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

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