7mm Ultra

[longrangehunter]

Anyone using the 7 Ultra? How does it compare to the 7 STW? Toss-up? Right now I have a 7 STW that I'm thinking about replacing with a 7 Ultra or maybe 300 win. Will be a custom Rem 700 that weighs under 12 pounds and will be used for hunting "close range" - never more than 600 yards on Elk and Deer.

 

[roughrider]

well I'll give you my two cents.I have an STW and a 7rum.. The stw is more efficient than the rum and more accurate..My rum is what I was expecting it is not as pleasurable to shoot and cost more to get the same results.It takes 10 to 15 grains of powder in the rum to get the same resrlts.. I hope this helps.

 

[Ceejack2]

My partner has the 7 RUM & so does a friend of his & they both come out of the box shooting a 1/2 moa. He's not a recoil fan so he's never thought about magnums until he shot it, now it's one of his favorite. It seems the 300 win. kicks a bit harder. Good luck!

 

[Long Time Long Ranger]

I have three 7/8mm rem mags or the now stw, two 7mm/300 wby's and two 7mm/300 ultra mags. My ultras are faster but I don't know by how much since the ultras are 31 and 30 inch barrels while the stw's are 28". STW's and the Wby's are a tossup. One of the 7/300 wby's will shoot as fast as the ultras but I can't guarantee where it will hit which severely limits it's use. The ultras in my opinion do require either a very heavy gun or a muzzle brake for long range accurate shooting. The 7 ultra is a barrel burner and mine will be rebarrelled into something else after a few hundred shots. The ballistics look good with the heavier bullets out of the longer barrels. Owning one with a barrel under 30 inches would be like driving a 'vet in a 25 mph zone. This way overbore cartridge needs some barrel length to give it an advantage over the smaller 7mm's. Again just my opinion from a lot of shooting with a lot of rifles. I also have two 300 ultras and like them much better than the 7mm version as a big game rifle.

 

[longrangehunter]

OK, the 7mm RUM is a bust. Do you think there's any advangtage to the 300 mags inside 7 or 8 hundred yards?

 

[Long Time Long Ranger]

I don't claim to be a expert on this stuff, just offering an opinion so get some other ideas before you make a decision. I feel one of the improved versions of the 300 ultra would make a better big game rifle than the 7mm. Larger caliber, bigger bullet going the same speed or faster with just as high or greater BC is better in my opinion. I will always go with the larger caliber on big game if all else is equal. I have used 338 caliber rifles for all my dead serious big game hunting for many years. If you check the BC on all calibers you will notice they keep getting better up to 338 caliber then they start getting worse again (excluding the +700 grain 50 cal). 338 has the highest BC, most weight and punches a big hole for old color blind guys like me who have trouble spotting blood on the ground. In the heavy winds of the rockies the 250 and 300 grain 338 bullets seemed to always perform better to me. The only problem is it takes a big case to get them rolling which means a muzzle brake, which I use on lightweight hunting rifles, or a heavy target model to shoot them accurately.

 

[PAWildcatter]

LRH,

Ever considered doing a custom rig on one of the Lazzeroni cartridges www.lazzeroni.com?

Take a look at the ballistics for the 7.21 Firebird (284), the 7.82 Warbird (308), and the 8.59 Titan (338).

For instance, their 8.59 Titan holds ~10grs more water than the 338 Lapua.

Give them a look.

Brass and dies are more than what one is use to, but the cartridges flatout perform.

Dies are from Lazzeroni - $115.00 (just like custom dies)

If you have an existing barrel that can take the reaming of a Lazzeroni, you can rent a reamer & go/no-go gauges for 2 weeks for $45 from www.reamerrentals.com.

Lazz brass can be bought from Lazzeroni or Midway for about $2/case.

 

[speedbump]

Gents,

I have a 7mm Ultra that is set up as a target rifle. Recoil is very comfortable & the ballistics are superb. It is very likely going to be a world class throat eroder.

I'm getting 3,300-3,400 fps out of a 30" Kreiger 1:9" barrel with 180gr JLKs. 130 Sierras went out at 3,671. It is much less 'efficient' than the STW for the amount of powder it uses. I only have @ 150 rounds through it trying to find a load/powder it likes.

Some interesting finds so far:

* It only requires @17 MOA from 100-1,000 in elevation.

* It takes @ 1/4 the wind drift as a 308 at 1,000.

* The time of flight at 1,000 is almost exactly 1/2 that of a 308. :razz:

* Where a 308 will just tip over a 12" T1 steel plate at 1,000, the 7mm RUM will flatten it & make do backflips.

It's too soon to tell much else.

All 'standard' powders I've tried so far leave 1/4 - 5/16" of the case unfilled below the shoulder. I'm messing with BMG powders (H50BMG, WC860, & 5010) lately & am seeing some improvements. The longtime longranger is right: a l-o-n-g barrel is advised due to the serious overbore.

The good part is, a 180gr VLD or similar should give downrange (not necessarily terminal) performance out to 1,000 approaching a big 338 WITHOUT the recoil a whopper 338 projectile will give ya! It also has impressive sectional density to help it on target. The ballistics programs I've run the numbers on show that the 180 should still be doing @ 2,200 at 1,000 & @ 1,500 @ one mile. It is a shame the throats probably won't last.

I do want to try some of Warren's 162 LRBTs. I shot a group in a tricky fishtailing wind last week at 500 yards that could be covered with a fist. Not bad for a preliminary load. That was with a 156gr Cauterucio.

I wish I had more to offer, but I hope this helps you a little.

 

[Warren Barrett]

Speedbump,
Who carries the 156gr. Cauterucio bullets in 7mm? Is the STW a throat burner pushing the 168-180gr. bullets?

thanks, Warren Barrett.

 

[speedbump]

Warren,

I ordered tham direct from Bob Cauterucio. He was a little hard to find, but what a nice fella! His address is:

Robert Cauterucio
482 Comerwood Ct.
S. San Francisco, CA 94080-4205

He shipped direct to my house in a reasonable time. I bought one box each of his 156s & 176s. Both have BCs near or above .700, according to Bob.

Unfortunately, from everyone I've spoke to, the STW and the 7RUM will be throat toasters, when loaded regularly to max. I haven't split a case neck yet, but I'm only getting 4-5 loadings each before the primers can be seated with your thumb!

I've been checking erosion regularly, my 7 RUM had 3/1000s eaten off the throat in the 1st 60 rounds (as measured with a comparator). If it gets 800 rounds through it before re-set, I'll be VERY surprised. I did spec the barrel to allow an extra long non-tapered area ahead of the receiver to give the possibility of at least two re-sets.
The problems created by overbore on the .284 & smaller caliber magnums is a major one not easily overcome.

 

[PrimeTime]

Check out the 7mm Dakota. It is of course, the 404 case but shortened. Shoots less powder than the STW, 7-300W, and Ultra with basically the same results. My uncle shoots this cartridge and can push the 160's over 3,200 fps. Besides, a game animal doesn't care what velocity you hit him with as long as it is enough to get the job done, which is far less than many think.

 

[Lee Owens]

PrimeTime-
What is the powder capacity of the 7mm Dakota case? How is their brass re case life? Do you know who makes it?

Thanks, Lee

 

[PrimeTime]

Lee-
To be honest, I have never shot one and am not intimately familiar with them. There are people on this board that do shoot them however. My uncle shoots one in a 16 pound bench rifle that is very accurate and an impressive performer. He can push the 180 berger over 3,000 fps easily with a 29 inch barrel. It is the 404 case just like the Ultra but it is shortened. He gets the brass from Dakota and I don't know how many shots he gets per piece. It must be decent quality as he shoots 5 shot groups well under 10 inches at 1,000 yards. Just post a message saying you need info on the 7mm Dakota and you'll probably get a bunch.
Good shooting

 

[Len Backus]

speedbump

Tell me more about the Cauterucio bullets. How are they constructed? Meant to be a target or hunting bullet? I am always interested in trying high BC bullets in 7mm. What is the BC number according to Bob?