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> 7mm Rem Mag: Initial Testing with Factory Ammo
7mm Rem Mag: Initial Testing with Factory Ammo
@ 10:01 am (GMT) |
Ryan NafeFellas,I’m beginning the actual shooting of the rifle now, and aside from a couple boxes of Superformance 162 grain SST, I was wondering if you could suggest a few types of factory ammo that are known for decent accuracy out of factory R700’s Right now I’m probably gonna pick up some Hornady 154 grain InterLock, it’s got the same MV as the Superformance SST but the bullet is a softer one with a flat base and thinner jacket. Several “reviews” on various websites have mentioned it being accurate from their Remingtons. I’ll likely tolerate whatever accuracy I get with the 162 grain SST ammo just because of terminal ballistics, but I need to make sure that the rifle can actually shoot well with at least one or two types ammo. |
Replies
@ 07:38 am (GMT) |
Nathan FosterRe: 7mm Rem Mag: Initial Testing with Factory AmmoHi Ryan, you could probably stick with Hornady, trialing weights and styles. There is a large amount of harmonic variance between these loads. The ammo I have been testing lately is all within .002 to .003 run out which is good for factory ammo. The 154gr soft point was if I recall, a win for Hornady staff, the design meeting specific goals. As you have mentioned, it can shoot well. However I have also seen the 154gr SST variant produce excellent speed and accuracy in factory rifles.Federal also produce some very accurate ammo but in some cases, the accuracy comes as a result of mild velocities / low nodes. If you stick with Hormady for now, you will have a bunch of cases of the same brand for reloading. |
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@ 06:15 pm (GMT) |
Ryan NafeRe: 7mm Rem Mag: Initial Testing with Factory AmmoThanks Nathan.I couldn’t find any of the 162 grain Superformance locally, but I did find a decent stock of the 154 grain variety so I got a couple boxes to try out tomorrow. Assuming that the weather permits. My thought on the 154 SST at well over 3,000 FPS, at 125 yards or less, is that it should be quite explosive and near-ideal for my usual preference of the rear-lung shot placement. Might also be quite good for neck shots on does to really maximize meat recovery. Not to mention it should be useful for deer at virtually any range I would ever be able to take shots at them. Does that seem reasonable? —- On the Federal stuff, yes, almost every single load I looked at had listed MV’s that were about 100 to 150 FPS lower than Winchester or Hornady offerings of the same bullet weight. This might provide good accuracy but will be pretty lackluster on target, which somewhat defeats the purpose of this rifle and cartridge project, I’m wanting something that’s distinctly more powerful than my .308 —- Also, I think I would also like to try the Winchester 175 grain Power Point, not for accuracy but just out of curiosity. The bullet has an enormous amount of exposed lead on the tip, along with a dozen or so skivs in the jacket that are quite deep. Definitely not explosive like the SST, but I would think that it’s still a level above the .30 cal 180 grain Power Points in terms of impact velocity while having a similar soft construction and a better BC and SD. It might be a good round to stockpile for not much cost. Do you think I’d see a noticeable difference between the 175 grain Winchester at ~ 2,850 and the 180 grain Winchester at ~2,600 FPS in my .308? |
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@ 06:25 pm (GMT) |
Ryan NafeRe: 7mm Rem Mag: Initial Testing with Factory AmmoI meant 2,500 FPS on the 180 grain Power Point from my .308 |
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@ 08:36 am (GMT) |
Ryan NafeRe: 7mm Rem Mag: Initial Testing with Factory AmmoYesterday morning I managed to fire 5 3-shot groups before the wind picked up.This barrel gets quite hot in a hurry, I would say that a 3 shot string is probably the limit of what you could fire in field conditions before accuracy starts to become a problem at longer ranges. The last three groups fired were on a cold barrel, I gave it about 5 to 10 minutes between shots for each group fired. At 50 yards (just getting on paper) I was getting triangular groups of between 5/8” and 7/8”, center-to-center. I’m quite happy with these results, especially the lack of double grouping or random fliers. Very good sign. |
@ 09:19 am (GMT) |
Luis VazquezRe: 7mm Rem Mag: Initial Testing with Factory AmmoHi Ryan:The Wincheatwr stuff was horriboe on my Rem 700 in 7mm Rem Mag, it just did not like them with 2" and 3" groups at 100 yds, this was for all the options I found from Winchester The Hornady ammo works great and under 1 MOA. I tested these while breaking in the barrel and to gather cases to reload. On reloads the 154gr Interlock and the SST both group under half MOA at 100 yds with IMR-4350. The 162 gr SST and Interlock group just under 0.7" at 100 yds with RL19. My next testing will be the 162gr Amax, I have 1 box of them I want to try for hunting coues and mule deer ar extended ranges. If you can reload then you will have even more options available and also at higher velocities. When testing them you will have to settle for 3 shot groups, the 4th shot was almost always messing up my groups, the barrel is just to hot by then. Once I let it cool down and try the same load with just 3 shots that 4th flyer went away. Hope this helps Luis |
@ 11:57 am (GMT) |
Paul LevermanRe: 7mm Rem Mag: Initial Testing with Factory AmmoRyan & Luis - what is the diameter of your barrel at the muzzle? Just curious as to what different diameters will take before they start to wander. |
@ 05:02 pm (GMT) |
VinceRe: 7mm Rem Mag: Initial Testing with Factory AmmoHi Ryan,Not sure if this will help as it is a different rifle but my hunting mate recently bought a 7mm RM Tikka Hunter in wood and stainless second hand. So far he has tried: Winchester 150gr Power Points av 1.1 inches @ 100 3 shots Hornady Superformance 154 gr SST av 0.9 inches @ 100 3 shots Hornady Superformance 162 gr SST av 0.6 inches @ 100 3 shots Hornady Precision Hunter 162 gr ELDX av .8 inches @ 100 3 shots We are currently doing load development with the 162 gr ELDX and AR2217 powder (I've tried talking him into the 175 ELDX or the 180 gr ELDM but he's not keen), can let you know how it goes if you are intersted. Cheers Vince |
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@ 06:00 pm (GMT) |
VinceRe: 7mm Rem Mag: Initial Testing with Factory AmmoHi RyanForgot to mention we have used the rifle once in the field so far on chamois (a small alpine goat) in the South Island last year. We had 3 days and managed 4 chamois using the 154 gr SST's with varying results. The 1st was taken at about 75 yards with a front shoulder shot for a bang flop. The other 3 were taken between 200-240 yards, 2 in the shoulder that pretty much went straight down, the last was shot too far back, between the lungs and liver, it fell into a creek where we couldn't see it, unfortunately when we got to it about 15 minutes later it was still alive and needed finishing. All 4 shots exited but in my (admittedly limited) experience if we had been using the 162 gr ELDM the last chamois would have been dead far more quickly. Cheers Vince |
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@ 03:06 pm (GMT) |
Ryan NafeRe: 7mm Rem Mag: Initial Testing with Factory AmmoThanks for all the feedback, fellas.Paul, the barrel on this rifle is the factory magnum contour, I think the factory specs are just slightly heavier than the average sporter dimensions but it’s definitely still not anywhere near a varmint or Sendero barrel. I’ll probably continue to experiment with some other Hornady offerings over the next few months and see how it goes, but the Superformance SST ammo is likely what I’ll do my deer hunting with. |
@ 02:46 pm (GMT) |
PJ MyersRe: 7mm Rem Mag: Initial Testing with Factory AmmoI’ve got a M77 Ruger that likes the American Hunter 154 gr Interlock load-it liked the Hornady Custom load with the same bullet before I couldn’t find it anymore and started using this, too Different guns, I know, but thought it was worth mentioning. |
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@ 04:41 pm (GMT) |
Luis VazquezRe: 7mm Rem Mag: Initial Testing with Factory AmmoQuote: Ryan & Luis - what is the diameter of your barrel at the muzzle? Just curious as to what different diameters will take before they start to wander.
Hi Paul, it's either a 0.63" or a 0.67" magnun sporter factory Rem 700 barrel. It does heat up pretty quickly but it also doesnt take much time to cool down. |
@ 10:57 am (GMT) |
David DeBloisRe: 7mm Rem Mag: Initial Testing with Factory AmmoHello Ryan,I shoot a Ruger M77 in 7mm RM, and I can’t speak for factory ammo specs since I strictly hand load for this rifle. Have used many types and manufacturers in trying to determine what shoots best. Nosler Partitions, Sierra GM, Speer GS, and Hornady SST all performed poorly. Best grouping was 1” at 100 yards. Hornady Interlock BTSP 162gr were the first bullets that actually started to group under 1”. Berger 168gr MG Hybrid Hunter bullets are grouping at .545”. My next test will be with Hornady ELD-X 162gr. I know this doesn’t give you insight for factory loads, but Incase your looking at bullet performance when you start handloading. I was amazed to see how good quality bullets performed from to the other. |
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