Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles What's your go-to load for the 7 Rem Mag?

Which bullet and powder combo almost always works for you? Thanks.

63g RL22 w/160 AB's
66.5g RL22 w/140 AB's

139grain SST, and 69 grains of IMR7828 SSC Powder.

Winchester LR Magnum Primer

It depends on the purpose. For deer/antelope, it is hard to beat a 139/140-grain bullet under Re 22 or IMR7828. I prefer Accubonds, Partitions, and Hornady Interlocks. I load them to around 3100 fps.

For elk, I use a 160-Partition under Re25. Re33 works well, also. I load them to 3000 fps.

If I had to have a one load only, I would go with 160 Partitions.

A number of powders will work with the 7 mag. It depends on what your rifle likes.

Do-all load for me the last 5 years or so has been 70 gr RL25-150 NPT or BT.

POI is pretty much the same to 400 with the BT showing slightly less drop at 500.

66g of 7828 and a 160g.

55 grains of 4064, 160 grain SP.

66.0 grains of rldr22, under a 160gr Accubond.

Thanks, guys.

I've tried Re25 and 7977 w/ 160 Accubonds and Partitions. Nothing perked accuracy-wise. The rifle's bedded and barrel floated and it's a good scope.

It may be time to rebarrel, but before I do I"m going to try some 150's and Re22 and 7828 combos and see if those help.

Retumbo, somewhere in the 68 to 69 grain range.

175 nosler, but have used the good ol'horn 175 grain sp also.

CCI 250 cap

2900-2950 fps chronoed two different rifles.

H 870 Max load 160 -175 gr bullets. Fast very accurate and I have 9 plus #,s. Did lots of testing and H 870 won.

Good luck buddy. I've had a lot of luck with RE 25 and 160gr. nosler partitions and 162gr. Hornady btsp's loaded to around 3,000 fps. Hopefully you find something that really shines..

I'm gonna follow this thread closely. I'm picking through ideas for mine too. Should have some 162 eld-x's in my mailbox this week. Tried 162 sst's and they shot reasonably well on top of 65 grains of RL22. Gonna try IMR4350 and RL22 this next batch with both bullets.

Thanks!

lucky you KK on the 9+ lbs of H870... the stuff was almost perfect for the 7mm rem.

Too bad it is no longer in production. Very good powder for the heavies in the 7. Some claimed considerable fouling, I just looked at the itty bitty groups and excellent velocities attained

I've used 64gr of RL22 and 160gr Partitions with good results, almost same POI as 64.5gr and 160gr SGKs.
Rem 9 1/2 Mag primers. ~2900fps off the top of my head.

Tried 7828 with 168VLDs, but got heavy bolt lift on my lowest charge and ~2900fps. Need to revise and try again.

66-67gr of RL22 worked well with the 150gr BTs, no velocity measured on those.

I've never tried 4064 in a case this big. Any idea what kind of velocity you're getting?

I am running RL-26 with 140gr/150 Nosler parts,
in my 284/7 Mag,
seems to being very good accuracy wise,
under 1-1/2-2" at 300 yds.

Tia,
Don

My rifle does not like the slower powders with bullets in the 140-150 range. Currently shooting 150 NBT and IMR 4350. Going to try some 4451 to get a load more temp stable

Accuracy load:
160g Sierra SBT
64.3g RL-22
Winchester Brass
Federal 215 primer
3.325 COAL (0.015" off the lands in my rifle)
3,007 FPS (S.D. of 1.85 FPS)
Accuracy 1 MOA for 5 shots

Reloder-22 is my go to powder.I like 67.5grs for 150gr Nosler BT's and 66.0grs with 160gr Nosler Accubonds.

RL22 has been temp sensitive for me when hunting late seasons in very cold temps. H1000 for 168 Bergers or 180 Scenars. Retumbo for 195 EOL bullets. Those are the only 3 bullets for the 7mm that I shoot anymore.

160 partition and IMR4831

160s and IMR 4350
175's and RL22

175 gr Partitions and enough 7828 or RL-22 to run them near 3000 fps in 26" barreled rifles, the 175 gr partition or a-frame are perfect for all things 7mm Rem Mag.

168 vld over 67 H1000 for paper. Don't really have a pet for critters but have had pretty good luck with 150 bt's over IMR 4350. Under 160 grains I've had better accuracy with quicker powders like 4350 burn rates.

Currently, I am shooting Re25 and 168 Bergers.. My favorite load since the 90's has been the 140 grain Nosler BTBT over a heavy charge of Re22. The load came from an Alliant book. It is several grains over the other sources.. But the 140 rubs 3400 fps fom a 26 " barrel.. It has killed everything from rockchucks, coyotes deer, antelope, to moose , caribou and elk..

66grn of R22, R+P or WW cases, Fed 215GMM, and 150NBTs is the load I check first in every 7RM I've loaded for. If it doesn't shoot well, most of the time nothing else does either.

69 grains of H4831 under 140 NABs or NBTs has always been a peach as well. 22 will beat it for speed, but that load always seems to be accurate in 7RMs.

Thanks again guys!

For what game?

65 grains IMR 4350 with a 140 Nosler partition. The young guys on my deer lease say that 4350 powder is" an old mans powder".

Has anyone compared the new RE series? RE 26 and RE 23 to the RE22 and RE 25?

It looks like an effort to get "better" temperature stability, or separate more money from us.

+1

A 175 pt @2900 to 3000 fps splats the smaller stuff like coyotes, marmots, deer and such and K.O's the heavier boned/bodied things like elk, bear, moose.... All that with a single bullet.

Sierra 160's deflate the air bags quite nicely

Nice buck

I don't see a 165 gr Sierra listed on their website

Oops brain-fart Sierra 160

SBT or HPBT?

SBT

retumbo fed 215 with 160gr accubond.

With R22 being temp sensitive I tried R23 in my Savage 116 with 24" BBL. We'll see how it looks when it cools down.

69.5 of H-4831 and a 139 or 140

I think you found the sweet spot...

DF

RL-25 with 168 VLD's is a great combo.

In a bud's rifle, 140 NPT's and IMR-4350 works well.

Lots of possibilities with the 7RM.

DF

Accuracy load

Bullet: Sierra 168 gr. HPBT Matchking
Powder: Hodgdon H4831 63.0 grs.
Primer: Federal 215
Case: Federal (2.1195 Base To Datum Line with Stoney Point)
LOAL: 3.300 (2.742 Base to Ogive with Stoney Point)
Average Velocity: 2801.69 fps
Extreme Spread: 12.34
Standard Deviation: 5.09
Comments: Neck sized with Forster Bump Die and .308 Insert. Three shot group at 200 yards was 1.042 inches

Hunting loads

Bullet: Nosler 160 gr. AccuBond
Powder: Alliant Reloader 25 69.0 grs.
Primer: Federal 215
Case: Federal (2.1195 Base To Datum Line with Stoney Point)
LOAL: 3.323 (2.758 Base to Ogive with Stoney Point)
Average Velocity: 2995.40 fps
ES: 19.98
SD: 8.42
Comments: Three shot group at 200 yards was 0.672 inches

Bullet: Nosler 160 gr. Partition
Powder: Alliant Reloader 25 69.0 grs.
Primer: Federal 215
Case: Federal (2.1195 Base To Datum Line with Stoney Point)
LOAL: 3.285 (2.745 Base to Ogive with Stoney Point)
Velocity: 3030.59 fps
ES: 34.16
SD: 17.02
Comments: Very close in accuracy to the 160 gr. AccuBond.

Still refining this Partition load.

Bullet: Nosler 150 gr. Partition
Powder: IMR 7828 66.0 grs.
Primer: Federal 215
Case: Remington (Sized with Redding Type S Sizer Die with .308 insert)
LOAL: 3.270 (2.744 Base to Ogive with Stoney Point)
Velocity: 3055.92 fps
ES: 28.49
SD: 11.70
Comments: Accurate but maximum in Remington cases

Bullet: Nosler 150 gr. Partition
Powder: IMR 7828 66.0 grs.
Primer: Federal 215
Case: Winchester (2nd Firing)
LOAL: 3.270 (2.744 Base to Ogive with Stoney Point)
Comments: Brass sized with Forster FL Die. Five shots in 2 inches at 200 yards

Gun used was a Mike Bryant 7mm Remington Magnum (aka "The Cannon").

Those velocities look spot on!

I prefer RL-25 over RL-22, 160's and 168's in the 7RM.

DF

I tried Re23 and it was a good replacement for Re22, I think.

Me, too, with a 26-inch barrel especially.

IMR7977 and 180 scenars.

Interesting.

I just got a bottle of 7977, haven't tried it yet.

My 7RM really likes 180 VLD's, the 180 Scenar sounds interesting.

How fast you pushing those 180's?

DF

Tag

Retumbo and 168,180, and 195 bergers with mag primers works very well.

RL22 and Hornady 162 BTSP and mag primers is another great one as well.

The 168's and 162's shoot very well in several different rifles, anywhere from 24"-26" long barrels.

Got my hands on some Hornady 162g ELD-X last week and loaded em up for my Vanguard 24" BBL with 64.4g of RL22. Fed 215 primers, MV 2850, COL w/comparator 2.761. Rather have accuracy over speed and this is fast enough to do the deed.

63-65 RL-22 or 68-70 H1000 and a bullet of choice that starts with 16_. AMAX for targets, Berger/NAB for stuff with hair.

160AB & N560

160 Nosler Partitions or Accubond's with as much RL-22 as you gun will allow.

With throated 7 Mags so that a 160 Partition can be seated to the base of the neck, I usually see around 3100 FPS.

MM

The 7mm was the first rifle i bought, and loaded for.

My favorite load for deer was a speer 115 grain tnt hollowpoint behind 71 grains of IMR 4831.

Got the load idea from an old timer. Good accuracy and even with the big deer in michigan, they performed spectacularly. Never had any of the deer i shot move a step. A big doe i shot at 200 or so yards that dressed at 200 pounds dropped like a sack of potatoes, and when i gutted her i remember picking up the lungs, and when i squeezed a tiny bit they slid right between my fingers. Jelled them! Hydrostatic shock is amazing...

Ive used 140, 150, and 160 gr Partitions; and 140 and 160 Bitterroots for hunting. Powders have been H4831, IMR4831,RL22,RL25,7828,and maybe some others I can't recall.

This has been spread out over several rifles that saw a fair amount of hunting,and that's the reason for so many powders.

They all worked and for the most part the cartridge has been OK to work with, even if it did require a little adjustment now and then to get it to perc.

Bob in NH : What is your take on the erratic pressures seen in the 7mm

I've heard/read that it is caused by the shallow neck angle combined with a shortish neck.

Not much different geometry on the MashburnSM, or is it ?

Interested in your observations

Cheers

Anybody tried the 190 bergers in a 7mm yet? They require a faster twist that factory, but just curious. I am planning on building a 7mm rem mag around this bullet...

Dont mean to hijack if this is too off topic

64.5gr IMR 7828 with 175gr Nosler Partitions, Rem 9 1/2 primers and either Nosler or W-W brass.

338:

I haven't seen any evidence of this despite sometimes pushing the cartridge pretty hard. As a WAG I think I have loaded for 15-20 7RM's myself,and been around quite a few others belonging to friends.

The only thing I know about the issue is what I have read. My understanding is that it isn't erratic pressures but wider swings in pressure;I also recall some correlation to worn throats but can't be sure.

In any event I never worry about it.


I can't see what a shallow shoulder angle would have to do with anything. You never hear this stuff about the 264 Win Mag even though I have found that cartridge to be FAR more temperamental at top end, and it has the same shoulder angle.And of course there's the 8 degree shoulder angle of the 300 H&H; and the 17 degree shoulder angle of the 30/06 and 280.

So where is the problem with the 7 Rem Mag shoulder? There probably isn't one.

It's said the longer necks draw heat away from the throat; so theoretically the short necks on the 7 RM and 243 make them vulnerable to more rapid throat erosion. The 300 Win Mag has a short neck, too. You never hear any problems with that.

The 7mm Mashburn has a few more grains of powder capacity and a longer neck. This contributes to more flexible bullet seating and higher velocity. The Mashburn has always been a better design.

But there ain't no flies on the 7 Rem Mag. Personally I would pay no attention to the results they get in ballistic labs and the pressure swing stuff. IME back yard hand loaders are highly unlikely to be affected by any of it.

Most all of us could not identify it if it did happen anyway.

Im sure what they see in the ballistic labs is true but if it were all so onerous, the 7 RM would not be the most popular belted magnum and a Top Ten BG cartridge every year since it was introduced. The rest is just trivial distraction.

Yes, Got them up to 2900 fps with Retumbo. Settled on 2820 fps. At 600 yards it was devastating on a CO bruin.

68.5 grains H-1000 162 A-Max

Shot a few 139 GMXs (Midway 2nds) today using RL26, 68.0 being Alliant's top recommendation for the 140 Barnes TTSX. I only shot a three-shot group with that as well as one grain less. The latter, 67.0 grain load went just under and inch at 100; the 68.00 opened just a bit. I didn't clock either, but the powder looks promising.