blaser 7x57

[bramble basher]

gents

have been looking at a blaser r93 off road on gun trader in 7x57 and would appreciate your thoughts good or bad would be looking to use for casual woodland stalking in the uk and some hill work not had one before so any thoughts would be appreciated

[Ronin]

I have a friend who awaits delivery of an R8 with drop trigger, black action and in 7mm RM.

 

 

Will update when it arrives, I anticipate it will do the job, just as well as the R93 does.

[Alycidon]

7x57 was also known as a .275, very popular maybe 40 years ago. Friend of mine has two guns, a shotgun and a 7x57 that gets used for everything from rutting Sika and Red stags to foxes. He had had the 7x57 for at least 30 years and is more than happy with it.

 

It will take anything on these shores at sensible ranges,

 

A

[Ronin]

7x57 and .275 Rigby are different dimensionaly (albeit very slight)

[Zaitsev]

I have used 7x57 in the past and have fond memories of it. It's an excellent calibre and one which you can take to Africa with impunity as pretty much everywhere has ammo for it.

Finman on this site shoots one and he loves his.

[Finman]

yes he does!

 

If you can down this

 

 

at 167 yards with one (head)shot, (140gn GMK) and this

 

 

at 274 yards off sticks, well, you gotta love the rifle and the cartridge. Let alone that I don't think that any of the local species will stand much of a chance.

 

Z'ee, we are due a write up of that trip me thinks...chance to show your exotic varmint too!

 

best wishes,

 

Finman

[bramble basher]

thanks for the replies so far as for calibre I'm now quite set on 7x57 its the blaser thing I'm not sure about having not owned one before have shot a couple and they were both very accurate with factory ammo but I've also read the horror stories on the net about them blowing up

[Finman]

there was a nice Sako L61 in 7x57 being sold not that long ago and for reasonable money. Check to see if it is still available (in the For Sale section) and your B....r worries will be no more

 

 

Finman

 

PS: have nothing to do with the sale!

[Toby]

there was a nice Sako L61 in 7x57 being sold not that long ago and for reasonable money. Check to see if it is still available (in the For Sale section) and your B....r worries will be no more

 

 

Finman

 

PS: have nothing to do with the sale!

 

That is one sweet rifle Finman!Is that a 26"barrel and a 3-12 Zenith I see?

Regards Toby

[Finman]

Cheers Toby, it really is a sweet rifle: Sako L691, 25 inch PacNor select match 1:8 twist, 2.5-10x56 S&B Zenith and a McMillan Sako classic stock, marine tex and pillar bedded. All work by Mike Norris. As Zaitsev said, I love it!!

[Alycidon]

7x57 and .275 Rigby are different dimensionaly (albeit very slight)

 

 

I stand corrected, I always thought they were the same round.

 

A

[Vermincinerator]

7x57 and .275 Rigby are different dimensionaly (albeit very slight)

 

i think you are incorrect Ronin, In the 1920's John Rigby was Mausers main British agent and renamed the 7x57 chambering 275 Rigby in his rifles to appeal to British buyers who did not like the idea of buying a rifle chambered for a German cartridge, a bit of clever trickery

 

Ian.

[Finman]

Now, I am no historian or the best informed guy around, but I think that Ian is correct here. Perhaps tikka260 may be able to shed some more light on this as he is currently building a .275Rigby...

 

best wishes,

 

Finman

[Zaitsev]

there was a nice Sako L61 in 7x57 being sold not that long ago and for reasonable money. Check to see if it is still available (in the For Sale section) and your B....r worries will be no more

 

 

Finman

 

PS: have nothing to do with the sale!

 

Ditto. I would seriously investigate the above.

[Alycidon]

Whatever you think of the rifle the round is a nice one. A friend had one built four of five years ago on an old Mauser action by Rigby ( I think!). He put a PM2 P4L on it and takes it to the US for Elk and Africa for plains game. Cost him well over 10K for the rifle alone. It flattens things with authority and is sweet shooting to boot.

 

A

[Ronin]

I have CIP data sheets for both 7x57 Mauser and 275 Rigby HV and although dimensionally "similar" the issue is that headspace on the Rigby is .003" different to the Mauser.

 

 

Having an interest in both, ive also discussed the matter with the Proof House and my reamer manufacturer, the upshot being that the two cases are sufficiently different, to require specific chamberings.

 

 

You cannot chamber a 7x57 and call it a 275 HV Rigby and vice versa.

 

 

Ignore the length difference thats just how the reamers were made - they are both laid out on the datum lines:

 

 

 

 

 

[Finman]

Hi Ronin,

 

whilst an interesting technical point, is there any difference in the performance of this two cartridges? would a rifle chambered in 7x57 be able to fire ammunition branded .275Rigby (and vice versa)? I know that cases headstamped 7x57 are massively cheaper (and they are not cheap!) than ones headstamped .275Rigby but I am not sure that it would make any difference.

 

best wishes,

 

Finman

[Vermincinerator]

I concede to your superior technical knowledge Ronin after all you are a proffesional rifle maker so you should know these things

 

Ian.

[Tikka 260]

Now, I am no historian or the best informed guy around, but I think that Ian is correct here. Perhaps tikka260 may be able to shed some more light on this as he is currently building a .275Rigby...

 

best wishes,

 

Finman

 

 

After much discussion and with feedback from the Proof House, the build has been chambered with a PTG 275Rigby HV reamer, which will use RWS 7x57 new brass. There is a small difference in headspace and I defer to Ronin on that knowledge and the investigation effort.

 

The point was to make something different and I have a feeling that it will be just that in the fullness of time. It will also go on the Euro Firearms pass as a 275 NOT a 7x57.

 

.275 Rigby brass is rarer than Rockinghorse sh*t, that's even if it is available anywhere on the Planet, which I doubt; so new RWS will fill the bill, and be marginally fireformed with use; Oh ..... and I intend using Redding 7x57 dies, which ought not to be an issue for the headspacing difference.

 

Watch this space.

 

ATB

 

P

[Ronin]

Hi Ronin,

 

whilst an interesting technical point, is there any difference in the performance of this two cartridges? would a rifle chambered in 7x57 be able to fire ammunition branded .275Rigby (and vice versa)? I know that cases headstamped 7x57 are massively cheaper (and they are not cheap!) than ones headstamped .275Rigby but I am not sure that it would make any difference.

 

best wishes,

 

Finman

 

 

The simple answer is I do not know - both reamers are Min SAAMI spec and from the prints, I notice that the 275 HV Rigby has a slightly longer throat - this may just be PTG's decision, both will handle upto and slightly beyond 170 grain bullets.

 

 

One thing I did not check is if a 7x57 Go Guage / No Go will chamber in the 275 and viceversa.

 

 

The rifle is away at proof, I can check on its return, but the answer will only apply to this particular specimen.

 

 

The differences dimensionally are small, but are there nevertheless.

 

 

After discussion with the Proof House and Dave Kiff, both advised that to remain 100% true to form, a 275 HV Rigby Reamer should be used to make the chamber - (wether early versions of the 7x57 / 275 Rigby were actually the same and at what point a "true" Rigby chambering came about I dont know), but as CIP holds different measurements for the two chamberings, one can only draw the conclusion that the two are not identical - despite online opinion to the contrary.

 

The end product is intended after all, to be a "true" .275 HV Rigby chambering.

[Ronin]

I concede to your superior technical knowledge Ronin after all you are a proffesional rifle maker so you should know these things

 

Ian.

 

 

"Enthusiastic and Interested Amateur" is what I prefer, and I am a mere aprentice behind your own machining skills and experience - one day I may change that, but not yet

[Ronin]

gents

have been looking at a blaser r93 off road on gun trader in 7x57 and would appreciate your thoughts good or bad would be looking to use for casual woodland stalking in the uk and some hill work not had one before so any thoughts would be appreciated

 

 

 

To return to the context of the thread;

 

 

7x57 would be (is) an excellent all round stalking calibre and is more than sufficient for any species in the UK and abroad.

[bramble basher]

L61 action, re-barelled by dasherman with stainless 24" Pac-Nor, which is in the Remington sporter profile.

Screwcut 1/2" UNF.

In thumbhole laminate stock. Original wooden factory sporter stock also included.

I fired 40 Federal factory rounds through this rifle whilst breaking it in. It has not been fired since as I no longer shoot the bigger deer species, so unfortunately have no use for it.

 

have just spoke to 17rem and bought the above (well soon as feo gets my ticket back) what blaser

[Vermincinerator]

"Enthusiastic and Interested Amateur" is what I prefer, and I am a mere aprentice behind your own machining skills and experience - one day I may change that, but not yet

 

Ronin you are in the trade mate i am not hence you have access to information which in believe is trade only, i dont but i wish i did

Engineering is a trade where you never stop learning, there are always new kinks to find out and different ways of doing things to be discovered.

 

Ian.

[Zaitsev]

L61 action, re-barelled by dasherman with stainless 24" Pac-Nor, which is in the Remington sporter profile.

Screwcut 1/2" UNF.

In thumbhole laminate stock. Original wooden factory sporter stock also included.

I fired 40 Federal factory rounds through this rifle whilst breaking it in. It has not been fired since as I no longer shoot the bigger deer species, so unfortunately have no use for it.

 

have just spoke to 17rem and bought the above (well soon as feo gets my ticket back) what blaser

 

Good call that man! You won't have to say the nasty german 'B' word again now

 

That'll be practically a brand new rifle with that low round count. It'll take you a good few years to get through that barrel anyway as the 7x57 is pretty easy on them.

Best of luck with it.

 

G