I am comparing the 7mm WSM and the 7mm Rem Mag. The new Classic Model 70 for about 500-600 dollars seem competitive enough. but the only ones with the 26 inch barrel weigh over 9 pounds.

is the extra length worth the extra weight?

Thanks for the opinions offered on this topic.

I don't know about the 7 WSM, but I just built a .375 WSM on a Mauser 98. Basically, I started with a 26" barrel and then cut it back to 24" for ease of carry. Overall velocity only dropped by around 30-40 fps.

Lee Martin
www.singleactions.com

Lee: Could a good commercial Mauser 98 with a good 7mm barrel be cut back at the action and rereamed to a 7mm WSM, and keep the old barrel?

You got me to thinking...

jameister

Jameister.....definitely. If you had say, a long-tubed 7mm Mag, you could cut the back of the barrel and rechamber to the WSM. The action would need to be modified to handle the fatter case and may require bolt face modification (that is unless your action is already set-up for a magnum case-head).

Lee Martin
www.singleactions.com

Not sure what M 70 goes nine pounds but my M 70 SS classic in 7mm WSM with a 24" barrel goes 8.25 lbs with a Leu 2-7 and Weaver mounts.

From what I have seen the velocity change with a 7mm WSM should be about 25 fps per inch. The weight of the barrel change should average about one ounce per inch.

As to getting all there is out of whatever 7mm it does not matter a lot. But someone who wants a maximum rifle such as a 7mm Mashburn Super then it seems a 26" is appropiate.

savage99: can you comment on what acccuracy you get with your winchester 7mmWSM?

do you get close to factory claims for velocity?

And it is the model 70 coyote that has the 26 inch bullish barrel and weighs nine plus with scope.

thasnk

Jameister

[ 09-06-2003, 02:24: Message edited by: Jameister ]

Just my humble opinion, no magnum rifle caliber should be used with anything less than a 26" barrel.

For what it is worth I've had plenty of magnums from the 257 Wby to the 300's to the 7 Mashburns to the 340's. I've had them cut at either 23 or 25 and the occaisional 26 (ok so I am odd and I like the odd numbers).

I've done some tests in cutting them down to 23-the average loss is about 30 fps. I find it no big deal-so I maybe lose 100 fps to me that is not much to fret about.

Personally I cut the tube to the length I feel will balance best-I do not worry about what the speed differences may or may not be. Over the years I've found too many differnences with fast and slow tubes to worry about what cutting a few inches off a tube may amount to.

Just my thoughts....

One last thing also for what it is worth and I know you did not ask for this opinion but I cannot resist. I for the life of me cannot understand why someone would go with a 7 WSM over a plain of 7 Rem. Unless of course they just had to scratch that itch-been there done that b4.

"GET TO THE HILL"

Dog

One last thing the Yote rifle by Win has a 24" tube on it-to me if you slimmed the stock down a bit it would feel nice.

"GET TO THE HILL"

Dog

Mark,

Once you have had a belted chamber that has an echo in it as far as the space to the shoulder and are making 7mm RM's out of 300 WM brass you would jump at the better designed WSM.

On the groups with the new last October 7mm WSM M 70 SS Classic. In retrospect the stock must have been defective in terms of the measurment from action bedding surface to the front guard screw and also to the rear. Thus it was resting on the magazine. When I tried to free float the barrel the stock moved to the left and the more I cut the more it moved. All of this time the rifle would shoot small groups and then horizontal ones. Since this was my first plastic stock the learning was slow and I am stubborn and I wanted to make the factory stock work. But the bent forend was discouraging and also the so called recoil pad on those injection molded stock is very hard.

I lucked into a used Bell & Carlson stock and the rifle really started to shoot about as well as a sporter can shoot. Recoil with the big, soft pad on the B&C and something about those stocks made the recoil very light.

This rifle has the smoothest chamber and barrel I have ever seen on a factory sporter. It always feeds and in fact will feed empty brass from the magazine. Almost all of the shooting this year has been with the 120 VMax as this is a long range coyote rifle it seems. The velocity last winter was 3500 fps but what with it warming up I have cut the load down and now it's around 3375 to 3400 fps.

Last fall I hunted with the 140 Sierra and the velocity was 3175 fps.

This is a nice cartridge. It's not quite as powerful as the 7mm RM but you don't have to check every case and keep throwing them out for insipiant head separations.

Another thing on barrel length. I had a Ruger #1 in 7mm RM with a 22" barrel and it was just fine. The velocity was pretty good.

Here is some data for you shot March 7, 1969. The 22" 7mm RM loaded with 68 grs of surplus 4831, the Rem 9 1/2 primer and a 140 Nosler Partition chronographed 3133 fps instrumental over a Accuchron chrono with calibrated 5' screen spacings. The head expansion was .0001" on one base and none on the other shot so the load was not hot in that rifle.

Mark, I reckon I just gotta scratch that itch I have had no trouble with 7mm or 30 caliber belted mags so I will not give you any grief over the belts but "WHY NOT WSM?"

Heavy Varmint-- I say scratch away...I too will perhaps go that way sometime-I am guiding a fella on a bruin hunt in a week that is bringing a 338 WSM.

For me--and only for me-I feel the WSM is a neat round if I could get these factors.

#1--the rifle would feed absolutely flawlessly-I've heard of more than a few that don't, not all mind you but there have been enough.

#2--the rifle could be built, or had in a very lightweight version, not much over 7 with a scope. The only one I've seen yet that could do that is a Tikka T3 I saw the other day-it had their rings on it a a Leupold 3-9 VX 2. It was a 300 WSM and it went 7 pounds 4 ounces with the scope on it.

To me to go to a rifle that weighs the same as the common mags and to do it with a WSM case does not make sense to me. I feel the older mags will out run the newer WSM's so me it comes down to a weight issue.

Just my thoughts.....can't be on the hill today and am bored.

Have a super day

"GET TO THE HILL"

Dog