help for new lr rig

[younggun]

Hi everybody this is my first post on lrh and I'm looking for any help/info/opinions from everybody and anybody on the site. I've been shooting for years with my dad's 150gr load for 270 on our out of the box remington 700 setup for years and I'm lookiing for something that will reach out a little further.

I'm comfortable on that setup out to 400-500yds but I want something that will be able to handle elk as far out as I can practice to shoot. I've been doing some research and the 7mm round has caught my eye but I don't know what cartrage to put behind it (please forgive me in advance for any misusage of terminology. I'm still young and eager to learn as much as possible BEFORE starting a build). I hear alot of good things about the 7STW but how does that compare with the RUM and Dakota? Are my intrests in the 7mm misguided and if so which caliber should I be looking at?

Pretty much I'm just looking for something that has as more range than I do and will stay that way after years of practice and hunting. I would like to keep the recoil managable but it seems a good muzzle break will tame the majority of loads so pretty much any info on the caliber, bullet, cartrage, case, scope, stock, barrel, trigger, ect, will be more that helpful and of course I will consult my local gunsmith before I go and do anything foolish

thanks so much, younggun

 

[foreign]

how about something like a wsm. that should be good out to at least 1000m. but then again why not just get an egde and be done with it...

 

[FEENIX]

Younggun,

Welcome to LRH and enjoy! The 7MM Mag is an excellent caliber choice with plenty of bullet choices with high BCs ... and will definitely do your intended purpose.

Here's an excellent article from Bryan Litz What's Wrong With .30 Caliber? for your thoughts and consideration.

Depending on your recoil sensitivity and if you want to spot your hits, an effective baffle type muzzle brake from one of the sponsors here might be in order.

I'm sure other guys will chime in. Good luck and again welcome!

Ed

 

[bowhunthard88]

I've got a 7mm Rem Mag and love it. I got it for the same purpose you are looking at it for. The 7mm STW would also be a viable option if you use a muzzle brake, the STW is a ballistic upgrade to the 7mm Rem Mag.

I upgraded from my .308 Win. (which I still have lol), I can shoot 500 to 600 with that rifle confidently, but I wanted something with more energy and better ballistics. I'm shooting the 162gr. A-Maxes out of the 7mm currently, and it's consistently sub-1/2 moa at almost any range. It's not a true lrh setup (light barrel, etc.), but it shoots great at extended ranges and it's relatively light to carry.

 

[Outlaw6.0]

Welcome to the forum, boy do remember those days... so many choices! If you are a fan of the 7mm then go that route, there is nothing wrong with them, manageable recoil, high bc, HUGE selection of bullets. The 7mm Remington Mag is suprising me more every day, as my hunting partner has one (I do the reloading), that thing will eat most any load we throw at it. I have been kicking around the idea of an STW & even tried to get him to rechamber/rebarrel his rifle to that chamber (to no avail). My go to rifle is a Rem 700 SA in 7.82 Lazzeroni Patriot & I just had a custom .338 RUM built to handle the LONG stuff. The 7 RUM may be a great selection for the long range hunter but may be a little too overbore for long range target pactice, I'm not sure what the difference in BBL life is between the STW & the RUM will be (probably not much), but as we have all learned, horsepower comes with a price. As far as optics goes, buy the BEST scope you can afford, do not play around in this area, remember, your long range rig is only as good as the repeatability of your optics, set yourself up with a one piece mount from Nightforce, Badger, Leupold etc as well as quality scope rings. Sounds like you're already headed the right direction by doing your homework FIRST, keep us posted on what you decide & above all HAVE FUN.

 

[TMR]

A guy can always skip right to the end and get an Edge, but you really should start off with something that will teach you the basics.

The 7mm WSM or 7Rem Mag will allow you to shoot alot and not burn out the barrel before hunting season. Use 180gr Bergers and you will be set.

Buy the best scope you can afford, remember, you can always use it again on the next rifle. The same thing goes for the mounts and rings...use quality. A super accurate rifle means nothing if you can't see the target or the scope won't track correctly.

Do it right the first time and use a Jewel trigger. You will thank me for it later. Once you try one, you will want one on every rifle from that point foward. Contrary to popular belief, they run fine in field conditions. I have had my glock not cyle in tactical matches, yet my Jewel went off every time and has never failed me...even in -30 degree temps.

Stocks are a matter of personal preference. Feel as many as you can and see what is comfortable to you.

 

[bigngreen]

It is a real good idea to get into a chambering like the 300WSM when getting started. You can shoot the heck out of it and get long barrel life with a vast number of good bullet choices. If you don't shoot more than a hundred or two a year then a hotter round may do ya, but you get so much better at what it takes to LRH if you shoot a lot more than that and you want a long life consistent chambering so you can just worry about shooting not the lands moving all the time and the speed changing. A 300WSM built on a trued action with a medium heavy barrel 26in-28in long with a brake all in a LRH style stock would be awesome to start with IMO.

Or a 338 RUM if you want the long range smack down in a heavy rifle, same reasons as above. gun)

Welcome, to LRH by the way, it's a lot of fun around here and guys are real helpful!!

 

[younggun]

thanks everybody so much for the advice!!!

absolutely i could get a 338 edge and be done with it, but that takes all of the fun out of my first build! thanks so much for the article and after reading it im set on the 7mm round but im still looking into camberings does anyone have a reader friendly cartrage comparison link or know where i could find it here on the sight or somewhere on the web? whenever i try to get the info from different sources it always has different barrel lenghts, doesnt specify mass of bullets, ect so im having a real hard time comparing RM, RUM, STW, WSM, ect.

like i said im pretty new to the LRH game and any user friendly charts or something similar would be more than helpful.

sorry to drag on and on but just one more thing...what action/s should i be looking for to center this whole build around? ive had good luck on my 270 with the rem 700 but thats really all ive shot. are there any other more precise/durable/reliable actions out there i should consider as well? im hoping to find on an out of the box rifle and just start upgrading that over time as the funds replenish. any suggestions?

 

[foreign]

you could always go the savage route or the cheaper stevens options. i have 2 actions that i swap a fast array of barrels between. just put a rifle basics trigger on one of the actions. have it set at 300grams (just under a pound). love the thing. makes a huge difference from the factory one. savages are very user friendly to building up.
you could also get one of the target rifle from savage Savage Arms > Firearms > Browse Models . then you could get a barrel in 7mmsaum ( supposed to be more efficient than the wsm and use the barrel the action comes with for practice and varmints and use the 7mm for big game.
heres a good sight for 7mm cartridges. though i dont think it goes above wsm
7mm Cartridge Guide
have fun and post the results when you get it and shoot it

 

[bigngreen]

For me, you couldn't give me a 7mm anything, seen to many bad things happen when the bullet meets fur, it is cool on paper but for me that is the end of it.

For start up, build it when you have cash the Savage is the easiest as you don't need a smith. Just thinking if I was to go this route I would use a Savage short action and get a prefit 7WSM barrel then put that into the new Hart stock that Stocky Stock has.

Watch barrel life, NOTHING takes the fun out of your first build like burning your barrel out just when things come together, trust me!!
Putting together a LRH build is so fun it is addictive so don't get used to having money

 

[Rimfire]

The only animal you talked about hunting is Elk. For a designated long range Elk rifle I have a hard time telling you a 7mm is your best choice. No question a seven will do the job, but if you are only talking Elk why not a 300 RUM or a 338 and hit em hard?

 

[younggun]

Thanks so much for the links foriegn i probably will end up going with the SAUM and i see the savage 11 long range hunter comes in the short action but i dont know much about what cartrages are compatible with what actions. it has a factory chambering of 300wsm but would a saum fit in that action? i know that a 7mmwsm will because its just a necked down 300wsm case but i just dont know for the saum...and i would have to get it rebarreled right off the bat.

i am seeing a couple of the long actions chambered for the 7rm but im not sure whether it would be more worth while rebarreling a short action to fit a 7saum or messing with the long action to fit a 7stw(im not sure the later is even possible/desirable). i need to keep in consideration which is more affordable but more importantly i would like to know which is going to be a better investment down the road. better to splerge now and benefiet later than skimp on it now and regret it later on...or at least so i tell myself while im signing the dotted line.

to rimfire yes i did address elk as that will be the largest game i will be hunting here in CO but i would like to be able to use the same rifle for muleys and antelope as well in addition to just plinking around at the range. thanks for pointing that out i should have been more specific originally. and again any info or pointers you guys can send my way is appreciated and will definately make my crash course on building a long range rig alot more productive.

p.s. im not seeing any jewel triggers for the savage action...maybe im not looking in the right place but if there really are non available for it which other trigger options should i consider?

p.p.s. i just noticed that the savage 12 vlp dbm also comes in 300wsm any preferences one way or the other over this and the 11?

 

[FEENIX]

p.s. im not seeing any jewel triggers for the savage action...maybe im not looking in the right place but if there really are non available for it which other trigger options should i consider?

I don't think they made them for Savage. Timney, Rifle Basix, and SSS are good triggers.

p.p.s. i just noticed that the savage 12 vlp dbm also comes in 300wsm any preferences one way or the other over this and the 11?

.300 WSM is an excellent option.

Good luck and happy safe hunting/shooting.

Ed

 

[bigngreen]

The Savage model 12 VLP BBM in a 300 WSM would be so good!!! The model 12 comes with the varmint trigger so it goes down to the 1.5 lb mark and can easily be tuned super sweet so no trigger replacement required, also has a longer bolt handle which is nice when operating the rifle while staying on the stock. Non Accustock so you can sell the OEM stock if it not to your liking and get a number of other stocks.
26 in barrel is a plus if your building a LRH rig and I find the stock fairly comfortable and accurate but bedding it makes it just a little better. Have a brake put on it so you can easily spot shots and it would be very good, you may not want to change anything.
If you get board with it all you need is 350-400 dollars and screw on a 338 Edge or RUM barrel and single feed it and you have a elk thumper!

The only minus is it is heavy for packing, you end up around 12-13lbs ready to go.

I shoot basically the same gun in a 270 WSM and my barrel is shot out and it will still shoot 10 in groups at 1030yrds but I've lost all my speed, 300 dollars and I'm new again!