7mm WSM loads

[shifty06]

I have been doin some searching around the site but havent found exactly what I was looking for. Im looking for a long range bullet for my 7mm WSM. I am currently shooting the 120gr. Nosler ballistic tips, and was wanting something with a little more B.C.

I have been thinking about the berger 168gr. VLD But I have heard they are hard to work a load up with.

A-maxs. are not instock anywhere I have looked (brunos,midway,powdervally, grafs.)
heard they are easy to load for.

And the last bullet I have been looking at is the 175gr. sierra matchkings. my question is how easy are they to load?

Here is where I find my problem. every thread I have found deals in the gun being a custom build. OR have been rebarreled. I DO NOT have a custom or a rebarreled. Rifle. It will be rebarreled when the rifling goes but till then its staying. as I dont have the funds currently to do it. (building a custom 6.5 creedmoor.)

What I do have is Factory Winchester Model 70 with a medium weight barrel. And from what I can find it has 1-9 twist. I was wondering if anyone has tried these above loads in a factory barrel.

MORE interested in a easy to work up load that provides 1/2 MOA. (as that maybe asking for divine intervention with a factory rifle.)

Side note Had really good results with facotry loaded 150gr. Winchester super X power points that was sub MOA.

Thanks for all your help,
Shifty

 

[WSMDRT]

Just got my custom 7 wsm back from the smith. Before I sent it it started life as a factory model 70 7 wsm and I had no problem shooting the 180 Berger hybrids out of a 9-1/4 or 9-1/2 twist which ever is factory for winchester. But you will have to watch your velocity. I had to push them at a certain velocity to make them stabilize. I shot 180 hybrids at 2835 out of factory rifle loaded to 3.05 COAL with 66 gr of H1000. Started at 63gr. and worked up.

 

[Buzzsaw]

Best luck in my 9 twist Broughton is the 168 Berger VLD nunting wir 7828ssc and H4831sc. Great groups with 180 berger VLDS and swampys 180's

 

[etisll40]

Nice rig with the Broughton barrel. What is the length and profile, size? Did they do the fluting?

 

[Buzzsaw]

This sounds bad but IDK what the profile is. I'll dig up the invoice. Chris Mathews of Longshot rifles.com (no longer in business) built it. He was one of the great smiths from GA Precision, who left to start his own shop. Unfortunatley, didn't make it.

I guess Broughton did the fluting. I have been tempted to sell it because I don't ever shoot it. But I love the dang thing. It's so accurate. I've only got about 450 rounds through it.

Good luck on your rig, The 7mmWSM is an awesome caliber!!!!

 

[WSMDRT]

Best thing to do I'd just get some vlds and try them. I think some places still sell the sample packs of vlds great for finding out if you rifle likes them. If you can find a vld that will work you'll love them and if not the amax is a great bullet as well.

A 2nd on the 7 wsm being a great caliber. But then again i like all the WSMs.

 

[Buzzsaw]

+1 on the bullet pack,

and as mentioned, the Hornady 162 A-Max shot great in my gun. I want to try them in my 7mm-08 next.

The good thing about spending the $$ on a full custom, "almost" everything shoots good....

 

[shifty06]

I have bought 200 of 175gr matchkings to try. But the next hurdle is finding more boom dust. I've got about 1/2lb. 4831sc left. Been watching but it disappears by the time I hear about it.

 

[PaLuke]

I'm shooting 65.5 grains of H4831 with a 154 gr. SST with very good results. Probably one the best loads I ever had for any rifle. Good luck with your project.

 

[ivo]

I have a PGWDTI chambered in 7 wsm with a 1-9 Krieger. Maybe it is just my rifle but it shot everything well but nothing really well. That is until I tried the 180gr Sierra Matchkings. 66.9gr of Reloader 25 with Federal 215M primers and phenomenal groups were rollin. I am regularly getting sub 1" groups ay 300m.

I have found in this rifle and many others that trying to get the Berger VLDs to work can be both frustrating and sometimes futile. As my friend(and gunsmith) once told me: "I'd rather be shooting my rifle than trying to get my rifle to shoot." This is why I shoot Matchkings in most of my rifles, especially barrel burners, they are easy to load for and get your rifle up and runnung quick.

 

[shifty06]

Thanks for all the info guys!