7mm Remington mag for long distance shooting?

[Steve Ladino]

Well I gave up on my 308, AR10. I bet I tried 20 different reloads to try to get it dialed in. No luck past 200 yds.

Was going to rebarel in 6.5 Creedmore, but then I remembered I have a Remington 700, in 7mm mag that I have not shot in about 20 yrs.

Well, put the Vortex PST II on it and took off to the range. Had some reloads from the 90's and figured we will see how it does.

Shooting 150, 160, 175 gr reloads and it appears that the 150 are the best groups at 200 yds.

Anyone on here shooting 7mm for long distance?

If so would like to pick you brains on different powders and bullet weight.

I am presently using H4350 and IMR 4831.

Mine so far likes R-19, 162 A Max's @ 3000 fps

 

[snert]

I shoot a 7mm Mag Sendero. I like the 150 grain NBT with a coal shovel full of IMR7828 and a standard primer. I use it for deer to 750 yards. I made a called head shot on a doe at 331 yards, and kills at 650 to the boiler room. I find the 7RM to like to be run hard.

 

[284winner]

Thanks for the encourgements.

So I assuming that a 168 to 180 bullet would be the best grain weight?

I guess I was concerned about bullet drop with the heavy bullets.

My Rem has a 1:9.5 twist, 22" barrel.

If your model 700 is post 1969, it's a 9.250 twist. Prior to that, it's a 9. Assuming 9.250 it will handle the 168s just fine. 150-168 would be ideal weight bullets for that barrel. Doubt the 180s would stabilize. Don't hurt to give em a spin tho. Depends on your elevation really since it's so close. At 4000'+ they may work. Sea level, forget it. Barrels aren't that pricey. Pick up a Sendero contour 26" replacement barrel in a 9 twist and you'll be fine up to the 180s. Custom or pre chambered will be optional. One is more affordable than the other. Good luck.

 

[AckleymanII]

All of my family's 7oo's that I have shot love the 162-168g bullets, I just have not been able to get the tiny groups out of the 180g berger Hunting like I have the 160 class bullets.

70-71g of REtumbo, fed 215 is money in the bank with the 162-168g bullets in TUNED 700's, 26" is 3100 fps.

72-73g of R#25 with a win MAG primer, 150-154g bullets has a standard Deviation of less than 10 fps, at 3200-3250 fps, work up to this load in your rifle, start at 69g. We shot 154g Hornady sp, 150g Nosler ballistic tips, and 154g SST(200 yds and over). This load is rough on Remington primer pockets, but it is a hunting load with outstanding accuracy. Last elk was 550 yards shot with the 154g Hornady Sp, one shot...dead. Even with a much slower load of 63.0g of IMR 4350, with the 154g Hornady Sp, this load will shoot through both shoulders on large hogs...Interlock actually works.

 

[Send One]

Well I gave up on my 308, AR10. I bet I tried 20 different reloads to try to get it dialed in. No luck past 200 yds.

Was going to rebarel in 6.5 Creedmore, but then I remembered I have a Remington 700, in 7mm mag that I have not shot in about 20 yrs.

Well, put the Vortex PST II on it and took off to the range. Had some reloads from the 90's and figured we will see how it does.

Shooting 150, 160, 175 gr reloads and it appears that the 150 are the best groups at 200 yds.

Anyone on here shooting 7mm for long distance?

If so would like to pick you brains on different powders and bullet weight.

I am presently using H4350 and IMR 4831.

I too am a Retumbo fan. Have a factory Remington 7 mag that loves 140 Bergers and Retumbo. Deer killing machine. Have seen good results out to 600 yards. Would consider 168’s or 180’s for longer ranges if you have the twist to accommodate.

 

[Bart B.]

A Navy petty officer won rhe 1000 Wimbledon Cup about 1970 using the 7mm Rem Mag. The load recipe is listed in the first edition of the Sierra loading manual.

That's Tom Treinen, CPO, USN (Ret.) He and I along with a few other former USN Shooting Team members toured Lake City ammo plant last fall. He's brought to our reunions, documents on the rifle's owner who was Sierra's ballistics technician. It was built in Sierra's shop. Bullets were made with the best quality copper that Sierra had until many years later.

 

[Eric Leonard]

in 1970 a 7mm RM shooting 168 Match Kings had to have been on the verge of cheating at 1,000 yards,,,it seems like the load was listed in one of the old 3 ring binder Sierra Maunals ,,

 

[Bart B.]

in 1970 a 7mm RM shooting 168 Match Kings had to have been on the verge of cheating at 1,000 yards,,,it seems like the load was listed in one of the old 3 ring binder Sierra Maunals ,,

The rules allowed any caliber 35 or less. It was a long way from cheating.

I was shooting a 264 Win Mag with Norma 139 grain nickel plated match bullets that tested under MOA at 1000. Sierra gave me a couple boxes of their prototype 26 caliber 140 grain HPMK bullets to test. They barely held 2 MOA at a thousand. Sierra also couldn't make them consistently accurate.

Jacket material was seldom good enough to make long and heavy sub 30 caliber bullets uniform in thickness. Over the next several years, most lots of Sierra's 26 and 28 caliber heavy HPMK's were not all that accurate. Several gave up on the 7mm Rem Mag and went back to 30 caliber magnums that were more accurate and had almost twice the barrel life. I went to a 30-338 Win Mag.

The 1971 USN team also had a new 7-08 Rem to shoot but it blew apart with the first handload I made to test it. That's another bizarre story unto itself.

My command wouldn't release me to go to the Nationals with the 1970 USN team but did in 1971. I was issued a new 7mm Rem Mag to shoot long range in '71 at th8e National's; its ammo was questionable as it barely held around 7 inches in 600 yard tests at the Annapolis Naval Station range. It shot improved cylinder bore groups at 1000 in both 1000 yard events at the '71 Nationals. My 7.62 Garand was much more accurate shooting 190's.

Sierra was able to get good jacket copper in the '80's and 7mm 168 gr, HPMK bullets in 7-08 Rem ammo began trumping scores shot with 30 caliber match rifles. A few years later, 26 caliber bullets were favored. 24 caliber bullets were later made with quality copper jacket long heavy ones that finally ruled the roost in NRA 3 position match rifle events as well as 1000 yard matches when allowed.

 

[Eric Leonard]

thanx for history lesson,,I just assumed the 168 SMK was as good then as now,,I knew a guy that is now gone on to the range in the sky that had a 40x 7x61 S&H and a 25x Lyman LWBR scope that he said was very accurate with the Sierra bullet,,but thinking back he never really said which Sierra bullet I just assumed it was the 168 MK,,

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Has anyone used a belted magnum with any regularity or actual success SINCE 1970?

 

[Bart B.]

Yes. GYSGT Ray Green USMC used new unprepped 300 Win Mag cases in 1972 breaking PO3 Tom Treinen's 100-20V +12V record score with 100-20V+22V.

The US Army and Marine Corps teams won a lot of 1000 yard matches in the 1970's with belted 30 caliber mags, some were built by McMillan. The 30-338 was popular through the mid '80's. The 308 Norma Mag was popular then in benchrest events at 1000. Not too long ago, I think a 300 .Wby Mag set a benchrest record at 1000 with new cases. The best of them would test under 6 inches at 1000 for 20 shots.

I wore out three and a half 30-338 Win Mag barrels that tested under 6 inches at 1000. The barrel in it now tested under 6 inches with 30 shots. I need to sell it.

Belted 30's were the favorite until almost 1990 when 26 caliber heavy match bullets were good enough to win. The 6.5x284 became the favorite bucking cross winds virtually as good as the belted 30's with much less recoil during barrel time so much easier to shoot precisely in prone. A 300 Win Mag holds the prone 1000 yard any sight records 200-19X. Metallic sight prone record score is the same, cartridge unknown. X ring's 10 inches.

Belted cases headspacing on their shoulders are as accurate as any, but their recoil and reloading issues are too difficult for most folks to willingly put up with.

 

[dmoran]

...The best of them would test under 6 inches at 1000 for 20 shots.

I wore out three and a half 30-338 Win Mag barrels that tested under 6 inches at 1000. The barrel in it now tested under 6 inches with 30 shots.

Let's see proof of these 20-shot groups under 6" at 1000-yards.
Show us actual targets !.!.!

Or links to where we can read/see actual recorded results of them taking place.
And don't waste our time with plot sheet BS (like the one edited with 1000 in blue over the top).

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Let's see proof of these 20-shot groups under 6" at 1000-yards.
Show us actual targets !.!.!

Or links to where we can read/see actual recorded results of them taking place.
And don't waste our time with plot sheet BS (like the one with blue 1000 edited over the top).

SIMULATED groups @dmoran - cant you see?

 

[Dusty Stevens]

He’ll have to scan it. The camera they used dont upload right to the computer gizmo.

Let's see proof of these 20-shot groups under 6" at 1000-yards.
Show us actual targets !.!.!

Or links to where we can read/see actual recorded results of them taking place.
And don't waste our time with plot sheet BS (like the one with blue 1000 edited over the top).