Ruger No 1 7x57 Mauser opinions. Pics included.

[Oktagon]

I just aquired this rifle from a friend of mine for a very reasonable price ($350 with scope). The rifle appears to be unfired.
I ocasionaly hund deer in NH, but I nornally use Remington 700 in .308 or Super Vepr in .308 for it. What is general opinion people havea bout Ruger No1, in 7x57 in particular.

The scope is Leopold VariX-III 1.75-6x32. I have another VariX-III (3.5-10x40), which is not mounted on anything, but I will probably leave the original scope on the rifle. I don't see a reason to put a bigger scope on 20" gun.

 

[41mag]

Oh lordy lordy.It's an International model to boot.

Droooool!

(That means I likey)

Excellent aquisition!

 

[m0ntels]

No experience with a No 1 yet, aside from always drooling over how great they look, but I have shot a 7x57. A female friend asked me to help sight it in for her as she hadnt hunted or really used it in years. Due to being young (22) I was skeptical about a round I never heard of in a sporter Mexican Mauser.

All those thoughts immediately left my head when I shot it. It is a great round, and when I started reading about it, I started appreciating it even more. It's been around longer than the 30-06, and it's the basis for many modern cartidges. It's a nice mild recoiling round and it's been used to take elephant so it's good enough to deer hunt with.

If I wasnt so set on the next rifle being 6.5x55, 7x57 would be right up there. You've made me jealous tonight...

Randy

 

[Sam Cade]

whhhoooo!

That is the finest rifle Ruger makes.
...and its in my pet caliber.


You did goooooood.

 

[GunGoBoom]

reasonable doesn't begin to describe the deal you got. The scope alone is purt' near worth that! Unbelievable! The cartridge is most outstanding - 7x57mm has been killing large critters very well for decades on end. If it ain't common enough for you, a good smith could re-chamber in .280 rem. But I'd leave it 7x57 and handload for it myself. I'm very jealous - congrats.

 

[Oktagon]

Thanks guys!
Any ammo recondations? (I don't reload anymore, but even when I did, I never had 7x57 dies).

Whould you be comfortable with this caliber for moose and black bear?

 

[GunGoBoom]

yeah, it's plenty o' gun for those critters, but good hunting ammo is going to be relatively scarce - it's out there though.

 

[MachIVshooter]

You got an RSI with Leupold glass for $350?!?!

You outta be sent up for larceny

Congrats, from a very jealous member.

 

[Strongbad]

MachIV beat me to it. I was about to say that you should be charged with theft... or at the very least feel a little guilty.

 

[Gewehr98]

Sumbitch! I hope both parties were happy with the transaction!

'cuz if I bought an International in 7x57 with Leupold glass at that price, I'd be tripping the light fantastic!

Very nice, and nicely done. Of course, if you get tired of it, you can always shoot me an email, I've got a #1S in .45-70 that needs company...

(Although I think Tamara has been jonesing for an RSI in 7x57 for quite some time, too.)

 

[Oktagon]

Wow I guess I did well!
So just everyone knows, the person who sold me this gun originally wanted $200 for it. I refused to pay that little and after long argument was able to give the poor lady $350. I originally wanted to pay $500.
The person is a long time family friend and a patient of mine. The gun belonged to her late uncle. Along with this gun, I ended up getting three pre 64 Winchester M70 (375H&H, 300Winn Mag and 300 Savage), one pre-64 Winchester M1894 in 45LC (20") and several Colt 1911 commercials made between 1916 and 1934. The person who originaly owned all of these was an avid safari hunter (hence the big game calibers) and long time gun collector.
The items which I did not get (they went to the immediate family) included one Liger commercial carbine, two Mouser M1896 carbines, several custom Winchesters M70 in various calibers, Savage 1907 .45 pistol, several Sauer pre-war drillings and elaborate collection of Colt single action army revolvers (I know very little about those).

 

[db_tanker]

Factory ammo for the 7x57 will be somewhat mild compared to what you can get in Europe.

And as good a deal as you got, its still sad how it comes about...it is only made better by your being honest to the poor lady.

I am actually more excited over that 375 H&H...I am guessing that it is in Safari form? Express sights?

Federal makes a 7mm offering with the excellent Nosler Partition, as well as Sellier and Belloit making a 173 gr. SP, and Winchester making a 145 gr. Super X soft point. The S&B will be a touch hotter than those other two due to the fact that its European...

There have been huge discussions about the 7mm bullet in particular...this bloody thing can lay low dang near any critter that walks...and you can load that (if you get into reloading again...) from varmints up to the big, horned critters. You have that 375 Holland and Holland, so use that when you feel outgunned....

Enjoy your purchase, sir...you made one helluva investment...

D

 

[GunGoBoom]

So just everyone knows, the person who sold me this gun originally wanted $200 for it

it's not just 'leupold glass', for starters. It's a vari-x 3, the predecessor to a $400 scope, which is in a brand that holds its value well.

http://www.riflescopes.com/products/LEU55036/leupold_1.75-6x32_vx-iii_riflescope.htm

on top of a gun in great shape, which can go for as much as this:

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=37287940

and it's in a desirable caliber, as the 7x57mm is an old safari caliber, which jives with the safari int'l rifle. Someone call the cops.

 

[thatguy]

You paid about 40-50% of actual market value. Good job unless you made the offer to a grieving widow who didn't know the value of her dead husband's guns.

The Ruger #1 is a beautiful rifle (this is subjective, of course) and the International Model (Mannlicher stock) is less common and very classy.

The 7x57 is a classic cartridge and one of the best ever designed. The .284 bullet selection is very good and they offer excellent ballistic coefficient for long range shooting. Surplus ammo is often available for plinking, too. I bought some European stuff stamped 1970 that uses a 139 boat-tail spitzer at a measured 2900 FPS. Very accurate.

I congratulate you for your excellent taste in rifles. But then, I may be biased:

My #1A1 in 7x57 with a VX II

I am merely expressing my personal opinion and don't mean to offend anyone.

 

[steveno]

I had a Ruger #1A in 7 x 57 and it was a big time mistake when I got rid of it. The 270 #1A had better wood so that is the one I kept. in that time frame I was looking to get the #1A's in 243 and 30-06 but I was kind of picky about the wood

 

[Cosmoline]

Excellent rifle/cartridge combo. Nearly perfect, in fact. It's on my top ten list of ultimate rifle/cartridge combos. The No. 1 7x57 IIRC has a 1-in-9 or 1-in-8 twist, allowing the shooter to really get the most out of the 7x57. With the big 160 and 190 grain crossbow bolts, the 7x57 leaves the 7mm08 in the dust. It can bring down elephants, and did in fact. As noted, domestic 7x57 is downloaded. I strongly urge you to consider handloading. Woodleigh makes some great 7mm SP's for big game that will expand at non-magnum velocities. They are great medicine for black bear or even elk and moose. Be careful not to get bullets designed to expand only at 7mm magnum velocities and you'll do fine.

Fantastic rifle. AWESOME price.

 

[Oktagon]

Well, this makes me feel very proud of my new aquisitions!

The lady is not a widow. The late owner was her uncle, and the guns are part of the estate setlement. He past away about halve a year ago.

I honestly thought that the riflr and scope were worth about $500-600, but apparently I was wrong. I can only emagine how much those Winchesters M70 are worth now!

I have just ordered 7x57 dies, bullets and fresh powder. Looks like time to ger that old press cleaned up!

 

[Cosmoline]

The only bit of advice I'd offer on handloading the 7x57 is get an array of powders, brass and bullets and be patient. From my experience there's a lot of variation in the accuracy of various load/rifle combination. With experimentation you'll likely find some that your rifle likes a lot more than others. The cartridge has been around for ages, but the down side on this is there just seems to be a lot of variation in the way different companies make brass and the way different rifles are engineered for it.

 

[Oktagon]

Have enuone seen 7x57 made by Norma, in the old red Norma box that states "special safari load"? I got few boxes of that stuff with the gun, and wondering if the ammo is loaded pretty hot...

 

[Clemson]

I use a 7x57 often for deer. I like Nosler Ballistic Tips in either 140 or 150 grain, and I can't truthfully tell the difference in performance on deer. Every critter I have shot with these bullets was a one-shot kill.

Clemson

 

[Slip Shooter]

Reloading is the way to go with the 7x57 as factory ammunition is not always readily available. I have owned an Argentine 7x57 1909 Mauser barreled action, restocked and refinished, for about 8 or 9 years. I have done a lot of searching in older publications about the cartridge, and find that the 7x57 may be a well kept secret in America. I love mine and have developed several loads with various bullet weights. My 7x57 has the long military throat that accepts military cartridges. My chamber can be a challenge with short lighter weight bullets. I seat as close to the lands as permissible.

My intent is a bit of caution that every reloarder of rifle cartridges should observe. Keep the brass trimmed on the 7x57 after no more than two shots. according to all I have read and experienced, the 7x57 case is susceptible to stretching more than normal as compared to other calibers. By not being observant, I have fired brass that was over maximum trim-to-length and had some scary pressure signs due to the case mouth not being able to open properly. Brass life has been about 10 to 12 shots. Your Ruger No.1 may not present the problems my military chambering poses.

You will find the 7x57 a joy to reload and a very versatile cartridge attaining very good ballistics with a wide array of bullets and powder, not to mention the lighter recoil. IT'S A PUSSY CAT!! capable of taking most North American Game, and a favorite African cartridge for some of the old time hunters and writers. The 7x57 has a long and colorful history.

You will be very pleased with the Ruger No.1 and the 7x57 Mauser.

 

[Oktagon]

OK, just fired Norma loads and few Remington as well as S&B hunting loads.
"safari special" was no kidding! Remington and S&B were 140 and 173gr respectively. Norma load was 185gr round nose soft point. The recoil from Remington and S&B was pretty similar to .308 or 30-06. Very little. The Norma kicked more then my 300 WinMag. Remington clocked at 2300 fps, S&B clocked at 2275fps, and Norma clocked at 2530fps. It is a heaviest load too!
The date on the box is 1978. I wonder if these loads are still available, even if it is just description which I can then load myself!

 

[Oktagon]

dup sorry

 

[Cosmoline]

Wow, 185 grain Normas! That's a serious crossbow bolt

I found a box of Barnes original 190 grain 7mm's a few years ago, but sadly my CZ 550 could not keep them stable. The No. 1's tighter twist rate might work very well with such rounds, but I don't think anyone makes them that big these days.

 

[db_tanker]

Lets see...Barnes still makes a 175 gr X Flat Base as well as Sierra having the same weight in a Spitzer BT and Matchking. Nosler makes a 160 gr. Fail Safe. Swift makes a 175 gr. slug as well.

Check that throat to see what all you can load...singles are easy to check.

Might actually want to do a chamber cast...I would.


D