Hey fellas,

After being a offered a fair trade for the XP Custom Shop in 7-08, that I just picked up a couple months ago, I find myself looking for another choice of handguns for next weekends deer opener and would like to use a XP vs one of my Contenders.

I'm pondering on using one of my other XP's that I use for IHMSA, it's chambered in 7mmIntrl. / 7mmIHMSA.

The load I'm currently using for competition is 300 Savage brass...WLR primers...34.5grs of IMR4895 and a Speer #1624 130gr Spitzer BT.

Not owning a chrony I'd expect the load to be moving along at around 2200 or so fps....sound about right ? ?

Do you fellas think the above load is moving the bullet along fast enough to expand properly for hunting ? ?

If it matters, the area I'm hunting shots will be under 125yds.

Ike,
You should have no problems at the range with that load. I can't comment on how the Speer bullet does on game though. A 120 Nosler B.T. should work fine.
xphunter

IKE, need to talk to you some time on the 7 IHMSA. Just some brass questions.
Jeff

XP,

Thanks for the reply, my only concern is that because the 130gr. bullet I currently use for silhouetts is not a Single Shot Pistol bullet I may not be getting enough fps out of a 15" barrel, with my current load, to make it expand properly on game.

I wish I knew the optimum velocities Speer designed into the bullet but geting through to the Speer techs. anymore is darn near a waste of a phone call and time.....I've tried.

Jeff,

I'm by no means a guru on the 7 Intrl. / 7 IHMSA, in a Xp, but I'd be more than happy to share what little I know....I do know that I really like the round.

It's a real tack driver and a pleasure to shoot through with at a match, the recoil to me is sorta like a hot 7BR. I won 1st place wood back in Aug. with a score of 58x60 in UAS-AAA class at the Regionals while fireforming the brass.

If you'd like shoot me a email and we'll pick each others brains.

Excellent round. I've shot numerous deer and antelope with this cartridge. I have an XP-100 in 7mm IHMSA, 15" stock barrel. With the 140 gr Nosler Ballistic Tip I have chronograped it at (an average of 5 shots) an average of 2410 fps at 10'.

The best bullet I have used for IHMSA competition is the 139 grain Hornady Spire Point Boat Tail. Great on Rams, sucks for deer. Pencils right through them.

You'll find the 140 gr Nosler Ballistic Tip will work great on Deer size animals.

IKE, back in 1983 I had a XP-100 rechambered to the 7mm I.H.M.S.A. Cartridge. I also used resized .300 Savage Brass. The first couple years I hunted with this cartridge I used the 130gr. Speer Flat Base Spitzer. I had terrible luck with this bullet as I could not get it to expand unless I hit lots of bone. I did not have access to a chronograph at that time, but from published loading data I guessed I was getting close to 2500 FPS.

In succeeding years I switched to the old 120gr. Nosler Solid Base, and bullet performance was much better. Every single one of these that took a Whitetail expanded quite nicely.

In the years since that I have used 120gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips in the 7-30 Waters, and unless at extreme range, all expanded quite well also.

Good luck

Larry

PS, hopefully the Boat Tail version will expand better than the Flat Base version did for me.

Well I finally got through to the Speer reloading techs. yesterday and talked to a fella named Coy.

He told me that at the ranges I'll be hunting (125yds and under) the load I'm using for iron will work just fine with the thinner jacketed 130gr BT on game.

He did caution however that on anything over 125yds that I 'probably' wouldn't have enough velocity remaining to make the bullet expand properly.