Building an STW but have a question

[bitbythebug]

I have had a 8mm BDL rem mag for 35 years. It was my "go to" gun for most big game hunting. I have been bitten by the long range bug and had a 338 RUM built several years ago. It shoots great and so it has become my gun of choice now. I was going to sell my 8mm but couldn't, I owe it so much. I decided to see just how accurate it was and was very disappointed so I threw it back into the safe and thought I will never shoot that gun again. I have tried and tried to find good BC long range bullets for the 8mm and have finally given up. I thought about putting a new barrel on it and blue printing it and atleast having it available for my kids or friends. But finally nixed that idea because of the lack of decent bullets. When Berger came out with their 195 elite hunter, I decided do all of the above but make it into an STW because of the great long range capabilities of that bullet. Here comes the question; I have always heard that the belt on older magnum cartidges was an impediment to their being ultra accurate and that modern cartridges don't employ belts anymore. Would I be better off chambering for a 280 Nosler(which is beltless and has almost the identical powder capacity of the STW) or am I really not loosing anything staying with the 8mm cases and I am worrying needlessly. I am not trying to ruffle any feathers in this forum but meerly asking for your thinking on the subject. P.S. My 1-8 Bartlein barrel is back-ordered way into next year so I have plenty of time to decide.

 

[MudRunner2005]

Belt or no belt has absolutely zero affect on accuracy.

 

[mustang58]

Set your die to headspace on the shoulder instead of the belt and it is a non- issue.

 

[bitbythebug]

OK.. Sounds great. i'll quit worrying. I'm a festidious reloader so it will be fine. A friend wants me to build a 7mm rum but it looks crazy overbore. I know the STW is way overbore but nothing like the rum. I have always heard that if your gun is way overbore that barrel life can be extended by shooting the heavier bullets, is that true? I will only shoot the 195 berger's or have some 208 ALCO's coming to try them when the gun is finished. Will these bullets help extend the life of the barrel?

 

[Lefty7mmstw]

I just built a 7stw on a lh rem700 lh action using a 8" twist Shilen select match barrel (#5 contour-27" long) over the summer. With decent handloads she is a 1/4 to 1/2 moa rifle if the shooter is worth his salt at all. It kinda sucked one day as I dumped a 1" group at 200 yards, only to have my Pops put up a 3/4" group just to one up me. A few days later I shot a 1/2" group at 200 yards with the rifle in rather good conditions...

I was getting great groups with both the 195 berger and 140 nos ab, but the rl33 in the 195 load is acting up a bit in cold weather... Not sure if it's igniting well enough or not... She is still shooting 1/2 moa with the 140ab and rl25 at present... I will work with the rifle on grouping the 195 this week using retumbo and rl25 to see if I can't get her to fly as straight in cold weather as she was in warmer weather with rl33.

As to barrel life, how hard you push the rifle, how hot you let her get, and how clean you keep it (clean without wearing it out cleaning it)will do far more to help or hurt barrel life than the bullet weight. You are shoving a lot of powder down a rather small hole under serious pressure any way you look at it.

 

[bitbythebug]

My smith told me basically the same thing today. Shoot short groups. Let it cool and don't try to extract every fps out of it and he said I should expect 1500-2000 shots. Hope he's right.. Thanks for the info it has been very helpful.