7MM Rem Ultra Mag (good,bad,or ugly)

[The Butcher]

Just bought a 7MM Ultra Mag, was this a good choice for a long range rig? I bought a Sako 75 stainless. Any loads or thoughts? Planning on shooting Berger 168 VLD'S. I have shot a couple of animals beyond 500 yds, and just want to extend my reach a little. My trusty 25-06, just dont buck the WY wind too good. Any help with loads etc... would be appreciated. Butcher

[lerch]

Well you picked a good caliber, 284 has some damn nice bullets. Only thing I would tell you is to watch the bergers on expansion. They are a great bullet but they are built on the J4 jacket which is really thin. Should offer great expansion but just make sure they still penetrate enough to do the job.

If you ever decide on wanting a tougher bullet look for something in the WildCat line around the same grain, or the accubonds.

If you are shooting at light skinned game like we have in OK the bergers should kick but. The 7mm RUM is a nice cartridge with a lot of thump on the buisness end. I have heard it is a little fincky at times but with a little practice I am sure you can make her a hell of a gun

those sako's are one quality rifle

take it easy
steve

[Varmint Hunter]

Everything the 7 STW is and more. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] Should work really well with the heavier, high BC bullets.

I had very good luck with the 162gr A-Max in my 7 STW. Accurate & deadly.

[meichele]

Great caliber choice all around. Watch the barrel life. As with all RUM's its limited to between 750-1000 rounds.

[lerch]

If you shoot out the barrel you might consider rebarreling the gun in the same caliber but have it throated to shoot the 200gr Wildcat. You will have to go with a faster twist barrel but you will have a shooting machine beyond belief. I have only seen one sako action trued up and rebarreled but the sucker shoots great. It consitantly shoots .25" groups with a number of loads.

With that bullet you will have amazing retained energy and equally amazing range.

just something to keep in mind. The RUM family are some serious powerhouse rounds

take it easy
steve

[speedbump]

Butcher, I've had one for a few years. Super ballistics, but with performance comes a price: 1. Throat erosion, 2. Muzzle blast, 3. Expense. The recoil isn't bad - mine's mainly a target gun & is comfortable enough to shoot conventional 1K from a sling.

Lerch's comments on J4 jackets are correct. When I built mine the 7mmRUM was a wildcat. I called several bullet makers (Walt Berger, Jimmie Knox, & Bob Cauterucio) and had some long & educational discussions on design, construction, & RPMs. Walt told me himself that it was iffy if the 180 would hold up at the RPMs we were looking at. Obermeyer Barrels tried it & blew up bullets - thin jackets. It's right on the ragged edge, & I'd avoid it on game if possible. It MIGHT work for you, but there's liable to be better options.

JLK & Cauterucio use Sierra-thickness jackets on their projectiles. I've mainly shot Cauterucio 176s & 156s. Both perform very well out to 1K. You might also look at Sierra's .284" 175gr MK. Pretty solid bullet. The most consistent powder I've tried was 5010 pulldown. At @ $4.00 per pound it's a refreshing change from the other expenses. Retumbo shot OK. None of the other DOZEN or so I tried were anything to write home about.

Just my $.02, take it or leave it! [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[firstcoueswas80]

i load my dads 7RUM with 140 accubonds and man do those things fly! and they fly straight also!