Posted on 08/20/2020 6:40:21 AM PDT by w1n1
Despite The Rise Of The 6.5, The 7mm Remains America's Favorite Metric Hunting Cartridge - It's hard to pick up a shooting magazine or wander through a large gun store without coming face to face with one of the myriad of popular 6.5 cartridges. Some, like the 6.5 Grendel, 26 Nosler and 6.5 Creedmoor are relatively new. Others, like the 6.5×55 Swedish Mauser, are practically historic. But the 6.5s are trending right now in every platform for hunting and competitive shooting.
I won't take anything away from the 6.5s. They're versatile cartridges that are accurate out to long range. But the king of the metric mountain is and will be (at least in the foreseeable future) the 7mms, and here’s why.
Modern smokeless 7mm cartridges have been around for more than a century. The first truly successful sporting and military 7mm across the Atlantic was the 7mm Mauser, and at the Battle of San Juan Hill, Teddy Roosevelt and his Rough Riders realized that the fast, accurate, flat-shooting Mauser 93s in 7mm Mauser were far superior to their .45-70 Springfields. That battle prompted a change in American cartridge design that continues to this day.
Shortly after the Second Boer War ended, WDM "Karamojo" Bell, the Scottish adventurer, soldier and hunter, began hunting ivory professionally in Africa using a 7mm Mauser rifle. Also known as the 7×57, Bell's rifle accounted for a number of big tusker trophies across the Dark Continent, most of them taken with precarious brain shots.
Why was the 7mm so effective?
In that particular case, Bell used a 173-grain bullet with a sectional density of .306, higher than a .375 H&H Magnum with a 300-grain bullet. Long, heavy-for-caliber bullets penetrate well, battle the wind and carry energy over long distances. But despite its power, the mild little 7mm Mauser was (and is) very comfortable to shoot.
Today, the round faces competition from the 7mm-08, another mild 7 formed by necking down the .308 Winchester.
But while the 7mm Mauser and 7mm-08 remain excellent options, 170-plus-grain bullets are no longer the norm. Modern factory loads have bullets from 120 to 140 grains, which offer ample knockdown power for nearly all North American game at moderate ranges. These two mild 7s are great for just about any game, and that includes elk and moose, though there are better, more specialized options outlined below. Read the rest 7mm caliber.
When I want to save $ target shooting I take 8mm Mauser.
15 rds of that and you’ll put the gun away. :)
I have a 7-08 Browning. I like the 150gr fed power shok rounds for price and accuracy in this caliber. My rifle does not shoot accurately with weights under the Hornady 139gr.
“When I want to save $ target shooting I take 8mm Mauser.”
For me it’s a Mosin. Nothing like a brass buttplate against your shoulder 15 times.
L
Those old mausers a had skull crusher buttplates too.
I had 2 d mosin nagants, one made in 1897
Daffadaimsho!
Old Mosin $100 ,Old Turkish Mauser $65
Cheap good times.
As humblegunner says “I like a gun that talks back”
I paid less than $200 for a 1932 Tusla Hex Receiver and a tin of ammo all delivered to my door.
Bore is a bit rusty, but 5 rounds will take care of that little issue.
LOL
L
That old 1897 Mosin was in many wars and still shot great.
It was captured by the Finns in the winter war and rearsenaled by Sako.
The bore was a bit frosty from all the corrosive ammo it ate over the years.
Regarding Ads, maybe that the heavy 7mm exceeded the mid weight for caliber 375 300, however if we are looking at SD as. Performance criteria, the the 220 30 cal end nose beats then both, at .330
Obviously 7mm heavies work, just like 160 6.5 a and 400. .416s etc.
Not so sure there is an argument to be made.
The biggest benefit of small calibers in the era you mention was improved performance over the British express cartridges of the day, light for caliber fairly fast 400 + diameter rounds.
The gain of full jacketed RN and tough softs in small and mid bores was construction first, the SD then velocity.
There really is a reason for caliber minimums in Africa. There ought to be a penetration min as well.
Ads =SD
end nose= round nose.
Autocorrect....
In other words, about average for 'Am Shooting Journal'.
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