New Win Mod 70 Extreme weather in 7mm mag

[Drummer Boy]

Hi all, I have recently purchased a new winchester model 70 EW in 7mm mag which I am taking to the range for the first time this week to run in and do some load testing and was wondering if any one has the same rifle and how they are doing with it.

 

[scoutm]

Is it new to you or new new?

If it's new new I would recommend doing some kind of break in procedure before testing loads.

I'm a fan of 20 rounds clean & condition every round, then 20 more rounds clean & condition every two rounds.

Just something to think about.

 

[Drummer Boy]

Thanks Scoutm, the rifle is new so I will definetly be running the barrel in before I load test. I have all day at the range so plenty of time to burn some powder. I have also loaded some 162gn hornady SST's with H1000 as well as the 150 balitic tips and H4831sc.

 

[Drummer Boy]

Hey Scoutm, all went well at the range yesterday. the rifle shot very well after it settled in with the running in process ( about thirty rounds) with the 150 Balistic tips and H4831sc with three shot groups from 1/2 to 3/4 inch opening up to 1 to 1 1/4 with five shot groups , so all in all a great result. th 162 Hornady sst's were a little fussier with groups not getting under the inch but I think I can improve on them with the seating depth and a little more powder work.

 

[bowhunter42]

Hey drummer boy, I just finished load development for the exact same rifle and boy let me tell you it flat shoots. I put a Huskemaw blue diamond on it and did the standard barrel break in, I then loaded some different reciepes and found one it loved 8 shots in a quarter size hole at 100. winchester brass, cci 250 primer, 71.2 gn h1000, 168 berger vld loaded 3 tho off the lands, still fits in the mag, 2971fps with an ES of 7 fps and an SD of 4.. hope this helps.

 

[Drummer Boy]

Hey Bowhunter42, thanks for the tip. I will try getting the 162 hornady sst's a little closer to the lands and see if it closes the group a little. I have them at around 12 thou at moment but there was one group (also with the H1000) where two shots went into exactly the same hole and the third was an inch away so I will try that one again just in case it was me. I am using win cases and cci mag primers. I will submit a full report as soon as I can get back to the range and test a little more. Untill then, I am going to use the 150 Balistic tips @3100fps as a hunting load till I get something promising happening with the 162 SST's.

 

[bowhunter42]

Well I took this rifle out today to shoot the data for the Huskemaw turrent and I must say what a shooter this thing is, the wind was blowing upwards of 15 mph and gusting even higher. At 200 hundred this thing was stacking bullets and then moved to 400 where it put 2 rounds into the same hole and the third about 1 1/2 out from the other 2. then on to 810 yds it put 2 rounds 3 1/2 inchs apart in the center of the steel and the 3rd was six high but still center of the plate and I pulled that shot. I cannot believe how well that 168 VLD bucks the wind, at 810 I held 2moa and my wind meter was saying a 12mph cross wind reading.