Which 7mm to build???

Another question for the masses... I need to purchase a reloading manual so I can try to compare these cartridges. Any suggestions on which one? Are they all the same? When they compare them in the book is it an equal comparison meaning are all things like barrel length equal? I've looked through them in the past but it's been awhile and I was never looking for anything specific. Also is there somewhere I on the net or an app for my iPhone where I can compare all these cartridges side by side using my parameters I've set in my original post and add different powders and get a rough idea of what to expect out of each one? Thanks again for your time helping out a guy who really wants to learn this stuff!
 
ah I have done this in the recent past and I will add what I found in my research. I was looking for a cartrige that had all the atributes of what I was looking for and be able to push the 180vlds to 3000 without any pressure signs (was really wanting 3100fps) you can do 3000fps with any of the origional posts cartriges but you are really pushing it with the 7rem mag, 7wsm, and 7 saum. Then you have the 7 dakota, it will do exactly what both of us want yet here is the catch, it uses a non standard .545 bolt face off the parent 404 jeffery case so that didnt appeal to me along with the exprbanantly high priced dies and brass from dakota. then the 7stw, 7/300 win and there is the shorter neck and the belt of these two that is unapealing to me and some say (again not starting an argument) less inherantly accurate. then there is the beltless 7Rum and it was just too dam big and I feel too much for my liking just as the OP had stated. So then there was the other wildcats and i was too hesitant to pull the trigger on that endevour. Then after some more research I found that Gunwerks had made a new cartrige called the 7LRM (Long Range Magnum) and will have brass and dies in febuary or march of this year at a very reasonable price. Brass at ~$1.25 a piece and hornady comp dies at ~$75 a set. The 7LRM is for basic terms a 375 ruger necked down to 7mm with the shoulder pushed back and a LONG neck (which almost everyone says is better for accuracy than a short neck like the 7wsm) This cartrige uses a standard .535 magnum bolt face and will feed out of a standard 300 win mag magazine no problem. It will feed with 180gr vlds seated at the neck shoulder junction. THis will also push the 180's to an easy 3100fps. so this is what I am going to do and here is my insight. I honestly cant see any of the other cartriges being a better fit for what you described.

oh and you dont have to buy a gunwerks gun to do this either. I talked to aaron and he said that either they can do the gunsmithing on your supplied parts or you can buy a reamer from kiff when it gets finalized here soon. good deal if you ask me!
 
Nosler has one of the few manuals that show a 280AI. But you must remember that the Nosler 280AI is not to the same dimensions as the original Ackley version. I found this board and other reloading boards on the net to be the most useful.
 
I find it funny that I turn to you guys to help me narrow my search and you guys keep adding choices to the list! I love and expected it! Midnight you've got my attention! How will barrel life compare is my only concern? I would suspect not good with those velocities???
 
Nosler has one of the few manuals that show a 280AI. But you must remember that the Nosler 280AI is not to the same dimensions as the original Ackley version. I found this board and other reloading boards on the net to be the most useful.

Thankyou sir!
 
Yes , and I thoght someone took the 338 Norma and made a 7mm out of it w/ good results.
 
Here is a full work up for 7mm's.

Rifleshootermag.com

The saga of seven. By John r sundra. Jan 4th 2011.

This covers a lot of the 7mm's.

I have a question about you wanting to keep the barrel length short but want to be able to reach 1k, why is this?

IMO if I were wanting to wring everything out of a round id want longer length to get the most out of the round. I have a 7rum and it doesn't have to be pushed to the max.
 
Here is a full work up for 7mm's.

Rifleshootermag.com

The saga of seven. By John r sundra. Jan 4th 2011.

This covers a lot of the 7mm's.

I have a question about you wanting to keep the barrel length short but want to be able to reach 1k, why is this?

IMO if I were wanting to wring everything out of a round id want longer length to get the most out of the round. I have a 7rum and it doesn't have to be pushed to the max.

Thanks for the great info! I want to keep the barrel 26 and under because it is a hunting rifle and not a target rifle. I know some guys hunt with longer barrels but I'd prefer not to. I prefer hunting the steepest, nastiest country I can find. I like to carry the rifle in the scabbard on my backpack and I don't think a longer barrel will fit.
 
I was just crunching numbers on my bulletflight app and it looks like I would have to run a 180vld at 3000 in order to maintain min. velocities of 1800 at 1000yds. The 168vld would need 3100mv. Can I pull this off with a 26" barrel in any of these cartridges? Am I asking the right questions or am I missing something?
 
With the shorter barrels the short fat cartridges seem to be more efficient, I hunt a lot with a 270 WSM it's set up to run right with or push just past the 7 WSM and if I had to choose a 7mm it would be either the 7-300 WSM or the 7-300 Win, I would lean to one or the other based on barrel length. I would shoot elk at a grand with one, not quite as fast as I would with a 338 humping a 300gr Berger but if you know your rifle and shot placement is correct it would not be an issue IMO.

http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f17/7wsm-180-berger-takes-down-two-grizzlies-78901/
 
Shorty,

Did you check out reloaders nest.com? There you can see what others are getting as far as performance. The 7mm rem mag seems like it will push it but with longer barrel length than what you are wanting. The Dakota can get there in a 26" tube. I found only one load for the 180gr. The dakota seems like it would be ideal for what you want. Jmo
 
I was just crunching numbers on my bulletflight app and it looks like I would have to run a 180vld at 3000 in order to maintain min. velocities of 1800 at 1000yds. The 168vld would need 3100mv. Can I pull this off with a 26" barrel in any of these cartridges? Am I asking the right questions or am I missing something?

7 lrm with ease
 
This is a conundrum. You want a 1K hunting rifle where even only on rare occasions you will hunt elk. IMHO, unless you go with a really hot 7mm, it just isnt in the cards. Sure any old 7mm can kill an elk at 1K but the goal here is to have it done a cleanly as possible. You need enough velocity for bullet expasion. For the average 7mm, this is a bit much to ask at 1K. At least with a bullet suitable for elk. The AMAX would expand at that range, but put it in the wrong spot (IE shoulder) and you will most likely be hating life.

I understand your position on recoil and barrel life. I too make these a priority when concidering a new build. A 7RUM and STW is a bit more than you want but the 7mm Rem, 7mmWSM or SARUM are all great choices but fall short of being a legitimate 1K elk rig. So, you will have to shorten up your max range on elk or go bigger.

That said, I have been interested in a 7mm for a while. At some point I will most likely build one. I have narrowed it down to the 7mmSARUM OR 280AI for an assortment of reasons. 1: They are very efficient. 2: Have nearly the same potential as the 7mmRem with less recoil and powder as well as better bbl life. 3: The 280AI has great brass options available. You can get 30-06 Lapua brass and neck it down to 7mm. There is no Lapua brass available for the SARUM but I feel this will change. Lapua gets ALOT of requests for it as more match shooters are starting to use the 7mmSARUM. Much more so than the WSM or Rem mag. In any event, the 280AI will be built on a LA and the SARUM would be best on the LA as well. So it is a tough choice for me. Both have a reputation for being very very accurate. With the 162 AMAX, you have a very legitimate deer and antelope rifle. The 160 AB or IB is great for elk, but should draw the line between 650-700 yards. If you are one that throws the 1500'# rule out for elk and just go with expansion, you could stretch it to 800-850 depending on your velocity etc...Thats at elk altitude.

Everything is a trade off. If you want a 1K elk rifle, do it right. If you can live with a reduced range for elk, any of the medium 7 mags will do what you want for deer and antelope.

To run your 180 VLD at 3000+ in a 7rem mag or WSM etc...will be high pressure loads. Barrel life will be as short or worse than a bigger 7mm. If you want higher velocities than what the Rem mag or short mags were made for, go with a larger case and save your action and brass.
 
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