7 mm SAW

[Switchback2]

Anyone here have any first hand experience with the 7mm SAW??

Here is alittle info on it.

The 7mm SAW was designed based on experience shooting in the Precision Rifle Series with the standard 7mm-08 Remington. The mid to heavy weight, high BC bullets available in 7mm give a noticeable increase in energy on target compared to the current crop of fast 6mm's being used, while maintaining excellent wind drift characteristics. The larger bore diameter lends itself to longer barrel life too, which is a cost saving asset in a game where an average round count is 200 rounds for a single match. The intent of this design was to have a magazine feeding 7mm cartridge able to drive a 162/168gr bullet to speeds at least equivalent to current 6.5mm competition cartridges such the 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5×47 Lapua, and .260 Remington without the need to fireform brass. The parent case is Lapua's .308 Winchester "Palma" brass, which has an extremely strong case head due to its use of a small rifle primer pocket(already proven to work well via the 6.5×47). Brass is formed in one pass through a 7mm SAW sizer die, and is then ready to load. Our current reamer uses a .316″ neck diameter, so neck turning is not necessary.
The 7mm SAW can drive mid weight .284 bullets like the 162 Hornady ELD-M and 168 Berger VLD to between 2850 and 2900FPS in a 26″ barrel. Heavy bullets such as the 180 Berger Hybrid and 183gr Sierra Match King can be pushed to around 2725-2750FPS. Those numbers give the cartridge a slight edge in drift and drop over the medium 6.5's, while still providing low recoil and excellent barrel life. Additionally, the cartridge will hold around 1000 ft.lbs. of energy to 1000 yards with either the 162 or 180 class bullets. Although not meant to be a true long range hunting cartridge, the 7mm SAW is a viable option for normal and extended range hunting on deer sized game.

 

[AZShooter]

Some amazing velocities from a 7-08 or perhaps an improved version. Quite frankly the pressures must be much higher than the industry standard. They are quoting velocities that duplicate the 284 win which is a cartridge with 10 more grains case capacity. (Standard 7-08 56 gr water, 7-08 AI 58 gr water and 284 Win 66 gr water)

Can a small primer pocket make that much difference?

 

[MudRunner2005]

Looks like nothing more than a 7mm-08 AI that someone wanted to make "special" by giving it a dumb name...Like most wildcats these days. Reheated leftovers served-up as today's special by a different name.

 

[Switchback2]

The main thing I see difference between it and the 7-08 AI is with the Saw you don't have to Fire Form which is a plus to
Be by saving powder, bullets and brass life. But yea the seem about the same

 

[MudRunner2005]

The main thing I see difference between it and the 7-08 AI is with the Saw you don't have to Fire Form which is a plus to
Be by saving powder, bullets and brass life. But yea the seem about the same

You still have to fire-form cases, no matter if you're shooting SAAMI cartridges in a SAAMI spec chamber, or forming brass to a wildcat chamber. New brass fire-forms to your chamber the first times it's ever shot. It's just how it works.

 

[Switchback2]

Yes that's true , but what I am saying it I don't have to Blow the shoulder forward like the AI chamberings have to.

 

[MudRunner2005]

Yes that's true , but what I am saying it I don't have to Blow the shoulder forward like the AI chamberings have to.

That's not really a big deal if you do your due-diligence with your pre-forming setup and case prep, before you load your brass that you plan on fire-forming.

 

[MAD10]

Anyone here have any first hand experience with the 7mm SAW??

Here is alittle info on it.

The 7mm SAW was designed based on experience shooting in the Precision Rifle Series with the standard 7mm-08 Remington. The mid to heavy weight, high BC bullets available in 7mm give a noticeable increase in energy on target compared to the current crop of fast 6mm's being used, while maintaining excellent wind drift characteristics. The larger bore diameter lends itself to longer barrel life too, which is a cost saving asset in a game where an average round count is 200 rounds for a single match. The intent of this design was to have a magazine feeding 7mm cartridge able to drive a 162/168gr bullet to speeds at least equivalent to current 6.5mm competition cartridges such the 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5×47 Lapua, and .260 Remington without the need to fireform brass. The parent case is Lapua's .308 Winchester "Palma" brass, which has an extremely strong case head due to its use of a small rifle primer pocket(already proven to work well via the 6.5×47). Brass is formed in one pass through a 7mm SAW sizer die, and is then ready to load. Our current reamer uses a .316″ neck diameter, so neck turning is not necessary.
The 7mm SAW can drive mid weight .284 bullets like the 162 Hornady ELD-M and 168 Berger VLD to between 2850 and 2900FPS in a 26″ barrel. Heavy bullets such as the 180 Berger Hybrid and 183gr Sierra Match King can be pushed to around 2725-2750FPS. Those numbers give the cartridge a slight edge in drift and drop over the medium 6.5's, while still providing low recoil and excellent barrel life. Additionally, the cartridge will hold around 1000 ft.lbs. of energy to 1000 yards with either the 162 or 180 class bullets. Although not meant to be a true long range hunting cartridge, the 7mm SAW is a viable option for normal and extended range hunting on deer sized game.

 

[MAD10]

SB2,

I know this is an old post...do you know what the COAL is on the 7mm-08 SAW using 162's? I just had a 7mm-08 built for my daughter and while waiting on the brass and powder to arrive I talked with Nathan Foster in New Zealand. He indicated there is a big following for the 7mm-08 in NZ and his opinion using ELDM pushed by Varget here in Colorado will be devastating out to 800+ yards and believes I can fit it inside a 2.86 magazine. So I am curious what you may know about the 7mm08 and 162's. Thanks

 

[Wild Monkey]

Anyone here have any first hand experience with the 7mm SAW??

Here is alittle info on it.

The 7mm SAW was designed based on experience shooting in the Precision Rifle Series with the standard 7mm-08 Remington. The mid to heavy weight, high BC bullets available in 7mm give a noticeable increase in energy on target compared to the current crop of fast 6mm's being used, while maintaining excellent wind drift characteristics. The larger bore diameter lends itself to longer barrel life too, which is a cost saving asset in a game where an average round count is 200 rounds for a single match. The intent of this design was to have a magazine feeding 7mm cartridge able to drive a 162/168gr bullet to speeds at least equivalent to current 6.5mm competition cartridges such the 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5×47 Lapua, and .260 Remington without the need to fireform brass. The parent case is Lapua's .308 Winchester "Palma" brass, which has an extremely strong case head due to its use of a small rifle primer pocket(already proven to work well via the 6.5×47). Brass is formed in one pass through a 7mm SAW sizer die, and is then ready to load. Our current reamer uses a .316″ neck diameter, so neck turning is not necessary.
The 7mm SAW can drive mid weight .284 bullets like the 162 Hornady ELD-M and 168 Berger VLD to between 2850 and 2900FPS in a 26″ barrel. Heavy bullets such as the 180 Berger Hybrid and 183gr Sierra Match King can be pushed to around 2725-2750FPS. Those numbers give the cartridge a slight edge in drift and drop over the medium 6.5's, while still providing low recoil and excellent barrel life. Additionally, the cartridge will hold around 1000 ft.lbs. of energy to 1000 yards with either the 162 or 180 class bullets. Although not meant to be a true long range hunting cartridge, the 7mm SAW is a viable option for normal and extended range hunting on deer sized game.

IMO the 30* Shoulder is an Excellent Idea! Only the 7-RPC also has a 30 Degree Shoulder yet instead uses the same 30TC Shoulder design that the Creedmoor uses for even more Powder and Efficiency. With the 7-GPC Reamer that's already established 2mm Deeper by your Gunsmith I think this is the Better of the two Apples. Or one might just get a 7mm-08 and be done with it. To me any 7mm is Superior, so I guess I'm partial.

 

[tim_w]

What is so special about the 30TC shoulder at 30 degrees than any other 30 degree shoulder? Is there some slight compound angle or something that is not easily the seen by eye.


It would be much easier to speak about if we at had a print or some dimensional specs.

Without it........Powder space is powder space. To get vel higher he has to be running higher pressure for a given powder vol all things being equal. Now sure using a tougher case head i.e. Lapua 308 palma and then decreasing taper and increase shoulder angle will allow for higher pressure without loss of brass compared to say using a large primer pocket 308 case. There is nothing wrong with it and its a solid design but there is no free lunch. Its basically 7-08 AI but if there is no blowing forward of the shoulder so its using the same shoulder body junction and then sharpening the shoulder to 30 degrees he is actually loosing vol there which is may recover and go positive removing taper.

IMO what as done was to turn the 7-08 into as improved case as possible for PRS type shooting. By that I mean a longer neck and increased shoulder angle but so much as to neg effect chambering from a dmag. Decrease taper and increase shoulder allows for more pressure and reloading along with using the Lapua SP Palma 308 brass. My guess is the throat is set specifically for they 162-168gr ELD. Thus they get max case powder vol usage with the BT jnc into the neck and enough length to allow feeding from the AI mags (no plate).

Just a wild guess but based on the

 

[tim_w]

Just a guess but I am think peak pressures near 70K

 

[Wild Monkey]

What is so special about the 30TC shoulder at 30 degrees than any other 30 degree shoulder? Is there some slight compound angle or something that is not easily the seen by eye.



Without it........Powder space is powder space. shoulder to 30 degrees he is actually loosing vol there which is may recover and go positive removing taper.



Just a wild guess but based on the

In Plane English, the 7mm-GPC has a .465" wide Shoulder over the .454 of the plane SAW and 08 and Improved AI's. That is Superior use of the short action IMO. The 7-RPC has a 2mm Taller Shoulder than the Creedmoor. Just Data points, not going to debate something I don't own. If you want a 40 Degree Shoulder there is the Improved "7mm-GLC", it's the Ultimate Version of 08 Brass if you want to purchase Custom Dies & Reamer. All this stuff has been done before most of us got into this Hobby.

 

[Kimber7man]

Looking at the SAW, it looks like all the velocities quoted in that article are with 26" to 31" barrels. I'd like to run a shorter one suppressed so not sure what kind of speed I'd see with a 21" barrel.