magnum or larger caliber ought not to be taken with a 7x57. It will have less recoil and less noise than a 30-06, which might be important in a built up area. The 7x57 is an "all round" caliber, but the premier all round caliber for North American hunting is the 30-06. Just take a look at the ammunition for sale at the store that is selling the rifles - there is far more selection in 30-06, signalling that it is the more popular caliber by far. (That is true in any gun store I have been in - but although I visited south Georgia (around Douglas) many times, I never did any shopping or hunting there, so am unable to comment on whether what I said would be true there as well.)

RE: 7x57 vs other calibers out there
 

If you aren't planning on handloading for it, I would get a 7mm-08 instead- pretty much the same performance as the 7x57, but available in factory loads loaded to its potential.

RE: 7x57 vs other calibers out there
 

the 7mm mauser is a sweet shooting cartridge. I take it these are all used guns you are looking at. Make sure the 7x57 is in good shape before you buy. I'm willing to bet it is a spoterized 98 military rifle. They are built like tanks, so just make sure that barrel is good. Hows the rifling? check for bulges, and buy that gun! I love those things!

RE: 7x57 vs other calibers out there
 

How would I check the barrel and rifling? Would the store allow me to shoot rounds to test it out?

RE: 7x57 vs other calibers out there
 

Make sure the barrel is clean. Bring a bore light with you, they cost about $5.
Remove the bolt from the rifle. put the bore light at one end and look down the other. A bore that hasn't been abused or neglected should look shiny, and the rifling should look sharp, not rounded.

If the bore looks grayish, this is ok too- it just means the bore might be fouled or slightly pitted (or frosted). If the bore looks fuzzy, bumpy, black, rusty, or the rifling looks chipped or rounded, the barrel has been neglected or has shot alot of corrosive ammo without proper cleaning- buying one of these is a crap shoot- it might shoot fine but foul up quickly, or might not shoot well at all.

RE: 7x57 vs other calibers out there
 

If you get the 7x57, you will love it BUT. Figure on reloading. Thats the only way to bring out the best in that caliber. As someone else said if you don't reload get a 270 or 7mm-08. Or even a 308.

RE: 7x57 vs other calibers out there
 

By reloading you mean handloading the shells? I'm not familiar with doing that. Perhaps I should get a .270 or 30-06. The Mauser is a sweet rifle though. I'll check out the other rifles there whenever I go back in a week or so.
Thanks for the advice.

RE: 7x57 vs other calibers out there
 

The 7mm Mauser is one of the all time greats,But like everyone has said to get it full potential you need to handload. Or buy ammo made in Europe.
If the .270 is your 2nd choice you can get a Savage with scope, detachable magazine, synthetic stock for $339 at Walmart, If you don't like Walmart most gunshops can sell them for about $360.
They are very good rifles for the money.
The Savage with the detachable mag is cheaper than the other package guns but only comes in .270 and 30-06.

Good luck

RE: 7x57 vs other calibers out there
 

Well a friend at work is going to bring his .308 so I can try it out. Basically gonna fire a round to see if I like the feel and kick. There was a .308 up there but I figured at the time it would be a bit of overkill. He has taken 8 deer with the gun and says he likes the power behind it. One was a doe through brush. He could see the rear end of the deer and aimed for the kill zone. The bullet went through the brush and dropped the deer right there. Hard to argue with that.
But if I had to say a second choice it would be the .270 or 30 06.

RE: 7x57 vs other calibers out there
 

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.

RE: 7x57 vs other calibers out there
 

"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

RE: 7x57 vs other calibers out there
 

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.

RE: 7x57 vs other calibers out there
 

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.

RE: 7x57 vs other calibers out there
 

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.

RE: 7x57 vs other calibers out there
 

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.

RE: 7x57 vs other calibers out there
 

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

RE: 7x57 vs other calibers out there
 

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.

RE: 7x57 vs other calibers out there
 

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.

RE: 7x57 vs other calibers out there
 

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

RE: 7x57 vs other calibers out there
 

I have a Ruger #1 in a 7x57 Mauser and it is an awsome little caliber. It has about half the recoil of a 30-06 and only goes about 200 fps slower. Hornady has a 140gr SST Light Magnum load for it at 2900 fps. The 7x57 mauser is a standard 7mm (284) and has killed every species of big game on the planet and was once used to kill Elephants. If I was only going to have one rifle it would be a 30-06 but I have both and they both kill deer very well.