7 Rem mag question

[Earle]

First off, a few months ago some of you guy's provided good info on hard to find 7x64 data, so once again thanks to all who helped. Now, my next question. Been fooling around with my 700 chambered in 7mm rem mag and found it has a decided preference for bullets in the 160-170g range. Want to reload some 162 Eld-X and i have the Hornady manual. Naturally, the listed components include Hornady brass, which i do not have. What i do have is 100pcs of new Remington brass.
My question ( i am new to this) is can i use the Hornady data, powder and primers, and substitute the Remington brass? if so, are there any issues i should be aware of? As always, thanks for any insight.

 

[timeout]

I don't have experience with the Hornady brass however, no matter the brass, start low on the powder charge and carefully work your way up looking for any and all signs of pressure. When doing this workup it is very helpful to shoot with a chrono so that FPS can be monitored in conjunction with watching for pressure signs. Always err on the side of caution.

 

[Kurz]

It's difficult to find printed or online data which matches up with your choice of components. It's also difficult to find the test data which is accurate compared to your test data due to the large number of variables which apply to reloading and the physical characteristics of your rifle, mostly the barrel.

However, as mentioned above, always chant the mantra for all reloading:

Always start low and work your way up slowly watching for signs of pressure.

You never know when a powder lot is a little faster or slower or when manufacturing has made changes to the physical case itself. Primer can vary as well.



The AMAX is similar to the ELD-X but make no assumptions. Here is the link to the entire table of data:

https://shootersreference.com/reloadingdata/7-mm-remington-magnum/



The 160 gr. AccuBond is similar to the ELD-X as well. I think Nosler's data for VVN-165 is off but it's not unusual. N-165 and N-160 are cooler burning powders which can perform quite well with these bullets.

I load Re-26 for my solution using my lot of 162 gr. AMAX bullets but in a 26" barrel.

Enjoy the process!

 

[Canuckenstein]

Yes you can start a couple of grains below max and work your way to the fastest and most accurate load. BTW I find the hornady manual to be quite conservative when it comes to max loads. If you decide to take it past max watch your pressure signs and precede slowly. I would also recommend you get a head space gauge and bump the shoulder back .0015-.002.

Even though it headspaces off the belt. Doing this will extend the life of your brass. Not to mention prevent case head separation. LE Wilson makes a great tool for this. You may also want to look into the Larry Willis collet die.

My factory 7 RM Sendero with 168smk RL-22 is super accurate. Below is a 3 shot load development group. It may have opened up with more shots.

Have fun

 

[Ron Blain]

The Hornady case dimensions and the Remington case dimensions are the same both to SAAMI specifications.

My question ( i am new to this) is can i use the Hornady data, powder and primers, and substitute the Remington brass? if so, are there any issues i should be aware of? As always, thanks for any insight.

So yes and you should have no issues at all using the Hornady manual load data, just start low and work up the load as is normal practice.

Ron

 

[Earle]

Okay, got it and thanks to all. Funny, i got 6 reloading manuals and still manage to come up with questions i can't find the answer to. Still in the early stages of basic reloading and don't like to assume anything, even subbing one brand of brass for another. Thanks again.

 

[Ron Blain]

Better to ask little questions than make a big mistake.

Ron

 

[RegionRat]

Earle, At some point in your reloading journey, you will want to consider learning to evaluate those component changes that you are pointing out.

For example, while that brass is new and clean inside, study the design of the inside of the case, especially near the primer support. Some cases have thicker or thinner webs, and others even have a huge difference in how they either blend to the primer hole, or look like a primer housing and have an annular depression around the primer. Remington used to have the latter design on some examples.

You just plug the primer hole with a used primer cup, and weigh the difference between the empty case and then filled with water. This gives you an insight into the internal case volume of that brand and batch of brass. Different designs and even batch to batch can make a big enough difference to force you to re-tune the load.

What I am suggesting isn’t a requirement. You can just test and follow the “work your way up advice” without worry. However, I am suggesting it is better to start to gain an informed view by measuring the things that matter so you know if they make a difference to you or not. Case thickness, weight, and volume are easy to observe. Even if you don’t play with internal ballistics, you will know if something in a new batch or different brand has changed on you.

Over time, you will see how sensitive or insensitive your loads are to these changes, but first you need to go ahead and get started by taking notice of things like cases, bullets, primers, and powders for the differences between designs and the batches. Two or three grains of internal case volume difference in a 7 MAG case that runs about 80 grains of water will probably not make a big difference to a short range shot, but it will start to show up for anyone who is pushing out past 300 yards and trying to learn the accuracy game.

Good luck either way and always play it safe.