Rebarreling a Sendero 7mm RUM

[7mmHammer]

I have been hunting with a second-generation Remington Sendero in 7mm RUM for the last several years. I have taken a moose, black bear, elk, whitetail, boar, and even a grouse with it. I am only at about 350 rounds down the barrel, but I recently moved to CO and now have a place to practice out to 1000 yards. My plan is to shoot the barrel out by next spring and replace it before next hunting season. My current load is 95.1gr Retumbo with a 162gr ELD-X at 3.650" OAL. This averages 3390 fps with an ES of 9fps for the 5 shots I chrono'd.

I am pretty sure I would like to stick with 7mm RUM as I like the performance and availability of components. When I bought the rifle I planned on rebarreling to 300 RUM when the time came, but I don't think I want to buy new brass and dies and deal with an increase in recoil for a slight increase in killing power and barrel life.

I am planning on rebarreling with a longer barrel, possibly a 29-30" light palma contour (any rifle can be a mountain rifle if you are in good enough shape.) I want to be able to pick from the longest, slipperiest bullets available (175gr and 180gr ELD and the 180gr and 195gr Bergers,) so I'll be going with a 1 in 8" twist barrel.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a good gunsmith in central Colorado? Would it be best to use a standard throat length or would I have better results with a longer throat? Also, how long of a magazine will I need to put the bullets close enough to the lands for optimal accuracy? Is there a chassis stock that would allow me to use a magazine of this length? I have been thinking about going to a chassis stock; it might be practical to do so now instead of after I have had the current stock adapted for a Wyatt box and bedded.

 

[MudRunner2005]

You could always call Proof Research and have them build you a carbon fiber 30" 1:8 twist 7mm barrel blank. That way you get the velocity (barrel length) you want, the repeatable accuracy you want (Sendero profile barrel), but have the weight saving of something with a much shorter barrel.

 

[7mmHammer]

You could always call Proof Research and have them build you a carbon fiber 30" 1:8 twist 7mm barrel blank. That way you get both the velocity (barrel length) you want, and the weight saving of something with a much shorter barrel.

I had looked at carbon wrapped barrels, but I didn't know you could get one longer than 26". That might be the route I go. Thank you.

 

[MudRunner2005]

Proof Research builds them in 28" lengths on the regular, and some places carry them in 28" as a regular stock item (like Stocky's Stocks). You would have to call Proof to see how much they'd charge you for a 30" barrel.

Stocky's actually has the 28" Sendero contour .284 1:8 twist blanks in stock.

https://www.stockysstocks.com/barre...rels/proof-research-carbon-fiber-barrels.html

 

[7mmHammer]

I called Proof. They don't do 30" in .284 currently. Although 28" is probably plenty for my needs.

 

[MudRunner2005]

Yeah, I mean, you still want it to be portable and maneuverable in the woods. A 30" barrel might be a bit unwieldy when walking through brush and low trees and stuff.

 

[Rich Coyle]

Yeah, I mean, you still want it to be portable and maneuverable in the woods. A 30" barrel might be a bit unwieldy when walking through brush and low trees and stuff.

I had a rifle built with a 28" barrel and installed a brake. For one whole season in south west Oregon I used that rifle to see how many bushes it would catch on. I didn't take any care to miss thing as I did my normal hunting routine. It caught on one bush during that month and a half season.

 

[7mmHammer]

I had a rifle built with a 28" barrel and installed a brake. For one whole season in south west Oregon I used that rifle to see how many bushes it would catch on. I didn't take any care to miss thing as I did my normal hunting routine. It caught on one bush during that month and a half season.

Cool test. I think the whole "longer barrels are less maneuverable and hard to take quick shots with" is vastly exaggerated. If the brush is that thick, I'll be holding the rifle in my hands, and I can guide it through easier than I can my shoulders. Not fitting in cases and needing to buy a new cleaning rod are my only concerns about a super long barrel. I plan on using this rifle with a 9" suppressor attached.

 

[MudRunner2005]

I had a rifle built with a 28" barrel and installed a brake. For one whole season in south west Oregon I used that rifle to see how many bushes it would catch on. I didn't take any care to miss thing as I did my normal hunting routine. It caught on one bush during that month and a half season.

Between a 26" and a 28" barrel you probably wouldn't notice much difference. Most of my rifles have 26" barrels. I used to have a custom .308 Win with a 20" barrel. There was a very noticeable difference between the 2, when it came to getting hung up on limbs while walking through thick brush and under trees.