TR was looking around an 11 inch thick tree in Cuba, and the tree was drilled by a 7mm Mauser, filling his ear with sawdust.
He said that if he had not been looking around the tree he would have been killed.
He also said that men who were shot by the 7mm Mauser if shot in the head, heart or spine were killed quickly, if they were hit elsewhere, they lived and recovered suprisingly quickly.
When I lived in the midwest I bought a WW1 “Spanish” 7mm Mauser carbine AND 500rds of WW1 era fmj ammo for about $70.
I took most of the forestock wood off, shaved down the rest, stained it black and had a gunsmith replace the clunky block & toggle sights with peep sights for about $30. Result was the Ugly Stick. Ugliest rifle you ever saw, but a tack driver and a critter gitter, and just about indestructible...plus with most of the wood removed a light carry on long forays. Had it for a decade and then gave it to a friend’s kid as his first deer rifle when I moved offshore.
BTW out of that 500rds? Only two misfires in the lot, but I also discarded about eight or ten that had visible cracking around the neck. Good deal.