Need help with a LR 7mm build!

R.C.Saul

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Im wanting to build a LR 7mm to fill the ranges in between my .270 win and Shawn Carlock .338 Edge I plan to order in the future. Any suggestions?
 
I would suggest a 7mm rem mag or 7STW.

26" barrel for 7 rem mag, 26 or 28" for 7STW.

7mm mag try the 168 berger or 162 a-mazx

7STW try the 180 berger.

You could go to 7RUM but if you are getting a 338 edge it would be getting closer to its performance.

I have a 7mm rem mag with a 26" No 5 barrel. I use the 168 berger or 162 a-max at around 3080 fps. It has worked really well on deer size game out to 638 yds.

Hope this helps,

Stu
 
If you want something in between I do not have any suggestions. If you want something equal or better try the 7mm Allen Magnum.
 
I would suggest a 7mm rem mag or 7STW.

26" barrel for 7 rem mag, 26 or 28" for 7STW.

7mm mag try the 168 berger or 162 a-mazx

7STW try the 180 berger.

You could go to 7RUM but if you are getting a 338 edge it would be getting closer to its performance.

I have a 7mm rem mag with a 26" No 5 barrel. I use the 168 berger or 162 a-max at around 3080 fps. It has worked really well on deer size game out to 638 yds.

Hope this helps,

Stu

And I would go with a 7 WSM or & Dakota because I like fat case without belts :)
 
For the really big 7 mm bullets you need a really big cartridge like the 7 STW or the larger
7mm RUM.

These big 7's will shoot flatter than anything except maybe a few wildcats.

And with the good selection of 7 mm bullets will not disappoint you.

The only thing that the 338s have going for them is more energy and wind
bucking ability at extreme distance and you already have that coverd with
the 338 Edge.

The other 7's are not that much better than your 270 if any.

J E CUSTOM
 
7SAUM, 7mm-300WSM, 7mmWSM. All of these will match the performance of the 7RM, but the 7RM is better for the 180's. The STW and RUM will give you similar performance.

Tank
 
7SAUM, 7mm-300WSM, 7mmWSM. All of these will match the performance of the 7RM, but the 7RM is better for the 180's. The STW and RUM will give you similar performance.

Tank

There shouldn't be any problem shooting the 180's out of the WSM other than the OAL probably wont permit the use of the short action mag. I dont have any problems shooting the 210 Berger out of my 300 WSM.

The RUM is a significant step up from the STW.

For comparison, the WSM and RM will shoot a 160 gr bullet about 3000 fps or so. With RL17, the WSM will probably beat out the RM and get 3100 +

The STW and Dakota will shoot a 160 gr bullet about 3200 fps or so.

And the RUM about 3400 fps.

The RUM shooting a 180 bullet will out run the EDGE ballistically to about 1000 yds. But the EDGE shooting a 300 SMK will hit a whole lot harder.
 
Thanks to all have replied. Looks like some fun research for me to do. Keep the suggestions coming.
 
Thanks to all have replied. Looks like some fun research for me to do. Keep the suggestions coming.


Yeah, I've been up until 2AM looking for information before. It's an addiction!!!:rolleyes: Have fun!!!:D Here is a good place to start.

7mm Cartridge Guide
http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f19/7-rum-testing-4651/

Montana,
I here ya, I just think the RUM is over kill. I'm married so I have to think about longevity of the barrel and how many loads I can get out of a pound of powder. I like you like the WSM variations. I have no problems as of right now shooting the 208's, but I can only single feed.

Tank
 
Yeah Tank, I wasn't plugging the RUM. Just making some comparisons. I've spent a good deal of time looking at the 7mm offerings. I think the Dakota would be great and it would probably like RL17 which would get it close to the RUM. Brass is the bugger with that cartridge. A 7 Lapua would be very cool too, but would probably burn a barrel as quick as a RUM.
 
Some good info in there but you leave a wide gap to fill. Lots of choices. Unless you want to do a wildcat cartridge I would go 7mm wsm or stw. Just depends on how much power you want to go with. I have five 7mm stw's and a 7mm-300 weatherby.They are plenty fun to shoot at long range. These two are the top performance 7mm's you can get before you get into extreme barrel burners that I gave up on. The 7 wsm does not require a muzzle brake and is a pleasure to shoot. Will get you more barrel life than the last two I mentioned but not near the performance. It also is cheaper to reload. It just depends on how much performance you are looking for. If you want to take a giant leap over your 270 or just a little step.

Here are some accuracy loads to consider in the big 7's if this will help. 7mm-300 wby best accuracy load with the 162 A-max was 3440 fps using 7828 powder. This is a very flat shooting excellent long range load. Best accuracy load with the 7 stw was 3330 fps with the 162 a-max using the same powder. Using the 175 grain sierra game king best accuracy loads were 3285 fps with the 7mm-300 wby and 3235 fps with the 7stw. I have taken elk over a 1000 yards with the 7mm-300 wby 175 grain load.
 
7mm-300 wby best accuracy load with the 162 A-max was 3440 fps using 7828 powder.

WOW - now that's fast & flat!

I have found the 7STW to be capable of very impressive accuracy with a wide variety of bullets and powders. For whitetails I'm also shooting the 162gr A-Max but have it lumbering along at 3,150 ft/sec.

I put just over 1,000 rounds through the rifle before deciding to have the Hart bbl set back and rechambered. By the time the rifle was returned from the smith I was involved with working on other rifles and the 7STW became a Safe Queen for about 1.5 years. I took it out the other day for a bit of reminiscing and grabbed a box of its old favorite load. Got settled in at the bench and fired 5 rounds within about 5 minutes @ the 200yd line. Walked down to the target and found all 5 rounds nestled into less than .5moa.

Yup - I love the 7STW :D
 
I'd suggest something other than a 7mm Remington Mag. IMO, the performance gain of the R-7 is NOT that substantial unless going beyond book max.
 
I'd suggest something other than a 7mm Remington Mag. IMO, the performance gain of the R-7 is NOT that substantial unless going beyond book max.


Well that's just it with the Rem Mag or any caliber for that matter. Most handloads will out perform most book load maximums. It is not good practice to try that, but if you do pressure testing, generally you can go 1 to 2 grains over max. Safety first when doing any reloading.

For a pressure test, I will generally load anywhere from 6 to 10rnds starting at a safe load which is usually 2 to 3 grains under max and move up one grain per round. I only load one shell because I am just trying figure out the max. No need for accuracy testing yet. I find it helps to save brass life and bullets. Once I do that I will pick 3 or 4 loads that tested safe and then break it into half grain increments in 3 shot groups. It would look like this;

1 round each for testing. Powder, RL17 caliber .308 Win. Bullet 175 Nosler custom comp
44.0, 45.0, 46.0, 47.0, 48.0= 48 is safe but showing a little ejector marking

3 rounds each 175 Nosler custom comps
46.5, 47.0, 47.5= currently loaded ready to accuracy test.

When I shoot these, then I will go to 5 shot groups for verification of accuracy depending on grouping.

You could do this with a 7 Rem Mag and find it will out perform the book.

Tank
 
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