need help rifle guys

[dave d.]

:)guys i'm building my first custom rifle in 7mm(9 twist) my question is which one of these 2 should i build 7saum or 7wsm?i will be loading 168 bergers so i'm thinking the longer neck on the saum might be better then more case capacity but i want others experiences.here's a pic of what the rifle is going to look like:
www.kampfeldcustom.com/index_043.htm

[mountainam]

Dave, check out www.6mmbr.com I think I read something there a while ago about the short action ultra mag being more desireable for the long range precision shooting although I don't recall the reasoning. Good luck!

[deadeye]

daved,dont want to rain on your parade,genereally in heavy bullet wgt;s / per caliber//short mags.saum etc dont perform as well as large capacity case's in this area. if it were me i would go 7mm & powder-"retumbo'' for this purpose 168gn & up//bergers's rec twist per 168 is approx 1/10, 1-9 twist would definetly put you in168- 180gn range w/ possibly short cases petering out ballistic wise for this. short mags usually do better w/lighter bullets & less range.???is this a 1,000yd quest??dpends what your goal is,generally la's for upper weight bullets,sa for lower weight bullets. in this cal i hear the stw is the ultra -performer but never messed with on however i have w/7wsm & 7mm saum-not impressed/jmho

[dave d.]

:)thanks guys.jim as of right now it will be a short range (300yrds)gun but if i ever get access to 1000yrds i would like to know it is capable.i'm also looking to mag feed and the saum with the 168's fit.i was told by a few guys that have saum that the 168's perform well in it.they are pushing the 168's at 2950 to 3000fps which seemed plenty fast enough.i have some time so i will have to research it more.thanks

[deadeye]

both will serve well,just looking for max performance within the caliber,chek out salisbury on 1,000yd record,overclocking but awsome & working. i just delivered a 7mm to a friend of mine in colorado a 7mm/w/168gn bergers clocking @3063fps,a true 1,000yd gun in the right hands& berger is right on the money bc & wind drift wise/good luck

[dave d.]

:)jim what 7mm case did you deliver.do i need 3000fps with a 168 to shoot 1000yrds?thanks

[deadeye]

straight 7mm,you can get by on less but more fps the better but as you know w/speed comes more recoil,i have a stock 7mm that was bought w/rough bore,when i replace it i will be looking hard @7mm stw/approx 200ft over 7mm/ or standard 7mm,the 7mm rum are known to be difficult on brass. btw the 7mm delivered was not bad on recoil.

[dave d.]

:)forgive me for the dumb question but 7-08.

[deadeye]

i have no experience w/7-08,but hear this is a fine caliber with less recoil.but i love power & can handle recoil well ;D ;D ;D

[youp50]

I have a 7 WSM. I have not tried the 168 gr bullets. I have heard that the larger bullets take up too much powder space. The heaviest bullet I have seen in factory loads has been 160s. I have some of the old Winchester Fail Safe 160 gr factory loads. I cannot say if the load is compressed or not. I can say you can shake that cartridge and there is no powder movement that I can hear. Due to the Fail Safe bullets hybrid nature it is longer than a lead bullet. I measured 1.315 inches long.

One of the reasons I wish I had made my choice a 7 Rem mag is that heavier bullet capabilities the Rem offers.

[ourway77]

youp, I have been shooting a 7MM Mag. for as long as I can remember, still to date at 73 years young I still use it. I didn't do anything to the rifle at all and It was a 1" shooter all the time. Just recently it started to loose its accuracy. So I did everything possible and rebuilt it. it's a dynamite shooter now. You made a wise choice in the 7MM Remington Magnum. Years ago a record was broken for the 1000 yard, a Navy 2nd class set a new 5 shot 1000 yard record and to date I don't know whether it has been broken. I recently bought a 7MM Mag. Rem 700 BDL in mint condition so I am sending it too Mr. Kerry of MGM who did the rebuild on my other 7MM Mag. Not needing two of the same caliber I sent it to him to be re-chambered to 7MM RUM I shot terrific as a 7 Mag so it ought to shoot as well as a 7MMRUM, we'll see. Having a new trigger installed and everything else will be prewtty much stock. I am away from home at my daughters so when I return Iwill take some pictures and post them. Lou

[smokepole50]

I would suggest a 6.5-06 or a 6.5x284 if you want a rifle that will do it all and not beat you at the range. The 6.5 BC is very hard to beat and IIRC the 6.5 is winning most 1000 yard matches these days. I would go with 6.5-06 because you can mag feed it better than the 284 plus it does not burn the throat as bad as a steep shouldered over bore cartridge like a WSM or 284. Good and accurate Sierra Matchking 6.5mm bullets are also cheaper then Berger bullets.

Smokepole50

[esshup]

Dave:

I don't know if you want it for hunting or competition or both. If the rules allow it, toss a good muzzle brake on it.

My 7mm that shoots 175g Sierra Matchkings at 3450 fps recoils less than my Browning A-Bolt Mountain Ti .243 and the 7mm gun gun weighs 12# including the scope, Harris bipod, sling, and a full magazine. The 1:9 4 groove stabilizes 200g 7mm bullets.

[dave d.]

:)guys I missed this thread for awhile. Thank-you for all the great input but I need to stay short action and I want my cases to fit in my badger mag box. The only logical cartridge was the REM saum. It's not going to be a burner but I'm pretty sure ill get 2950fps with 168's. my range is 300yrds but I've been invited to a 1000yrd range which I will attend after I get my rifle failed in. The gun will weigh around 12 to 13lbs and have a break so it should kick like a puppy. I'm excited but the gun probably won't be done till spring so I have some time to get my reading stuff together. I'm going to buy a vortex viper 30mm 6.5x20x44 for this rifle what do you guys think?

[mountainam]

Dave, I'd say you definitely made the best choice. The SAUM case length will leave more bullet on the outside as opposed to a WSM. Good Shooting with your new Hot Rod!

[esshup]

Both Camera Land NY and Midway had them on sale a while back. Discontinued reticles I believe. CL NY has them now for $399.

[ourway77]

Daved, I read this post numerous time and never really thought about it. I own a Rem.#7 7 SAUM I loaded some 154 grain bullets and right out of the box it shot a hair over 1" with the first load I tried. It's the same ol' story too many rifles and have never shot it at a Deer. I hunt from a permanent blind in the middle of this gigantic bean field. My shots are between 3 and 500 yards. At times I have set up my prortable shooting bench at one end of this field I have a skirt around it and I have a sand bag rest. I have practiced at all the ranges on this field and I know the exact hold over for 3-500 yard shots. As you know I took a fall broke my knee a finger and busted my chin. I will try to get out for the 2 day rifle hunt the end of this week I will set up on this very field at the end no one hunts this field so ought to get something crossing the field. Two years ago I hunted this two day hunt and killed a very big bodied buck Only 11 pointer I have a picture some where if I can find it I will post it. lou

[rsbhunter]

I am curious if Kampfeld is building your custom? I had one built by Karl a couple years ago, and he is Fantastic!!!! Have e-mailed him recently with another project, but recieved no replies....he is awesome, will call and talk to you to make sure he is doing what you expected, and quality is above and beyond...a couple picks of his work....300 RUM....rsbhunter

[boarhog]

Dave,
I really like my Vortex Viper 6.5-20X50 scope.
BH