7x57 action

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mike Crawford

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Is a 7x57 considered a long or short action .
I did the Google thing and could not come up with a answer . They will tell you how to make a 7x57 or a 257 bob off a Remington or Winchester action or a Ruger action.. And suggest you use a 30-06 action .. But a 30-06 action is something like 63 mm ( according too Google ) and you are putting a 57 mm shell in it .
That is all fine .. But what if you want to go the other way .. And want too rebarrel a 7x57 . Will a 30-06 length shell fit the action or does a 308 length fit ..
From what I can find the 30-06 is considered a long action .. the 308 a short action and the 7x57 is an ""intermediate "" action.. I also believe they class the 6.5x55 to be in the same intermediate class .. so does this limit you to rebarrel to use intermediate length shells or can you make the longer 30-06 family of shells work
 
Neither. It is an "in between" size. Almost all modern 7x57's are built on 30-06 length actions, but I believe some vintage original Mausers were built with actions perfectly proportioned for the - x57 cartridges. 7x57 will not fit in a "short" action made for the .308 family.
 
This is what I am finding on Google .. A 7x57 will not fit into a short action very well .. I want to go backwards .. I do not want too put a 7x57 in a short action .. I want to put a different shell into a 7x57 action and can not find out what shells will work in that action .. there is a pile of info if you want to put a 7x57 into a Winchester or Remington action .. but little if you want too put a 30-06 family or 308 family into a 7x57 action
 
Difference is mostly in magazine length - can have a Large Ring Mauser 98 with 8x57 or 9.3x62 magazine (3.25" cartridge); or a later "sporterized" magazine to have 3.340 length 30-06 and it's progeny. Same action, different magazine length. It was a practice to build .375 H&H on the standard 98 mauser action - that needs a 3.600" magazine. I notice there are 30-06 built on Mauser 96's so the small ring amusers get their magazine stretched to 3.340 as well.
The 7x57 is 3.065" cartridge, but my 1908 Brazil Mauser in 7x57 has a 3.25"-ish length magazine.
Might be obvious, but the 7x57 specifications were set down before there was a Large ring 98 Mauser, a Springfield, a Winchester 54 or 70, or a Remington 721, 722 or 700, or Ruger
 
I dont know what your purpose is here....but to switch to something else you are going to need a match for bolt face, a appropriate magazine length, and of course a different barrel/chambering. From the question, it would seem you would also need a gunsmith.

So the question comes to mind...is this some family piece with a shot out barrel....needing renewing and with sentimental value? If it is not, then are you reinventing the mouse trap....would it not just be simpler and cheaper to buy what you want?

The 7x57 bolt face is .470 and includes the 30-06 family, 7 and 8 mauser, their children the 6mm Rem and 257 Roberts , and 220 swift.
 
Well it is minus 32 or so with the wind chill today and I became bored .. I own both a 257 roberts and a 6.5 x 55 both on Mauser actions .. I see all the time people with long or short actions being the 30-06 family or 308 family having a gun with a shot out barrel: or just bored with the caliber and they want something else .. So being a long action Remington 30-06 they simply rebarrel to say 25-06 . No big deal both shells are based on the 30-06 and they take it too a gun smith buy a new barrel and it is a done deal.
Seen a savage 99 250-3000 turn into a 257 roberts . and etc ..
So I was just curious .. If I ever wanted to do something with the Mauser ; what was the options ..
All I could find was how too make a 257 roberts or 6.5x55 out of a Remington or Winchester action .. Nothing on what could be done with this half way in between the two standard length . So I started putting the question into Google just about any way I could think too word it .. Rebarrel 257 roberts .. rechamber 6.5 x55 .. all that would come up was using a long action to build one .
So I was under the impression that if you had a 'Intermediate action " that was the only length shell that would work in that action properly .. The 308 family would be too short too feed properly and the 30-06 family would not fit .
But I think I have the answer now .. If I ever screw up one of these guns .. Just buy another one in the caliber I want .. Because it is a lot of trouble too fool with this length action .. OR just buy another barrel in the same caliber
 
Yes .. It is confusing .. If you have a short action or a long action there is a pile of options .. Even the savage 99 has a few options .. Not so many when you have a Mauser.. But I have a custom one built on a 33/40 action in 257 roberts with a douglas barrel that I do like a lot ... and a simple model 38 sporter .. 6.5x55 that I carry a lot too .. I shoot reloads and keep the speed down a bit from the top .. But it would seem if the barrels ever get bad I best just just rebarrel in the same caliber
 
Any .30-06 length cartridge will fit just fine in a standard length Mauser. Gunsmiths have been rebarreling 8x57 Mausers for decades. You may have to do some fiddling with the magazine length depending on how far out you seat your bullets.

True intermediate length actions are relatively rare. The Yugo M48 is one I believe, and I had a Turkish Mauser at one point that was definitely intermediate, and some of the South American Mausers in 7x57 were intermediate, usually the ones built by the Mauser Werke in Oberndorf. Pre-war commercial original Mauser sporters in 7x57 were also all on the intermediate action, but these tend to be rare and expensive.

A quick and dirty way to tell if you have a standard rather than an intermediate action is to measure from the front of the receiver ring to the rear of the receiver bridge, just in front of the bolt handle root- should be 6 inches. Hole spacing for the action screws should be 7 3/4", centre to centre.
 
I have 2 7x57's , a 1908 Brazilian and a FN Venezuelan Target Issue, load to 3" overall or a little more. Also have 2- 6x57's, AKA 6MM Rem's, they are on Ruger 77 short actions and the max OAL for a loaded round is 2.85" because of the mag. You could do a 7x57 on a short action but you would be limited to 90/100 gr varmint bullets and a short OAL, can't really see hvy. wt. slugs loaded that deep. Also make sure the chamber is cut with a short throat, you don't want a lot of freebore that a standard cut chamber would end up with.
 
I think I have my head wrapped around this now .. I know for years people have been building guns off the Mauser actions .
But I could not get an answer on how too tell if you could use a standard length shell in one or it had too be an intermediate one. So if you had a 7x57 etc .. what you could rebarrel it too . Or if you had to go with 257 or 6mm remington and stay with the same parent case . But I believe in the mausers there is a lot more ;;Variation " as what company built them versus a remington being a short or long action .. After doing some measuring I believe the g33/40 chambered in 257 is a true intermediate and the model 38 chambered in 6.5x55 is a longer action and therefore could be re barreled in the 30-06 family .
I have no need at this time to do anything with either gun .. It was 30 below outside and the wind made it 40 and I was playing on the net looking up stuff and could not find out how too tell .. Lots of info on how too make a 257 bob out of Remington or Winchester actions .. just about nil on how too rebarrel a mauser and what calibers would work in what actions .. When all said and done .. I think it would be way cheaper too just buy another gun .. But now I am a little more knowledgeable on these guns .. I am very happy with both at this time .. just curious minds on a cold day .. thanks to everyone sharing knowledge that I could not find on Google
 
Other than the already mentioned pre-war Oberndorf factory sporter "intermediate" action, all others that I'm aware of have been on standard (long) Mauser actions. Winchester 70 and Rem 700 use long actions. I had a 1990's 700 Mountain Rifle 7X57 and currently own a new production Winchester Featherweight 7X57 with long action with usual mag box rear spacer. Either way, good discussion.Did someone say it's -30c in Kingston? We're cutting our grass here on south Vancouver Island.
Cheers
 
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