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Ha ha, I put best cartridge in the world as the title. Bit of NE tabloid journalism.

The 7x57 is one of the oldest modern cartridges along with its parent, the 8x57. The 8x57 should be more popular than it is.

If the 6.5 Unmentionable is a new "modern" favourite, with lesser performance than the great 6.5x55, the 7x57 properly loaded easily equals the unmentionable. The 7x57 suffered by being under loaded in American, perhaps elsewhere(?), factory ammunition, due to fears of liability if it was used in some crappy old drop block single shots. The majority of perfectly able Mauser actions suffered and gained an anaemic reputation.

95% of hunting can be well done by a 7x57, whether in 1908, 2008 or 2028. The 7x57 is in the same class as the 6.5x55, 6.5 PRmore, .270, the 7x64, .308. .30-06, 8x57. Minor pluses or minuses, minor velocity differences, bullet weights, really all in a very similar class. If the 7x57 is obsolete all these extremely popular cartridges are obsolete. Animals haven't changed as well.

Normal forest, mixed forest hunting hasn't changed at all. Normal hunting ranges as always.

Sure if one is hunting the mountain tops, above the treeline, one might choose a hot flat shooting cartridge and rifle. I'm not a mountain hunter. The arid Flinders is the highest I've done. And insuppose the sambar forests are higher? But very thick forest. My restocked Parker Hale M98 in .30-06 usually. 400 yards is the longest I've shot effectively, a line of feral goats running along a ridge track on a cliff face. I wouldn't have made such shots at expensive trophy animals.

I'm surprised how many Aussies choose a .308 or similar for high mountain hunting. Shorter lighter action, lighter design rifle is obviously the goal. The .308 seen as adequate for expected ranges for red stag, tahr and chamois. Personally I'd consider a flatter shooter. But haven't had to carry a heavier rifle up thousands of feet either.

Now if sojourning to the high mountains of Asia or some rare tagged North American goat or sheep, for a house mortgage priced hunt or trophy fee, I'd want some flat shooter.

But one would always to have practised those 400m, 500m, 600m shots ad nauseum. In all sorts of conditions. And be totally familiar with the cartridge and rifle. Used it a lot for normal hunting. In the good old days in Australia, one could use your new rifle on a 300 feral pig or goat outback hunt. Taking that new .375 for a pig hunt before an African safari. Same could be done pre a big alpine hunt. If one had access to a big number of roo cull destruction tags, that would be excellent long range practice. I had a shot at 600 metres once, with a borrowed 7mm STW, 4000 fps. My first ever shot with it. Complete miss of course.

Have to come back to this post. The Matildas just beat France in a 10 shot shoot out. Womens Soccer/Football Worldcup in Australia.

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I was watching the second half of the game while typing this post, and with the win, needed to cook dinner. Celebrated with a great thick steak, mashed potatoes and veg.

I hope those girls eat lots of beef too.

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Sure Magnum high velocity cartridges are cool. Useful for some specialised hunting and an occasional long shot.

My weighty 8x68S will fill that role. 400 yards or metres is a long way for me anyway.

I would love a 7x57 or .275 bore Mauser one day in a lightish classify stocked Mauser 98 rifle. It will equal any range the .30-06 is capable of doing.

Maybe a 7mm SEvH for that LR mountain stuff.

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John aka NitroX

...
Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"

Edited by NitroX (13/08/23 12:51 AM)

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