7MM Allen Mag Questions for all

[uncleB]

wildcat,
If you are going to use this as a 2000yard gun, You should really think about a 338 instead of a 7mm if for no other reason than being able to spot your shot. no matter what B.C. the 200gr wildcat bullet is a 300gr SMK will be much easier to spot past 1 mile (not as easy as some think)
UB

[wildcat]

I was originally going to have a 338 Allen Mag built, however, it seems like there is a lot more case prep involved. I am sure I will continue to think about it.

Jake

[Fiftydriver]

Wildcat,

Drop me an e-mail and we can talk about the finer details on barrel choice. This is the critical aspect of the project as we have learned along the way. I say we, because without the men that have already responded to your questions, I would have not been able to fully develope the 7mm AM to the extent it has already been.

These extreme rounds are always evolving and I am always looking for ways to get more performance from my rounds. There are several things that we have discovered with the 7mm AM and the Wildcat bullets. It has not always been a smooth ride but we are getting things pretty fine tuned.

New barrel designes have been tested and proven to produce better results then original barrel designs. Only problem now is getting a reliable source for these barrels. I thought I had one lined up but it seems they are so far behind, getting barrels is extremely time consuming.

That said, I am already working on a new barrel supplier, barrels are ordered and are being built to my exact specs for the specific needs of my AMs and Wildcat Bullets. Best news is that this new barrel supplier is supposed to get barrels shipped within 4 weeks of ordering. We will see. Barrels are on the way for testing and proving and if they meet the grade, there will not be a problem with barrels.

The receiver you list is a great one but I would like to mention that there will soon be a custom receiver from APS called the Raptor. Bascially, it will be a beefed up verion of the Nesika Bay M receiver available in single shot or repeater with lengthened bolt head and significantly lengthened receiver threads to handle long heavy barrels.

It will also fit into standard Rem 700 stocks. It will be 1.355" in diameter however do it may not be large enough for what your looking to build barrel wise. That said. I assure you it will easily be as stout as the BAT M receiver because of its much longer bolt head and significantly longer receiver thread length. IT should easily handle a 1.350" straight cylinder barrel of 32".

More to come on the new receiver soon. Hope to have them full tested and proven this summer.

Nice thing, they will be built to the same or better quality as the Nesika receivers but should be several hundred less in price. They will be comparible to the BAT receivers in price but shipping time will be DRAMATICALLY less and there will be no inletting problems as with the BAT 1.55 receivers.

As far as my recommended use for the 7mm AM. IT is designed for one purpose only, extreme performance big game hunting. It IS NOT a high volume cartridge. It is designed to have a load developed, and used for big game hunting which would include a relatively low number of shots per season. If you varmint hunt with a chambering like this, you will burn the throat very quickly as compared to using it as big game rifle.

Just a recommendation. IF you want a higher volume shooter, you may consider a smaller chambering or if you want a higher volume long range varmint round. The 338 AX would be a much better choice with the larger bore on the same case design.

Just recommendations. I am not opposed to rebarreling your rifle every year, you may not want to pay for it however!! [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

Kirby Allen(50)

[wildcat]

Thanks Kirby for the awesome info. What is the 338 AX. I am still trying to figure out what I want to build. Even though this rifle would be used for long range varmint hunting, It would not be a high volume shooting rifle. It would only be used for the very long shots. I really want a 7mm, and I would like to use the Berger 168 & 180grn bullets at the highest velocity I can attain. I would also like to use the Wildcat's, however, I am thinking I would proably use the Bergers more.

Ive thought about going with the following 7mm's; 7mm-STW, 7mm-RUM, 7.21 Lazzoroni fire bird, ect. The 7mm-Allen Mag seems to be the best 7mm out there because it is Improved and of course the brass is excellent. Many of the long range guys I shoot with, are shooting the 7MM-RUM, with the 168grn Berger, and they are having great success. However, they are not getting many firings with the brass and the primer pockets loosen quickly.

Jake

[davewilson]

Wildcat, uncleB gave you some really good advise and i agree with him 100%. depending on the background,seeing the bullet going through the air with a 7mm is very difficult past 1200-1500 yards. also seeing the hits gets increasingly difficult as the range increases.if you have aspirations of 2k a 7mm is just not the caliber.

this past deer season i talked to a long range hunter that had quite a bit of experience and he told me that seeing the bullet was his limiting factor.he used a 30/378 with 220 SMK's and depending on conditions,the bullet would just disappear as it flew through the air. as an experiment, we fired off a few rounds with my 338 and everyone there, including myself, could see them a whole bunch farther than the 30 caliber. he ordered a 338 barrel the next day while he was hunting and said next year he would have a 338/378.

[Fiftydriver]

Dave,

In most cases I would agree with you about seeing your impacts at extreme range with the 7mm.

On the matter of watching your bullets trail in flight, I will totally disagree with you. WHen I was in Idaho this fall hunting with Shawn Carlock. We were able to shoot a 300 RUM with 220 gr SMKs I believe, Shawns 338 Edge with 300 gr SMK and my 7mm AM with 200 gr ULD RBBTs at 3300 fps.

Of the three, the 7mm gave the most dramatic visual trail of the three. May have been the conditions we were shooting in but with the velocity advantage of the 7mm AM over the other two, it is quite easy to see the trail out to extreme range.

In my experience, seeing the trail much past 1500 yards with any bullet is difficult at best even in ideal conditions. That said, if you get practiced at it, watching the trail over the first 1000 yards will give you a great idea where the bullet will land.

Shawn Carlock was calling my hits well before the bullets arrived on target and in most cases he was spot on but he has a bit of experience behind him as well.

My comments are only in reference to the 200 gr ULD RBBT launched at 3300 fps or higher. In conventional chamberings which are limited to around 3200 fps or less, you may have a point but not with the AM and this bullet.

Good Shooting!!

Kirby Allen(50)

[davewilson]

can't say i've seen that combo go through the air, might get to this fall when Buffalo Bob unpacks his lengthy lazer! i'll still take a 338 over a 7 for 2k.