7mm saum - load data help!

cb4128

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I'm building a 7mm SAUM on a short action and am hoping to get some starting points with some guy's pet loads. Planning on using ADG brass, federal 215m primers, and berger 180gr hybrids.

I have H1000, RL26 and H4831sc on hand that I could use as well.

Thanks for any help!
 
I've had good results using H1000 with Berger 168 VLDH's and H1000 with Hornady 162 ELDX's. I've also had good results using H4831sc and Berger 168 VLDH's.

I have not shot any 180 grain bullets.

My best velocity has came with H1000. Accuracy has been real close between the two, but I've shot my best group (0.24 moa) with H4831sc, but the H1000 has produced 1/2 moa groups.

I would think with 180 grain bullets, the slower powders would be better suited.

My gun is a Remington XP-100 with a 17.5" bbl, 0.140" freebore. H1000 has produced 2830-2850 fps with good loads, while H4831cs has only gotten me 2700 fps.
 
Wouldn't you be better off with the 7 Wsm, or take a PRC case and size to 7mm PRC. SInce you are having it built.
 
H1000 and the 180 hybrids are the winning combo. You have to seat the bullet longer but they shoot and shoot well. I turned mine into a single shot because of the longer COAL but in my eyes it was worth it.
 
If your stuck with a short action i would bet your at about .080 freebore. H1000 will be compressed. RL 26 puts out some good numbers with the short action. 26" barrel and you can hit 2970-ish. Rl 23 is another good option. I had one built on a Defiance Xm (3.2" and the 180-190 bullet's are shooting really good. The 184's have laid down some 3" groups at 1K with H1000. RL 26 will be in the 60-61 grain area in a short action. H1000 should be about 62-63.
 
I've never seen any reason to load anything heavier than a 168gr bullet in my 7SAUM rifles and almost every load I've tried in them is a "pet load" because they're so easy to load for almost like a 308.

Of course you'll need a pretty fast twist for that 180 Hybrid bullet. Some say that a 9 twist if fast enough but I think if I was having a 7SAUM built for 180 Hybrids I'd err on the side of caution and use an 8 twist barrel.

You aren't moving that 180gr bullet as fast as the bigger case cartridges and IMO a 7mm WSM might be a better choice if you're committed to staying with a short action but you might still have problems.

I just don't see a 180gr bullet choice as asking the 7SAUM to do what it does best (shooting 140-168gr bullets) and I'm afraid you'll end up wishing you'd used a long action due to how far out you'll want to seat those 180's. You'll also likely run into magazine box issues with a short action and that long OAL you'll need to use.

Maybe you've already addressed these issues and have a work around but then again maybe not. I personally don't like work arounds and prefer to let a cartridge and rifle combination be a natural without some of the issues you might encounter.

Just a few words of advice from someone that's been shooting and loading for my 7SAUM rifles with short actions for several years.
 
I shoot the 7 Saum with 180s in a short action, and out of AICS mags (about 2.900" OAL). With RL26 and a 9 twist 26" barrel I get 2900 fps without any pressure. Just a nice mild load. I use Norma brass and CCI mag primers.

The only challenge I have is with donuts on the brass neck/shoulder junction. Because the bullet is seated so deep I need to ream out the donuts after a couple of firings to keep consistent neck tension. I wish this wasn't the case, but once I bought the Sinclair inside neck reamer it's not a big deal to add this step. And it works great to keep neck tension consistent.

I'm having another 7 Saum built now with a 24" barrel on a short action with AICS mags and plan to shoot the 175 Eldx bullet.
 
Pet load in my 7saum is with the berger 180hybrid (GREAT bullet), 62grains of RL26. I get 3000fps with this load out of a 28" barrel. My rifle is built long action, so I can seat the bullets out pretty far.

An earlier comment recommended the 168hybrid. It is also a great bullet and I have loaded them in my 280Rem with great results.

The decision maker on which bullet to choose is the distance at which you intend to engage targets. If it's inside 800 yards, the 168 is a good choice. As the distances get longer though, the BC of the 180 really starts to shine.

As an anecdote, I made a first round hit on a 12" stone at 2125 yards using the 180s.
 
Why would he be better off with those two options?
I didn't say he would, I asked. The SAUM never caught on, their popularity is probably 1/4 what the WSM line has. Just like the RCM. Seems redundant that Remington and Ruger even tried.

I was thinking WSM brass is a lot easier to come by. As far as the PRC since he is going custom anyway, would match the 7mm Roy.

Again, I wasn't knocking his choice. I was asking and making suggestions.
 
The 7 Saum may not have taken off initially, like the 7 Wsm, but it is surpassing it now as people realize what it's capable of, and how easy it is to load for. Case design is better than the WSM as well. Mine is built with a medium action, 22" barrel, I'm loading 175 eldx and 180 eldm, getting 2925 and 2900 respectively, with 62.5 and 62.3gr of RL26. The 7 Saum is the cartridge I wanted my 300 wsm to be : )
 
The 7 Saum may not have taken off initially, like the 7 Wsm, but it is surpassing it now as people realize what it's capable of, and how easy it is to load for. Case design is better than the WSM as well. Mine is built with a medium action, 22" barrel, I'm loading 175 eldx and 180 eldm, getting 2925 and 2900 respectively, with 62.5 and 62.3gr of RL26. The 7 Saum is the cartridge I wanted my 300 wsm to be : )
The WSM was always 100fps or so faster than the 7 RM. The SAUM was 50-75 fps below the old RM.

Better case design? Aren't they both based off the .404 Jeffery?
 

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