Recommendations for 7mm Build

[jspivey97]

Hello all,

It's been a while since I've posted on here but with summer coming around I'll have a little more free time and I plan on finishing up a project I've had sitting for quite a while. This is not going to be a competition rifle. More just for fun. I will be doing all of the barrel work myself.

I am set on 7mm, as I already have an .284 31'' 8 twist brux barrel. It will be put on a Rem 700 long action for which I have a magnum and non magnum bolt. I already have a .284 Win rifle, and I like it very much, but I would rather build something different and new (to me). I would prefer to go with a magnum of some flavor.

Basically, what does everyone recommend as far as 7 magnums go? Belted vs Non belted, brass availability, etc. I have been considering 7-300 Win for a while, as I already have plenty of 300 win brass, but that isn't a huge factor.

I am leaning towards shooting the Sierra 183s or something of approximately the same weight.

Thanks in advance for any input.

Regards,

John

 

[MOA]

I was going to say 7mm PRC wildcat. Not real up to date on the 7mm. You already have my favorite in the 284 win.

 

[KenOath]

Don’t own one myself but have shot a friends 28 Nosler, very accurate and manageable recoil with or without a break, he speaks very highly of it..We both own straight 284s also.

 

[jnm300ultra]

John, after reading your post what about a 7 SAUM. I know many f class shooters shooting this round, and always do well. One thing to consider is brass availability and barrel life. I hope I have you a round to consider, good luck with your new rifle build.
Jason

 

[jspivey97]

Thanks everybody for the replies. I've thought about the 7 SAUM and the 7 wsm. My only concern would be brass availability, but I haven't done the research point one way or another. I have also read a little bit about 28 Nosler but heard that barrel life may be a concern. However, I recognize the barrel life limitations that come with any of these rounds.

The 7 SAUM is more appealing to me than the 28 Nosler. I like the idea of having a shorter case with plenty of length for the longer bullets. I also think the case capacity of the SAUM is a little more in line with what will be reasonable for me.

Thanks to everyone for replying. I'll have plenty of reading to do now!

Regards,

John

 

[msinc]

If I was stuck on or in love with "magnum" I would go with the 28 Nosler. My vote otherwise would be the 280 Ackley Improved. I shoot 175 grain bullets with Reloder 26. I don't know if anyone else is impressed, but it impresses me.

 

[RampedRaptor]

ADG has the saum brass covered. I’d recommend a 7 saum. Nice combination

 

[bblackwell]

I hear Norma 7 saum brass will also be available mid-May

 

[LA50SHOOTER]

Hello all,

It's been a while since I've posted on here but with summer coming around I'll have a little more free time and I plan on finishing up a project I've had sitting for quite a while. This is not going to be a competition rifle. More just for fun. I will be doing all of the barrel work myself.

I am set on 7mm, as I already have an .284 31'' 8 twist brux barrel. It will be put on a Rem 700 long action for which I have a magnum and non magnum bolt. I already have a .284 Win rifle, and I like it very much, but I would rather build something different and new (to me). I would prefer to go with a magnum of some flavor.

Basically, what does everyone recommend as far as 7 magnums go? Belted vs Non belted, brass availability, etc. I have been considering 7-300 Win for a while, as I already have plenty of 300 win brass, but that isn't a huge factor.

I am leaning towards shooting the Sierra 183s or something of approximately the same weight.

Thanks in advance for any input.

Regards,

John

280 Ackley Improved will equal the 7 SAUM or a 284 Win or Shehane if you want to use a standard .473 bolt face and you can either use Nosler 280 A.I. brass or could fire-form Norma 280 Rem. brass or neck down 30-06 Lapua brass and fire-form.

If you want to go with a Magnum bolt face the 28 Nosler is an Excellent option especially with a long barrel using Alliant Reloader 33 and 180 grain bullets. - And with ADG bringing brass to market for this caliber it can only be better than before.

Both calibers are easy to get decent reloading dies and components for. - Good luck on your new project.

 

[RustyPin]

I'll 2nd the 7mm PRC if it's in the Budget.

 

[Mr.Knowit all]

Anyone can neck a case down and add more powder and make it faster. My brother has a 28 Nosler and it is great, absolutely great but it burns 82.5 grains of Retumbo to push that ELDX 3064 fps. I push the same ELDX(175gr.) with 57.5 grains at 2956 fps. Is a ~100 fps. worth the extra 25gr? It may be for YOU. Not for me, his gun gets much hotter faster from the extra powder than my 280AI does. I try to have somewhat efficient cartridges so that is why I went with the 280AI. JMO.

 

[jspivey97]

Seems like a lot of good words for the 280AI and the 28 Nosler. I considered going the 280AI route before I put my 284 together but decided against it. I think I've definitely ruled out the 28 Nosler and a 7PRC. 28 Nosler just a little more than what I'm looking for in terms of powder capacity and I'm not a fan of Hornady brass, so that's a big negative for the

I'm really leaning towards the 7SAUM. It seems like Norma 300 SAUM is a good source for quality brass. I've had experience with Norma brass in my 284 and like it quite well.

From what I've read, people are getting close to 3000fps with 180gr class bullets in their SAUMS. I run about 2800 with Sierra 175s in my 284. Would 3000fps a reasonable expectation in the SAUM running 183's out of a 29-30'' barrel with proper freebore etc?

 

[moondog]

I run two 7SAUMs, a long action and a short.
Nosler brass sucks!, Remington is good, but takes a lot of work and is un available.
I get 10 to 14 reloads on Remington. 2 to 3 on Nosler. I have been running Norma 300 SAUM brass necked down recently. It seems GTG so far, I only have 3 firings on it and seems to be holding up well, better than their 7 SAUM brass. I haven't tried the ADG brass yet but my buddy has. Time will tell on it.
I'm on my 4th barrel on them and I love the cartridge. Very easy to tune, 180s in the long action @ 2975, 168 in the short @3085. Both extremely accurate loads. Average round count around 1500. Not so with the 28 Nosler! I would look at an improved version for a bit more case capacity, not necessarily Velocity. I think a 35 or 37* with some taper taken out would be the ticket. I'm too heavily invested in mine or I would go that route.
Anyway, a long action would be a better way to go with it.

 

[B23]

One that many don't even know exists is the 7mm Blaser Magnum. It's a non-belted mag bolt face case that is a little shorter in length a bit larger in diameter than the 7mm Rem mag and has a tiny bit more case capacity, my cases hold right at 84gr of water. For comparison the 7mm Rem mag 82gr water, 7 WSM 81gr water, 7 SAUM 72gr water.

I had one built a couple years ago using a Rem 700 long action, Hart fluted #4 contour barrel finished at 26in. less brake. I'm shooting the 180 Bergers with 68.5gr RL26 and it consistently spits them out the end at 3088-3100fps and that's at 2000ft elevation. It'll pretty easily stack them into the .3's. Even with the heavy NF NXS 5.5-22x50 sitting on top, this particular build isn't very heavy, I consider it a medium-ish weight gun and the recoil is pretty minimal. Norma makes the brass and it's readily available from Grafs or Midsouth and Redding has dies available as well.

 

[MOA]

When I originally posted my first thought was 7 saum. It's a very nice cartridge. Just didnt know if it was a big enough step.

 

[Zeke 225]

280 Ackley Improved would get my vote. Always wanted one of them, it’s a cartridge that really not thought about where I live, but will handle just about anything you point at, from chucks to grizzlies no problem, it’s a cartridge that has class.

 

[jspivey97]

One that many don't even know exists is the 7mm Blaser Magnum. It's a non-belted mag bolt face case that is a little shorter in length a bit larger in diameter than the 7mm Rem mag and has a tiny bit more case capacity, my cases hold right at 84gr of water. For comparison the 7mm Rem mag 82gr water, 7 WSM 81gr water, 7 SAUM 72gr water.

I had one built a couple years ago using a Rem 700 long action, Hart fluted #4 contour barrel finished at 26in. less brake. I'm shooting the 180 Bergers with 68.5gr RL26 and it consistently spits them out the end at 3088-3100fps and that's at 2000ft elevation. It'll pretty easily stack them into the .3's. Even with the heavy NF NXS 5.5-22x50 sitting on top, this particular build isn't very heavy, I consider it a medium-ish weight gun and the recoil is pretty minimal. Norma makes the brass and it's readily available from Grafs or Midsouth and Redding has dies available as well.

View attachment 1103255

Thank you for the numbers on case capacity and the picture of your rifle! That's a nice looking setup.


Moondog,

That's exactly the kind of info I was looking for. 1500 rounds of good barrel life is about what I had expected from reading around a bit, and is encouraging to hear. I know that barrels are an expendable item, but I'm no lottery winner and that's about the soft limit I had in mind. It sounds like you are also getting the velocity numbers I was hoping for as well. As far as improving the case goes, I would probably just start with the case unmodified to see how I like it and try something like that on the next barrel. You might have just made my mind up!

 

[Mr.Knowit all]

280 Ackley Improved would get my vote. Always wanted one of them, it’s a cartridge that really not thought about where I live, but will handle just about anything you point at, from chucks to grizzlies no problem, it’s a cartridge that has class.

I like what you wrote but I think I'm too big of a wuss and not a good enough shot to hunt a grizzly with a 280AI. LOL....

 

[moondog]

Thank you for the numbers on case capacity and the picture of your rifle! That's a nice looking setup.


Moondog,

That's exactly the kind of info I was looking for. 1500 rounds of good barrel life is about what I had expected from reading around a bit, and is encouraging to hear. I know that barrels are an expendable item, but I'm no lottery winner and that's about the soft limit I had in mind. It sounds like you are also getting the velocity numbers I was hoping for as well. As far as improving the case goes, I would probably just start with the case unmodified to see how I like it and try something like that on the next barrel. You might have just made my mind up!

If you end up doing a short action you'll probably want to try 4831sc. I would look at 160 grain class bullets. On a long action, H-1000 with the heavies. I haven't tried any of the Reloader powders in mine, but they look promising. Good luck and enjoy.

 

[jspivey97]

I will be building it on a long long action 700 that I already have, so I will have plenty of room for the heavies. I will definitely take a look at H-1000, I might actually have a lb hidden somewhere. I did some load development with Reloader 17 in my 284. It gave good velocity and nice groups, but it was quite temperature sensitive. The load I worked up on a 75 degree day warmed up quite a bit on a hot summer day, even with keeping everything in the shade.