I want a 7mm something.

[jbone405]

I want, no, I need a 7mm. I had a Shilen blank and a Tikka to build a long range 7mm-08. High Bc bullets, long barrel life and brass aplenty.

Then I found a Ruger Precision Rifle in .243 and gone was the Tikka. Also gone was the need for a rifle that could shoot prairie dogs from 200-800 or more. 7mm-08 is now somewhat redundant.

But I need a 7mm for reasons. I decided my reason is to shoot really far, as I have watched a video here on Accurate Shooter shooting a 338 and a couple 7mm saum over a mile.

I literally can shoot 2 miles in any direction I want. I have 5000 acres of ranch. Literally, I can line up a shot that far with the wind however it blows. I also shoot prairie dogs and the further I can shoot at them the better. So I must do this.

I need to pick a 7mm cambering, here is the rub, I want to do it cheap. I will shoot 162 or 180 Hornady bullets and will spend on a barrel. I want longer barrel life, plentiful brass, good die selection. I want a .300 neck and a 30* shoulder. Any of those things cheap has my attention.

284 looks pretty good, 6.5-284 once fired brass. Decent velocity.
280 AI 270 winchester brass is cheap! Better Velocity.
7mm SAUM no cheap brass. Yeah that's moving!

Dies I want to use is pretty much the same for all of them, I plan on body die shoulder bump, neck collet die, already have a Hornady 7mm seater, and I would like to use a factory crimp die. I will not run anything with hot loads if I can help it, because it saves brass.

Don't do it! Don't be that guy, the one who is the naysayer. I don't like that guy. Be the guy who understands doing something because you can.

So throw some ideas out there and see what sounds fun!

 

[ShootDots]

If you have a 30-06 length or longer (magnum) action, I believe a plain ole 7mm Rem Mag would fit your bill just fine. Stick with H1000 or VV N165 and you will at least maximize barrel life, to what degree it can be. Brass, bullets and dies are easy to come by. I have had a few 7 Rem Mags over the years for hunting. They are easy to tune, pretty dang accurate and for hunting, will pound any game in North America, with correct bullets of course, to the ground..

 

[Cloudrepair]

My vote is for the 7saum or 280Ai
With every new need for 7mm saum brass May help increase manufacture or new manufacture maybe?

Ok I just like the round

 

[spclark]

How is your .300 neck compatible with any 7mm chamber?

.300" - .284" only leaves .008" for neck wall and that's with absolutely NO neck clearance!

My hope is you mis-keyed your post somehow... 0.012" necks'd be my minimum idea then add 0.003" per side clearance - if not 0.004"; 7's seem to work better with more not less - putting loaded round necks more in the .314"-.316" range. .300's fine for a 6.5 though.

 

[Auto-X Fil]

280 AI probably wins for brass availability and certainly 284 for barrel life, but I think you're going to want the extra boiler room of a short mag, with that sort of range available.

I would do a 7 RSAUM, 7 WSM, or 7-300 WSM. They are not horribly overbore, so barrel life is Ok, but velocities with heavy bullets are excellent. See what brass you can find and make the decision based on that. I would personally take the 7-300 and make it from 300 WSM Norma brass.

 

[Rtheurer]

.300 length steve. Not diameter,

 

[msinc]

Well, if you are going to hunt big stuff with it and target shoot then the 280AI is the one you want. If you are going to shoot a lot of targets at long range and don't want to scorch the throat in the summer heat, and don't want to pound your shoulder any more than needed to have fun then the 7mm-08 is the one. I have several of both and enjoy them all.
I own enough guns that I have to be on some sort of government "watch" list...but I could live the rest of my life with just a 7mm-08!!!! Probably on another list just for the ammo....

Two other things i'd like to point out...never trade a Sako product for a Ruger, and never tell the public you have a shooting place like that...you could end up with a pack of rifle toting hillbillies like us camped out in your front yard!!!

 

[hoz53]

Well, if you are going to hunt big stuff with it and target shoot then the 280AI is the one you want. If you are going to shoot a lot of targets at long range and don't want to scorch the throat in the summer heat, and don't want to pound your shoulder any more than needed to have fun then the 7mm-08 is the one. I have several of both and enjoy them all.
I own enough guns that I have to be on some sort of government "watch" list...but I could live the rest of my life with just a 7mm-08!!!! Probably on another list just for the ammo....

Two other things i'd like to point out...never trade a Sako product for a Ruger, and never tell the public you have a shooting place like that...you could end up with a pack of rifle toting hillbillies like us camped out in your front yard!!!

I hope you got some boot on that one!! (Sako for ruger)

 

[jbone405]

Two other things i'd like to point out...never trade a Sako product for a Ruger, and never tell the public you have a shooting place like that...you could end up with a pack of rifle toting hillbillies like us camped out in your front yard!!!

It wasn't a trade, I sold it at auction so it was all okay. I bet it would really scorch you if I built this of a Ruger American action! But really I love my Ruger Precision Rifle. I always wanted a chassis gun and for under $1k it is a hell of a gun, could the barrel be better? Yes. But that is the single most replaced part.

Anyone that wants to come camp on my front lawn is welcome because it would get me out shooting more. I need excuses to stop and smell the roses.

How is your .300 neck compatible with any 7mm chamber

Sorry I was not clear,

.300 length steve. Not diameter,

Exactly.

If you are going to shoot a lot of targets at long range and don't want to scorch the throat in the summer heat, and don't want to pound your shoulder any more than needed to have fun then the 7mm-08 is the one.

280 AI probably wins for brass availability and certainly 284 for barrel life, but I think you're going to want the extra boiler room of a short mag, with that sort of range available.

These two quotes portray the struggle. I wan't to be able to shot it a lot, possibly a 600 yd benchrest match could happen, I really want a 7 saum for the velocity and the only thing holding me back is $140 Norma brass. I can swallow paying for a barrel, and it will be suppressed a lot of the time to help with recoil, but when I ruin brass I will be pretty upset. With that being said, the 280AI looks really good. Winchester 270 brass is good enough for me, slight neck up, I would rather have a 30* shoulder (shillen chambers a 280 rcbs) over a 40* for essentially personal preference, but I haven't found a body die for that yet.

If you have a 30-06 length or longer (magnum) action, I believe a plain ole 7mm Rem Mag would fit your bill just fine. Stick with H1000 or VV N165 and you will at least maximize barrel life, to what degree it can be. Brass, bullets and dies are easy to come by. I have had a few 7 Rem Mags over the years for hunting. They are easy to tune, pretty dang accurate and for hunting, will pound any game in North America, with correct bullets of course, to the ground..

I do respect the 7mm R, and have thought about it, but I don't want a belted case for reasons (it's not sexy!) and it will most likely never be shot at anything bigger than a coyote. I did think about it though, because it covers most of what I am looking for.

Keep the inputs coming, I still need somebody to talk me into it.

 

[hogpatrol]

Aw, the hell with it. Go totally bonkers with a 28 Nosler. I did and I love it. Kills stuff WAAAAY out there. The only downside is it eats powder (88+) and the brass isn't cheap but it's good stuff, should last quite a few firings. Works in a standard long action and no retro belt either. Heavy barrel and scope with a Harrel's tactical brake and it's got less recoil than an unbraked .308

 

[Dubbo]

I have a SAUM it is a good cartridge and meets most of your requirements. I also like the 284.

Here are a few good posts if you haven't found them already:
http://forum.accurateshooter.com/threads/rem-7saum-or-284win.3908266/
http://forum.accurateshooter.com/threads/7saum.3888947/#post-36666271

this OP wanted to use a .473 boltface but the SAUM was mentioned quite a few times:
http://forum.accurateshooter.com/threads/baddest-short-action-caliber.3919966/

 

[BOB LEE SWAGGER]

7RSAUM. You've got 5000 acres, why the hell the worry over brass prices? Super accurate, super easy to tune. I'd rather have 1000-1500? gratifying rounds than 2000 what if/almost as good rounds. After reading Shootdots posts on 6.5x284 I had one built. I used the set up that he advised. Love it. AMAZING accuracy. Glad that I didn't "compromise" on either.

 

[Tommie]

Specifying a 30* shoulder seriously limits your options. 284 Win has 35* and most Ackley style chamberings are 40*. Few factory chamberings have a 30* shoulder. Custom dies can of course be made but that blows the "on the cheap" concept out the window. Is there a reason (maybe magazine feeding) you must have a 30* shoulder angle?

 

[spclark]

.300 length steve. Not diameter,

That makes sense!

I posted my query before I'd had my morning coffee... so I'd just maybe have made the leap, but Russ I read your post first!

 

[jamesh]

7mm RSAUM. It has the 30° shoulder you seek and .300 neck length

 

[normmatzen]

I built a 7X57 VZ-24 Mauser into a nice hunting rifle and I shot 162 A-MAX till I shot a black tail deer and a small pig and the damaged meat was not acceptable so I switched to Barnes TTSX 140 gr.
I also have a 284 WIN for long range BR and a bit of F Class and shoot 162 A-MAX in that too. I shoot them at close to 2900 fps which is close to what my 7X57 does. I also sometimes shoot Berger 180 gr Hybrids, but I get better results with A-MAX.

I have no idea what happens out beyond 1000 yd as I have never tried the extra long ranges. But I'm sticking to my 284WIN and 7X57!

 

[jbone405]

Specifying a 30* shoulder seriously limits your options. 284 Win has 35* and most Ackley style chamberings are 40*.

It doesn't have to be i just prefer it to be. I think the 40* looks odd simply put.

7RSAUM. You've got 5000 acres, why the hell the worry over brass prices? Super accurate, super easy to tune. I'd rather have 1000-1500? gratifying rounds than 2000 what if/almost as good rounds.

Well it is the family ranch, I don't directly profit off it much. I could buy expensive brass and build a $5000 gun, but it would take longer and wouldn't be as fun for me to try to make more out of less.

I read about making saum brass from WSM brass, definately starting to push me that way. Should give a little more capacity too.

I would like to use the slowest powder that would push a 180gr bullet with enough speed. The question is how much more velocity might I get from a 30" bbl over a 26" bbl using slow powders?

 

[hoz53]

It doesn't have to be i just prefer it to be. I think the 40* looks odd simply put.



Well it is the family ranch, I don't directly profit off it much. I could buy expensive brass and build a $5000 gun, but it would take longer and wouldn't be as fun for me to try to make more out of less.

I read about making saum brass from WSM brass, definately starting to push me that way. Should give a little more capacity too.

I would like to use the slowest powder that would push a 180gr bullet with enough speed. The question is how much more velocity might I get from a 30" bbl over a 26" bbl using slow powders?

I just put a Shilen 6br barrel on a Rem 783. Looks like a good action for the $ to me. They make them in 7mag to. Buy one of those a shoot it until you wear out the barrel and can save enough up to rebarrel it in 7saum and buy some brass. So cheap be happy with 7 mag spend a little more and build a saum- ultimate long ranger do wat hog says and get a 28 nosler. Remember the rem 783 is a barrel nut rifle and you could get a 7 saum drop in barrel for it - put it together yourself and save enough on the rifle to buy the brass. Sell the original barrel to save a little more.

7mag has always been one of my favorite calibers but I hated the belt and wanted just a little more capacity so I have considered building a form of 7mmLRM. 375 Ruger necked to 7mm. Now with the advent of the 28 nosler I may go with that instead.

 

[seymour fish]

OP, Back feed 1400 fps at your desired target distance with your chosen bullets to determine required MV thus necessary case capacity. Consider how you will spot impacts, how you will read wind, how often you will shoot alone. 7 mag/162 amax is golden at 1 k, cheap, should make 1600. If a red clay hill, a huge rock, for POA, you "might" spot your own hits. Otherwise allocate funds for a target of 8'x8' minimum and a target cam for the extra long stuff. As in hot-rodding, if ya wanna go fast, it's gonna cost ya. Seymour

 

[msinc]

I bet it would really scorch you if I built this of a Ruger American action!

No sir...what you do with your money is your problem...or maybe not. I have a Ruger American stainless 223. It shot so poorly I had no choice {well, I could have always dumped it in the bay} but to install: a trigger, new Timney was only $150.00 by the time I got it in my hands...a barrel, another $250.00 and then I had to thread and chamber it {that was after I had to manufacture my own barrel nut wrench}...and a stock from Boyd's, which by the way, didn't not hop out of the box and jump on the rifle itself...no, I had to glass in those stupid little recoil lugs {or whatever they are called} and then glass bed it to the action...nothing like doing everything twice. Good thing I did all the work myself, I would have had well over $1000 in a "cost effective" {translates to: cheap junk} rifle. I would be lucky to get half the money I spent back if I sold it right now. It does shoot very nice groups...especially considering that the ridiculous magazine only allows for factory COAL ammo. Bottom line, or point to this story...I could have had a nice used Sako for what I spent trying to get this schidt to shoot!!! And after all that I still just own a Ruger truck gun. Tell me one more time what you like about a Ruger?????