Classic stalking rifles - today

cash_tx said:
A short follow-up to my posts earlier in this thread; today I picked up the Belgian Mauser 7x57 stalking-style rifle that I bought from Bass Pro earlier in the week, and to say that I am thrilled would be putting it mildly. As I hoped, the rifle was a sleeper; and I think I caught a lot of gun for a little money at an opportune time.

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The wood and metal work look as good or better in person as they did in the pictures (with just the right amount of honest wear); and it was nice to discover that the rifle had been glass-bedded, the barrel free-floating, and included a Timney trigger set at 2 1/4 pounds (per my RCBS trigger gauge). I spent a couple hours doing a detailed cleaning on it, mounting a glossy Leupold Vari-X II 2-7x scope and rings that I had on hand, and grabbing a few pics.

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Interestingly, the rifle isn't explicitly marked 7x57 or 7mm Mauser; rather, the proof marks include "M 7.0" and "B. Blindee". According to my Internet research, some Belgian Mauser actions of this vintage were marked with "7.0" and an "M" to designate 7mm Mauser; and the "B. Blindee" is short for "Balle Blindee" (which apparently is a Dutch phrase that means "Full Metal Jacket" approved). If anyone else spots anything noteworthy from these proof marks, please elaborate.

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The underside of the barrel has "LCL INC. Scottsdale AZ" stamped on it (which I assume is who imported the rifle to the states), and someone has also stamped "FOREIGN" on the left side of the receiver ring (perhaps the importer also did that?).

In the meantime, I feel very blessed and lucky to have been on the right web page at the right time; and look to have this thing sighted in and hunting some whitetail very soon. I wish good fortune on the OP of this thread that he will get just the right stalking rifle for his future adventures. :)
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That is effectively the gun I want.

Congrats on a beautiful pickup, I’m sure it’ll give you years of joy and me years of envy!
 
On from earlier discussion about iron sights. This is from Jim Corbett’s Temple Tiger book.
The jarao

He notes that the jarao (sambar stag) was only likely to be 300y. Obviously an easy enough shot for him with the express sights.

Also interesting to note that this rifle had a two stage trigger (which cost him bringing the temple tiger to bag).

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My current stalking rifle project is a Kerner 9.5x57r (360 BPE). Do to dental surgery, I haven’t been to the range in a year. Hope to be done by November.
Mike
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AZDAVE said:
A good example of a attempt at compromise is the Ruger #1 stock. (Now understand #1's are some of my favorite rifle) To shoot the irons your cheek weld is pushed down hard to see the irons correctly and the stock nails the underside of the cheek bone. Especially in 338 and bigger. Using a scope can leave your cheek weld higher off the stock just to get a proper sight picture, and with heavier recoil that gap becomes pretty noticeable. The comb can end up meeting your cheek after it has already started moving, which is uncomfortable and doesn’t exactly help consistency either. It’s really about keeping the relationship between your face, stock and optic repeatable. online casino mit neosurf https://casinoswithneosurf.com/de-at/ gives me the same kind of thought with bet controls and session limits: if the basic setup doesn’t line up naturally, every adjustment after that feels like a workaround. A good fit matters more than adding another layer on top.

On my #1's I have either taken a rasp to the stock to get it to fit right or if scoped restock to a proper comb height. (alternately add a leather comb to the correct height till I get a chance to restock.)
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Ruger #1s are gorgeous, but that factory comb really does make you choose a lane. A leather riser is a lot kinder than discovering the problem again with a heavy load.
 
yamoon said:
What do I have? Brno full stock carbine made in 1948, is it a 21f or a 22f?
Mike
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My understanding is that technically there only existed model 721 and 722 - later abbreviated to 21 and 22 and there was no H or F designation. From memory the difference between the models was barrel length of which the 22 was shorter (around 20”). Someone more knowledgeable can step in I’m sure and correct me.
 
yamoon said:
My current stalking rifle project is a Kerner 9.5x57r (360 BPE). Do to dental surgery, I haven’t been to the range in a year. Hope to be done by November.
MikeView attachment 796855View attachment 796856View attachment 796857View attachment 796858View attachment 796859View attachment 796858
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This has me intrigued, the under lever would drop the block eject or extract the cartridge and then recock the action on closing, there is a tang safety, so what does the side lever do
Gumpy
 
Just because someone does something, doesn't mean that he can legally do it. I do think he does great work. However, I wouldn't send him my rifle and knowingly support his breaking of federal law.

This isn't about my agreement with that law. Just ask him to provide his FFL. You can also do an online search for his FFL and not find it.
 
Ontario Hunter said:
Both my plains game 30-06 Springfield and 404 on 98 Mauser acquire instantly when the gun is mounted, either scope or optional irons. If I close my eyes, mount the gun, and open them, the sights or crosshairs are right there without adjusting anything. "Splitting the difference" can be done if one knows how to adjust stock, rear sight placement/adjustment, front sight height, ring height, scope tube thickness, and, if necessary, modify bolt handle for clearance. Okay, my guns don't look totally "classic" but they're not ugly either and both can shoot fast and accurately no matter which sighting option I choose.
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Ontario, I agree with you totally! The romance and nostalgia of the "old or original African calibers is very much alive and well, but at their price points (for me) are cost prohibitive. Just use what works.....
 
Xpraetor said:
Wasn't trying to be rude. I am interested in the details .... those are very nice
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o no in did not mean it like that I wanted to make sure I understood the question ,,yes I will send you more pics or maybe do a thread on them here
 
JPbowhunter said:
If you wanted a true classic stalking rifle in a standard calibre like 7x57 of days gone by where would you turn today?
This is my current dilemma and there doesn’t seem to be many modern options.

For those of us that appreciate iron sight and off hand shooting a light, slim stocked rifle with some drop at the heel of the stock makes for a much nicer and more comfortable weapon.

Having the option for QR systems is also great allowing me to bush stalk for shots up to 150m with my irons and chuck on a scope for mountain or plains hunting where shots extend further.

What are the real options for a rifle such as this these days? Particularly if you want to keep it under $10k.

I can only really think of some heym sr21 models, Steyr MS12 or to just look backward to a Mannlicher schoenauer, early Mauser 98, Brno 21 or zg47 etc.

I am a little bit of a stickler for top loading, not essential but I prefer it, that’s one of the only knocks against heym I can think of.
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I have really, really enjoyed my Dakota Model 10s in 7x57. They are perfect stalking rifles. Built on a single shot falling block action, they weigh nothing, the full length 23" barrel still carries like a carbine due to the shorter action size. I've killed everything from bears to elk, kudu to impala, warthog to waterbuck with mine. Oh, and plenty of whitetail deer.

You will not find a better option for quality and attributes.

Other honorable mentions would be a bespoke/vintage Scottish/British rifle built on a 1904 Mannlicher in 256 gibbs or 6.5MS. Lovely stalking rifles. Be very careful about buying one in 7x57 because changing calibers on MS actions usually results in feed issues due to their caliber-specific rotary magazines and their tuning for round nose bullets from the early 20th century.

If money were no object, I would buy a Parkwest Model 10 in 7x57 as a traveler option, with a second barrel in 9.3x62 or 375 Flanged. The recoil is miserable on the latter due to the lightweight design, but then you can hunt Moose, Eland, Lion, and Buffalo as well.
 
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