7x57 Mauser or 7mm-08 Rem?

[gmarr]

I've been looking at these two for quite some time to use as a dedicated deer rifle. I'm a bit 'old school' in that my favorite calibers are .300 Savage and the 8mm Mauser. Go figure, I also like the 10mm and .45 GAP, but that's for another post.

Ballistically they aren't too different with the 7mm-08 getting an edge? So, what's the advantage/cons of each? The rifle will be bolt action with a 24" barrel. Any help will be appreciated.

 

[Jim Watson]

7-08 is a short action round, preferable if you want a Remington or such.
7x57 is a standard Mauser length, taper, and shoulder, good if you want to go with something traditional like, say, a Mauser.

Ballistics are not enough different to matter. They are not at all different if you load 7x57 in an action stronger than a Spanish Mauser, a '98 or Winchester or such.

 

[TX Hunter]

I dont think you would be able to realize the diference in the two unless you reload both cartridges to the same pressure. Then I believe the 7X57 Mauser would be superior due to its ability to hold more powder. Other than that the 7mm08 would be easier to find amunition for. I prefer the Old School Mauser cartridge myself.

 

[Hardbawl]

Since both the 7mm-08 and the 7x57mm are ballistic twins, think of the differences. You can put the Remington in a short action. The Mauser requires a long action. Which action length do you prefer?

You have already told us that you like the nostalgia of the Mauser cartridges. Since it can be loaded to do anything the 7mm-08 can, you may have answered your own question.

7mm-08 cases are a little more uniform than 7x57s which can influence accuracy. But, weight sorting the 7x57s solves this.

Go with what YOU like. The heck with the rest of us.

 

[Slamfire]

I would go with the 7mm Mauser. It is truly one of the great cartridges.

The short action stuff, used to be important in target shooting. You got a lighter rifle and a shorter bolt throw. But in the real world, 1/2" difference in bolt throw does not mean a thing.

 

[Major Dave (retired)]

I love my 7X57

Because it is in a strong, modern action, I can hand load it to about 100 fps faster muzzle velocity than 7-08 factory loads. I'm talking actual chronographed velocities, not book data. My rifle gets 2,950 fps with 139/140 grain bullets.

As noted, the 7X57 case is longer than 7-08, to wit:
7X57 is 57mm long, compared to 51mm length of 7-08 (we know it is only a 7.62 NATO, which is 7.62 X 51, necked down to 7 mm) Therefore, 6mm difference in length, i.e., 7X57 vs. 7X51.

Six millimeters is .243/.244 inch. Not enough difference to matter. An extra 100 fps velocity - again not enough difference to matter.

But, if you use only factory ammo for both calibers, then 7X57, 139/140 grain bullets are loaded to 2,660 fps, vs. 7-08 @ 2850 fps. Almost 200 fps difference, which most say is barely enough to matter.

For those among us that think 2,660 fps velocity is pretty weak, just remember that a 30-30 (which has killed more deer than any other caliber) has a velocity of only 2,450 fps with a 150 grain bullet. Go to the heavy bullets (170 grain 30-30, 175 grain 7X 57, and factory loadings claim 2,250 fps for the 30-30, and 2,450 fps for the 7X57. I don't know if you can find heavy factory loads for the 7-08, so can't comment on that comparison to 7X57.

 

[Strafer Gott]

A 7mm is a .276 Rigby. You can shoot elephants with a rifle like that. It's been demonstrated! Can't say that about the 7mm-08. Just sayin...

 

[tahoe2]

7mm mauser

I'll take a mauser every time; tried and proven for a hundred years.
No, seriously, I have two in 7x57 both Spanish, a 1931 Oviedo Carbine M95 sporter and a 1932 Spanish long rifle M93, 1916 Pattern.
they are great guns, but due to their metallurgy I reload them down a little.
For modern pressures the 7mm-08 is definitely better and more available, but dead is dead. So take your pick.

 

[robertsig]

If you want to buy an "old school" 7x57 Mauser to go with that, like a Venezuelan or Brazilian, then that would make more sense. Otherwise...

 

[HiBC]

It has been mentioned,but again,if you are using a commercial modern short action,like a Rem 700,that was intended for the .308 brass family,the 7-08 would be the choice.If you are using a Mauser ,then it,and you,will be happier with a 7x57 unless your gunsmith does more than just rebarreling.

In my experience,the .308 case rounds ,having less taper,form a zero clearance,tight stack-up at the shoulders in the mag box while back at the rims the stack will be loose.

It is then possible for the bolt to over ride the rim on the way forward,then dig into the side of the case,stripping the round forward till it jams.

IMO,let your rifle action make the choice.

They are both fine hunting cartridges.

 

[btmj]

The 7x57 140 grain occupies a unique and valuable ballistic intersection of diameter (7mm / 0.284), velocity (~2700 fps), and weight. It adds up to a very desirable hunting projectile.

The 7mm-08 was a very successful attempt to duplicate the 7x57 using a 308 parent cartridge. It allows a modern short action rifle to occupy this ballistic intersection. There are a lot of advantages being based on 308 brass. If you are buying a new rifle, there is a greater selection chambered in 7mm-08 than there is chambered in 7x57.

As Major Dave pointed out, there are advantages to reloading both of these cartridges. Reloading 7x57 can result in greater velocity than factory loads (as long as you have a strong modern action). Reloading 7mm-08 allows you to shoot heavier projectiles than factory; I have never seen a factory 7-08 cartridge in anything other than 120 grain or 140 grain, but 7mm projectiles are available in heavier weights.

If I were buying a new 7mm rifle, and my prefered rifle choice was only available in 7mm-08, I would buy it without hesitation. If it was only available in 7x57, I would buy it with no regrets.

 

[Saltydog235]

7mm08 is one of my favorite cartridges but probably wouldn't be if I was limited to factory loadings only. Simply put, they just don't load enough variation for it. My pet load these days is 45.5grns of H4350 with a Win LR primer and a 150grn Nosler Ballistic Tip, accurate and simply devastating on whitetail deer. The load runs about 2700fps and performs very similar to the 165grn loads I use in my .308. To me it combines the very best attributes of the .243 and the .308, mild recoil, modest velocity, hard hitting and accuracy.

Don't think you can go wrong with either but as alluded to earlier, the availability of the 7mm08 is going to be greater than the 57, at least here in the US. Its also a very easy cartridge to reload.

 

[Gunplummer]

You can feed a 7mm-08 through a 99 Savage. Other than that, no big deal.

 

[Mobuck]

I have both 7mm08 and 7x57 and have killed deer with both. Very similar results using the exact same bullets(140 Nosler BT). The difference will be noticeable if you don't handload the 7x57 to the full potential afforded by modern rifles.
The 7mm08 is factory loaded to give maximum performance while the 7x57 is loaded to provide safety in old, worn, abused, and/or weaker design rifles. Handloading in a modern rifle will allow the 7x57 to exceed the 7mm08 expecially with bullet weights over 150 grains.
My Mk 10 7x57 is an absolute perfect deer killer with the 140 BT's loaded to about 2900-2950 fps. Out to 400 yards, it's as good as the 30/06 with less recoil. My 7mm08 is a 20" barrelled carbine so it's potential is limited but out to 300 yards, it does just as well. If you're comfortable with a longer action and 22-24" barrel(and a handloader), there's nothing to lose with the 7x57. If you really want a short, light carbine and only shoot factory ammo, I'd go with the 7mm08.

 

[HankC1]

To me, ammo availability would be the main consideration between the 2.

 

[jmr40]

The 7X57 was introduced in 1892 and has proven to be one of the great rounds ever. The US military liked the round, but being Americans decided bigger is better, so they stretched the case a bit longer and made it 30 cal instead of 7mm and gave us the 30-06.

After WW-2 the military decided to shorten the 30-06 to allow soldiers to carry more ammo and we got the 308. A few hunters decided to neck the 308 down to 7mm and reinvented the 7X57. Ain't it great that what goes around comes back around.

With good handloads the 7X57 will best the 7-08. With factory loads the 7-08 is the better round and it will fit in a short action if that is important. I could be happy with either and would hunt anything in North America with either.

 

[btmj]

Just some food for thought here... but how does the 7x57 (handloaded to its full potential) compare to the 280 Rem ? I ask because the 280 Rem is a 7mm /.284 bullet necked into a 30-06 case. It seems to me that if one was going to a long action rifle anyway, the 280 might be a better choice in a 7mm non-magnum. My brief bit of internet research leads me to believe that the 280 factory loads have a very slight edge over the max-load 7x57, but I would like to hear from someone who actually knows...

Ruger and Remington both offer the 280 as a chambering option, but neither offer the 7x57.

Winchester, Savage, and Weatherby offer neither the 280 nor the 7x57, but both offer the 7mm-08

Tikka and Sako offer neither the 7x57 nor the 280, but both offer the 7mm-08. I was a little suprised that they did not offer a 7x57...

I was not able to find any new bolt action rifle currently chambered in 7x57... Anyone know of any?

Jim

 

[Brian Pfleuger]

Factory rifles!?

Bah! Build thine own!

Even if you had to buy a whole new rifle just to swap the barrel with a custom job, you could be out of it for under $1,000, probably under $800.

7x57 barrel makers are aplenty.

Buy a Savage for $4-$500 and a barrel for $300-$400. Done.

 

[Saltydog235]

Factory rifles!?

Bah! Build thine own!

Even if you had to buy a whole new rifle just to swap the barrel with a custom job, you could be out of it for under $1,000, probably under $800.

7x57 barrel makers are aplenty.

Buy a Savage for $4-$500 and a barrel for $300-$400. Done.

Or just buy the 7mm-08 and use the other money on optics and ammo.

 

[Art Eatman]

I'm not too much on romance in cartridge selection. If two cartridges are of roughly equal performance in a given caliber, I'd go with whichever is more convenient. In this case, seems like, the 7mm08 is a better choice.