7mm rem mag.

[Brendan Kinsella]

Just bought my first big gun. A 7mm rem. mag. weatherby vangaurd. what is the best brand and bullet weight to start with? Want to do 500 yard target shooting to start. I am told 160 grain Federal or 162 grain Hornoday. Any suggestions are appriciated.

 

[signature542]

Hi

Is it a hunting or target bullet you are looking for?

The barrel is 24 inches I believe and you may be down a few fps but the rifle carefully tuned is more than capable of reaching 500 yards.
I use 162 SST's as an economy pill and achieve good accuracy with both of my 7mm RM's . T3 Camo and a Rem 700P. Heat will be your problem so I can see no issues if you let it cool between shots.

Havent met an animal yet that I havent been able to put down with a well placed SST. A buddy just took a lovely sambar stag using the 160gn Accubond with my old T3 in 7mmRM. Range only 205 metres.

However the Interbond without the cannelure dose fly a lot better out wide. I use Berger 168gn hunting pills in my Rem 700P and easily achieve 1/2 moa and I compete quite well in F class open events with it. My rifles dont like max book loads at their accuracy nodes. My 700 has a bad chamber I think, but it shoots well enough and doesnt wander as heat builds up in a string of 10 shots.

You may have to try a few loads to see what your rifle likes.. at 500 yards the most accurate load is the one you are looking for.

 

[Brendan Kinsella]

Thanks for the responce. I see I have alot to learn. Shot .22 and .223 all my life and the big calaber stuff at long range really has my intersest. Thank you for your input.

 

[signature542]

Happy to help out- the knowledge on this forum is amazing

Once you start it wont be long before you build a custom rifle! The 7mm is a great calibre for honing skills and learning the ropes. I have two of them! So many choices in the US and so many good gunsmiths. Just look at this forum..rifles ready to go from Len! Thats only a dream in Australia.

The old vaguard/Howa trigger can be worked to perfection and the action beds pretty well with its integrated recoil lug.

Actually i have had two Howa's (similar to Vanguard..) that came up very well with some customising. My broither' 300wsm Custom Howa ( I load his ammo) took a gold medal red stag , a silver class fallow and a Arapara ram last week in n/Z all with 180gn Hornady SST's. No issue at all !

Currently having a 338 Ackley Lap improved built on Stiller TAC 338 with a Lilja taper 31 barrel Jewell trigger..McMillan A3 stock Edge was sold so now I'm into a Lapua. 300gn Bergers Gen 2's are ready to go !

 

[Clark]

There are white lies, lies, **** lies, and then there are 7mmRM published data.

I can get more power out of hot loads with a 7x57mm Mauser, a lot more, than a 7mmRM with published data.

I can, with 70 gr Re22 and 180 gr VLD, a couple of different 26" rifles both give 3030 fps.
That is shooting sub moa with long brass life.

A published load for that would be 60 or 61 gr.

How did things get so screwed up?
1) The 7mmRM was SAAMI registered at 61,000 psi, and it should have been registered at 71,000 psi.
2) The published loads are almost always WAY less the 61,000 psi. Maybe the problem is more than one rifle cannot share the brass unless a special die is used to size right in front of the belt.
3) The SAAMI chamber head space dimensions are .220" to the end of the belt, but almost no brass is more than .215". When I head space MY rifles, I make them .215" so my brass does not go through as much fire forming torture.

What does it all mean?
I believe that the 7mmRemMag cartridge is the best choice for a long range hunting rifle that has to be carried further than from the vehicle to the shooting bench.
It takes some tweeking to get all that it is capable of delivering.

 

[proload]

There are white lies, lies, **** lies, and then there are 7mmRM published data.

I can get more power out of hot loads with a 7x57mm Mauser, a lot more, than a 7mmRM with published data.

I can, with 70 gr Re22 and 180 gr VLD, a couple of different 26" rifles both give 3030 fps.
That is shooting sub moa with long brass life.

A published load for that would be 60 or 61 gr.

How did things get so screwed up?
1) The 7mmRM was SAAMI registered at 61,000 psi, and it should have been registered at 71,000 psi.
2) The published loads are almost always WAY less the 61,000 psi. Maybe the problem is more than one rifle cannot share the brass unless a special die is used to size right in front of the belt.
3) The SAAMI chamber head space dimensions are .220" to the end of the belt, but almost no brass is more than .215". When I head space MY rifles, I make them .215" so my brass does not go through as much fire forming torture.

What does it all mean?
I believe that the 7mmRemMag cartridge is the best choice for a long range hunting rifle that has to be carried further than from the vehicle to the shooting bench.
It takes some tweeking to get all that it is capable of delivering.

Clarke,

I'd be interested in knowing where these facts originate from (specifically your comments on pressure) before taking them as gospel and going that far out of spec on my 7mm RM. As you know, we are engaged in a potentially dangerous sport, and the integrity of the information that we stake our lives on is critical. The ramifications for a shooter that pushes pressures beyond what his gun was designed and proofed for could be dire if they were to base their decisions on inaccurate information.

Whilst each of us is entitled to do whatever we want to do with respect to our own loads, I would suggest that we must be wise when sharing those loads with other people. You don't know the quality of my rifle and whether it can handle the pressures that you are talking about or not.

Who dies if it can't .... Not you.

I beleive that we are a knowledgeable, inquisitive and skeptical bunch, and if there was some sort of conspiricy of lies with respect to the 7mm RM load data, then that would have been exposed by now.

This is the first that I have heard these sort of comments and quite frankly, I consider them to be dangerous.

Please substantiate.

 

[mustfish]

I have'nt gotten into reloading yet so I am shooting factory Hornady 154 SST with great results. I think Hornady SST bullets can outshoot my skills at ranges over 800 yards. I can promise that when you hit 500 yards you are going to be looking for a longer range.

 

[7mmRemMag]

Just bought my first big gun. A 7mm rem. mag. weatherby vangaurd. what is the best brand and bullet weight to start with? Want to do 500 yard target shooting to start. I am told 160 grain Federal or 162 grain Hornoday. Any suggestions are appriciated.

Welcome to the realm of Magnum cartridges! Once you see what they can do you rarely go back to anything else! Lol
Similar to you my first magnum was a 7mm Rem Mag accept mine was a rem 700 ADL from Walmart. It's still my most accurate rifle today. I'd recommend putting a muzzle brake on it as it will make you a better shot. Mine had a 26 inch barrel and the recoil was stout I can imagine that the vanguard will pack a punch with a 24incher. Long range shooting is so addicting and you'll enjoy it. Though I am far from being an expert I have learned a few things over the years. You can get really good at 500 yards with practice. I agree with what SIGNATURE542 said ...." at 500 yards the most accurate load is the one you are looking for" +2 on that. My gun really really loved 165gr Sierra Gameking loaded by Federal. It's more of a hunting load but my Gun could almost put 3shots in 1 hole. I'd also drop anything I'd shoot dead in its tracks with one shot! Good luck and welcome aboard

 

[7mmRemMag]

I can promise that when you hit 500 yards you are going to be looking for a longer range.

You couldn't have said it any better! I noticed that quickly, you will keep wanting to push the envelope to further distances! Lol or like I'd tell my buddy, "I mastered 500 now I want to Master 600 ....." And so on lol. I learned that it starts getting a lot harder after 550 though Lol but boy is it fun to do!

 

[CliffM]

71,000- sounds like proof load territory to me.
I can see upping the pressure to the same as .264 and .338 win. -64,000, but much higher and the brass won't last very long.
Cliff

 

[Clark]

This is an old thread.
Now I am on to another 7mmRM load.

1)Ruger #1 26"
150 gr Ballistic tip moly 3.4" 66 gr H4350
3259 fps [kicks harder than 120 gr]
3375 fps
3333 fps

2) 7mmRemMag VZ24 action, 26" Lothar Walther barrel
150 gr Ballistic tip moly 3.4" 66 gr H4350
3244 fps
3182 fps
3259 fps

I don't know why the Mauser is slower, but I shot a mule deer and an antelope with the VZ24 in late 2011.
The load is more than 4% backed off from the threshold of long brass life, and is still 9 gr more than the Hodgdon published load.
There are white lies, lies, **** lies, and then there are 7mmRM published loads.

 

[WildRose]

Typically all the max loads listed by MFG's are going to be reduced at least 10% from their real determined max just to protect them from a liability stand point. The older Hornady and Hogdon manuals in fact stated so.

Lies, damned lies, and liability lawyers... .gun)

 

[Joe King]

Clarke,

I'd be interested in knowing where these facts originate from (specifically your comments on pressure) before taking them as gospel and going that far out of spec on my 7mm RM. As you know, we are engaged in a potentially dangerous sport, and the integrity of the information that we stake our lives on is critical. The ramifications for a shooter that pushes pressures beyond what his gun was designed and proofed for could be dire if they were to base their decisions on inaccurate information.

Whilst each of us is entitled to do whatever we want to do with respect to our own loads, I would suggest that we must be wise when sharing those loads with other people. You don't know the quality of my rifle and whether it can handle the pressures that you are talking about or not.

Who dies if it can't .... Not you.

I beleive that we are a knowledgeable, inquisitive and skeptical bunch, and if there was some sort of conspiricy of lies with respect to the 7mm RM load data, then that would have been exposed by now.

This is the first that I have heard these sort of comments and quite frankly, I consider them to be dangerous.

Please substantiate.

Thank you!

Right now I'm working up a load with 168gr Matrix VLD's and RL22, 66gr started to flatten primers, I know very well that 70gr RL22 and a 180gr pill is far into the "I'm trying to ruin my rifle zone"

Brendan please take what you read about loads online with a grain of salt, and always ALWAYS cross check them with factory and carefully work up from there.

 

[WildRose]

Thank you!

Right now I'm working up a load with 168gr Matrix VLD's and RL22, 66gr started to flatten primers, I know very well that 70gr RL22 and a 180gr pill is far into the "I'm trying to ruin my rifle zone"

Brendan please take what you read about loads online with a grain of salt, and always ALWAYS cross check them with factory and carefully work up from there.

Not too long back we had a guy claiming to be loading 7mm STW's with more powder than a case could even hold; even the most compressed loads... .

The cautionary advice is indeed proper and we should always take load data given online by strangers with a grain (pun intended) of Salt.

Always start low and work up watching for pressure signs.