7-300 win mag @ 300 and 500

[remingtonman_25_06]

Finally a non windy day to zero the 7-300 win mag with 180g ELDMs. Getting ready for a 1K shoot in 2 weeks. My normal 1400 yard range is closed for a few days so I had to hit the next best thing and that range only goes out to 500, but it still gave me an idea of what shes gonna do. I'm pretty happy with it anyway. Probably wont win any competitions with it, but it's still minute of big game anyway haha.

 

[DMP25-06]

Really good shooting on that 300 yard grouping !!!!
What length barrel , and what velocity are you running ?
I DO NOT want your load data , just curious as to what brand of brass , primers , and powder .
I have a 7mm/.300WM built on a Weatherby Mark V action with a 28" Bartlien 1:8" twist that I am shooting 180 gr. ELD-M bullets , and it is really impressive at long ranges .

DMP25-06

 

[Bob Wright]

That my friend is a shooter!

 

[remingtonman_25_06]

Thanks! I dont mind sharing load data, it's a fairly mild load, I keep it that way for this rifle so I dont tear up my brass, this is the 5th firing on these cases and they are still tight as the first firing. Still on the first batch of 50 brass with the rifle, right at 250 rounds through it now. Anyway, it's a 28" Heavy Bartlein 9 twist, with a 4 port brake. Was built 6 years ago so that's why the 9 twist and not an 8. Weren't to many slickery 7mm bullets back then as there is now. I shot the 162g AMAXs at 3150 with 75.5g H1000 from it this whole time, and they shoot 1/3-1/2 MOA, but I just got around to seeing if it would stabilize the 180s well enough to shoot, the added BC finally got to me I guess. I'm using FL sized 300 win mag Nosler brass, necked down to 7mm with .002" neck tension. 72.5g of H1000 and a CCI250 primer, and .010" off the lands. Velocity is 2950-3000fps depending on the day. H1000 is the only powder I've ever really used in this rifle. I bought a bunch of it when I had it built. I did do a ladder test with the 180s and RL26 just to see, but I have so much of H1000 I just stuck with it. Rl26 only gave me about 50fps more velocity, but it topped out a lot quicker than I thought it would and showed pressure signs. Accuracy was about the same, ES was a tad better, but not enough to warrant buying 10# of it. Heres the ladder test with H1000/RL26 at 300 yards, and later the 3 shot groups with the nodes of each powder.

 

[kaseyfied]

You should run a ladder with n565 and 195.. we have had great luck running them about 3040 with .188 freebore

 

[remingtonman_25_06]

I didnt think a 9 twist will stabilize the 195s? Cant get Vihta powders here either, and even if I could, I wouldn't pay their prices for it...They dont do anything H1000 or Retumbo wont do realistically. I tried the "magic" RL26 powder and wasn't impressed. Did nothing H1000 wont do.

 

[kaseyfied]

Well I saw 3040 In several 26inch barrels we have done and 195 bergers...
Kasey

 

[Bob Wright]

H1000 and RL26 both have some good verticals even with higher ES. Makes me think about getting those common vertical groups and do 2 things:
Optimize neck tension
Optimize seating depth within those two nodes and see what it produces. Even though you had that one flyer at 70.5 of RE26, doing some tweaks might be promising. Worth a try.
You're dialing in....

 

[kaseyfied]

That's a totally smart..hmmmm man never thought of that

 

[Bob Wright]

Another thing I promised to do, is clearly mark my cases that really group, or have one flyer and start checking to find if something dimensionally is different in each. It could be literally any dimension of the case and water volume. At least if I do find something off from the cases that performed great, I might find a way of weeding out that variable. If not, look elsewhere.

 

[remingtonman_25_06]

"Well I saw 3040 In several 26inch barrels we have done and 195 bergers...
Kasey"

This with 8 or 9 twist?

 

[kaseyfied]

9 twist

 

[VLD Pilot]

I didnt think a 9 twist will stabilize the 195s? Cant get Vihta powders here either, and even if I could, I wouldn't pay their prices for it...They dont do anything H1000 or Retumbo wont do realistically. I tried the "magic" RL26 powder and wasn't impressed. Did nothing H1000 wont do.

You'd be at marginal stability with a 9 twist barrel running around 3050-3100 with the 195s in a 9 twist barrel. Some barrels may shoot it fine while others not so much.

 

[remingtonman_25_06]

I'll just stick with the 180 ELDMs. Not a huge Berger fan anyway. Can shoot almost twice the amount of Hornadys as Bergers for the price, and I never liked the terminal ballistics of the Bergers on game either. Hornadys are cheap, accurate, and kill plenty good.