[hairbear1]

Some wildcat cartridges that happened here in Australia were the .22/303,.25/303,.243/303,.270/303 with the most popular being the .25/303 with 87gn projectile that was used by the pro Kangaroo shooters and it also performed very well on pigs and goats,regards

[HockaLouis]

That an Australian Wild Pig in your avatar? Got more!? And, you KNOW you lot stole all those wildcat ideas from us, right? LOL

[HM2Grunt]

Thank you all. This was very educational , and at no time was anything said about the current gun problems. This is really what this forum should be about. This conversation was very enjoyable, and I did not finish it feeling disheartened or angry

[Colby]

Anyone have any thoughts on availability of cartridges for these two rifles -7.62 Nato and 7mm?
Both of them seem good in ways and both seem a little oddball in ways. Or am I seeing this wrong? Remember, I know practically nothing about these Mausers or Enfields. They were just offered to me - and I like old historic type guns... It's a curse, maybe. But there are far worse things to be cursed with!

[hairbear1]

Originally Posted by HockaLouis

That an Australian Wild Pig in your avatar? Got more!? And, you KNOW you lot stole all those wildcat ideas from us, right? LOL

Certainly is.I shot that 1 last year up in our Northern Territory on a 5 day 6 night cull hunt.
And as for stealing your ideas on wildcatting ya just can't help bad luck some days

I'll find some more pics of some of the pigs my son and I shot last year up there if you blokes want a look but I'll probably have to do a seperate thread so as not to take this one off thread too far,regards

[HockaLouis]

Hair, I'd love that myself, and funny thing is I have never hog hunted but I have seen some videos and I gotta say, here, it looks like fun and I'm glad people are getting rid of the miserable things. My BIL got a feral pig with a single snap shot .44 Mag bullet from a rifle, it fell at his feet at the end of its charge, and he never hunted 'em again...

That NATO round is one of the most common and popular in the world. The rifle is a British WWI type made on the 60's by their India commonwealth ally. It is a great gun to own. 7mm Mauser, spanning 3 centuries now, is STILL a very poular, and underated, round. Talk him down for both if they are in above average condition -- cash and carry.

[Colby]

Still not very clear on the desirability of either of these two offered rifles. Or the availability of ammo.
I would hate for them to end up being just wall guns. Or are they worth it?

7mm Mauser - for a very clean Mauser 98

"declared .308" - most likely 7.62x57 NATO - for a very clean Enfield

[303tom]

Originally Posted by Colby

Still not very clear on the desirability of either of these two offered rifles. Or the availability of ammo.
I would hate for them to end up being just wall guns. Or are they worth it?

7mm Mauser - for a very clean Mauser 98

"declared .308" - most likely 7.62x57 NATO - for a very clean Enfield

The 7x57 very readily available.........http://www.midwayusa.com/product/273774/prvi-partizan-ammunition-7x57mm-mauser-7mm-mauser-139-grain-soft-point-box-of-20

And the I believe you mean 7.62x51 NATO is about as available as hens teeth..............

[Colby]

Originally Posted by 303tom

The 7x57 very readily available.........http://www.midwayusa.com/product/273774/prvi-partizan-ammunition-7x57mm-mauser-7mm-mauser-139-grain-soft-point-box-of-20

And the I believe you mean 7.62x51 NATO is about as available as hens teeth..............

I'm not sure what I mean here. I don't really know anything about these two guns - they were offered - they both look to be in excellent condition. The Enfield was verbally described as a "308". I did not have a chance to examine the gun closely for markings. Checked the bores with a light - they were visually excellent.
So - don't know what it's actual caliber is. Was hoping for some help here at the forum.
I'm interested in these guns historically - but would rather have good shootable rifles with available ammo.
I don't know the chambering history of either gun type - what was common - what was unusual - or what may have become an orphan gun - ammo wise.

Any help you can offer --- I'm all ears!

[greydog]

The 7.62 Nato is one of the most common cartridges in the world and 308 Winchester can be substituted. The differences are miniscule.
The 7x57 was not as common as a military cartridge but was and is one of the great big game cartridges.
The Lee Enfield actions are not as strong as the Mauser and they will, indeed, stretch brass with heavy loads. Their springiness was on of their advantages in very dirty conditions and this springiness, combined with the angled locking lug seats, would allow the bolt to be closed on a dirty or damaged cartridge which would have put a Mauser out of commision.
The Mauser 98's produced for Brazil (1908 DWM and 1935 Mauserwerke) were some of the finest 98's ever produced. The 1935 is especially desirable and i would choose on of these over any other as the basis for a custom Mauser. GD