Since Norma quit making the brass, are you making your own out of 7 Rem Mag? Just using a trim die?
Do you like the cartridge? Thinking about a great buy on an FN Mauser with bull barrel as a 600-yard informal target rifle.

Bill, Is that the one on the shelf over at Sandy's in Jacksonville? If so not a bad looking rifle.

cheers
seafire

You nailed it, Seafire. Ugly, ugly stock, but if the barrel is decent, it might work at 600.

I've got an old S&L 7x61 and have a lifetime supply of ammo and brass so haven't had to form any cases. I love the cartridge but my barrel is about shot. It won't group anything under 2" and most groups are 2 1/2". I've got to find somebody who will re-barrel it. That'll be a good project for next spring. Maybe it'll keep me from buying another rifle I don't need for awhile....

Gentlemen



I was in contact with Norma today.They are planning to start run next year since interest for 7X61 super has increased.



Do bit of lobbying, send their sales a email or contact any of their US representatives.



Huntingtons makes trim die. I know that 7mm rem cases works fine



Cheers

/ JOHAN

I have had good luck by resizing 264 win Mag cases and trimming to length. mine is an old custom rifle on a Browing Safari unit that has taken some great game for the previuos owner and a 185" whitetail for me last year. It now needs a better bedding job. 67gr H4831 with 160 Gr partition is 3080 f/s, which is faster than any Rem mag I have chronied

Johan: That's great news that Norma is considering a fresh run of 7X61 Super brass. I will e-mail them.
Looks like it is easy enough to make out of 7 mag brass though, just using a trim and size die.
Still, it is nice to have the right headstamp and the increased capacity of the Norma Super brass.
I see in the Sierra and Hornady manuals that H-4831 and IMR 4350 get the nod with 168 grain HPBT match bullets. Anyone have another favorite powder for long-range target work?

I suggest you exercise caution using 7 Rem Mag cases, especially if you own or hunt with friends who actually use a 7 Rem Mag. Quite easy to get the ammo mixed in a hunting camp or vehicle. People tend to spot the chnage in bullet diameter where they overlook the changed shape of the case.

I have had best results with 300 Win mag cases and have a lifetime supply of formed cases now. I inside neck ream them after fire forming. For reasons I haven't bothered to worry about I get the occasional case split at the bottom of the shoulder from the one batch of 264 cases I used. They probably should have been annealed a bit further down the case prior to forming and they had been on the dealers shelves a long time so may have hardened.

In any event new 300 Win mag cases worked very well and I haven't revisited using 264 cases again.

I would like to see one of your fired cases Battle River. My 7x61 Schulz required full custom forming dies to make cases from any of the 264, 7Mag, 300 Mag , 338 Mag cases.

There appears to have been a couple of different standards for chambering reamers with European chambers being somewhat tighter than the the rifles assembled by gunsmiths in North America.

I can get 3100 with 63 grains IMR4831/160 Sierra but that load is about a grain hot for constant use and at 3070 (62 grains) the rifle shoots very well and brass life is long. It is as good as any of the 7 mags. for hunting game.

Agreed, it is nice to have the right geadstamp on the brass. I now have scounged enough 7x61 brass to use for hunting, I only use the reformed stuff for bench work.

BTW, What is the real difference between 7x61 super and 7x61 S&H brass?

Regards

BR

BR: According to an old Ken Waters article, Norma brought the Super brass after improvements in brass metalurgy allowed the company make the case walls and base thinner and yet retain the strength of the original 7X61 SH brass. Norma allegedly did this to increase case capacity by 5-10 percent in a bid to stave off the market pressure coming from the new and roomier 7 mm Rem. Mag. Bottom line is the Super brass is as strong, but will hold enough more powder to boost velocity 150 fps, I believe Ken Waters found.