7mm bullets for long range hunting. who has good luck with what?

[Ridge Runner]

I've had great luck with 160 accubonds, have taken deer from 307 to 1350 yards, results were excellant.
RR

 

[Lyons7STW]

Fire fighter, my COL is actually 3.630
and it was originaly a 7 mag barrell I had reamed and rechambered for the STW so I guess you could call it a custom throat.

 

[firefighter1990]

ok so the bullet is actually on the lands? if not then im deffinitely gonna try 168 vld's. ive also heard 180's do better in a 1-8.5 or faster rather than 1-9 twist so maybe thats what will give the 168 a chance in my brux barrel. hopefully theyre one-hole shooters

 

[Lyons7STW]

They are not in the lands. I would have hunt up notes and get a calculator for exact figure but they are about fifty thousands off the lands. And they are a little more forgiving back there.

 

[Lyons7STW]

Yeah if I reccccall it took 3.680 or so to get in the lands on my rig and I got some good groups but the repeatability wasn't there. And I think your right... As a generall rule 168 is a good weight for a 1 in 9 barrell.
I'm no expert, just my opinion backed by my limited experience and a few knowledgeable friends.

 

[firefighter1990]

h1000 in your stw as well? ever chronographed the 168's?

 

[firefighter1990]

and it sounds like you have a standard stw chamber as do i- i believe i was right at minimal surface tension in order to touch the lands with 180 vld's

 

[Lyons7STW]

I have a pound of H1000 on the bench I was gonna play with but I started with some retumbo I had and got acceptable results. Then I got side tracked with the actual hunting so the retumbo load I was dialed for has been in use all season. It works like a champ so I havent diverted.
78 grns of retumbo chronied at 3050 avg with the 168s.

 

[Lyons7STW]

When I had the work done I took the smith a dummy round I made with a 168 berger seated to max mag length and told him to make it shoot. I ended up backing it in some to get this loadso it actually worked out better. I have lots of mag clearance and no other issues.

 

[Sako7STW]

I am struggling with my STW as well. I I bought the 168 Bergers with RL22 powder and got some great velocities but 3" groups. The 127Gr Groove bullets I am shooting at 3800FPS group sub .5" so I know the gun will flat out shoot but I only have 16 of these bullets left. I was told by Kirby Allen to slow my Bergers down to sub 3100FPS as I could be tearing the bullet up. I am going to try Retumbo next. My mag length is the biggest factor I cant go long at all. So I too am wondering what bullet to try next if I cant get these Bergers to shoot??

 

[Forrest Ebert]

Bob Cauterucio bullets work very well and also the Berger VLD Hunting bullets as I haven't had to chase any game (that being Deer) with either bullet. If I was hunting Elk I wouldn't hesitate with either but for Moose I'd opt. for the heavier 180-200 grain bullets available with a powder that works in your rifle . I like Retumbo,H1000,IMR7828. I shoot the 168's in my 280AI and the heavier 7mm bullets in my 7RUM.

gun)

 

[firefighter1990]

i would love to see how the Cauterucio bullets perform on game! if they do as good as they shoot then i might skip the bergers. you said you tried them on deer? how'd they do? what range and MV you running them at?

 

[jsthntn247]

For the game and distances you want to shoot. I would choose the 162 sst, 160 accubond, or barnes, in that order. I load the sst's for everything from grasshoppers to elk and they hammer, if I ever go for moose, I will shoot barnes.

 

[firefighter1990]

thanks. sst and accubond actualy do very well! i usually always keep a barnes x or accubond on hand during a hunt incase a close shot is needed. but at 1k i want a bit more. i think i just want the highest BC to squeeze every last fps out. moose hunts are very few but an occassional elk or big bodied muley at 1k is not uncommon for me here in northern nv. I dont know, people on this site could try to close the distance but why? am i right? longshots make life easier. plus theyre just too fun