djg@flammulated.rice.edu (David J. Grimme) (04/06/91)
I was looking at the reviews of the surplus Mausers here and in a couple
of magazines, and was considering getting one for deer hunting. How is
the 7x57 mm round in a '95 Mauser for deer? I like the idea of using a
historic rifle, but would I be better off getting something else? Has
anybody else used one of these for hunting or are they inappropriate?
The deer around here are rather small and I know of some hunters who use
.270 rifles. I think the velocities are similar, but the 7x57 does have
lower kinetic energy. Would a later model ('98 for example) be better?
What about the other calibers? This would be my first surplus rifle,
and I'd like actually to use it for hunting and not just for target
practice. Any comments?
Dave
--
David J. Grimme
djg@owlnet.rice.edu
dgrim00@ricevm1.edugary@gatech.edu (Gary Coffman) (04/13/91)
In article <504@erb1.engr.wisc.edu> djg@flammulated.rice.edu (David J. Grimme) writes: > >I was looking at the reviews of the surplus Mausers here and in a couple >of magazines, and was considering getting one for deer hunting. How is >the 7x57 mm round in a '95 Mauser for deer? I like the idea of using a >historic rifle, but would I be better off getting something else? Has >anybody else used one of these for hunting or are they inappropriate? >The deer around here are rather small and I know of some hunters who use >.270 rifles. I think the velocities are similar, but the 7x57 does have >lower kinetic energy. Would a later model ('98 for example) be better? >What about the other calibers? This would be my first surplus rifle, >and I'd like actually to use it for hunting and not just for target >practice. Any comments? The 7x57 is one of the finest rifle calibers ever invented. It is suitable for all North American game, though I'd prefer something heavier for bear or elk. The 7x57 has been used on all African game, again though, using it on elephant or rhino requires a brave expert and it is now illegal for the big five in Africa. The 7x57 has the best mix of ballistics and power of any of the medium calibers, I wouldn't hesitate to use it on deer. In fact, I *have* used it on deer many times. The 98 Mauser is a much better rifle than the 95, but the 95 is an ok rifle. Gary
psilva@humu.nosc.mil (Paul Silva) (04/19/91)
> ke4zv!gary@gatech.edu (Gary Coffman) writes: > >The 7x57 is one of the finest rifle calibers ever invented. It is >suitable for all North American game, though I'd prefer something >heavier for bear or elk. The 7x57 has been used on all African game, Just a point of clarification: the 7x57 is not a caliber, it is a cartridge. The 7mm Mauser, to be precise, was first developed and offered for military use in Mauser's Model 1892 and 1893 rifles. I won't bore you with the history of the cartridge, but the 7mm (.284") is (IMO) most efficient caliber available. Ballistic coefficients and sectional densities not withstanding. :-) Realizing this many years ago, I purchased a 7mm Rem. Mag. (in Rem. Mod. 700 BDL) and have had excellent results with it. The .270 is also an excellent caliber (.277"), as are many others, but I like it because it is ballistically very close to the 7mm but the cartridges available can't chamber a bullet heavy enough to have the energy needed (IMO) for Elk at medium (and beyond) distances. I knew I would be out for Elk eventually so I chose the 7mm RM. Otherwise I might have chosen the lighter shooting .270 winchester. Paul N6PUD/KH6