Which Bullets for a 7mm STW???

[ajstew32]

Just bought a cooper M52 7mm stw and am wondering what others recommend. i have 140gr and 160gr Accubonds on the way. I like the accubond bullet but unsure what weight i should use. Im only shooting out to about 600 so the energy is about the same with both at that range. The barrel is a 1 in 9". i like the speed of the 140 but will the 160 be more accurate? any thoughts welcome!! thanks in advance

 

[RT2506]

The only way to tell which will be the most accurate is to shoot them in YOUR rifle. I am assuming that you will be deer hunting. The Accubond will work great for long and close up shots on deer. The problem with most of the 140 gr lead core bullets in the past was from the speeds of the STW they would evaporate on the hair before they hit the hide inside 100 yards. I had a couple friends that had STWs years ago and the only 140s they used were Partitions. They liked 154 Hornady and 160 Sierras back then. I use the 130 Accubond in my 264 Win mag at 3350 fps muzzle and it has worked perfectly from 30 to over 400 yards so far. Killed a dozen plus, lost count, deer and all have been DRT. Just remember speed is nice but accuracy kills.

 

[MudRunner2005]

If you have a 1:9 twist, the 180 Bergers will be your best bet.

 

[Lefty7mmstw]

The stw is fast, but it is not fast enough to make a standard cup and core bullet evaporate or break up on close shots. You may get a pretty good amount of nose blown off of the bullet, but you should get the bullet to blow through deer sized game on 140 grain and heavier bullets. On 120's with their varmint construction, you might see a full break up. I shot a mule deer once at 50 yards with my 7rum and a 140 sierra pro hunter, and the bullet went clean through even hitting bone.

I have a liking for the 140 ab in my stw, but you'll have to shoot them in your rifle to see what it likes. I've always been a fan of the 175 hdy, but I'm playing with the 168 berger and 175 sierra with the stw and rum lately to see if I can't get a better lr load together.

 

[Black67]

Give the Accubonds a try, and see what your gun likes between the two bullets that have. Then, try some others too see if it is better or worse.

Another bullet that you could try since your rifle has a 1:9 twist barrel would be the Barnes 168gr LRX bulltets. They recomend them in barrels that are 1:9, so you should be good. Others have had good results with the 145gr LRX too.

I would recomend a premium bullet though for the STW. I like either the bonded core or copper bullets. I have not used any Berger bullets in either of my STW's on game.

I had a 140 gr Core Lokt bullet blow up on me. It was a 25 yard shot, and the bullet never entered the chest cavity. I had complete failure of the bullet, and I could not find the lead core anywhere, but parts of the jacket were found in the same side rear hind quarter under the skin. This was a factory load, at the point of impact the bullet was still at least 3400 fps. The deer dropped in its tracks, but I was not happy with the bullet performance.

 

[MudRunner2005]

Give the Accubonds a try, and see what your gun likes between the two bullets that have. Then, try some others too see if it is better or worse.

Another bullet that you could try since your rifle has a 1:9 twist barrel would be the Barnes 168gr LRX bulltets. They recomend them in barrels that are 1:9, so you should be good. Others have had good results with the 145gr LRX too.

I would recomend a premium bullet though for the STW. I like either the bonded core or copper bullets. I have not used any Berger bullets in either of my STW's on game.

I had a 140 gr Core Lokt bullet blow up on me. It was a 25 yard shot, and the bullet never entered the chest cavity. I had complete failure of the bullet, and I could not find the lead core anywhere, but parts of the jacket were found in the same side rear hind quarter under the skin. This was a factory load, at the point of impact the bullet was still at least 3400 fps. The deer dropped in its tracks, but I was not happy with the bullet performance.

Why don't you try it some time.... You might like the results.

I only shoot Berger 180's out of my STW's. They hit HARD with above 3K fps MV.

 

[Black67]

For the Bergers, I have been kinda gun shy due to how the Remington came apart on me.

I might try some soon to see how they shot for me.

 

[Lefty7mmstw]

For the Bergers, I have been kinda gun shy due to how the Remington came apart on me.

I might try some soon to see how they shot for me.

guys are shooting the heaviest bergers to calm them down and run them a bit slower... not much different than using the heaviest of any of the other cup and core bullets instead of a mid weight. Kinda funny how a berger cup and core is a premium while the hornady and sierra game designs are usually considered standard (when they hold 60% plus weight every time I find one).

 

[ShootnMathews]

My buddy runs 140 Nosler Ballistic tips in his 7 RUM. So far they hold together well enough to pass thru at 300. Closer than that there often isn't an exit, but there is so much hydrostatic shock that deer just drop in their tracks. Pretty accurate in his gun too. Around 3" at 860 yards