I took the plunge and picked up a used M77 in 7mm rem mag. I have a chance to pick up some 160 gr Speer Grandslam bullets pretty cheap. Has anyone had success with these? How do they compair to Partitions?

quote:

Originally posted by Westernmassman:
I took the plunge and picked up a used M77 in 7mm rem mag. I have a chance to pick up some 160 gr Speer Grandslam bullets pretty cheap. Has anyone had success with these? How do they compair to Partitions?

I'm not a fan of NP's but I can say that I have had no problems with Grand Slams and they have been reasonably accurate. It would be a good choice.

If you ruger shoots them well use them. If its for deer i would just use the hot core but got elk a grand slam is a great choice...tj3006

If the Speer GS are a good deal I'd buy several boxes.
I have not used them but from what I've read, and heard they are on par with Nosler Partitions. IF they shoot well in your rifle you'll want to keep using them and at full price they're not cheap by any means. The 160 in the 7mm RM is a great choice for whatever you plan to shoot with it. Short of big bears, I wouldn't think you'd need anything more. Should they not work well you can trade them off or sell them and not be out any $$$.

I have several of the M77's and only one was real finicky. If yours gives you trouble start with bedding and a little touch up on the trigger. The trigger is easy to do yourself if you are mechanically inclined. Bedding an M77 is a little different because of the recoil lug but it can be done at home as well. The finicky rifle is now very accurate and will lay cloverleaf's at 100 yards. It's a .338WM.

My 7mm RM is in a Win model 70 Classic. It isn't picky really but I got some Barnes XLC's in 160gr from Midsouth in bulk packs on close out. They were apparently overstock for one of the ammo mfg as they have the canelleur. They shoot great out of mine and I paid less for them than I could buy regular bullets for. I wish I'd have gotten even more of them. Nate

It depends if they are older GS or current production. The new ones are NOT comperable to a NP, they are basically a cup & core bullet, harder/thicker jscket, only slightly better than their HotCore. A good bullet, but priced like a premium w/o the premium performance.

http://www.speer-bullets.com/default.asp?s1=3&s2=7&s3=19

Picked up a box of 160's for $8.00. They are the old ones!

I thought Grand Slams were one of the original "bonded" bullets?

What's different in their manufacturing process from, say, a TBBC or any other bonded bullet?

By the same token, how is a Hot-Core not considered a bonded bullet?

Thanks,

friar

Grand slams were a two core bullet, a hard core in the base and a molten (softer)hot core in front. Bonded means some type of glue is used to bond the jacket and core together.Speer claimed that by using molten lead it fused to the jacket but it or the hot core bullets are not considered BONDED.

I've never understood the flak that Grand Slams get. I have shot 145GS in my 7 mauser, 250GS in my .338 Win. Mag 165GS in the .308 Win and they all shoot an inch or better. On game performance has been exceptional. The only rifle I couldn't get them to shoot well in is my .300 Win Mag. If I could find them at $8.00 a box I would STOCK UP.--Mike

The only bullet I ever had fail so far was a 180 gr .30 cal Grand Slam at 3050 fps. I wouldn't push that bullet to fast in your 7 Mag. It will be ok on deer, but I would use something else on elk. They ar NOT a bonded core bullet!! Mine totally disintegrated on an elk on a 175 yard shot. Yes, it killed him, but I was picking pinhead sized pieces of lead out of the loins every time I ater some.

Rob1 is right, the only diff. between a Sierra, Winchester, etc. & the HotCore, is the core is melted into the jacket. This supposedly makes them more uniform because there is less core slippage during forming. They come apart just as fast as the jacket will allow. The GS using a thicker jacket & maybe a bit harder core, good bullet but not a premium to be driven fast.

I've been using the Speer 160gr. bullet in my Remington 700BDL in 7mm Rem. Mag. for quite a few years now, and it does a hell of a job on moose in Northern Ontario. It may not be as accurate as the Sierra, but more often than not my handloads with IMR4831 will put 5 shots in an inch or less. I'm a big fan of Speer in the field, if not at the range. Best wishes.

Cal - Montreal

I have been using the GrandSlams for the last eleven years in my 7mm mag.I started out with the 160's handloaded and chronographed @ 3140.I was shooting Texas whitetails that averaged about 100lbs.I always had complete penetration,even through both shoulders on one,but they would usually run aways before going down.I felt like I was getting too much penetration with the 160gr.I switched to the 145gr.GS chronographed at 3200,problems solved.I now am getting the performance I expect,with instant kills.Wow what a difference it makes when the bullet matches the game.The whitetails I hunt now average 120-150lbs.Out of 30 or so that I have harvested I have only recovered two bullets,each on a different deer.They both traveled through a lot of shoulder and heavy spine(18-24" of animal) before stopping on the offside.Recovered were two perfectly mushroomed bullets still carrying 70-75% of their original weight.I have also harvested wild hog with this load with instant kills as well.I have never had any problems with fragmentation with this bullet.This is one of the reasons I am so pleased with it.It usually makes a 1-2 inch wound channel and it doesn't bloodshot the hell out of the meat around it like some of the more explosive bullets.The 145gr. would work just fine on those mountain mulies and the 160gr.should be great for elk.

I have been shooting GSs for almost 15 years now, and have absolutely loved them on whitetails and hogs. The one elk I shot (1997) was taken at 200 yards with a 150-grain GS out of a .270. Muzzle velocity was right at 2950, and the bullet went in low in the lungs. It disintegrated inside the elk and didn't penetrate the offside skin. We found a 39-grain piece of the core against the off=side skin; nothing else... (The following January I bought a 7 RM and worked up a load with 162-gr. Nosler SBs.)

I won't ever take another chance elk hunting with a GS. There are just far too many better bullets out there. On deer and hogs, the GS is phenomenal, probably as good as it gets. But elk are too hard to find to risk losing one due to a bullet coming apart, and the elk not showing you where he went. They are tough majestic animals, and deserve a quick, humane kill.
Just my take...