7x57 mauser in a 700 short action

7x57 is an excellent cartridge. I bought my wife one in the Ruger 77 many years ago and it would easily get 2800fps with 140 grain and have no problem getting 2600fps with 175 grain Nosler partition. Before that she used a Remington Mohawk in 6mm Remington which is actually a 6x57 - and it was factory offered in that little short action. Even with the Ruger we seated within specs and didn't need to stretch it beyond.

The 7X57 is a classic cartridge, and a good one right up to today. But commercial cartridges will be loaded to lower pressures to accommodate older actions. A modern action. can take more pressure, so you'll need to hand load to get the best performance.

The short action is not long enough for the longer loadings. You would be better off going with a longer action if you have one.

this might help you .


I put a wyatts box in a short action rem , and did a write up .


another Fella , tuning his feeding on a wyatts box install .

"What short action myths are you referring to?"

That in a real world hunting rifle, "shortness" provides major advantages.

7 x57 was never a short action round. The Ruger 77 is the standard action . and the 284 and 6.5/284 are not for short actions.. savage uses the 111 for their 6.5/284 and it is a wonderful rifle. if you want to use a short action then do the 260 remington . it is much better than the creeless.. I am sure that the 51mm case is the max for the short action.. however my 6mm rem is on a short action but you know 6mm bullet are short..

Memberberries said:

I wanted to build my 700 into a 7x57 but thought all was lost until I came across the extended mag boxes. The ptg bainey box is supposed to get me to 3.11 and the longest loads for heavy nosler are spec'd to 3.065.

Has anyone seen this been done? I know people use the bainey boxes for the short mags but I've not been able to find where anyone built a mauser on a short action.

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long story short it can be made to work with extra time and money but you would be much better off on a long action if you already have the short trade it for a long I believe you will come out ahead

My 7x57 likes the bullets seated out to .005" behind the lands. If I had a short action, I would have lost out on the most accurate loads that I have produced. Why limit the capabilities of the caliber? Go with the 7mm-08 if you are stuck with the short action.

If you're dead set on using that action with that cartridge for the sentimental value I don't think anyone would blame you. If I were in your shoes I would build it as a 0-500 yard gun and limit yourself to 150 grain and lower bullets. I looked up the Berger 150 classic hunter and 140 vld and both should have the boat tail above the neck shoulder junction at sub 3" Coals. Both of those bullets have a .260 ish G7. Nothing wrong with the ballistics of a .260 G7 at 2800-2850 FPS. If you go this route I would definitely consider a custom short throated reamer designed around the 140-150 grain bullet of your choice, because the saami reamer likely has a very long throat. Also I think a 9 twist would be perfect for this application. That way you could shoot up to the 160 class if you ever wanted to, but I wouldn't worry with the 180 Class bullets.

7mm-08 is a 7x57 wanna be. Difference is the 7mm-08 will fit in a short action but the 7x57 (7mm mauser) really needs a long action to get the best out of it. Fyi, in modern actions like comercial 98 mauser actions the full potential of the 7x57 can be acheived which is WAY more powerful than the 7mm-08.
On top of that, throw in the 7x57Ai, wow what a round. I have one in my safe built on a mauser 98 model 1935 action and it handles it perfectly.

Code4 said:

Go with a standard action. Don't expect too much from the 7x57. It is what it is. It is no wonder cartridge but is surrounded by myth and romanticism. Great for 200 kg deer but not much else.

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Yep. And Karamojo Bell shot 1,000 elephants with it. Totally useless.

I reccomend you do what you want to do and if it goes bang it will do the job.. Now for the regular action and a mild recoil rifle the 280 Remington is one of the best 7mm of all time and will do anything a 270 will do and a bit better. I is a jewell with the 160 grain bullet.. I too like the 7X57 it is a great round but not in the same class as a 280 and this round in a good bolt action is mild on recoil..

Thanks for all the replies, I think I haven't been talked out of it yet. Since I plan on only getting an 18" barrel I think the recommendation for a short throat for 140gr gamekings or accubonds sounds like a winner, might also check a 120gr ttsx.

After looking around I still have a box of 140gr sierras and brass/dies around from when my dad had his 7x57. Got my stock today so I can start building up the comb and give it a paint job. Still need to get shorter rings, bainey box, and a barrel.

In another thread, I asked the question "Is anyone loading the 7x57 to modern rifle pressures" (I paraphrase), and along with some friendly input and personal research, I learned that others have matched .280 Rem and 30/06 performance when the cartridge is loaded to 60,000 psi pressures just like the others. The 7x57 AI is impressive, and exceeds the '06 in reach. I know this is not pertinent to the magazine issue, but since the conversation drifted into performance, I had to add my two-bits.

I have a #1 in 7X57 and Have not issues with Col. As long as it chambers. I try to keep it .005 from the lands, so if you are not in need of a quick follow up shot look at a #1.
Another advantage is you can have a longer barrel and it is still shorter than a standard bolt.