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Which 7mm for 1 mile

jimbo88mm

Evening all,

A couple of weeks ago I had a chance to shoot out at various distances from 1000 yards to 1 mile. I used a 260 with 140gr berger hybrids. Overall I think my rifle did pretty good but I would like to put together a new rifle that will not get pushed around in the wind as much. This new rifle will not be used for hunting or competitions. Just something for me to grab when the opportunity to shoot past 1000 presents itself. It will be built on a savage action.

I prefer not to mess with a wildcat or turned necks. So far I have considered the following:

Straight 284
280/280 ai
7 saum
7 rem mag
7 ultra mag
28 nosler

The 284 and 280 appeal to me for lower cost (components and barrel life), but they are the slowest. Since this rifle will be used sparingly maybe I can afford to go with something a little harder on the barrel.

7 saum and 7 rem mag seem like good compromises. At one point I thought I was settled on the 7 rem mag but I keep hearing people complain about belted cases and problems associated with resizing and brass life.

The 7 ultra mag and 28 nosler look very good on speed, but brass costs alone are extremely high and barrel life seems very short. I know that barrels are expendable but I'd like to get at least 1200 rounds out of them before having to replace.

Suggestions and comments appreciated :)
 
I would look at 7-300 win mag too, it is almost the same capacity as a 7mm Dakota and just under a 28 Nosler but uses cheaper cases. I have one in a specialty pistol and have shot it out beyond a mile. Yes it's a wildcat but an easy one, 300 win mag die with the correct bushing and your good.

You will have short barrel life with a big seven but even if you shoot it sparingly that's probably a four or five year life span
 
We've set up a range with targets from 1200-2200 yards and I've been experimenting with 7s on it. I've tried cartridges from the 280 to a 7/338 Lapua Improved. A straight 7/338 Lapua that has about the case capacity of the 7 Ultra went about 450 rounds.

The tipping point for your barrel life goal is probably about the case capacity of the 7 Rem Mag. The 7wsm and 7/300wsm also have about that case capacity. Barrel life will also be strongly affected by string length. The larger the case you decide on, the more discipline you'll need about the number of shots in a row. That can be more frustrating than the extra HP is worth.

Using the Applied Ballistics WEZ estimator, the hit percentage from the bottom of your list to the top should increase a little over 50%. That is, the 28 Nosler might get half again as many hits as the 284. Used the same way, a 284 will likely have 3x the barrel life of the Nosler. That's pretty much the awful deal that's offered.

I'm switching from 7wsm to 7/300wsm for my most heavily used gun because of the availability of brass. My goals for that gun are similar to yours. 7 Practical (7/300 win mag) would be an intermediate step between 7 Rem Mag and 28 Nosler. I shoot a lot of 300wm as well and don't share the internets aversion to belts. I use the Innovative Solutions die. I load to 8-10 round case life with the 300 and have found that die both necessary and effective.

After quality components and individually weighed powder charges, neck turning was the next most time/cost effective reduction in velocity spread for me.

Several of my test mules are based on Savage actions.
 
i have two SAUMs, One long action, one short. Out last week at my range and got 3 out of 3 hits at
1770 on 24" steel. Great brass life, Barrel life? Have 1100 on long action, about 900 on short.
180 Berger hybrids @2950 long, 162 @2995 in short
I,m also at 5500 elevation
Also, My short action is on a Savage, 24" MTU. It Hammers!
 
Last edited:
Why be stuck on a 7mm caliber?
If you want to build a bigger boomer (aka long range and extended long range only rifle), skip the BS and build a big boomer...

300 Rum
338 lapua with 250gr or 300 gr bullets
30-338
375 snipe tac

Get some bang for your buck if your going to shoot long range.

I run a 338 lapua on 300gr bergers.
 
Sniper338 said:
Why be stuck on a 7mm caliber?
If you want to build a bigger boomer (aka long range and extended long range only rifle), skip the BS and build a big boomer...

300 Rum
338 lapua with 250gr or 300 gr bullets
30-338
375 snipe tac

Get some bang for your buck if your going to shoot long range.

I run a 338 lapua on 300gr bergers.
Click to expand...


Based on my own research it just seems like 7mm are in a sweet spot. With the 30 cals you have to push them harder to equal the wind bucking of a 7mm 180gr vld/hybrid bullet.

How fast are you pushing those 300 bergers?

I ask because when I started thinking about a dedicated elr rifle I looked at the savage 112 338 as a relatively quick and easy way to get into 338 lapua. I then googled to see what velocities people were getting with it and 300gr bergers (2650-2750). At that velocity the 338L doesn't seem to have that much of an advantage over some of the bigger 7mm. I'm thinking to build a 338 that will really push those 300gr bullets at proper speeds is going to get more expensive than I'm willing to spend. Maybe I'm wrong?
 
jimbo88mm said:
Maybe I'm wrong?
Click to expand...

No, you're not. You're a few steps down the road past the internet already. Keep going the direction you're going.

The Savage 338 guns can be a great way to start ELR. There is nothing like 338 Lapua brass that fits in a conventional long action. And it's pretty much always available. To get performance similar to the 338 from a 7, the barrel life will be shorter.

Other than that, it pretty much rolls the 7s way. The 180 ELDm is the latest example of great bullets in that caliber. Nearly the BC of the 300 grain 338s and even a 7wsm will get them moving fast enough to cover the BC difference to well past a mile. $35 a box. They're also shorter than the 195 class, so the stability factor is higher with a given twist. I'm running 1:8 on all my 7s now.
 
Two thoughts.

1. Factory Brass: 7 STW. According to the Berger Manual, it is within 100fps or so of the RUM.

2. I had the barrel throated on my 112 338 LM to let me seat the 300gr Bergers out from box magazine oal limited 3.70 +/- to 3.95 +/-. Base of the bullet is even with the shoulder/body junction. I am at 2900 with RL-33.
 
Simplicity for me. My first 1 mile shots where with a plain old 7mm Rem Mag with believe it or not the 162gr A Max and H4831SC. That was over 11 years ago. Since then that barrel gave up and like you I was Nashing Teeth over what the latest and greatest that would keep me in that hunt.. At the end of the day.. Chambered up another Good Ole 7mm Rem Mag mostly because I already owned all the stuff. I am Not sorry I did that either. I have enough Wild Cat stuff to keep me endlessly busy. But at the end of the day when I know I go out and there is a chance to shoot some ELR.. I reach for the 7mmRM... 180gr Bergers. With a Can on it.. its a lot of fun to shoot.
As mentioned above the only other way I would go would be the 7mm practical/ 7/300WM route. I think you are going to have fun just planning the build. LOL. Hope you end up with a Hammer. Best of luck to you.
 
Good info here from everyone, thank you!

Simplicity is what had me leaning towards the 7 rem mag. The combination of component availability and cost were big pluses for me. The 7-300wm is now under serious consideration. That may be the route I go.

Next step is to buy a donor rifle and start collecting all the pieces. Should take me several months to get everything, although the last time I said that I had all the pieces within a month, lol. We'll see!
 
Based on your criteria, I'd go 7 rem mag. This is my Defiance at 1670.
280ldlf.jpg
 
jimbo88mm said:
Based on my own research it just seems like 7mm are in a sweet spot. With the 30 cals you have to push them harder to equal the wind bucking of a 7mm 180gr vld/hybrid bullet.

How fast are you pushing those 300 bergers?

I ask because when I started thinking about a dedicated elr rifle I looked at the savage 112 338 as a relatively quick and easy way to get into 338 lapua. I then googled to see what velocities people were getting with it and 300gr bergers (2650-2750). At that velocity the 338L doesn't seem to have that much of an advantage over some of the bigger 7mm. I'm thinking to build a 338 that will really push those 300gr bullets at proper speeds is going to get more expensive than I'm willing to spend. Maybe I'm wrong?
Click to expand...


RL33 is some pretty good stuff in the 338 lapua. In the 2900s are common. I run a 30 inch kreiger barrel on mine.

Im not ditching a 7 by any means in the end. A 7STW would launch them like a rocket.
 
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