7mm barrel life?

[fls]

Planning to build a new rifle - starting with a Kreiger 26", 5R, 9" twist. Want to shoot 160gr bullets 3000+ fps. Question is, of the following, which will provide both the results as well as reasonable barrel life?

• 284 (min)
• 7 WSM
• 7 SAUM
• 7 STW
• 7 UM

Appreciate the feedback!

 

[tresmon]

A 7mmRM will shoot little 160's 3000f/sec +++.

A 7wsm prolly will too. But I'm told barrel life is better with a RM over a WSM.



Just like a engine, the faster you go the more it costs in every department, wear & tear, fueling it, etc.

Barrel life should be at least 1200 rounds in a 7mmRM if you shoot slow and keep the barrel clean and don't get it hot.

7 RUM barrel life is just stupid. STW not really any better.

If I wanted to shoot 160's @ 3000 and get all the barrel life I could, I'd go 280 Ackley. Sierra list max loads in a 26" barrel at 2950fps, and I find the Sierra load manual to be a little conservative on the top end. the 280 Ackley is pretty common, loading dies are available off the shelf. It's the fastest non magnum 7mm.
On your list of cartridges, the 280 Ackley Improved would fit between .284 Win & 7Wsm.

The more powder you burn per shot, the more barrel you burn per shot.

What are you after? If your looking to do long range hunting per this website, you'd be better off to use the heaviest 7mm bullets as they would be more forgiving in cross winds & have more down range energy...

FWIW,
T

 

[fls]

I routinely have shots at whitetails from 300 -500yds. I assume this qualifies as long range hunting? My goal, perhaps like some others, is to spit something downrange that doesnt create the need for a lot of elevation correction and will still deliver the goods without knocking me out the tree. As you made comment, barrel life with the hot mags is stupid. Breaks my heart to spend that much on a premium barrel and trash it in a short time. Appreciate the feedback, will look into it.

 

[fariswm]

.280 Remington with .160's offers terminal ballistics more than adequate at 500 yards for Whitetails or Mulies. Why not go with something that offers readily available ammo, and modest recoil in an easy to load proven performer? Velocities aren't quite up to what you are looking for, but they are close. The 7MM Rem Mag fills all your expectations with just a little more recoil.

 

[Long Time Long Ranger]

300-500 yard deer with minimal elevation correction. Get a 257 wby shooting 100 grain bullets 3750 fps. You can zero it for minimal elevation adjustment to 500 yards. Nearly point blank but not quite. Most deer will drop in their tracks. Also minimal recoil next to the 7mm's with 160's. It is about the best there is over the counter for this purpose. I have way over a hundred rifles to choose from. Aks my son which is best for your purpose with minimal recoil. He shoots the 257 wby exclusively.

 

[fariswm]

The 115 gr Nosler ballistic tip comes out of the barrel about 200 fps slower than the 100, but is essentially as flat as the 100 with 200 ft lbs more terminal energy (about the same as the .280) The 160 gr .280 round will drop 42 inches vs the .257 115 gr at 30 inches with a 200 yard zero.

If you are a Weatherby guy the .257 is a great choice- but for deer I much prefer the heavier bullet.

 

[backwoods83]

long time long ranger said that one well, a 257 wby with a medium contour barrel and decent optics, 8-9 pounds, mine is a little over 9, but it feels like my 243, the first deer I took with that rifle was 268yrds and i was sighted 1" high at 100, 100grn hornady spire, that thing folded up like a book. They are quite a bit of an overbore but they are not that hard on barrels unless you get um heated, dont shoot anymore than 3-4 rounds without any cool down, they will last well beyond 1000 rounds if you do that. If not a regular 7mm rem mag with a 10 twist is all you will ever need for anything under 170 grains. comparitively the 162 grn sst interlock will give you the most terminal energy with its .550 bc it will still have about 1015ftlbs at 900yrds with 3000fps mv.

 

[AZShooter]

In your first post you asked for data on any 7mm that would shoot a 160 gr bullet at approx 3000. The 284 win was on that list.

My 284 sporter: 23" barrel SA Ruger M77 tang safety, mag box extended to 3.1"

moly coated 160 gr accubond OAL 3.050" 57 gr of RL-17 velocity 3070 @ 70 degrees


It isn't the flattest trajectory but with a turret it doesn't matter. Recoil with this 7 1/2 lb rifle
is 22 ft/lb. I have done extensive long range shooting out to 550 yds at our range and it is quite accurate. It is fun to shoot and I know the barrel is going to last a long time.

---------------------------------------------------

After telling you all of this I must admit I shoot a turreted 257 weatherby with the 115 Berger out of a 28" barrel for my long range coues wt hunting. We frequently kill from 350 to 550 yds.

 

[Hicks]

I made the mistake of not informing myself about the pitfalls of owning a 7RUM CDL, intending to make it into a long range thumper. I tried several different bullets, and was only ever able to get the 160 gr Accubonds to shoot with any accuracy. 92 gr of Retumbo at just about 3200 fps. It was very flat shooting. I killed an antelope buck, which was walking, at just over 500 yards. I just put the reticle along the top of his back. I tried to get the Berger 180's to shoot, and I went through two boxes before I gave up and went back to the accubonds. The only thing I could think was that the twist rate was too slow. And as luck would have it my over-zealous attempts with the Bergers resulted in a burned out bbl. I tore it off and am going to make a .338 Edge on the action. My advice, if you're ever thinking about a 7RUM is get a GOOD, and LONG, bbl. Make sure the twist is right for the bullet you want to use, and for heaven's sake CLEAN IT OFTEN and don't let it heat up.

Hicks

 

[roninflag]

you do not say where you are. whitetailes are not created equal : the ones here are only 60-70 pounds ; the ones in sask are 250+ and cost 7.5k. you do not say what you are building it on. the krieger barrel is a good choice. i would choose a 7mm remmag or a 7wsm. if you want to load lighter you can and the big ones- rum and stw are too much of a good thing. also the 140 berger ,balistic tip cbt are just as flat at the ranges you are talking. i have two 7mms , one has a krieger barrel and it shoots awesome.

 

[roninflag]

I made the mistake of not informing myself about the pitfalls of owning a 7RUM CDL, intending to make it into a long range thumper. I tried several different bullets, and was only ever able to get the 160 gr Accubonds to shoot with any accuracy. 92 gr of Retumbo at just about 3200 fps. It was very flat shooting. I killed an antelope buck, which was walking, at just over 500 yards. I just put the reticle along the top of his back. I tried to get the Berger 180's to shoot, and I went through two boxes before I gave up and went back to the accubonds. The only thing I could think was that the twist rate was too slow. And as luck would have it my over-zealous attempts with the Bergers resulted in a burned out bbl. I tore it off and am going to make a .338 Edge on the action. My advice, if you're ever thinking about a 7RUM is get a GOOD, and LONG, bbl. Make sure the twist is right for the bullet you want to use, and for heaven's sake CLEAN IT OFTEN and don't let it heat up.

Hicks

HICKS - the cdl is one of the more atractive factory rifles in m y opinion. if the bullets were keyholing at 100 yards they were not stabalized and a faster twist is necessary. i shot 180s out factory 700 and winchester barrels no problem the win did not have a break and the 180 kicked too much so i went to 168s for very long range. for 0-600 there is not that much difference between the 140, 168 and 180. as far drop and windage.

 

[roninflag]

300-500 yard deer with minimal elevation correction. Get a 257 wby shooting 100 grain bullets 3750 fps. You can zero it for minimal elevation adjustment to 500 yards. Nearly point blank but not quite. Most deer will drop in their tracks. Also minimal recoil next to the 7mm's with 160's. It is about the best there is over the counter for this purpose. I have way over a hundred rifles to choose from. Aks my son which is best for your purpose with minimal recoil. He shoots the 257 wby exclusively.

LONG TIME- i don't have a .257 WM YET. i think the mark V accumark would be an awesome rifle for deer and especially for the shots we ge on coues down here. they tend to be a bit long. quite a few of the seriuos hunters in az use them .

 

[Long Time Long Ranger]

Ron, I have two 257 STW's, Two 257 wby's, 257 Gibbs, and 25-06 imp. I use all of them for max point blank range with 100 grain bullets. The 25's are just not good long range rifles because of no high bc bullets. So I load up 100 grain swifts with a .429 bc or 100 grain TTSX's to over 3700 fps and go for a 600 yard deer rifle that shoots extremely flat and knocks deer naked within that range. They are a pleasure to deer hunt with since they do not have the recoil of the larger caliber magnums.

I agree with you the wby accumark 257 wby would be a great choice for this kind of hunting.

 

[Hicks]

HICKS - the cdl is one of the more atractive factory rifles in m y opinion. if the bullets were keyholing at 100 yards they were not stabalized and a faster twist is necessary. i shot 180s out factory 700 and winchester barrels no problem the win did not have a break and the 180 kicked too much so i went to 168s for very long range. for 0-600 there is not that much difference between the 140, 168 and 180. as far drop and windage.

Yes, agreed. I find that I'm attracted to beautiful guns, elegant and tasteful with little scrolling if any. I have a pristine Auto5 (built in 1937, complete with a CUTTS Comp) that has quite a bit of scrolling but retains that awesome deep Browning bluing.

The CDL was certainly a beauty. I liked it so much that I decided to refinish the stock and plant another action in there, built around a 30" lilja factory contour bbl chambered in 8mm Remington Mag. That is perhaps my favorite sentimental cartridge. I'm going to try to match the satin CDL finish, and I have a set of really pretty rosewood grip cap and forend. Them I'm going to top it with a nice Zeiss Conquest I have.

I called Berger over the 180 affair, and I can't remember the guy's name I talked to, but he said that Remington was famous for stating a twist rate, and having the actual twist vary quite a bit. That one was rated at I think 1 in 9.5 but he said that it could be more like 1 in 10. I never checked it. I got ****ed and I just gave up, pulled the bbl off, and started making plans to build a 338 Edge.

Hicks