Anyone have experience with 7x57?

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So, been thinking forever about getting a Ruger No1 RSI, I've always wanted one, and its not an overly expensive rifle, just never got around to getting one. This year, soon, I think I'm going to finally get one. I want it to be chambered in something different. Originally I had always wanted one in the classic 30-06, but have been really studying up on 7x57.

The No1 isn't exactly a "popular" rifle, so I think it'd be just that much more neat having one in something different. It's primary use is just North American game. I doubt I'll ever go after moose or anything bigger than mule deer.

That said, anyone hunt/target shoot or enjoy loading for the 7x57?

In regards to white tail, I think too many people use way to much gun for deer. There's no such thing as "too dead" but I want to enjoy shooting the rifle aside from hunting season, and I've read that the 7x57 recoil is pretty shooter friendly. If so, what does it compare to?

I'm not recoil sensitive, but not a fan of needlessly beating myself up either.
 
So, been thinking forever about getting a Ruger No1 RSI, I've always wanted one, and its not an overly expensive rifle, just never got around to getting one. This year, soon, I think I'm going to finally get one. I want it to be chambered in something different. Originally I had always wanted one in the classic 30-06, but have been really studying up on 7x57.

The No1 isn't exactly a "popular" rifle, so I think it'd be just that much more neat having one in something different. It's primary use is just North American game. I doubt I'll ever go after moose or anything bigger than mule deer.

That said, anyone hunt/target shoot or enjoy loading for the 7x57?

In regards to white tail, I think too many people use way to much gun for deer. There's no such thing as "too dead" but I want to enjoy shooting the rifle aside from hunting season, and I've read that the 7x57 recoil is pretty shooter friendly. If so, what does it compare to?

I'm not recoil sensitive, but not a fan of needlessly beating myself up either.

I am.not into reloading, but my 1935 Mauser Chileno is by far the most pleasant rifle to shoot out of my arsenal. Very precise and one third less recoil vs my M39.
 
Great classic round. I’ve been successfully using a 7x57 for many years. Over 50 deer plus black bear and antelope have fallen to mine. All one shot drops but 2. Basically equivalent to the 7-08, which is considered by many to be the ideal deer round. Accurate, easy on the shoulder and plenty of ammo around, in both factory and reload components. Known to punch above it’s weight, with lots of history.
 
Decent round, but factory ammo in the US tends to be a bit underpowered due to the large number of older rifles out there. If you want the perfect combination of power, accuracy, availability and economy, along with a short-action chambering, stick with .308 Winchester. It will handle just about all of your hunting and general-shooting needs.
 
Decent round, but factory ammo in the US tends to be a bit underpowered due to the large number of older rifles out there. If you want the perfect combination of power, accuracy, availability and economy, along with a short-action chambering, stick with .308 Winchester. It will handle just about all of your hunting and general-shooting needs.

While true, the whole point of this rifle is that its something different. 308's and 30-06's are like going through life only enjoying vanilla or chocolate ice cream.
 
While true, the whole point of this rifle is that its something different. 308's and 30-06's are like going through life only enjoying vanilla or chocolate ice cream.
If you have a trusted dealer, explain to him or her that you are looking for a rifle in that caliber. If they run into one, ask them to call you so you can check it out. Ideally, it will be a Mauser 98 action sporterized with a custom barrel. It will, in all likelihood, be used. Check the headspace, barrel and overall condition before purchase. Get a reloading handbook and experiment with handloads until you find the load that performs the best in your particular rifle. I stay solely with .223 and .308 in my rifles simply because I do not have the time, patience or spare cash to get involved in handloading.
 
If you have a trusted dealer, explain to him or her that you are looking for a rifle in that caliber. If they run into one, ask them to call you so you can check it out. Ideally, it will be a Mauser 98 action sporterized with a custom barrel. It will, in all likelihood, be used. Check the headspace, barrel and overall condition before purchase. Get a reloading handbook and experiment with handloads until you find the load that performs the best in your particular rifle. I stay solely with .223 and .308 in my rifles simply because I do not have the time, patience or spare cash to get involved in handloading.

I'm set on the exact rifle I'd like. A Ruger No1 RSI.
 
Great Round took many deer and bear with it , It will handle any game in North America.
Look up a Big Game Hunter named Karamojo Bell . Took Elephants with 7x57 .
 
Great Round took many deer and bear with it , It will handle any game in North America.
Look up a Big Game Hunter named Karamojo Bell . Took Elephants with 7x57 .
I'm pretty sure that Bell is the guy who actually dissected several elephants to see exactly where the brain was. With that knowledge and exact shot placement he became the famous elephant hunter.
 
I've been thinking about a #1 for a while, as well. Interesting rifles, and a great variety of calibers over the years. I'm not sure I'd get the RSI, but out of the calibers they chambered that in, I'd pick the 7x57 as well. If they'd ever done them in 6.5x55, it'd be my first choice.

ETA: Poked around on Gunbroker, and they did make RSIs in 6.5x55. I'd go for that because I already reload 6.5mm - but there's a 280 Ackley in the project line already, so I could do 7x57 too.

that's it, I need two. or three
 
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7 x 57 pleasant cartridge to shoot. I had Ruger #1 in that and in 257 Roberts.

The only down side ( having a left handed son) neither one was a strait stock. Both had offset for right handed shooter. Don’t be fooled that it is a great setup for southpaw. That combined with a trigger that was only ok, but there was not much to be done for it then. (30 years ago)

But a nice to carry, fast to get to shoulder rifle.
 
While true, the whole point of this rifle is that its something different. 308's and 30-06's are like going through life only enjoying vanilla or chocolate ice cream.
Honestly I can't tell much of a difference between most centerfire "high power" cartridges be it 243, 270, 308, 30 06, 6.5, 30 40, even 30 30 though the 150 grain rounds are a little softer shooting. Close my eyes I cannot tell the difference.

If you want something different get a rifle that is different to you. If OP feels the No.1 is 'different' by all means enjoy but around here in New England it's almost impossible to shoot far enough that any of these rounds will perform any differently from each other which is why I prefer 308 because you can get very cheap steel cased and 7.62 NATO rounds for target shooting instead of $1,50 to 2,00 a round for specialty cartridges like "Spanish Mauser".

And no, with reloading you don't really save any money when you factor in time as well as the expense of the components. Count how long it takes to cook up 100 rounds, see how much money could have made by you working your day job that same amount of time, and add the cost of the components you reloaded to get the true cost. That's how much reloading truly cost you and unless you're on a fixed income with lots of time on your hands or earning close to minimum wage, it ain't cheap at all.
 
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Honestly I can't tell much of a difference between most centerfire "high power" cartridges be it 243, 270, 308, 30 06, 6.5, 30 40, even 30 30 though the 150 grain rounds are a little softer shooting. Close my eyes I cannot tell the difference.

If you want something different get a rifle that is different to you. If OP feels the No.1 is 'different' by all means enjoy but around here in New England it's almost impossible to shoot far enough that any of these rounds will perform any differently from each other which is why I prefer 308 because you can get very cheap steel cased and 7.62 NATO rounds for target shooting instead of $1,50 to 2,00 a round for specialty cartridges like "Spanish Mauser".

And no, with reloading you don't really save any money when you factor in time as well as the expense of the components. Count how long it takes to cook up 100 rounds, see how much money could have made, and add the cost of the components you reloaded to get the true cost. That's how much reloading truly cost you and unless you're on a fixed income with lots of time on your hands or earning close to minimum wage, it ain't cheap at all.
very true, if you have the time to make more money its easier to make money and buy ammo. IF your home not making money and watching 3plus hours of crap on TV reloading might not "save" you money but you can load exactly what you want when you want it.
 
very true, if you have the time to make more money its easier to make money and buy ammo. IF your home not making money and watching 3plus hours of crap on TV reloading might not "save" you money but you can load exactly what you want when you want it.
The other thing with reloading is the liability. All the local ranges thankfully have never experienced someone getting shot. But there are more than a few stories afoot about people getting hurt or killed by someone with handloaded ammo who blew up their gun with it.

I like the fact that if your (reasonably) well maintained gun gets someone gets hurt and you are doing everything factory original whilst following all laws and rules the lawyers go after the deeper pocket of the "factory original". Start rolling your own and you forfeit that protection.
 
Honestly I can't tell much of a difference between most centerfire "high power" cartridges be it 243, 270, 308, 30 06, 6.5, 30 40, even 30 30 though the 150 grain rounds are a little softer shooting. Close my eyes I cannot tell the difference.

If you want something different get a rifle that is different to you. If OP feels the No.1 is 'different' by all means enjoy but around here in New England it's almost impossible to shoot far enough that any of these rounds will perform any differently from each other which is why I prefer 308 because you can get very cheap steel cased and 7.62 NATO rounds for target shooting instead of $1,50 to 2,00 a round for specialty cartridges like "Spanish Mauser".

And no, with reloading you don't really save any money when you factor in time as well as the expense of the components. Count how long it takes to cook up 100 rounds, see how much money could have made by you working your day job that same amount of time, and add the cost of the components you reloaded to get the true cost. That's how much reloading truly cost you and unless you're on a fixed income with lots of time on your hands or earning close to minimum wage, it ain't cheap at all.


Reloading (to me anyway) isn't all about saving money. It reminds me of the adage "You don't save any money, you just shoot a whole lot more" Its a hobby unto itself as much as shooting, or collecting firearms. It's not having to go to a store and hope your favorite brand/load is in stock and available, and it means I can find what my rifle likes best to perform its best.

For plinking, I cast for many calibers, and that reduces the cost of plinking considerably. Even buying premium componants, I still come out ahead as opposed to buying factory ammo. Sure I figure in my time, I could be working, but who the hell wants to work all the time? Same reason I do a lot of my own home and auto repairs. I can afford for someone to do them, but I'd rather spend my Saturday cranking out ammo or doing my brakes instead of being at work, so I can pay someone to do them.
 
My dad left me several hunting guns. Among them was a Merkel drilling with a 7x57 rifle barrel. I killed boars and deer with it. It's a fine caliber, and I'm sure it's sufficient for moose and elk as well. It is a very popular hunting caliber in Germany and France, close in popularity to the .308. They can't all be wrong over there.
 
Someone who puts a dollar figure on their time spent reloading is not a true hobbyist, or they lack the confidence and skill to actually produce better than factory ammo.

Sorry, now back to the topic.
I have chronographed (7x57) 110gr bullets at 3400fps. This was a varmint load that I developed just for running deer shoots. I also had another favorite load for 150yd steel plate shoots. That load was with a 150gr bullet and it really whacked the plate. The 7x57 always amazed me by how hard it hit with so little recoil.
 
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Someone who puts a dollar figure on their time spent reloading is not a true hobbyist, or they lack the confidence and skill to actually produce better than factory ammo.

Sorry, now back to the topic.
I have chronographed (7x57) 110gr bullets at 3400fps. This was a varmint load that I developed just for running deer shoots. I also had another favorite load for 150yd steel plate shoots. That load was with a 150gr bullet and it really whacked the plate. The 7x57 always amazed me by how hard it hit with so little recoil.

Great info, THANKS! Thats what I hear the most, is that its a hard hitting round without the perceived recoil. Reading about the round, I came across stories of "Karamojo" Bell. He was a Scottish adventurer who had killed thousands of elephants with the 7x57, it was his preferred rifle for all of Africa. Not saying I'm shooting elephant or anything of the sort, but a thousand pachyderms getting laid down certainly lends credence to the rounds effectiveness. Now, in the case of Mr. Bell, it was noted that he was a superb marksman and dissected the elephants heads and had perfected the angle of his shot from behind and quartering away from the elephant into the skulls thinnest area for an optimal brain shot.

Anyways, I'm certain it will be a great round for me, I appreciate all of the useful info.
 
Great info, THANKS! Thats what I hear the most, is that its a hard hitting round without the perceived recoil. Reading about the round, I came across stories of "Karamojo" Bell. He was a Scottish adventurer who had killed thousands of elephants with the 7x57, it was his preferred rifle for all of Africa. Not saying I'm shooting elephant or anything of the sort, but a thousand pachyderms getting laid down certainly lends credence to the rounds effectiveness. Now, in the case of Mr. Bell, it was noted that he was a superb marksman and dissected the elephants heads and had perfected the angle of his shot from behind and quartering away from the elephant into the skulls thinnest area for an optimal brain shot.

Anyways, I'm certain it will be a great round for me, I appreciate all of the useful info.

Just don't try to use it on Democrats. They don't have any brains.
 
I've got several No. 1s but none for 7x57. My dad was a big fan of the 7mm Mauser and there is plenty of ink on the subject of its hunting capability in the older publications. A true classic hunting round.
 
Reloading (to me anyway) isn't all about saving money. It reminds me of the adage "You don't save any money, you just shoot a whole lot more" Its a hobby unto itself as much as shooting, or collecting firearms. It's not having to go to a store and hope your favorite brand/load is in stock and available, and it means I can find what my rifle likes best to perform its best.

For plinking, I cast for many calibers, and that reduces the cost of plinking considerably. Even buying premium componants, I still come out ahead as opposed to buying factory ammo. Sure I figure in my time, I could be working, but who the hell wants to work all the time? Same reason I do a lot of my own home and auto repairs. I can afford for someone to do them, but I'd rather spend my Saturday cranking out ammo or doing my brakes instead of being at work, so I can pay someone to do them.

I made the same calculation and I agree that you can't work all the time but reloading in no way helps you shoot more. The price difference is too small and the time it takes to reload too long, especially seeing how ammo is so cheap. Think about it, it takes you about 24 hours to cook up 1,000 rounds! That's nothing, you can burn through 1,000 rounds in just one range session if taking the family. You can get 9mm on sale for ~$8 a box, 556 for 20-25 cents a brass cased round, and 7.62 NATO for 25-40 cents a brass cased round. 12 gauge can be bought very cheaply too. Throw in a bunch of 22's to save a few bucks and shooting doesn't have to be that expensive. All you have to do is click BUY on the online store or offer to make a deal with your local gun store and more than a few are happy to do so if you're buying in huge bulk.

Maybe the biggest problem with reloading is you have to take your time, cannot cut corners and be careful in that it cannot be rushed or you will suffer bad consequences. Having seen it and briefly tried it with a friend's equipment it takes too long for too few rounds and sharply limits your ability to go to the range. You're basically wasting all your afternoon for just a paltry amount of rounds you could have bought in massive bulk quantities for not much less money.
 
I made the same calculation and I agree that you can't work all the time but reloading in no way helps you shoot more. The price difference is too small and the time it takes to reload too long, especially seeing how ammo is so cheap. Think about it, it takes you about 24 hours to cook up 1,000 rounds! That's nothing, you can burn through 1,000 rounds in just one range session if taking the family. You can get 9mm on sale for ~$8 a box, 556 for 20-25 cents a brass cased round, and 7.62 NATO for 25-40 cents a brass cased round. 12 gauge can be bought very cheaply too. Throw in a bunch of 22's to save a few bucks and shooting doesn't have to be that expensive. All you have to do is click BUY on the online store or offer to make a deal with your local gun store and more than a few are happy to do so if you're buying in huge bulk.

Maybe the biggest problem with reloading is you have to take your time, cannot cut corners and be careful in that it cannot be rushed or you will suffer bad consequences. Having seen it and briefly tried it with a friend's equipment it takes too long for too few rounds and sharply limits your ability to go to the range. You're basically wasting all your afternoon for just a paltry amount of rounds you could have bought in massive bulk quantities for not much less money.

Your cost vs. convenience comments are certainly valid for plinking, self defense practice, and action type competitions like 3 gun. Any type of hunting or competition requiring longer distance accuracy, the cost delta between hand loads and factory match ammo is much bigger. Wait to buy powders and components on sale, and the savings is even greater. For a less common round such as the 7x57, reloading is a very attractive option and something anyone shooting the caliber should seriously consider.

Sure there are differing opinions regarding the value of time spent for an activity, but your safety concerns border between overly cautious (nothing wrong with that) and irrational. Even with a fairly basic turret press I can quickly process large batches of rifle match ammo. I'll grab large batches of brass and do the lubing and priming while watching a game or chatting with my wife. Anything done in the press I can watch / listen to the news on a tablet. Reloading rifle cartridges is much harder to screw up than for pistol. When using normal rifle powders, it's virtually impossible to double charge. I'll charge a large batch of brass in trays, then with a work light do a quick visual inspection before seating the bullets. Pretty hard to f up unless you accidentally grab the wrong powder. What blow up and hurt or kill range stories are you talking about, and what type of gun? Probably more common for pistol loads than for rifle yet still extremely rare.
 
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