"Louis Ohland" wrote in message
...
Yes. There is a 57mm long case with a .473" diameter case head common to
the 6x57, 7x57, and 8x57 rounds.

SteveB wrote:
Is a 7 x 57 and a 7mm Mauser shell the same thing? It's mostly metal
.........

Steve

If I read you right, then I can shoot the shells labeled 7mm Mauser in my
Ruger?

I'll be a little more specific. I inherited a Ruger M77 with the
identifying 7 x 57 on the side of the barrel indicating the caliber. I have
since read and learned NOT to use the old military ammo, and for various
reasons. Old powder, high acid contents, poor ballistics on the round point
ammo, lots of things. I also read not to use the new shells in the old
guns. I have Googled and Googled and read and read. I come up with two
definite matches on 7 x 57 shells being sold as that specific designation,
and not as 7mm Mauser. IIRC, Norma and a Japanese brand. Then I read a lot
of the standard 7mm Mauser ammo was intentionally lightly loaded because it
was being used in the old guns. So if you wanted higher power, you had to
hand load.

But, the 7mm Mauser are listed in the dimension charts I find as 7.214 mm
bullet with a 57 mm case. In many sites, the 7 x 57 and the 7mm Mauser are
bunched together as one. I read in a Rifle Shooter Magazine that there are
4 names for this shell ..... Spanish Mauser, 7 mm Mauser, 7 x 57, and in
England the .275 Rigby. They were doing an article of the history of 7mm
cartridges.

I was at the gun store today (not a gun shop, but a borg type store) and the
guy said the 7mm Mauser shells on the shelf would NOT fit the Ruger.

I shall call Ruger tomorrow if they don't return the message I left this
evening.

Most of what I am finding would lead me to conclude this rifle will safely
shoot the 7mm Mauser cartridge, but I want to be 102% sure before I buy a
box, not to mention when I chamber one and squeeze it off. I compared
bullet and case dimensions on various sites, and they vary by only .001"
looking up 7 x 57 and 7mm Mauser cartridges. As an example, I got .472"
base diameter. (You stated .473") And I find it a little odd that although
the bullet diameter changes, the case base diameter and length does not. Is
the same amount of powder used on all three rounds?

Just hoping someone in the group would have this metal related knowledge. I
know a bit about guns, but not this deep.

Steve