Rifle Brand for 7mm Rem Mag

[WVmike]

Model 70 Extreme Tungsten | Bolt-Action Rifle | Winchester

www.winchesterguns.com

Anyone have one of these?

 

[Wind Gypsy]

No bottom metal, all mags. Depending on caliber they are either Seekins own sweet carbon fiber mags or PMAGS. My Manbun will be a PMAG while the PRC gets the cf.

As for the bolt mention, they do come coated and need a good clean and lube.....then end up slick as snot

That coating does them a real disservice when folks are comparing guns off a rack in a store. Probably doesn't matter so much when people order directly without comparing.

I've noticed the CVA cascade and some weatherby mark v's i've played with in store felt similar and it leaves a guy without a clue what they will be like once wiped down and broken in. That Havak HIT was the worst though. Are they afraid they are going to rust sitting in a store if they send them in the condition guys will actually use them in?

As long as i'm sidetracking here - Seekins did something really smart on that HIT rifle with the AR style dust cover. Would be great to see that feature added to sporter bolt actions to keep snow/water/dust/dirt/etc out of actions and triggers. Might not appeal to the traditional crowd who care more about how a rifle looks than how it functions but would love manufacturers to keep pushing past that.

Also to re-iterate for others - seems there are lots of havaks available in stock online or in stores like scheels. If you want one I'd look for one in stock rather than ordering one and waiting.

 

[belshawelk]

Browning x bolt pro or Weatherby backcountry. I bought both mine under 2K ( less scope) each. Both are fantastic rifles.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

Bergaras seem pretty heavy and I don't particularly like the stocks.

I really dislike the stock on CA ridgelines. There is a bunch of flex in the fore-end and they might as well have not put a grip on it as far away from the trigger as it is.

I'm a fan of tikkas but in 7RM a hand loader is going to be limited by COAL and slow twist rates in a tikka. Tikka stocks are pretty stiff as well but the grip needs some modification for me to be happy. More reliable and generally slicker action setup than m700 clones (Christensen, bergara, seekins). If they chamber a rifle in 7PRC this would be my choice.

Seekins - did a fantastic job on the stock (minus being a little short in LOP without easily inserted adapters). It has a grip that actually supports your firing hand and puts it in position to make good trigger presses. Will not limit your COAL for longer bullets in handloads. Somewhat heavy in PH2 configuration. I personally had poor accuracy with 2 300wm barrels but that was at least a couple years ago but i've not seen recent negative reports like were somewhat common with PH1's. Action is pretty heavy and 4 lugs seems overkill. That said, i paid to put an aftermarket barrel on mine rather than send it back for round 3. If going 7RM, this is the direction i'd probably go out of the 4 mentioned.

Savage - I think they do a pretty good job with stock ergos and a lot of them shoot well but I'll never settle for their rough janky actions. Seen some that have extraction/ejection issues and that is a known issue if you google. Saw a guy show up with one for a precision rifle class that had rattling loose pic rail and short head spacing that wouldn't chamber factory ammo. This sent the instructor into a rant about all the jacked up savages he sees.

Browning x-bolt - I've got a handful of custom rifles but find myself carrying a basic 300 wsm xbolt stainless stalker more than any other rifle. The thing shoots fantastic, is light and short enough to be nice to carry, and the stock fits me well for a sporter stock. Trigger is kind of mediocre and sloppy feeling. I dont like how thin the receiver is where the scope bases mount, they are prone to stripping threads there. I don't recommend these much but mine sure works well. For doing a lot of walking and holding the rifle, having the bottom metal flush like on the xbolts is nice.

Forgot to mention Weatherby mark v. I think they did a really nice job on the backcountry and Hunter stock shapes. It's a big improvement over the traditional monte carlo with big drop at heel in regards to managing recoil. I'm just not into the mark v action for 2 reasons. 1 - there is 9 lugs on a mk v magnum action when there is no reason for that many. It's just a bunch of mating surfaces that have more potential to not be true and create friction and adds unnecessary weight. 2 - 54 degree bolt lift sounds good, but the same amount of work cocking needs to occur in that shorter degree which results in more force required. I typically have scopes mounted high enough to clear just fine on a 90 degree bolt so I'd prefer lighter lift/close of the bolt that is less likely to disrupt the rifle position.

 

[buffybr]

I'm not much of a gun snob, and I personally think that your Vanguard 7 mm RM would be an ideal rifle. Depending on how well your rifle shoots, I don't really see how you can improve on it with another brand.

I currently have 3 Vanguard rifles, one in .300 Weatherby, one in .308 Win., and a .223. I have pillar and glass bedded all of them, and modified their stocks to fit me, and made some other changes. The biggest drawback that I can see with any of them is their weight as they are all in the 9 1/2 to 10 pound range.

I re-stocked my .300 Wby in AA Fancy walnut, and other than no fancy inlays, I would put that stock up against any other Mark V stock that I've seen. It;s so nice that I hate to take it out in foul weather, but iot is my favorite elk rifle and I have taken it on a number of international hunts. This is why I have my 7 mm RM.

My Vanguards...

My first 7 mm RM was a pawn shop ADL that I borrowed from a friend for my first South African hunt. I later bought it then traded it for a stainless BDL that my pawn shop friend had. I've also taken it on a number or international hunts, and it is the only rifle that put any animals in the B&C record books for me.

Last summer I put my Rem 700 7 mm RM in a Vanguard Griptonite stock and my only mission now is to tweek it's long range accuracy.

 

[WVmike]

I'm not much of a gun snob, and I personally think that your Vanguard 7 mm RM would be an ideal rifle. Depending on how well your rifle shoots, I don't really see how you can improve on it with another brand.

I currently have 3 Vanguard rifles, one in .300 Weatherby, one in .308 Win., and a .223. I have pillar and glass bedded all of them, and modified their stocks to fit me, and made some other changes. The biggest drawback that I can see with any of them is their weight as they are all in the 9 1/2 to 10 pound range.

I re-stocked my .300 Wby in AA Fancy walnut, and other than no fancy inlays, I would put that stock up against any other Mark V stock that I've seen. It;s so nice that I hate to take it out in foul weather, but iot is my favorite elk rifle and I have taken it on a number of international hunts. This is why I have my 7 mm RM.

My Vanguards...

My first 7 mm RM was a pawn shop ADL that I borrowed from a friend for my first South African hunt. I later bought it then traded it for a stainless BDL that my pawn shop friend had. I've also taken it on a number or international hunts, and it is the only rifle that put any animals in the B&C record books for me.

Last summer I put my Rem 700 7 mm RM in a Vanguard Griptonite stock and my only mission now is to tweek it's long range accuracy.

My 7mm has been touch and go with the reloads that I have developed. The best group I have shot was a 3 shot group at 0.86 but it was with 150 gmx and 59.0 of IMR 4350. The eld-x the best group is not even close. I’m going to work with IMR 4831 and see if that does better. Also I’m getting a bonus from work this November and I have yet to purchase a premium rifle for myself. I would like to be able to pick up something that I normally wouldn’t be able to pick up on the regular basis. My financial manager “wife” doesn’t give me a long lease to purchase high quality things like I would like so this one time and probably for a long time I’d like to get a nice rifle.

 

[Seamaster]

I am interested in the new Remington 700 Alpha. It adds some very nice additional features to the traditional 700, and it is a bit higher priced to reflect those changes. Better stock, trigger, bolt, etc. It is their new premium model.

 

[MJE]

I’m currently looking at the new fierce rouge. Looks like you get many nice features for the price. Might be worth checking out.

 

[WVmike]

The more I look at the Seekins, the more I want one. It looks like finding one in stock in 7mm may be the only problem. Their warranty seems to be one the better ones especially for a firearms company.

 

[Horseman]

I would go to a pawn shop and pick up an old junker Remington 700 LA and take that to a good (small business) gunsmith and have a custom rifle built to your specifications. Being as u hand load, you could have a tack driver that fits you like a glove for the same price or less than many of the ‘higher end’ plastic pieces of junk that the gunstores sell. Custom rifles are the way to go-I may never buy another rifle because I love mine so much but if I did I would never consider buying an overpriced, mass produced rifle.

 

[std7mag]

I have a Mark V Weathermark LT in 7mm WBY Mag.
2 things i dislike about it.
1) Short ejection port. The barrel, and magazine will let me load to 3.630". But as a hunting rifle and wanting to eject an unfired cartridge, i can only load to 3.360" MAX. Otherwise you need to take the bolt out. Which requires squeezing the trigger.

2) Weatherby only offers their 7mm barrels (on the Mark V) in 1:10 twist instead of the more popular 1:9.

As for the Savage naysayers..
Since you don't like em, i'll buy all that i can afford!!
And enjoy the smile at the range, or on the hunt.

 

[ludville1]

I'm not much of a gun snob, and I personally think that your Vanguard 7 mm RM would be an ideal rifle. Depending on how well your rifle shoots, I don't really see how you can improve on it with another brand.

I currently have 3 Vanguard rifles, one in .300 Weatherby, one in .308 Win., and a .223. I have pillar and glass bedded all of them, and modified their stocks to fit me, and made some other changes. The biggest drawback that I can see with any of them is their weight as they are all in the 9 1/2 to 10 pound range.

I re-stocked my .300 Wby in AA Fancy walnut, and other than no fancy inlays, I would put that stock up against any other Mark V stock that I've seen. It;s so nice that I hate to take it out in foul weather, but iot is my favorite elk rifle and I have taken it on a number of international hunts. This is why I have my 7 mm RM.

My Vanguards...

My first 7 mm RM was a pawn shop ADL that I borrowed from a friend for my first South African hunt. I later bought it then traded it for a stainless BDL that my pawn shop friend had. I've also taken it on a number or international hunts, and it is the only rifle that put any animals in the B&C record books for me.

Last summer I put my Rem 700 7 mm RM in a Vanguard Griptonite stock and my only mission now is to tweek it's long range accuracy.

Nothing wrong with a Weatherby Vanguard, I love mine! Weatherby Lazerguard in .257 Wby. mag. Beautiful wood, and accurate as Hell!

 

[ludville1]

I have a Remington 700 LSS in 7mm Rem. mag that I bought new. It is a shooter. I plan on losing the Trigger Assist that is on it, and getting a real trigger job soon, as the factory trigger is really stiff.

 

[mtmuley]

I have a Remington 700 LSS in 7mm Rem. mag that I bought new. It is a shooter. I plan on losing the Trigger Assist that is on it, and getting a real trigger job soon, as the factory trigger is really stiff.
View attachment 260302

A good Smith can make that trigger work as well as any replacement. They have to know what they are doing though. mtmuley

 

[ludville1]

A good Smith can make that trigger work as well as any replacement. They have to know what they are doing though. mtmuley

Yes, we have a local guy that is a wizard with 700 triggers, and he only charges $30! He has done 2 of my neighbor's 700's, and also his son's 700. They are really nice. This guy is a gunsmith pretty much full time, as well as a Tool Maker by trade.

 

[mtmuley]

Yes, we have a local guy that is a wizard with 700 triggers, and he only charges $30! He has done 2 of my neighbor's 700's, and also his son's 700. They are really nice. This guy is a gunsmith pretty much full time, as well as a Tool Maker by trade.

Yep. We have a smith here that is the same way. That's why I don't have any aftermarket triggers. mtmuley

 

[sneakypete]

I’ve got two model 70 Winchester 7mm, one extreme weather and the other a blued gun. Unfortunately they don’t are the extreme weather anymore I really like the three position safety!

 

[Mallardsx2]

Browning

 

[Wheatgrass]

I bought a CA Ridgeline in a 7 mm Rem Mag a couple years ago. I am very happy with the accuracy and quality of the gun. I chose the the 7RM chamber to replace my old Ruger 7RM because I had tons of 7RM brass, but the old Ruger was not particularly accurate. Unfortunately most of my old brass would not chamber in the new CA Ridgeline even with full length resizing. I bought a special resizing collet that helped, a little, but the CA chamber is apparently much tighter than the old Ruger. I basically ended up buying all new brass, which chambers fine in the Ridgeline. It will also chamber reloaded brass that was shot in the Ridgeline, but i am still using the collet to help keep the new brass in shape so that it chambers smooth in the Ridgeline. I have since learned that belted magnums like the 7RM are somewhat notorious for stretching problems at the base because the belt block the dies. Many expert say the belted magnums are fundamentally flawed because they were designed to space of the belt rather tha; the shoulder. That is a bit beyond my expertise, but I did get schooled on the stretching problem. In hindsight, I wish that I would have got one of the newer PRC calibers, but I’m still very happy with the gun. A 7 PRC would be great and the 6.8 western would be another interesting caliber, but I don’t think CA sells that one.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

I bought a CA Ridgeline in a 7 mm Rem Mag a couple years ago. I am very happy with the accuracy and quality of the gun. I chose the the 7RM chamber to replace my old Ruger 7RM because I had tons of 7RM brass, but the old Ruger was not particularly accurate. Unfortunately most of my old brass would not chamber in the new CA Ridgeline even with full length resizing. I bought a special resizing collet that helped, a little, but the CA chamber is apparently much tighter than the old Ruger. I basically ended up buying all new brass, which chambers fine in the Ridgeline. It will also chamber reloaded brass that was shot in the Ridgeline, but i am still using the collet to help keep the new brass in shape so that it chambers smooth in the Ridgeline. I have since learned that belted magnums like the 7RM are somewhat notorious for stretching problems at the base because the belt block the dies. Many expert say the belted magnums are fundamentally flawed because they were designed to space of the belt rather tha; the shoulder. That is a bit beyond my expertise, but I did get schooled on the stretching problem. In hindsight, I wish that I would have got one of the newer PRC calibers, but I’m still very happy with the gun. A 7 PRC would be great and the 6.8 western would be another interesting caliber, but I don’t think CA sells that one.

I definitely prefer non-belted cases as well because of similar issues. Are you just bumping the shoulder enough for clearance when re-sizing or going all the way back to minimum/virgin case dimensions?