Thread: School me on the 7x57 mauser

Around the turn of last century, the Boers and Brits were having at it in South Africa. The 7x57 was popular among the Boers and Rigby would not have had much success selling the 7x57 in the rest of the British Empire. That's what I read many years ago to explain the Rigby chambering, but I can't seem to verify it. Does anyone else have insight into this?

Only downside is price of brass.

Originally Posted by Bol Tackshin

Around the turn of last century, the Boers and Brits were having at it in South Africa. The 7x57 was popular among the Boers and Rigby would not have had much success selling the 7x57 in the rest of the British Empire. That's what I read many years ago to explain the Rigby chambering, but I can't seem to verify it. Does anyone else have insight into this?

American gun writers always try and explain it and get it wrong, simply because they never called it a .275" in their country. The truth is that the 7x57 was just commonly known as the .275 in the British empire, right from the start - they didn't use metric names. The same way we call the .303 the .303. That's what it was called. People knew it was also called the 7x57 of course, but that was something that Europeans called it. Germans and foreigners and suchlike. As another example, in Europe they had the 9.5x57mm, a fairly popular cartridge. In the British commonwealth, this cartridge was known as the .375. (Rimless)
It's just imperial versus metric.

What Rigby did do was repackage and sell the 140 grain load as their brand of a "High Velocity" load, which was very popular for deer stalkers in the UK, but it was never marketed as a proprietary cartridge, or referred to posessively. Rigby have never referred to a ".275 Rigby" as a cartridge name until very recently with the new company. Historically, never.

The earliest mention I can find of the ".275 Rigby" referring to the 7mm cartridge is in an article by American gun writer Jack O"connor from the 1970's, and I am sure he just misconstrued or misremembered what WDM Bell had written in his books. It sounds good, but it's just a simple mistake.

Thanks @John Duxbury for that detailed answer - the fact that I couldn't find any confirmation did make me wonder.

Originally Posted by Bol Tackshin

Thanks @John Duxbury for that detailed answer - the fact that I couldn't find any confirmation did make me wonder.

You are most welcome.

Why does it say on the ammo box only to be used in Rigby 275 rifles or others specifically chambered? Makes one think they were calling their rifles a Rigby .275. I must have a look through my old books.

Originally Posted by nor-west

Why does it say on the ammo box only to be used in Rigby 275 rifles or others specifically chambered? Makes one think they were calling their rifles a Rigby .275. I must have a look through my old books.

They sold their "high velocity" 7mm sporting rifles with the sights regulated for their specific brand of HV 140 grain ammunition, and you were supposed to only buy that. You will see it often saying "for Rigby high velocity rifles" etc. If your sights were for the 175 grain bullet its not going to work for you.

Originally Posted by John Duxbury

They sold their "high velocity" 7mm sporting rifles with the sights regulated for their specific brand of HV 140 grain ammunition, and you were supposed to only buy that. You will see it often saying "for Rigby high velocity rifles" etc. If your sights were for the 175 grain bullet its not going to work for you.

Ok I had a quick look at one of my books (Mauser original Oberndorf sporting rifles) and some early Mausers actually had Rigby .275 as the cartridge stamped on them, anyway I'm going to call my .257 Roberts a .257 Rigby from now on.

Originally Posted by nor-west

Ok I had a quick look at one of my books (Mauser original Oberndorf sporting rifles) and some early Mausers actually had Rigby .275 as the cartridge stamped on them, anyway I'm going to call my .257 Roberts a .257 Rigby from now on.

WEll, yes, same as any rifle manufacturer, they put their name on them. All of their rifles (or the ones ive seen apart from some early ones) had RIGBY on the top of the receiver, and then under their brand name they put the chambering - which for the 7mm was .275 BORE. (Or .350 or .416 BORE etc.) And then sometimes just HV for high velocity or it written out in full



I still call my .223 a .222 Special. I think it's cooler.

Yep. A new product from the modern Kynamco company! The fantasy becomes true. Hornady now sell brass headstamped .275 Rigby, custom 7x57 rifles get marked as .275 Rigby, and the new Rigby company market it as if was always "theirs" now as well. Essentially the internet has changed history. It's quite the lesson in how people can be so wrong about the past and be absolutely certain of something with no evidence at all.

(The real Kynoch ICI company stopped manufacturing sporting cartridges in the early sixties. All the old British nitro express cartridges died overnight. Kynamco are like the new Rigby company, new people have bought the name and make the old African nitro cartridges again. (I think the only original British company still from the early period of the Empire that exists still in its original form today is Westley Richards.))


I had some original Kynoch .44-40 ammo once, and I just shot it off, like an idiot. You cant even reload the brass. I should have kept it.

@John Duxbury

Interesting thread on the .275 or 7 x 57. I have a brand new .275 Rigby ( yes that will irritate at least one person on the forum) Cooper rifle sitting in my safe unfired. ( Cooper took the liberty to write .275 Rigby on the barrel for right or for wrong). On my list to drag out, scope, and shoot something.

I've got a 7mm08, I am going to have it stamped .275 Rigby as well!

" had some original Kynoch .44-40 ammo once, and I just shot it off, like an idiot. You cant even reload the brass. I should have kept it"

I have an original box of Kynoch 32-20 ammo, jacketed soft flatpoints. Berdan primer. I look at them to shoot every now and then, will I, won't I, but havn't yet. Mainly because the brass is no use to me for reloading.. and they're kind of cute