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

I had the same thing happen to me last year with a 300 RUM, and a 168 VLD. Velocity was at 3369, distance was 219 yards. Huge flesh wound. Knocked the deer down, but when I went to recover her later, she " recovered" enough to get up and disappear into the woods. Lots of blood, but she covered a lot of ground, and we did not find her. That was the last Berger bullet I have used for hunting.
I switched to Barnes LRX, and TSX , and Nosler Partition. I used the LRX this past season, and am VERY impressed. Total penetration, and great terminal performance.

As I've said before, I'm a big fan of the Nosler Partition but I will be experimenting with the 168gr LRX this off season. I prefer complete penetration as the vast majority of animals I've killed have gone a little distance after a lung hit and required some tracking. I like the blood trail that an exit wound gives, which is important when there is no snow on the ground. I also want the ability to break heavy bone and keep on penetrating.
 
I ran the trajectory on the 145 & 168gr LRX and although the 168 has a better BC, the higher MV of the 145 gives virtually identical trajectory out to 1000 yds. So it's just a matter of which one your gun shoots best. Looking forward to finding out!
 
I ran the trajectory on the 145 & 168gr LRX and although the 168 has a better BC, the higher MV of the 145 gives virtually identical trajectory out to 1000 yds. So it's just a matter of which one your gun shoots best. Looking forward to finding out!

Bob S, I personally had had great luck with the 145 LRX. I have some 168 LRX's on the way to me, that I would like to give a try to, but am very satisfied with the 145's, for the reason you just mentioned. I am doubtful I will ever shoot 1000 yards, but if conditions were right, I feel confident at a 700 yard shot, and at that distance, either bullet will work just fine. The 168 LRX is a LOONNNNGGG bullet too.
But I also have a 700p in seven mag that loves the heavy bullets, and I think I'll try them in that gun as well. I'm sold on them.
 
Thanks for clarifying, I've heard single shot actions like the ones BAT machine makes are stronger but this may be that there is more metal being no magazine work. Just wondered if they could take more pressure. Brass is the other issue too I see. It seems like Thompson makes a strong action, nice set up he had. The rifle looked awesome with all that stainless steel.
 
Bob S, I personally had had great luck with the 145 LRX. I have some 168 LRX's on the way to me, that I would like to give a try to, but am very satisfied with the 145's, for the reason you just mentioned. I am doubtful I will ever shoot 1000 yards, but if conditions were right, I feel confident at a 700 yard shot, and at that distance, either bullet will work just fine. The 168 LRX is a LOONNNNGGG bullet too.
But I also have a 700p in seven mag that loves the heavy bullets, and I think I'll try them in that gun as well. I'm sold on them.

I've read alot of your posts and I feel I need to ask, why do I not hear of the Berger 180gr VLDs being shot out of an STW EVER? In the UM, WSM, WM, and even SAUM i've heard of it being successful. I just feel like asking because a plan on getting a 7mm STW but I've been trying to rule out the other calibers. Although I think i'm dead set on the STW because the SAUM has hardly any brass and performance isn't good enough for me, the WSM is ok but its performance is still alittle low, and the UM is going to be discontinued (7mm, brass), plus recoil is alittle much. The only other thing I plan on looking at is the Dakota, seems good but don't know anything about it.
 
I've read alot of your posts and I feel I need to ask, why do I not hear of the Berger 180gr VLDs being shot out of an STW EVER? In the UM, WSM, WM, and even SAUM i've heard of it being successful. I just feel like asking because a plan on getting a 7mm STW but I've been trying to rule out the other calibers. Although I think i'm dead set on the STW because the SAUM has hardly any brass and performance isn't good enough for me, the WSM is ok but its performance is still alittle low, and the UM is going to be discontinued (7mm, brass), plus recoil is alittle much. The only other thing I plan on looking at is the Dakota, seems good but don't know anything about it.

I shoot them out of my 7 STW using a stout charge of Retumbo. they shoot really well, but have to be seated out way past mag length to get the accuracy out of my rig. I am switching to 175g Sierras becaues of this problem and It seems that they will be close enough ballistcally that they will be useful out to 1000yds.

I do hunt with Berger VLDs in other calibers and they have worked awesome for me, there are those who don't like them and we have an agreement to push too hard at each other :) I don't have any experience with the 180g VLDs on game yet, this may come later....

I personally believe that a 7 STW is also good for the Heavy for caliber bullets and with slow powders and a good long barrel they really can be quite impressive. Heck, Broz is shooting out past 1000yds with a .300 Win mag and taking game. The STW is a versitile cartidge.

Dan
 
I wonder if a single shot like the Encore would allow higher velocity and psi? Is that why you went to this and a long bull barrel?
Pushing the max on velocity and pressure is a great way to drastically shorten barrel life, and with most rifles and bullets you will find that pushing them to the max also tends to reduce accuracy.

Sometimes the latter doesn't apply but the former always applies. I used to be a velocity freak and pushed them as far as safety would allow and occasionally a bit further. It serves no useful purpose and gets expensive.
 
As I've said before, I'm a big fan of the Nosler Partition but I will be experimenting with the 168gr LRX this off season. I prefer complete penetration as the vast majority of animals I've killed have gone a little distance after a lung hit and required some tracking. I like the blood trail that an exit wound gives, which is important when there is no snow on the ground. I also want the ability to break heavy bone and keep on penetrating.
Interbond, Accubond, and Swift Sirocco will all give you great performance with higher BC's than the Partition.

The Partition is another bullet that gives fantastic penetration, but tends to produce small exit wounds or even punch straight through with little or no expansion at all.

On Game such as big hogs and Elk they tend to perform excellently but we've had problems with them on deer so I quit using them.
 
I've read alot of your posts and I feel I need to ask, why do I not hear of the Berger 180gr VLDs being shot out of an STW EVER? In the UM, WSM, WM, and even SAUM i've heard of it being successful. I just feel like asking because a plan on getting a 7mm STW but I've been trying to rule out the other calibers. Although I think i'm dead set on the STW because the SAUM has hardly any brass and performance isn't good enough for me, the WSM is ok but its performance is still alittle low, and the UM is going to be discontinued (7mm, brass), plus recoil is alittle much. The only other thing I plan on looking at is the Dakota, seems good but don't know anything about it.
The Dakota has no performance improvement over the STW and the components are more expensive and harder to get.
 
The velocity/ accuracy/bbl. life curves cross at the 7 STW. The 7 RUM is more noise, recoil, bbl. wear, and $$ for very little benefit. The 7 STW tests bullet performance, not all bullets work well; the 7 RUM adds a bit of stress to the bullet situation, especially inside 200 yds.

The old Rem. 7 Mag does very well, and if one is willing to use a long bbl., close to STW velocity can be reached. Truth is, no game animal (or hunter, for that matter) will see the difference 100 fps more or less makes, at "reasonable" ranges. To prove it to yourself, run the numbers on a good ballistic program; while you're at it, plug in some atmospheric extremes and see the differences they cause!

Not trying to minimize the 7 STW; I got one of the early STW Senderos and still have it, along with a 7 STW Sendero that I had rebarreled with a Krieger STW bbl. Just looking at real world results.........as usual, YMMV!!:)

Jim
 
Good stuff here. That's why I wanted a STW, it seems to be about the max on the 7mm category, barrel life, power, noise, availabilty and scalability of cases. If Lapua would get in the game with cases, it might achieve the following the 300 wm enjoys. It's pretty popular nonetheless. I firmly lave the bulk of all hunters and such, harvest at 750 yards or less. It's hard to beat the STW from 0-750. I guess I'm of the 3 digit mentality. The Dakota is interesting in that you can use a shorter action, I'm not really sure why that is appealing? The way I figure it, if you want shorter you can always get an action that has a 60 degree bolt throw like a Sako or Browning if you want to quicken that actiion. But being legitably short is kind of a misnomer.
 
As an example of extreme (IMHO), a hunter told me recently that he was shooting a B78 in 6.5 STW, 120 grain bullet at 3750 fps (??). He didn't seem concerned that primers "sometimes" fell out of the cases on ejection.

Some folks don't want to be "confused with facts", but usually come around after a while..........

Jim
 
Top