New winmag shooter.

[Beachman]

Hello Forum.
Brand new to this forum. I'm been shooting since I was 17, I'm 65 now, An USAF Vet, a SWAT qualified 44 yr Cop about to retire. I reloaded 9mm on a Dillon press in the '80s and am still a competitive pistol shooter. (GSSF). I am a left handed shooter with a rifle.
I started this way because the short introduction will help with my questions, of which there will be a lot. I wanted to try my luck in hunting now that I have more time. (S.E. US for now). By crazy luck I traded for 2 left handed bolt rifles. I had wanted a left handed bolt gun or a Ruger single shot in .308 or 30-06 but what I ended up with is a Remington 700 in 7mm Rem. mag. (Bushnell optic) and a Ruger 77 in .300 Win Mag. (weaver optic). Cannons I know, but what I could get in a left bolt gun without having to sell my house or wait a year. I have some ammo for both. I would like to try reloading. I know its a challenging time to get started. Having read some of the threads, the learning curve will be steep. I have the time and am motivated to learn. I will need some guidance if y'all have the patience and can guide me a bit.
I will need reloading supplies/tools to start. My goal is to reload lower power loads at first to get used to the guns and be ready by next season, God willing.

Please feel free to email instead of answering on this thread.
Thank you in advance
Kevin
18:24

 

[Walt Krafft]

Your first purchase would be some loading manuals. Sierra and Berger would be where I would start. Read them both, then come back with questions. Welcome and good luck!!!

 

[Beachman]

Your first purchase would be some loading manuals. Sierra and Berger would be where I would start. Read them both, then come back with questions. Welcome and good luck!!!

Got it, Thanks.

 

[butchlambert]

Got it, Thanks.

Your first purchase would be some loading manuals. Sierra and Berger would be where I would start. Read them both, then come back with questions. Welcome and good luck!!!

Walt, he can find them on the inner net also.

 

[Gargoyle]

I kinda like this FNG. He didn't come in asking what's better, 7mm Rem or 300WM. He just got BOTH!

You are gonna get so may various replies, you might actually be takin steps backwards. LOL.

 

[FeMan]

I agree that reading one of the reloading manuals should be the first step. I also recommend that you use the SEARCH function on this Board. You should find answers to many/most of your questions have already been covered. If you are looking for real precision in your shooting, be diligent and patient and look for the best components, particularly powder and bullets, in your cartridge for what you want to do. You cab safely/successfully reload with a host of components but precision is typically found in a small subset that the cartridge typically "likes".

Good luck and have fun!

 

[Full Chisel]

If I might add a comment. Having owned and shot 300 Win Mag in two bolt rifles, both with and without muzzle brake, I will tell you that the recoil isn't as bad as people make out. Yeah it kicks, but I think some of the lore comes from people with scope scars who weren't holding the rifle correctly - which is probably not anyone on this board, mind you. You don't want it to "free recoil", especially if scoped. Hold it nice and snug, and angle your shoulders a bit more as this will limit the amount of backward movement of rifle, and lean into your stance a bit. If you're on a bench, still lean into it. You don't want to shoot with your shoulders squared off or without a good stance without a few shot introduction shots. The reason I say this is that the best loads for the rifle I still own came in at higher powder charges. But, I'm judging those loads at 600 yards, not 100 or 200 yd. With a radial brake, the mine doesn't kick any worse than some of my 30-30 handloads.

 

[matthias]

One option may be instead of trying reduced loads, use lighter bullets to start. Recoil will be less and there is the advantage that when you want to step up to larger bullets you will already have known good loads. In this day of spotty availability having several good working options is not a bad thing.

 

[PigButtons]

Welcome to AS. I'm sure you will enjoy it as much as I have. Thank you for your life of service to this country and congratulations on your pending retirement.

As mentioned above, the search feature will get you a long way to getting your questions answered. A word of caution though, look at the dates on the posts before replying. Some members are critical of reviving Zombie threads, and sometimes you'll be asking questions to members that have been off the site for some time or have even left the range for the last time.

Glad you found us, and Lord willing your hunting hobby will be successful.

 

[shoot4fun]

Welcome to the forum!
Some would say those calibers are a bit over-kill for your neck of the woods. I say there is no such thing.
I have long held that I would rather shoot the 300WM than any 30-06 but, as for the 7Mag, I never even pulled the trigger on one.
Thank you for serving our country and enjoy your retirement.

 

[tsyarnall]

Welcome! Glad you found us.

 

[dave@aDave]

Welcome Aboard. A great bunch of knowledgeable guys here.

 

[Tommie]

Agreed on the suggestion for load manuals. And I wouldn’t stop at just one or two. Each one I’ve read had several useful items of information not found in the other books.

 

[dthomas]

Also remember not to reduce your powder charge below the minimum that is listed in the load manual. Too low of a charge is just as dangerous as too high.

 

[lightman]

Welcome aboard! Congratulations on your upcoming retirement and Thank You for your service, both Military and LE.

The suggestion to buy a loading book or two is a good one. To get used to the recoil you could start out with a lighter than standard weight bullet. And your idea to stay with the starting charge weight for powder is a good one.

Feel free to ask questions and to join in. There is a learning curve but it really is a pretty simple process once you understand it. Components and tooling are scarce right now and have been for 2 years. Tools are coming back some and historically components always have too.

What general area of the SE are you in? They may be a member that is close enough to help.

 

[john 800]

Welcome aboard!
I shoot a 7 rem mag for deer and there have been some pretty good discussions on hunting loads for that cartridge on here, lots should come up under a search. Imr 7828 with 150 balistic tips has been a good combo for me for deer. I also have components and dies ect for a 300 win mag I will probably never use. If you are interested in them send me a pm and we can discuss what you want.

 

[philip brousseau]

Tag

 

[Beachman]

This is off to a good start. As with most other forums I have gotten good advice and a direction.
I have bought several different types of ammo in both calibers to try. That will give be some basic experience with rifle handling and empty brass. Over time I will collect the other items I will need.
Thank you Full Chisel for the advise on body position. That will be a big help. I have a lot of AR trigger time but these are not AR's. Its the little things that matter. Off to the range today.

Beachman
18:24

 

[Beachman]

Welcome aboard!
I shoot a 7 rem mag for deer and there have been some pretty good discussions on hunting loads for that cartridge on here, lots should come up under a search. Imr 7828 with 150 balistic tips has been a good combo for me for deer. I also have components and dies ect for a 300 win mag I will probably never use. If you are interested in them send me a pm and we can discuss what you want.

Good Morning. The information I have gotten so far has been very helpful. I spoke with a gentleman from Illinois for about an hr who gave me some great advice on getting stared. I may be interest in what you have. Please feel free to email me so we don't clog up the forum.

Beachman
18:24