7x57

[MT Gianni]

I bought a 7x57 carbine earlier this year and am wondering how best to procede with it. I would like to work up to mild safe loads and have it as a scout rifle. I believe it is a 93 but it might be a 95. I do not know the difference. The action appears to have had a wrench on it and the only bbl markings are 7x57 wirh a large F or R above it. #'s are M24xxx. Any ideas would be apperecited. I have trouble shooting the military sights or rather finding what I want to see through them. I prefer a deeper groove and or peep or scope but was thinking a pistol scope in a scout style location would work well for this. The wood patches are ok, recoil is mild and the whole package is light enough for a woods carry gun. Gianni
http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s...DSCF0192-1.jpg
http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s...m/DSCF0191.jpg
http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s...m/DSCF0190.jpg

[MT Gianni]

more pics
http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s...m/DSCF0196.jpg
http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s...m/DSCF0197.jpg
http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s...m/DSCF0198.jpg

[mooman76]

Looks almost exactly like a rifle I have except mine is not bubba'd yet. Mine is in poor shape and couldn't hit the side of a mountain. All I know is it's a spanish mauser and I don't know the exact model either, 93 or 95. I didn't feel I got punished enough with the first one so I picked up another with a longer barrel that had been bubba'd. It did shoot a might better but far from great. I hope yours shoots well. Sorry I wasn't much help.

[NVcurmudgeon]

Gianni, nice looking rifle, can you post a whole action closeup from the top and right side? any makers's marks left? If there is a small raised area on the receiver just behind the bolt handle, it is probably a 95. That was touted by some importers as a safety lug, giving the 95 action tremendus strength. Yeah, right! Is the bolt round, or square on the bottom side? With a good bore they can be fine shooters, love my 95 Chilean.

[Buckshot]

.................Nice looking sporter. The action is a 1893. The 1895 would have what has been called a 'Safety Lug' behind the bolt root on the top of the right side of the receiver tang. Others say it is to help guide the extractor so as to eliminate some of the bolt slop common to Mausers.

As a safety lug it lacks substantialy in all regards and I don't find that Paul Mauser's designed in clearance to have ever really been a hindrance. However, as your's is a M93 it's not an issue for conjecture anyway. The Mauser contract for Chile, predating the M98 type actions were all M95's. Some bought by the Boers were also M95's.

If your action is milled for a round bolt face it's a later M93 and if milled for a square chinned bolt it's an early M93.

I've seen load manuals list their 7x57 data as "Not for early military 7mm Mausers". The original ballistics was for a 172/175gr RN slug to travel at 2400/2450 fps from a 29" bbl. A casefull of surplus WC860 or WC872 will provide that with no pressure indications at all, and it burns as clean as any factory ammo. Best of all, it's exceedingly accurate.

All my old 7x57's, except a M1912 Steyr like the Remingtom 175gr Core-Lokt bullet and that load. Best yet, my M1908 Brazilian will do as well at the same velocity (and using the same load) with the RCBS 7mm-168 cast boolit.

.................Buckshot

[MtGun44]

Use a slow powder like one of the 4831s and the Hornady 175 gr RN and
work up to about 2400 fps. A friend used my handload like this in her
Ruger (she is recoil shy) to take 6 REALLY nice plains antelopes and such
in Africa last year. ALL one shot kills, and she was the talk of the dinner
table every night how the "little 7x57" was killing game better than the
.338 and 300 magnums that the others were using and needing a followup
shot or two. High sectional density still works. She only recovered two
of the 6 shots and they were perfect mushrooms, just classic.

Heavy, stable bullet that opens well at these velocities and will not blow up
punches all the way thru most of the time even on a really big (56" !!)
kudu. No reason in the world to go any faster and the action will do just
fine if you use the slow powders to get 2400 fps, what it was designed
to do. She took a large black bear this year with the same load, again
one shot, dead bear, everyone is surprised and her shoulder is happy.

The military rifles are very long throated and almost always do the best
with the 175gr RN, and Hornady is the only supplier these days that I
know of - and a real quality bullet. If the bore is smooth, I'd try some of
the heavier cast, say 150 gr and up, too. Start with 10 gr Unique and also
try 16 gr 2400 for the cast. These very often do extremely well for cast.

Bill