7mm STW Brotherhood - For those who shoot the 7mm Shooting Times Westerner

[Idaho Muley]

I see a lot of information about the Berger 168's and 180's. Is anyone working with the lighter bullets? I am currently shooting 140 TSX's with good results, but wondering what else is out there.

Lots of guys on here with more experience than me. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[MudRunner2005]

There are several guys on here shooting 139 & 140 gr bullets. Unfortunately I cannot help in this department.

 

[Dano1]

I see a lot of information about the Berger 168's and 180's. Is anyone working with the lighter bullets? I am currently shooting 140 TSX's with good results, but wondering what else is out there.

Lots of guys on here with more experience than me. Any help would be appreciated.

Berger VLDs need to be kept at 3200fps or less or they may vaporize after exiting the barrel. Sonme people have gotten lucky and been able to push them to 3300fps in other cartridges and calibers, but for the most part the STW would certainly push a 140g out to 3400 fps and it probablly wouldn't survive it.

This, for the most part is why you won't see guys shooting them out of a STW. Butterbean and 7 STW are right. If you want to shoot a 140g class bullet the Barnes TTSX and the TSX are the way to go. Accubonds and Hornady Interbonds would do nicely as well.

I shoot the 180g Bergers and I did pick up a couple of boxes of 168g Bergers (target only) to try out of my rifle. I got a good deal on them.

My attetion has shifted (at least for this cartridge) to a heavy for caliber bullet for hunting that could be seated to fit the magazine. TheBergers have to be seated way out there to be accurate and I want to have an option other than a bullet that I have to shoot single shot. I've decided that I like a 175g Sierra Gameking and they shoot 1 holers out of my rifle.

Dan

 

[Black Sheep]

Sorry guys, gotta plug the Barnes LRX's as well. I shoot a 168 LRX in front of a stout load of retumbo at 3268fps into 1/2 moa at 100 yards. Also, the 145 LRX too....
From 7STW--My " formula is as follows, and standard disclaimer applies obviously.
82.0 - RL25 - 145 LRX @ 3.687 coal. 215 GM.

He says that is a very accurate load in his rifle as well.

 

[Dano1]

Some say Federal is good, some say bad. Mine lasted 4-5 loads before they started splitting. And my buddy had issues with his Remington 300 WM brass growing really rapidly.

I think it's just a hit or miss kinda thing.

It is a hit and miss thing with the Federal brass. Most of my experience with Federal has been with 7mm Rem mag and .30-06 Brass. I really didn't care for it as it showed pressure much faster in both calibers than Remington, which I used mostly with both rifles. I ended up giving the 7mm Brass to my Dad, who doesn't shoot his 7mm Rem mag much at all, and gave my .30-06 Brass to my Brother in law.

I have found that the best 7mm mag Brass out there is Norma, the best .30-06 Brass is Lake City Match (Which I use to Fire form my .30-06 AI cases from).

I would really like to get my hands on some RWS .300 H&H Brass and Fireform some 7 STWs out of it. That I think would be the best brass out there.

Dan

 

[Idaho Muley]

Thanks for the heads up on the Burgers. I have been really happy with the TSX'S. they are good on paper and performance on game has been good as well.

Looks like I'm sticking with the TSX.

 

[MudRunner2005]

I've never heard of the bergers exploding beyond 3,300 fps when leaving the muzzle...

I'm more of a 160+ fan for my 7Mags and STW. For lighter scenarios the 115 Berger VLD's out of my .257 Wby Mag do the trick for me...Although I'm waiting to test my latest load of H1000 for it to see how well they're gonna group. I love that little .257....She's a lazer beam out to 500.

 

[Dano1]

I've never heard of the bergers exploding beyond 3,300 fps when leaving the muzzle...

I'm more of a 160+ fan for my 7Mags and STW. For lighter scenarios the 115 Berger VLD's out of my .257 Wby Mag do the trick for me...Although I'm waiting to test my latest load of H1000 for it to see how well they're gonna group. I love that little .257....She's a lazer beam out to 500.

The thinner jacketed hunting VLD, I've seen it happen with a .300 RUM. We pushed a 190g at 3400 FPS and the went poof! I also was one of the origional testers for the Hunting VLD Back in 2003 when Berger was trying to get them out in the market. I took a nice Muley at 335yds with a 168g and have since taken 4 elk (the longest shot being 525yds) and several other bucks with them. They work great out of my .30-06 AI. I am a Fan!

I however understand their limits sue to bullet construction. Eric Stecker and I had a lengthy conversation about the VLds back in 2003 as I wasn't too keen on even giving them a chance. It went against all I believed about bullets. But I tried them anyway and I found that I had a precision load that given propper shot placement will do the job nicely.

He specifically said that they were never meant to faster than 3200fps as the Berger guys even found the they exploded. The Target versions are much thicker and will definately go faster. The only problem is reliable expansion as they could pencil straight through the animals.

Hope this is helpful.

Dan

 

[284nut]

I see a lot of information about the Berger 168's and 180's. Is anyone working with the lighter bullets? I am currently shooting 140 TSX's with good results, but wondering what else is out there.

Lots of guys on here with more experience than me. Any help would be appreciated.

I have great luck with Nosler Ballistic tips and Combined Technology and Accubond bullets in the 140 grain range. My experience is that the Accubond is a tougher constructed bullet for anything you may dump inside 250 yards. The accuracy with the Combined technology has been phenomenal but will come apart when you hit bone on game at closer ranges, I have stuck with them as we tend to shoot game in the 3 to 600 yard range in the last several years.

I have recently started working up loads with 150 and 160 grain pills, as the 140's are running to fast to allow my rapid retical scope.

150 grain Nosler Ballistic tip
82.0 grains reloader 25
Federal 215 magnum primer
Winchester brass
3305 MV with a standard deviation of 5 fps on a 3 shot string
.44" @100 yds.

 

[MudRunner2005]

The thinner jacketed hunting VLD, I've seen it happen with a .300 RUM. We pushed a 190g at 3400 FPS and the went poof! I also was one of the origional testers for the Hunting VLD Back in 2003 when Berger was trying to get them out in the market. I took a nice Muley at 335yds with a 168g and have since taken 4 elk (the longest shot being 525yds) and several other bucks with them. They work great out of my .30-06 AI. I am a Fan!

I however understand their limits sue to bullet construction. Eric Stecker and I had a lengthy conversation about the VLds back in 2003 as I wasn't too keen on even giving them a chance. It went against all I believed about bullets. But I tried them anyway and I found that I had a precision load that given propper shot placement will do the job nicely.

He specifically said that they were never meant to faster than 3200fps as the Berger guys even found the they exploded. The Target versions are much thicker and will definately go faster. The only problem is reliable expansion as they could pencil straight through the animals.

Hope this is helpful.

Dan

Good info right there! I was going to ask you about the Target VLD's but you covered it. Have they done any tests on them in the ballistics gel? How fast do the Target VLD's need to be going for proper expansion?

 

[80 grains]

Would the Sierra Hpbt 180 perform the same?

 

[richeyman1]

I am having some great success with the Sierra Gameking 160's in my STW. I started out with some factory 140 Corelok, and the performance of the 160 vs those is night and day. I am loading anywhere between 74-78 grains of H1000, as I am still tweaking with seating depth and primers, but so far have been amazed at the Gameking performance at the range. I have to believe they will do well on game too, as my rifle is set up for hunting first, and bench shooting for fun second. Just my 2 cents......to each their own, and to each rifle its own, thats my experience at any level of shooting and with each caliber. I'm pretty new to the STW world as well, so half the fun is experimentation and making that baby sing on the steel.

 

[284nut]

I am having some great success with the Sierra Gameking 160's in my STW. I started out with some factory 140 Corelok, and the performance of the 160 vs those is night and day. I am loading anywhere between 74-78 grains of H1000, as I am still tweaking with seating depth and primers, but so far have been amazed at the Gameking performance at the range. I have to believe they will do well on game too, as my rifle is set up for hunting first, and bench shooting for fun second. Just my 2 cents......to each their own, and to each rifle its own, thats my experience at any level of shooting and with each caliber. I'm pretty new to the STW world as well, so half the fun is experimentation and making that baby sing on the steel.

I have killed a ton of game with the 160 Game King in a regular 7 mag, performance has been outstanding to say the least. My son killed a 1000# Bison bull 2 years ago and dropped him where he stood with the game king. Bullet still weighed just under 140 grains upon recovery under the hide on the off side shoulder.

 

[bobs]

I have an aquaintance who swears by the 175 gr sierra game kings. Anybody out there have any experience with them in the STW?