What is the best bullet weight for loading up in the 7mm Remington Mag.? I have one that I have had for two years and still not shot (still waiting for me to put the stock on it). I already have a 270 win, 264winmag, and thought maybe the bullets over 140grains would be the best idea.

Any input? Load data? I think I have a full 24"'s to work with on the sporterized mauser.

thanks guys

Red

I would stay with bullets in the 140 to 160gr range.For smaller game such as deer 140 works great.For moose or elk 140gr premium bullets will work well but I would use 160gr in conventional bullets.

Dago, I'd go with the Hornady 154 SST, 64grs. H4831sc, Rem. primer, killer bullet, no pun intended, well, maybe. Jay

Depends on what you want to do with it.

If you want one bullet weight to cover everything I've found you can't go wrong with the 160 grain partition. The BC on this bullet is way up there and they work great on big game. You can normally work up a load that is very accurate and flat shooting in the 7mm Rem. IMO this bullet brings out the best in this caliber.

160gr

Gentlemen

I would say that my personal choice is 150-175 grains depending on bullet construction and game.

An easy to go option would be 160 accubonds matched up with 160 grain partitions,it would work for most things.

140's are to light for a magnum in my opinion. magnums shall shoot heavy bullet for the caliber with good velocity. BC gives better down range ballistics and SD takes care of the penetration

Cheers

/ JOHAN

I don't know about "best" because I know long-time 7mm Rem. Mag. shooters who have shot a ton of game with bullets weighing between 150 and 175 grs. Generally, for one single load to use on mule deer, pronghorn, whitetails, and elk most guys seem to prefer 160 gr. bullets, with the 160 Nosler Partition being a real favorite.

Most of the stuff I've shot with the 7mm Rem. in the past have been taken with either 154 or 175 gr. Hornady's.

AD

I have taken several elk and moose with 140gr partitions out of the 7mm remmag and 7mmstw.They penetrate well and do not come apart.Construction is far more important than weight.

Since I don't handload YET, I ordered some Federal Premium loaded with the Sierra GameKing in 165-gr. for my 700BDL/7mm Rem.Mag.
I think this bullet is only available loaded by Federal, though.
My rifle seems to like them.
The product # is P7RE.
http://www.federalcartridge.com/ammocat20.asp?s1=1

Ammunition Catalog Return to Search Results | New Search
Load
No. Primer
No. Grains/Grams Style Caliber Test Barrel Length (in.) Usage

F E D E R A L P R E M I U M �

P7RE 215 165 / 10.69 Sierra GameKing BTSP 7mm Rem. Magnum 24 3


Load
No. Primer
No. Grains/Grams Style Caliber Velocity in Feet Per Second
(to nearest 10fps)
Muzzle 100
Yds 200
Yds 300
Yds 400
Yds 500
Yds

F E D E R A L P R E M I U M �

P7RE 215 165 / 10.69 Sierra GameKing BTSP 7mm Rem. Magnum 2950 2800 2650 2510 2370 2230


Load
No. Primer
No. Grains/Grams Style Caliber Energy in Foot-Pounds
(to nearest 5 foot-pounds)
Muzzle 100
Yds 200
Yds 300
Yds 400
Yds 500
Yds

F E D E R A L P R E M I U M �

P7RE 215 165 / 10.69 Sierra GameKing BTSP 7mm Rem. Magnum 3190 2865 2570 2300 2050 1825


Load
No. Primer
No. Grains/Grams Style Caliber Wind Drift in In.
(10 MPH Crosswind)
100
Yds 200
Yds 300
Yds 400
Yds 500
Yds

F E D E R A L P R E M I U M �

P7RE 215 165 / 10.69 Sierra GameKing BTSP 7mm Rem. Magnum 0.5 2 4.6 8.4 13.5


Load
No. Primer
No. Grains/Grams Style Caliber Height of bullet
trajectory above
or below line of
sight if zeroed at
yards.
Sights 1.5" above
bore line (avg. range)
50
Yds 100
Yds 200
Yds 300
Yds

F E D E R A L P R E M I U M �

P7RE 215 165 / 10.69 Sierra GameKing BTSP 7mm Rem. Magnum -0.2 -3 -10.9


Load
No. Primer
No. Grains/Grams Style Caliber Height of bullet
trajectory above
or below line of
sight if zeroed at
yards.
Sights 1.5" above
bore line (Long range)
50
Yds 100
Yds 200
Yds 300
Yds 400
Yds 500
Yds

F E D E R A L P R E M I U M �

P7RE 215 165 / 10.69 Sierra GameKing BTSP 7mm Rem. Magnum +0.5 +1.5 -6.4 -18.4 -36.6

[ 08-02-2003, 20:27: Message edited by: BusMaster007 ]

No doubt about it, the 160 grain Nosler Partition is the best bullet chioce.

Much more important that you consider bullet constuction rather than bullet weight.
We have some great bullets today. A Barnes X, for instance, rarely looses any weight. The Swift-A-Frames are very similar. That means even the 120 gr. X will retain as much weight as an expanded NP in the 150-160 gr. range. Since they are lighter, they kick less and shoot flatter, thanks to 400-500 fps. more velocity. E

For me the only reason to go to the weight & muzzle blast of a magnum is to use heavier bullets. The 160gr bullets are a perfect match to any of the 7mags. If you want to shoot the 140gr pills, drop to a lt. wt. .280 (JMO).

Ijust got a Savage 110 in 7mm mag and after seeing the workings of a 168 gr SMK thats what I'll be using with 4831,60 grs should get me around 2900fps.

Jay how hot is that load in your gun? I am working up loads with H4831 and 154sst's. So far Im working with :

Rem. Case
Remington 9.5M Primer
62 Gr. 4831
154 SST
getting about 1" groups consistently

Also, have ya used your load on any whitetail? If so how does it perform? This is a new bullet for me...soo any comments on it would be appreciated...thanx

160 gr for conventional lead slugs. If using Barnes X, gailsafes, Grooves or copper type 120-150 are great!

I had always been very pleased with the 160 grain Barnes XLC and Nosler Partition with my 7mm STW. Just recently I started shooting the North Fork, WOW, what a bullet. Two straight one hole groups, now I don't even think about other bullets. Good shooting.

try a 120 barnes x. that is my next load to develop. smoking fast.... and deadly
woofer

Most people agree that the 160-grain weight is ideal in the 7mm Remington Magnum. My Sako used to love that load, too. Sadly, the throat is showing signs of serious wear these days and the only bullet it seems to shoot accurately now is the Hornady 175-grain Spire Point (I haven't tried 175 Partitions yet). With that bullet, however, it still gives me around 1/2 m.o.a. so I guess that in my case the "best" bullet weight is 175 grains.

160gr

Any bonded 140 and 150 Scirocco works just great, and the 139gr Interbond is just as accurate as the 150gr Scirocco and half as much in price.. Like I mentioned in another forun hit an elk head shot right below the eyes and blew the whole upper jaw right off with the Scirocco. At the impact of the hit, it sounded like another rifle went off. Bushnell range finder 800 yrd, measured 340yds. Have made 3 other neck shot with the Scirocco and droped in there tracks. Exit side wound hole 50 cent piece. Have also shot 14 other elk with 139 gr hornady interlock in 7mag, had 3 of those elk, internal parts blown to pieces after hitting shoulder or not taking the shots at all. Let my friend use 140 corelokt in my 7stw and he hit the corner of the shoulder of his elk. The bullet broke into 3 pieces and deflected into the ribs. Blood shot the whole half of the rib side and the shoulder clear down to the neck. All had to be thrown away. The next year he hit his elk with same gun and 150gr Scirocco blew out both shoulders at 260yds. The Hornady 139 interlock have use since
1972, load data 2nd highest in hornady book volume #2 for 139 gr H-4831-69.8-- 3280 av fps. highest was 71.4 I stayed with the 69.8 and had inside circled quarter groups with all 3 7rem mags. Savage 1st, Ruger 2nd, Wby van-guard VGX present.

If you handload, don't overlook the lighter barnes x bullets. I shoot the 120gr x bullet out of my 7mm stw and it loves them. It allows me to get high velocity, flatter trajectory, and the bullet still holds up and retains weight. It sure seems to work great for deer-size game.

Like P-17, I've had good results on the range with the Hornady 175 grain spire points. Haven't shot anything alive with them, but would expect them to work reasonably well on anything the 7mm Rem Mag is suited to.

160gr

uuuhhhh, while its nice to quote those warp speed velocities, any advantage is mostly smoke and mirrors. Even with a 300 yard sight in, a 120gr bullet gains you only an inch or a bit better at 400 yards, while the carry up of the 160 is much greater.

Gentlemen,

I've shot my 7mm RM on all sorts of game at all sorts of distances. 90% of this has been with the 175 gr. Nosler Partition. It shoots flat enough to make 400 yd. shots relatively "easy", and has even worked at much longer distances when trying to stop a wounded animal from escaping.

I really like the 175 gr. weight, but I'll admit that a lighter bullet such as a Barnes X or Failsafe will also work very well as long as they retain weight.

My 7mm is sitting over in the safe right now, and a box a 175 gr. Partitions loaded over IMR-7828 with a muzzle velocity of 2975 fps is sittiing next to it, ready to head to the field...

I'm going to shoot the barnes 120 XBT at whitetail this year. I was really impressed with the way they shot at the range this summer. This is the load i am using

7mm RM rem. case
Barnes 120 XBT
WLR primer
71.5 gr RL22
Velocity 3486 fps out of a 26" tube.
group average 0.863
switching to large rifle primers tightened my groups up.

I like 140 grain Noslers. BTs for antelope and small stuff, Partitions for larger deer and elk. Powder is IMR7828 most of the time, second choice H-4831.

Nothing especially wrong with 145-grain Speer, and they have a 145-grain match bullet that is nice for adjusting sights precisely.

I get my best accuracy with a Sierra 168gr. HPBT Matchking pushed along by VihtaVouri 560 powder. However, this is not really a hunting load, being better suited to the bench. I get my best results in the field . with the Speer 160gr. PSP and IMR4831. This powder is pretty much a standard in this caliber. It works for me. Best wishes.

Cal - Montreal

My new Weatherby really likes 150 grain Nosler BT
over 67.5 grains of RL22. Most 3 shot groups are under .60 and quite a few punch only 2 holes.
Speed avg is 3000. A perfect load for Michigan whitetails. I think the question is very basic- what bullet is best? My answer is what are you going to do? I like certain bullets- but what my rifle likes is very important as well.
Good Shooting.

Going back to the comment about lighter weight bullets having little trajectory advantage: Bull puckey!

Run a comparison between a 130 gr copper bullet (b.c. .500 or better) traveling at 3300-3400 fps with a 175 grain game bullet (b.c. .500 if you are lucky) at 2900 fps.

I ran the numbers, using the 130 gr. GS custom and a 168 gr. MatchKing (giving you the benefit of the doubt).

The difference at 400 with a 250 yard zero is 4 inches. The energy delivered is almost the same. The point blank range (6") of the matchking (at 3,000 fps) is 300 yards, the 130 grain is 347 yards.

Even better, I much prefer the terminal ballistics of the copper bullets. So, what's not to like? FWIW, Dutch.

My hunting partner in Wyoming started out using the 160 partition but switched to the 154 grain spire point Hornady because he wanted better performance on deer. He uses that bullet on elk too and got a really nice 6x6 this year. He feels he gets quicker kills with the Hornady bullets because they are more destructive.

dr280, you might be interested to note that about 5 years ago Ken Waters wrote an article about reloading for the 7mm Remington Magnum. He tried all kinds of bullets and loads.

For sheer accuracy, can you guess what his best load was? It was basically a toss-up between 67.5 grains of IMR 7828 or Reloder 22 pushing a 150-grain Ballistic Tip. It's interesting to see that your own experience bears this out.

If you want to go "premium", I'd recommend 150 grain Nosler partition!

If you want a real good bullet for deer, etc, where deep penetration is not a potential problem, I'd recommend the 154 grain Hornady Spire Point! This one will do it all on deer size game!

My 7mm Rem Mag really likes both of these bullets!

I have fired 3-shot, 1 hole groups with both of these bullets!

You already have a 270; why shoot 150's in the Rem? 160 or bigger.
I'd think about setting it up with a heavy round nose.

me I'll take a 175 in just about any makeup. I just feel magnums are meant to push heavy for calber bullets.

Just my Opinion

Brian

[QUOTE]Originally posted by 445 supermag:
[QB]me I'll take a 175 in just about any makeup. I just feel magnums are meant to push heavy for calber bullets.

I'm with 445, 175gr all the way with 4831 or 7828.

I agree. The best use for magnums is to push heavier bullets at about the same velocity as lighter bullets in "standard" cartridges. If you do that there's no need for the expensive premium bullets IMO, as you're still in the impact velocity range where conventional jacketed bullets work well. Get much over 3000 FPS at the muzzle and the need for the various fancy new bullets becomes apparent for non-varmint hunting purposes. But in the 7mm Rem Mag the 175 gr. pointed Hornady Interlock and Remington Core-Lokts are good choices.

Dutch, I don't have a program but I've checked in a Speer, Hornady and Sierra book and can't find the numbers you're quoting. Does Speer make a Grand Slam in 130grs?
By any road, the best bc I could find for a 130gr'er was @400 while the bc on the same sort of bullet in 160grs was 500. Using 3300 on the one hand and 3000 on the other with a 300 yard zero the 130 has about 1-2inches over the 160 while the 160 is delivering a heavier blow.
As stated elsewhere, the magnum was intended not to play "hot damn, look what I can do" with light bullets; but rather, to deliver a heavier payload.
Folks can use any sort of bullet they choose. Perhaps that's why we hear so much about "bullet failure" when, in fact, its bullet choice failure. And, as I said, most of the advantages are really smoke and mirrors.

The 139gr Hornady works great in my 7mm Rem Mag, never recovered one.

Max or near-max loads with 140 and 160 grain Nosler Partition jacket bullets in the 7 Mag. will cover anything one can reasonably expect to shoot with this round. That said, I have standardized on the 175 grain Nosler Partition for all game shooting with the 7X57mm and 7mm Rem. Mag. MV 2720 fps in the 7X57, and 3050 fps in the 7 Mag. (26" tube}.