Ready for a new 7 mag load

[Don Fischer]

Been reading some more and people sure seem to like the e-Tip bullet's. I've never used them but wouldn't try them either. Problem for me would be that tip. When it hit's, that tip has to go somewhere and that's back into the bullet. Wonder what that would do to the bullet? If I wanted to try an E-Tip I'd go with a monolithic bullet. Then, according to Winchester, the tip helps open the tip to expand. Could be a point there! I know I'd fired some Sierra match kings into newspaper years ago, from my 7x57 I think it was, 140gr bullets. They retained 100% of their weight, the bullet's bent and the hp simply closed up! I'd read several years ago about an African PH finding the original Barnes doing that sometimes. Turns a HP bullet into a solid!

If I was to swap off my Hot Core bullet's in my 6.5x06 and 6.5x55 I'd go to the Speer Grand Slam, come to think of it I think it was called a Mag Tip back then. I remember when it came out Speer showed a photo of a normal spitzer leaving the barrel of a rifle and the tip of the bullet was washed away! Left the bullet looking like a Rem core lock. But I already had good luck with the standard hot cores and I'm slow to change from something that works for me. Even today rather than go to the newer bonded bullet's in my 6.5x06 and 6.5x55 I went with the Speer HC, I know how they work and they cost less! The cost of premium bullet's floors me! I'm not rich.

 

[perma]

Well some good news with the swifts. The spicier the load gets, the better the groups. This is with IMR4350. I flinched a bit and the wind was ripe so I bet they can group much better than this.

Time to lengthen the load?

CBTO - 2.64”

62g IMR4350

Scirocco II 150g

Remington 9/2 LRM

Peterson unfired brass

 

[perma]

Side note; this target was not scaled to size, meaning the blocks are not exactly 1" apart. It was a cheap printout from the interwebz.

 

[noharleyyet]

100 yds?

 

[perma]

100 yds?

Yup. And I realized it was already loaded at mag length. I made 5 new rounds and am going to reshoot when the wind is better.

 

[noharleyyet]

Yup. And I realized it was already loaded at mag length. I made 5 new rounds and am going to reshoot when the wind is better.

Not bad for new brass & a gale...; )

 

[perma]

Not bad for new brass & a gale...; )

Meh, I’m better than that. Just haven’t practiced in 2 months. If the wind dies down I’ll go back and try again on these 5 shots.

 

[std7mag]

Personally, I'd go to a slower burning powder.

Since it's not too likely to find Alliant.

I'd start with 4831(any flavor), Ramshot Hunter, or Magnum, Norma MRP, or Vihtavouri N550, N 560.

 

[perma]

Personally, I'd go to a slower burning powder.

Since it's not too likely to find Alliant.

I'd start with 4831(any flavor), Ramshot Hunter, or Magnum, Norma MRP, or Vihtavouri N550, N 560.

I do have some 4831SC. I’ll load up a few rounds before I leave for the range today.

 

[Outlaw99]

140 TTSX at >3100 fps
Ruger #1 7 Rem Mag
65g Alliance 4000-MR

https://flic.kr/p/2pamyXw

@noharley; what ring setup do you have going on there? I just put a swaro z3 4-12x50 on mine with factory rings and I’m not sure I love it…

 

[noharleyyet]

@Outlaw99

Mine are Ruger 4BO 1" offset medium. My Swaro is 3x10x42...you might need highs with the 50mm bell.

 

[Outlaw99]

@Outlaw99

Mine are Ruger 4BO 1" offset medium. My Swaro is 3x10x42...you might need highs with the 50mm bell.

I’m ok bell wise, but I’m wondering if I need to offsets…, I’m running out of vertical adjustment up just boresighting the new scope.

 

[Outlaw99]

 

[noharleyyet]

View attachment 331145

If cheek weld and relief is adequate you're good. Don't know why your elevation is wonky...the rings should be level.

 

[Outlaw99]

Thank you

 

[perma]

Personally, I'd go to a slower burning powder.

Since it's not too likely to find Alliant.

I'd start with 4831(any flavor), Ramshot Hunter, or Magnum, Norma MRP, or Vihtavouri N550, N 560.

I think you’re onto something. I shot 5 with IMR4350 and they were awful. I shot 5 of my ol reliable H1000 on TTSX 150g. 3 of the 5 made paper but the 3 were in 1 1/4” groups. I think 4350 burns too fast and H1000 burns too slow. 4831SC might be the resolution. At least for 150g bullets

 

[perma]

I think you’re onto something. I shot 5 with IMR4350 and they were awful. I shot 5 of my ol reliable H1000 on TTSX 150g. 3 of the 5 made paper but the 3 were in 1 1/4” groups. I think 4350 burns too fast and H1000 burns too slow. 4831SC might be the resolution. At least for 150g bullets

I think I found my huckleberry; 66.5g of 4831SC. I’m going to chalk up the flyers to either a small amount of bullet seating I didn’t spot check, a barrel with around 30 rounds prior to shooting or the slightly moving target from the wind. I’m ready to make my first lot of Swifts.

66.5g

67.5g - notice the target changed; that was because the wind ripped off the original target…

 

[bobbadbob]

ive shot 7mm 150 sierra boat tails for years...my 1962 rem 700 loves them...use 66 grains of 4831...chrono sez 2875...5 elk 2 oryx and 10 deer and antelope...my gripe is they dont go through giving 2 blood exits...the bullets are doing what they were designed to do and have found them under the hide on the off side numerous times...problem is they go in leaving a pencil size hole that is sealed of by tissue then bleed internally, no blood trail...i totally understand and see the damage internally by the bullet leaving all its energy in the animal but sometimes the animal does not visually react to the bullet, elk and oryx are tough... ive seen them totally collapse on a marginal shot but other times they act like nothing happened ...my wife shot an oryx that left no blood trail, found it after extensive searching that other hunters might not have done...upon gutting the top half of his heart was gone... when someone else is shooting your gun you dont know if they made a good shot...have lost 1 deer in west texas due to spoilage cuz i thought the guy missed, they can spoil overnite cuz it doesnt cool down ...my grandson shot a good muley with me, ran into some weeds where it couldnt leave without us seeing it...took us a long time to find it, excellent shot just a little blood out his mouth no trail...going moose hunting in wy, soo im gonna load 150 cx hornady...saving some sierra loads in case the cx dont group

well the cx bullets can group and blow all the way thru...reloaded them for wy moose...killed a moose at 50 yds, could see the hair and tissue flying out the off side on every shot...did not get the blood i expected...shot mid high 6 inches behind shoulder, moose laid down, set my gun down to wait for expiration....a person driving behind us who told me where the moose was started walking toward it, it got up and started walking off...i put 2 more in the same spot, you could put 3 fingers on one hand in the holes...for better or worse i got what i wanted from cx solids...im sure if id shot low in the lungs there would have been blood every where, but all the blood was internal cuz of the relatively high shot....sooo imo it boils down to this for me...shock vs exit holes for blood trail...im sure if i shot shoulder it would have went thru both...maybe a 168 gr sierra would have been a better choice

 

[Alpine01]

well the cx bullets can group and blow all the way thru...reloaded them for wy moose...killed a moose at 50 yds, could see the hair and tissue flying out the off side on every shot...did not get the blood i expected...shot mid high 6 inches behind shoulder, moose laid down, set my gun down to wait for expiration....a person driving behind us who told me where the moose was started walking toward it, it got up and started walking off...i put 2 more in the same spot, you could put 3 fingers on one hand in the holes...for better or worse i got what i wanted from cx solids...im sure if id shot low in the lungs there would have been blood every where, but all the blood was internal cuz of the relatively high shot....sooo imo it boils down to this for me...shock vs exit holes for blood trail...im sure if i shot shoulder it would have went thru both...maybe a 168 gr sierra would have been a better choice

Interesting. I took a moose at 375 yards in northwest BC with a 7mm and 150-gr CX. First shot was double lung with a quarter-sized exit wound. Moose just stood still when I hit him. Second shot was high shoulder. Same sized exit wound. Moose tipped over where he stood after the second shot. I can't say that we saw a lot of blood from either wound. But he didn't move more than a step either.

 

[MTLabrador]

You won’t get a lot of blood on high rear lung shots. Shoot them lower and tight to the shoulder and you’ll have much better results.