7MM Hornady ELD-X 150 max FPS

[drumjunky91]

Hey guys, I worked up slowly on a load for my 7 Mag and ended up getting some impressive speeds, but at the cost of accuracy with no signs of pressure at all. Obviously I won't be using these loads since they are not accurate but it makes me wonder what speeds they could be pushed to before they start spraying, pretty sure I'm already there though. Really looking for someone's real world experience shooting them.

Here's what I ended up with:
Browning X-bolt Eclipse Hunter 7 mag
1-9.5 twist 26" barrel
66.5 gr RL-22 (well over book max)
Rem 9 1/2 mag primers
3265 fps average with horrible accuracy, but absolutely no signs of pressure. That amazed me because I'm pretty far up over max and I'm using (what I consider junk) PPU brass. No flattened primers, no ejector hole marks, no swipes from a heavy bolt lift. Seems crazy to me.

I guess I'm just looking to see if anybody is having luck in the 3200+ fps range on a 1-9.5 with the 150's. Minimum recommended is 1-10 as per the box.

 

[VinceMule]

72-73g of R#25, Rem brass, Win Mag primer a MUST for tiny groups, 3250 fps in Rem 700's, 26"

 

[VinceMule]

Drum, change to a cci 250 primer, seat the bullet just off the lands

PPU is not junk brass, but I use a lot of Remington, just toss when the primer pockets get loose

 

[drumjunky91]

That's great to hear, I was really hoping that somebody was stabilizing these still at the higher velocities. I will continue messing with it then. They shot excellent at 64.2 gr but the velocity was just a tad lower than I would have liked. Really peaked my interest when I saw how fast I could get them moving without any pressure. As far as PPU brass goes, I just hate how soft it is. The slightest touch on the next/shoulder folds them.

 

[HSmithTX]

I have shot the 7mm162ELD-X at 3400 into very small groups, different cartridge than you are using but saw no accuracy issues caused by speed. I have shot the 30 cal 178 up to 3400 as well with no accuracy issues. Each rifle likes what it likes though....

 

[drumjunky91]

I have shot the 7mm162ELD-X at 3400 into very small groups, different cartridge than you are using but saw no accuracy issues caused by speed. I have shot the 30 cal 178 up to 3400 as well with no accuracy issues. Each rifle likes what it likes though....

That's awesome man, thanks for the feedback. I guess I'll keep pushing them and see what happens. I have a few couple types of powder and primers on hand so I'll keep messing with it. Really happy to hear people are keeping tight groups at higher velocities.

 

[Joefrazell]

If the es/sd is relatively low then I'd play with seating depth and see if you can get groups to calm down.

 

[drumjunky91]

If the es/sd is relatively low then I'd play with seating depth and see if you can get groups to calm down.

So that's actually exactly what I did on my last set. I had decent es/SD, not fantastic but acceptable so I ran .003 off the lands, 010, 020, and 030. All grouped horribly. That's why I stopped and posted here to see if anybody was having luck with the higher velocities. Looks like I have my answer so far, and I'm glad that others have had luck. I'll continue to tinker with it.

 

[Joefrazell]

So that's actually exactly what I did on my last set. I had decent es/SD, not fantastic but acceptable so I ran .003 off the lands, 010, 020, and 030. All grouped horribly. That's why I stopped and posted here to see if anybody was having luck with the higher velocities. Looks like I have my answer so far, and I'm glad that others have had luck. I'll continue to tinker with it.

How did it group with lower charge weighs?

 

[drumjunky91]

How did it group with lower charge weighs?

 

[drumjunky91]

At 64.2 at .015 off the lands it shot its best group ever. 0.6" @ 100 yds. Low 2900s for velocity. I don't remember the exact es/SD numbers offhand but I know that they were at least acceptable. I was looking to stretch this particular bullet out to 900 yards so that's why I was chasing velocity, but the faster I ran them the worse the spread opened up. It was to the point that 3 inches @100 was a great group... I shot some factory ammo and back down to the 64.2 charge just to make sure it wasn't a gun issue and the grouping returned.

 

[Joefrazell]

It may just not like that particular bullet/powder at those particular speeds. Sometimes they just do what they want and no tinkering will change anything.

 

[drumjunky91]

It may just not like that particular bullet/powder at those particular speeds. Sometimes they just do what they want and no tinkering will change anything.

You're quite right, but I'll give it a few more tries before I give up on it. I at least owe it to myself to try instead of writing it off too soon. Hopefully it's not an expensive waste. I have a decent amount of Retumbo, so I was thinking about giving that a try too but it may not work too well with that light of a bullet. Plus the 338 lapua of mine has a big appetite so I'm not sure I want to steal from its powder stash haha

 

[Varmintnv]

I never shot ELD's in my 7mag, but 64gr of IMR 4350 gave me 3200fps behind a 140gr NBT. That load produced groups in the high .2's and .3's.