Ideal barrel length for 7x57 Mauser?

[Varberger757]

I'm soon going to buy a rifle, Schultz & Larsen Victory, with one barrel in 7x57, because I do love that cartridge for (deer) hunting (medium size). At the same time I want to provide some support, because the great 7x57 has almost vanished over here in Europe, and that's a big pity in my eyes. Only its rimmed sister the 7x57 R is recently doing well. 7x57 is known as a very balanced round providing high accuracy, good terminal energy at a very low level of recoil as well. The twist rate is traditionally 1 : 8,4, so it loves heavier bullets from 150 – 177 gr. I will mainly use bullets from 154 – 175 gr. with velocities between ca. 2550 fps - 2756 fps.
Personally, I'm no fan of short barrels, but think that 24' might be enough for a good and reasonable performance, maybe 26' on max. Any suggestions?

 

[.358 NM]

I have a project under the way, a 7x57 , it has 24 inch barrel 17.8 mm in muzzle, unknown weight since it is with my gunsmith yet. Due to the rules here it is rules and regulations and something known as the "Weapon wardrobe" . 6 weapons MAx for hunting, if you have 8 and want one more, sell down to 5 . But it will go ok, and waiting for answers.

7mm have always been with longer barrels than ordinary, since it was made for high velocity with "light" weight bullets compared to what was around then. 160-175 grain was the norm. Millitary barrel lenght was ca 27-28 inch .

Then came the sporter ones as Rigby , standard models and light models. But those is a story for some other day when i have a few hours to type up .

But 24 inch up to 26 is very good , seeing the surge in new barrel wualities and powders around, one could also opt for a carbon barrel of some profile if one like it to really keep the weight down, but stabillity up.

 

[MudRunner2005]

For me, anything I build has atleast a 26" barrel for optimal velocities.

 

[Varberger757]

I have a project under the way, a 7x57 , it has 24 inch barrel 17.8 mm in muzzle, unknown weight since it is with my gunsmith yet. Due to the rules here it is rules and regulations and something known as the "Weapon wardrobe" . 6 weapons MAx for hunting, if you have 8 and want one more, sell down to 5 . But it will go ok, and waiting for answers.

7mm have always been with longer barrels than ordinary, since it was made for high velocity with "light" weight bullets compared to what was around then. 160-175 grain was the norm. Millitary barrel lenght was ca 27-28 inch .

Then came the sporter ones as Rigby , standard models and light models. But those is a story for some other day when i have a few hours to type up .

But 24 inch up to 26 is very good , seeing the surge in new barrel wualities and powders around, one could also opt for a carbon barrel of some profile if one like it to really keep the weight down, but stabillity up.

Nice to hear that you are working on the same project. Good taste isn't easy to find nowadays! The wardrobe issue doesn't exist for me since the Schultz & Larsen is a system rifle with interchangeable barrels ... I may own as many barrels as I want to. Yes, long barrels are the thing for perfect performance, but I'm often hunting in rough terrain, so weight and maneuverability are decisive. Therefor 27' - 28' don't exist in my book, and barrels of carbon are way too expensive for me. I think I 'll stick with one in 25', which seems to be a good compromise. Powders will be Norma MRP, URP, and RS 60 + 62, some of the excellent new powders from Reload Swiss.

 

[benchracer]

Using RL-22, I am able to push 168 Berger Classic Hunters to 2700 or so from a 7x57 Ruger #1A with 22" barrel (the 7x57 can push these bullets quite a bit faster, but there is not enough headroom to reach the next higher accuracy node), while being nowhere near pressure limits in a modern rifle. Even at that modest velocity, the high bc of the Berger bullets yields respectable long range potential.

I would expect Norma MRP, along with the excellent Nitrochemie powders, to perform very well in the 7x57. I tend to be a fan of barrels in the 26" range, but I don't believe a 24" or 25" barrel would give up much performance in this cartridge.

 

[Varberger757]

Using RL-22, I am able to push 168 Berger Classic Hunters to 2700 or so from a 7x57 Ruger #1A with 22" barrel (the 7x57 can push these bullets quite a bit faster, but there is not enough headroom to reach the next higher accuracy node), while being nowhere near pressure limits in a modern rifle. Even at that modest velocity, the high bc of the Berger bullets yields respectable long range potential.

I would expect Norma MRP, along with the excellent Nitrochemie powders, to perform very well in the 7x57. I tend to be a fan of barrels in the 26" range, but I don't believe a 24" or 25" barrel would give up much performance in this cartridge.

Thank you for your constructive answer. The good tip with the RL - 22 powder is worth to be considered. As for the bbl' I'm supposing the same like you.

 

[Lefty7mmstw]

I'll vote for something in the 24" ish range also... I had a Remington m7 in 7-08 with a 20" bbl. on her and she struggled to come up with anything close to book numbers.

 

[Jud96]

Go with a 25" barrel, you won't lose too much over the 26" and it will be shorter and a little more handier than the longer barrel. I'm also not a fan of short barrels, but if I have a choice, I want something larger than 24" if it's a medium sized cartridge like the 7x57. Now for a .223 or .222 Remington, I would be all for a short 22" barrel, but stick with 24+ inch barrel with the 7mm Mauser, you will be happy! gun)

 

[Varberger757]

I had a Remington m7 in 7-08 with a 20" bbl. on her and she struggled to come up with anything close to book numbers.

That's the point! With a barrel-length under 24" the 7x57 isn't showing enough performance, same as your 7-08 does.

 

[Jud96]

That's the point! With a barrel-length under 24" the 7x57 isn't showing enough performance, same as your 7-08 does.

+1 this is why I prefer longer barrels, I like squeezing out all of the practical performance I can!

 

[Varberger757]

Jepp @Jud96, especially when using the heavier bullets from 160gr and above!