Had and experience with a reload I've not had before - looking for help understanding from the wealth of knowledge on this website. The Two loads in question are at the top of my test and are 1/2 grain apart. Two bullets in one hole and then the third flies off to the left. The higher charge is tighter group but the pattern is consistent between the two. Never seen this before and don't know what it tells me. Help!
7mm Rem Mag help
- Thread starter HuntClub
- Start date
Once the rifle is happy with powder charge work with seating depth. I've seen this be corrected with .003 to .006 seating depth change in my rifles.
Personally with H4831 I would stay with 68gr and the right hand group. I would not go up much since 69-70 is near MAX for the Barnes 140 TTSX with H4831.
FWIW: Three shots is a very limited sample to go by. I would work with several three shot groups to get an idea of what might be the right load for your rifle.
FWIW: Three shots is a very limited sample to go by. I would work with several three shot groups to get an idea of what might be the right load for your rifle.
waverly
Gold $$ Contributor
Barnes bullets like lots of jump. Target#3 looks good. Start backing away from the lands. My 330 Dakota with 185 TTSX really started shooting bug holes once I was .050 off. I stopped at .60 off, but have read others with TTSX's have jumped as much as .080.
As already stated if this is a factory gun, then that might be as good as it gets, but try jumping the bullets.
Coyotefurharvester
Silver $$ Contributor
Seating depth work needed, unless it is always the third shot. Then try allowing the barrel to COMPLETELY COOL between shots. 0.040-0.080 off the lands has worked for me. My 7saum is 0.055 off.
AckleymanII
Gold $$ Contributor
The 140g ttsx is a very accurate bullet in our Rem 700's and Browning A bolts.
First, jump the bullet .050 off the lands, we have never had to move.
Two loads:
65-66g of IMR 4350, Rem 9 1/2, Rem brass, Full length sized Remington brass only= 3250
67g of R#19, Win case, Fed 215 primer= 3250-3300
We shoot 26" barrels.
Work up to these loads in your rifle as these work in ours with our lot# of powder, yours maybe different.
Loads or similar are money in the bank, adjust to your rifle according to pressures. One pard is shooting a heck of a load of R#22 with a cci 250 into tiny groups at 3200, his charge is up there in weight.
A couple of years ago, an avid 140g TTSX friend with 7 mags had access to hunt a Chicken farm for deer. Coyotes were harassing the chickens. It was the last day of deer season. We set up in the corner of where 4 pastures came together with a large cedar tree in the corner for cover. Pard sat up facing where he could see two directions and I sat up where I could see the opposite two directions. I started blowing a Weems wild call that is a hand call. About 4 minutes into the stand, he sad, "BE REAL STILL". BOOM, he stood up and said, "you are not going to believe it".
Pard got up and started walking about 150 yards to a tree line, as we had been sitting in a pasture. I was anxious to retrieve the coyote, and could not figure out why it had ran off. Well, the coyote ended up being a 220 lb 10 pt buck! The buck had ran about 40 yards and there was a blood spray that a blind man could follow.
Well, we had driven on the hunt in an Issio Trooper, and felt like I was riding in a glorified roller skate. Now, where to put the deer? We came up with the idea to put the deer in the back seat behind the driver, butt down in the floor board with antlers jammed up against the roof. This posture ended up being a perfect fit for the deer, and looked like he was just riding along.
Well, we were hungry. Pard went though the Jack in the Box drive thru. He asked the young female order taker for a large glass of water for his pet deer. We drove up to the take out window, and they gave us the dinner for free! They wanted to know if they could pet him, and Pard told them that the buck was not friendly. We drove off with half of the restaurant glued to the windows wanting to see the pet buck.
My tripple shock experience maybe different from yours, proceed with caution.
First, jump the bullet .050 off the lands, we have never had to move.
Two loads:
65-66g of IMR 4350, Rem 9 1/2, Rem brass, Full length sized Remington brass only= 3250
67g of R#19, Win case, Fed 215 primer= 3250-3300
We shoot 26" barrels.
Work up to these loads in your rifle as these work in ours with our lot# of powder, yours maybe different.
Loads or similar are money in the bank, adjust to your rifle according to pressures. One pard is shooting a heck of a load of R#22 with a cci 250 into tiny groups at 3200, his charge is up there in weight.
A couple of years ago, an avid 140g TTSX friend with 7 mags had access to hunt a Chicken farm for deer. Coyotes were harassing the chickens. It was the last day of deer season. We set up in the corner of where 4 pastures came together with a large cedar tree in the corner for cover. Pard sat up facing where he could see two directions and I sat up where I could see the opposite two directions. I started blowing a Weems wild call that is a hand call. About 4 minutes into the stand, he sad, "BE REAL STILL". BOOM, he stood up and said, "you are not going to believe it".
Pard got up and started walking about 150 yards to a tree line, as we had been sitting in a pasture. I was anxious to retrieve the coyote, and could not figure out why it had ran off. Well, the coyote ended up being a 220 lb 10 pt buck! The buck had ran about 40 yards and there was a blood spray that a blind man could follow.
Well, we had driven on the hunt in an Issio Trooper, and felt like I was riding in a glorified roller skate. Now, where to put the deer? We came up with the idea to put the deer in the back seat behind the driver, butt down in the floor board with antlers jammed up against the roof. This posture ended up being a perfect fit for the deer, and looked like he was just riding along.
Well, we were hungry. Pard went though the Jack in the Box drive thru. He asked the young female order taker for a large glass of water for his pet deer. We drove up to the take out window, and they gave us the dinner for free! They wanted to know if they could pet him, and Pard told them that the buck was not friendly. We drove off with half of the restaurant glued to the windows wanting to see the pet buck.
My tripple shock experience maybe different from yours, proceed with caution.
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With the component shortage for PRS style shooting I recently revisited my 7 Rem Mag. and built a load using 140 Ballistic Tips, Norma Brass, Federal 215M, and H4831sc. The loading manuals (Barnes, Nosler) lawyered up and are very conservative. In my opinion I would urge you to walk up carefully in your powder charge if you seek more velocity than your 68 grain load... which is very good btw. I was approaching 73 grains when I encountered my first heavy bolt lift and backed off. I found accuracy nodes and flat spots on the velocity graph around 70 grains and at 71.5 grains. My final load of 70.4 grains runs 3/4 MOA and better. All rifles are different so please go slowly...I worked in .3 grain increments in that big case. Your rifle is obviously a shooter. My experience tells me that the ballistic tips like to be close to the rifling. All measurements are relative but mine liked .013 from touching the lands. Good luck
searcher
Gold $$ Contributor
Forgive me if you are more experienced at the range, but when shooting your strings, they must be fired rapidly - as slight wind shifts will easily open your groups up like that if you have even a 10 MPH breeze coming and going. I say that because a lot of guys wait a while between shots when those 7's start getting hot - which is pretty quick. That pattern is also typical of a load that is not in tune. If you are at the top of your velocity range - you can lower your charge till it comes together or until you end up with an unacceptable velocity - at which time, I'd move to another powder if you want to keep that bullet. I use that same bullet in my Remington 7MM Mag with Reloader 22 for incredible groups. I'd try some if you have some or can bum a bit off a buddy to try. I tried just about every powder suitable for 7 MM Mag with my rifles and the Reloader 22 shoots all bullets well in mine - which is extra nice. I load the 140 TTSX with 64.0 grains, using Federal Magnum Match primers and Winchester cases. 3,100 FPS over chrono at 70 degrees. I seat OAL to 2.781" - as measure using a Hornady measuring tool on the dial caliper. Work up starting at about 60 grains. My accuracy node started around 61.5.
I also shot 120 grain TTSX, using 68 grains (did not run this load over chrono), very accurate. This was loaded to 3.230" actual O.A.L. using same brass and primers.
As others have said - don't try to seat these Barnes close to lands. They usually shoot poorly. The thing I have learned the most about tuning lead free bullets (both varmint bullets and the TTSX's in many calibers) is that they tend to really respond to a powder that they REALLY like - more so than leaded bullets in my opinion. I have had success with powders that are supposed to be the cat's meow - but if you aren't getting under 1/2" MOA consistently - you will want to experiment with other powders to get it. Adjusting seating depth outside of what is recommended by Barnes usually does not bring the kind of improvement you would expect possible as with leaded bullets. Barnes did their homework quite well in that respect. You just need to find the magic powder.
Good Luck!
I also shot 120 grain TTSX, using 68 grains (did not run this load over chrono), very accurate. This was loaded to 3.230" actual O.A.L. using same brass and primers.
As others have said - don't try to seat these Barnes close to lands. They usually shoot poorly. The thing I have learned the most about tuning lead free bullets (both varmint bullets and the TTSX's in many calibers) is that they tend to really respond to a powder that they REALLY like - more so than leaded bullets in my opinion. I have had success with powders that are supposed to be the cat's meow - but if you aren't getting under 1/2" MOA consistently - you will want to experiment with other powders to get it. Adjusting seating depth outside of what is recommended by Barnes usually does not bring the kind of improvement you would expect possible as with leaded bullets. Barnes did their homework quite well in that respect. You just need to find the magic powder.
Good Luck!
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