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7mm TCU

300_whisper

Does anyone have any load data? I have a TC contender pistol in 7mm TCU and 200 head stamped cases. I want to get this pistol shooting.
 
Time was that this was a common caliber in IHMSA (pistol) shooting, so there is a fair amount of data out there (may still be common in that realm, but I haven't shot IHMSA in years). I've checked Hornady and Speer manuals in my possession and both have considerable data on the TCU, as does the Hodgdon web site.
 
Outrider27 said:
Time was that this was a common caliber in IHMSA (pistol) shooting, so there is a fair amount of data out there (may still be common in that realm, but I haven't shot IHMSA in years). I've checked Hornady and Speer manuals in my possession and both have considerable data on the TCU, as does the Hodgdon web site.
Click to expand...

Ok great. I’ll pick up one of their manuals at bass pro or academy.
 
300_whisper said:
Ok great. I’ll pick up one of their manuals at bass pro or academy.
Click to expand...
Loaddata.com is an online subscription about $40/yr I believe it contains all published reload data. Its very handy. Like having every manual and handloader magazine.You can see what they have on their website, have to subscribe to see the charge wieghts but can search their database for free
 
The Hodgdon website has data under pistol.

I had one many years ago. Cant find any old data now.

I remember a lot of split neck from forming 223 brass.

The die set would set the shoulder back way to much it the shell holder contacted the fl die.
 
300_whisper said:
Does anyone have any load data? I have a TC contender pistol in 7mm TCU and 200 head stamped cases. I want to get this pistol shooting.
Click to expand...
I shot a lot of IHMSA with 7TCU with 154 or 139 Horn. Spire Points over 3031. One winter for entertainment I mounted scopes on both the 10 in and the 14 in. Both shot sub 1 inch with this combo. The standing version of the game was a lot of fun, hated to see it go away but that helped move me to benchrest.
 
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I've got an Encore in 7mmTCU. It is a lot of fun and boringly accurate. I am shooting moly-coated 139gr Hornady jacketed bullets over a book load of IMR-4198. I use the 139s mostly because I had a ton of them on hand and just need to get rid of them. I'm only shooting paper and once the 139s are used up, I'll probably play around with some cast bullet. I had a couple split necks from my first batch of brass. I now anneal them and have had no splits since. I'd try to not mix brass - case capacities vary greatly.
 
Best bullet in all three of mine the Sierra # 1925 160 Gr BTHP they do well with others, I have used several Accurate powders and some Hodgdon with boring one hole groups, I also use Starline blank 223 cases trimmed to fit my chambers big improvement !!
 
Wes Ugalde told me personally, to use as much 4895 as the case will handle. At the time we had a lot of powder as it was sold super cheap down in Hawthorne. Pulldown '06 at the Hawthorne Ammo Depot

Wes went to school with my dad, and was in the National Guard with him too. His son Martin, a year behind me in school, worked for us and we used to go out shooting it when it was just the "7 Ugalde". Wes didn't just have insight into it, He invented the .30, then the 7mm, and the 6, and the 6.5. At the time, only the 7mm TCU (of the three) could reliably knock down the farthest silhouette targets as there was not a standard on the base. Some silhouettes would go right over, others were stuck in mud. And, it took a bell ringer (Nevada joke) to get them to go. A friend still has serial no. 001# out in NV.

I think it was about '80 or '81 that Wes went back east and worked for Thompson Center. Which is how the round became the TCU. They wanted the round as it fit perfectly with what TC was doing with the handguns. He was for it because it gave his round SAAMI approval and it still had his name on it. TC, of course, was the reason behind the SAAMI approval.

So, I use 25 gr. of 4895 behind a 140 gr. flatbase bullet. It's almost a waste of money to go with boattails as you really aren't getting a lot more out of them out to 500 yds. Where, the 7mm TCU is about good to. You can shoot a lot farther, but it takes a step up to the second rainbow to figure out trajectory. I've used everything from 90's all the way up to 168's. The 168's didn't do so well as I think it exceeded the twist in my pistol. My pistol would stabilize 160's though. My 14" bull also has enough freebore that you can't reach the lands seating the bullet out.

As always, find some published information (Hodgdon website for one) and work up. In comparing powders make sure you compare single base to single base on the burn rate chart and deduct a few grains if a double base powder you want to use is about the same as a single base powder you want to use.
THEN AND ONLY THEN, work up to what you like.

This is an AWESOME reduced capacity round. RIP Wes, what you did still matters.

Added: This was also an awesome round for Southern Minnesota when they opened handgun season. It used to be shotgun only. Lots of fields down there that are well over 1/4 mile across, up, or down. No way are you going to do well with shotgun unless the deer happens to wander into your AO. Mark your ranges with a stake and if you knew your trajectories (you should) you could put a killing bullet into a deer with that pistol out of a stand.
 
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sandwarrior said:
Wes Ugalde told me personally, to use as much 4895 as the case will handle. At the time we had a lot of powder as it was sold super cheap down in Hawthorne. Pulldown '06 at the Hawthorne Ammo Depot

Wes went to school with my dad, and was in the National Guard with him too. His son Martin, a year behind me in school, worked for us and we used to go out shooting it when it was just the "7 Ugalde". Wes didn't just have insight into it, He invented the .30, then the 7mm, and the 6, and the 6.5. At the time, only the 7mm TCU (of the three) could reliably knock down the farthest silhouette targets as there was not a standard on the base. Some silhouettes would go right over, others were stuck in mud. And, it took a bell ringer (Nevada joke) to get them to go. A friend still has serial no. 001# out in NV.

I think it was about '80 or '81 that Wes went back east and worked for Thompson Center. Which is how the round became the TCU. They wanted the round as it fit perfectly with what TC was doing with the handguns. He was for it because it gave his round SAAMI approval and it still had his name on it. TC, of course, was the reason behind the SAAMI approval.

So, I use 25 gr. of 4895 behind a 140 gr. flatbase bullet. It's almost a waste of money to go with boattails as you really aren't getting a lot more out of them out to 500 yds. Where, the 7mm TCU is about good to. You can shoot a lot farther, but it takes a step up to the second rainbow to figure out trajectory. I've used everything from 90's all the way up to 168's. The 168's didn't do so well as I think it exceeded the twist in my pistol. My pistol would stabilize 160's though. My 14" bull also has enough freebore that you can't reach the lands seating the bullet out.

As always, find some published information (Hodgdon website for one) and work up. In comparing powders make sure you compare single base to single base on the burn rate chart and deduct a few grains if a double base powder you want to use is about the same as a single base powder you want to use.
THEN AND ONLY THEN, work up to what you like.

This is an AWESOME reduced capacity round. RIP Wes, what you did still matters.

Added: This was also an awesome round for Southern Minnesota when they opened handgun season. It used to be shotgun only. Lots of fields down there that are well over 1/4 mile across, up, or down. No way are you going to do well with shotgun unless the deer happens to wander into your AO. Mark your ranges with a stake and if you knew your trajectories (you should) you could put a killing bullet into a deer with that pistol out of a stand.
Click to expand...

this is a great post thank you very much.
 
Any 139-140 bullet and near max book load of Win 748. WSR primers always worked best for me. Load works well with the RCBS 145 silhouette cast bullet also. The RCBS 145 and 8.0 gr of Unique is an excellent fireform load and is used by many IHMSA shooters as a standing load. Most of my standing shooting was done with fireform loads.
 
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