7mm WSM ELR?

[M67]

I went out and got myself a new toy. Roger Hansen of Vestfossen, Norway built the steel items, - it has a March 3-24x42 on top, a McM HTG stock for hunting, and the AICS for plain shooting.
I have a Vortex Razor HD 5-20x50 that will go on for hunting under moonlight, and some ELR playing later this year. Questions will follow..

The rifle simply shoots like a house on fire, to the extent that i hardly dare shoot it, as i know it will quit one day. Last sunday i shot a 7 shot (as my ammo "cards" take 7 rounds) group @ 970m that made only a hand sized mark in the paint on the gong. I have also shot it well at 1225m, using Berger 180gr Hunting VLDs.

To now i have only used the 338LM for longer range work - up to 1250m even the 6.5x55 works quite well, although it is far more affected by exterior variables. The 338 delivers impressive accuracy to 2000m, and at 1600m (a mile even) it has printed groups on rock that was "in the same spot" as we could judge from the scope. I do struggle making first shot hits at that range.

But all in all, coming to my shooting toys, and shooting lately, i am one happy camper. And eager to push further.

Has anyone here experience with the 7mm 180gr Berger VLD at extreme range? Using the Vortex i seem to have about 24 mrad elevation travel available, add the 10 in the reticle and my range is some 2050m (a range i actually have "sort of" access to) - what can i expect from the VLD between 1225 and 2050m?
Same goes for the 338 300gr Berger OTM bullet - i know it works flawlessly at 2100m, is there any knowledge around as to where it "stops working", starting around 830m/s?

K

 

[JeffVN]

I have shot my 7WSM (with the older Berger 180 VLDs) at distances beyond 1,900 yards (1,753 meters) and they were still supersonic. My desert location sits at 2,900 ft. alt.

I have not had a chance to try them at distances where they are clearly subsonic, so I can't talk to their ability to transition.

Jeffv

 

[Rockfish Dave]

Looks great!

Those 7mm's have definitely hit the ballistic coefficient sweet spot. They may not have the terminal ballistics for elr hunting but can definitely hang in there for target shooting.

 

[ICANHITHIMMAN]

very nice, makes me want a 7mm. Can you comment on the March optic? Your impressions etc?

 

[M67]

Can you comment on the March optic? Your impressions etc?

Great stuff. Optics is always a give and take, the March glass is sharp and has all the contrast in the world. The FOV is less than Zeiss/Swaro/Hensoldt/but that is it.
Ergonomics, clicks, turrets, and SIZE of 3-24x42 makes it fantastic.
I would choose it over anything available today.


I wish they made a 5-20 or 4-16, without the FOV compromise 8x zoom has to be, same focus on size, and 56mm. Kind of like an improved Hensoldt 4-16x56.

K

 

[ICANHITHIMMAN]

Great stuff. Optics is always a give and take, the March glass is sharp and has all the contrast in the world. The FOV is less than Zeiss/Swaro/Hensoldt/but that is it.
Ergonomics, clicks, turrets, and SIZE of 3-24x42 makes it fantastic.
I would choose it over anything available today.


I wish they made a 5-20 or 4-16, without the FOV compromise 8x zoom has to be, same focus on size, and 56mm. Kind of like an improved Hensoldt 4-16x56.

K

That's great to here thank you, do you know how many mils of elevation it has?

 

[M67]

28mrad, supposedly. You make me realise i have not turned it to the top, so i clearly need to shoot farther...

k

 

[captacademy]

Nice rifle and set up!

 

[M67]

1,900 yards (1,753 meters) and they were still supersonic. My desert location sits at 2,900 ft. alt.

Hot & High might help. I went out and shot yesterday, weather was drizzle, overcast and 16° C. 1000mb even.
Almost no wind when i took a few test shots @ 970m, at a 40x40cm gong - the first shot just barely missed the top left corner, and i sent the second without correction - it hit virtually the same spot. I clicked two down and 2 less left ( i havent figured the velocity variation wth temperature 100% with this load, almost all shooting been around 0° C)
They printed slightly left of center, and perfect for elevation - nice, i thought. One on white, and one on yellow - Target before shooting. Note ecologic and environmentally friendly, recyclable target construction

By the time i had worked my way to the firing point for the longer range, holes in the clouds had appeared, and the air was shimmering with mirage.
The first shot at 1538m was uplifting, about 2-3 down and left - i held right and shot again. Side was good, but about a meter high... 3. i never saw - 3sec of FT takes time getting used to.. , and the 4th, was good for elevation, but probably 1.5mrad right - and then i noticed the breeze that had come up the hill...
I decided to wait alittle, but mirage kept the target a blur, not moving around ,and no sign of sideways, just like looking through oil, so i decided to return later.

Shooting ***. 1538m. The place i a very pleasant rolling hills area, with norway pine, and birch, heather, and blueberry - on sunny days, it gets hot, fast.

Typically, this fellow can be found if you look

Firing solution

K

 

[captacademy]

Nice pictures!

 

[emn83]

Nice rifle and good shooting!

I was thinking about the 7mmWSM for my next build...this has helped me make up my mind to go for it

 

[redneckclimbing]

Which shooting program is that? Can you input baro. pressure / elev. in another window?

 

[M67]

The program is "Shooter", a nice program i think. It is alittle overkill for shorter shots, where met/env does not play such a role, but for longer shots, it is brilliant - accounting for a couple of effects most programs do not.
It is for example spot on for very steep shots, like 800m at 58degrees incline, and such. It does not, however find a suitable shooting ***. for that, nor does it predict wind...

The picture is the output page, data is entered on an input page - if you choose it, it corrects Vo for temp, corrects for spin, and for coriolis acceleration. If you are in 3G range, it can collect met-data by itself, using the phone GPS it will then enter all the data for you, and it can collect the same data from a Kestrel unit. To me, all this "auto-****" needs to be verified anyway, and i am rarely in range of 3G network as i shoot, nor have i any use for a Kestrel windmeter standing in thick forest, shooting over a valley with 10 times the wind.

I tend to use BulletFlight for less "artillery"-like shooting because it is less poking with the pone, and less old (and wrong) input that can be forgotten in there.

My 6.5x55 simply has a tape around the turret, with meters on it.

K

 

[captacademy]

M-67, what loads are you using?