Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats Tell me about the 7STW

Really considering building a 7STW & want to know your thoughts and experiences with this caliber.

Good or bad let me have it!!

when this first hit the public many years ago I built six or seven of them. it is comparable to the 7mm super mashburn magnum, or what ever it was called that warren page carried all over the world shooting critters. the data layne simpson developed has since been toned down a bit as it has actually been pressure tested. back then 8mm Remington magnum cases were the way to go to make cases. it is a flat shooting, hard hitting cartridge that is a bit hard on barrels if the shooter doesn't pay attention to his rate of fire. it really needs a long barrel, 26 inches or so, to be really worth while. I haven't made one in years since it actually became a factory cartridge.

300. I had one.. Used it only on coyotes and antelope.. My favorite big 7 is the Wea... If I built another, I would look at the Shilen barrel company.. I have heard they chamber this round with a freebore long enough to accept factory ammo, but not as long as the std. Weatherby freebore.. If I were 30 years younger, I would sure look at the 7mm-300 win. which is either the Mashburn, or very close.. I think the STW maybe still be a bit overbore, but with new powders, I am not sure..

Got one two years ago by reaming a push feed Mdl 70 from 7Rem Mag to 7STW. Had to shorten the bolt stop a bit too. Replaced the tupperware stock w a Boyds laminate.
It's got a 26 inch barrel.
Two loads I have worked up for the rifle using WC872 powder.
160 Hornady Interlocks at 3350.
160 Partitions at 3320.
No pressure signs at these velocities, have pushed it harder but this is where the accuracy nodes were
Brass is available from Nosler but it isn't cheap.

It's the Hammer of Thor on midwestern whitetails.

I have heard that they are real hammers........barrel life isn't the greatest but you gotta sacrifice somewhere!!

I've had a couple. Fine if you want to run "regular" bullets, but now days my interests lie with the heavy weights, and the case length blows for that in a 3.600" mag length.

I'd do a 7 LRM iffen I had the hankering for a big 7 pushing big bullets.....

aalf:

This would be a hunting rifle shooting ammo in the 165-180 range - thinkin this caliber could run with a 300 Win Mag??

What do ya think??

What do you mean run with a 300 win mag?

Thinking about building the 7STW instead of another 300WM - What am I gaining?? What am I loosing??

What one will do so will the other. Recoil seemed to be a little less with stw than win mag but not much.

If you wAnt to try something different go for it but I'm sure you will not be able to tell difference. This coming from a guy that turned my 300 win mag into an stw

You'd be stuffing those 180's so far in the case to fit in the magazine, you won't get enough powder in them to break the speed limit.

Although if you ran a Wyatts you can get close to a 4" loaded round.

My last one I had a a 28" fluted Lilja spitting out 150 Scirrocos at 3425....not a warm weather load, but deer just fell over when they saw it pointed their way....

I had one and it shot well but it was long and limited my ability to seat bullets were I wanted them. You could also lose the belt and go with a 7lrm or 26 nosler necked up and have room to seat bullets out. My 7stw only gave me about 100 fps more than my 7 wsm.
I was running 160 accubonds at 3200 fps from my stw.

Bb

Build the 300stw, neck the 7 up and rock on.

Have you ever worn out a barrel, or even shot one enough to need cleaning?

Jeff are you hand loading yet?

I know you spend some change on your builds. If you want a big 7mm you might consider having Gunwerks build you a 7mm LRM on one of their rifles.

They sell a "system",including ammo and Nightforce scope calibrated to their loads,and the 7mm LRM is a good cartridge built around a 180 gr Berger that should do anything you can accomplish with a 300 Win Mag for most game.It will certainly do anything you can accomplish with a 7 STW.

I'd be more inclined to go this way today vs the 7 STW.


The rifles seem to be of high quality;plus they sell ammo for their rifles.Pretty hard to beat as a package if you don't mind the sticker price.

I don't know how much you shoot but buy a bunch of ammo in advance and you are set.

Pretty nice set up for a guy who does not hand load.

Sounds like from all the input that there are better options out there for a big game (elk, moose, etc....) hunting rifle.

I like the looks & sounds of Gunwerks Rifles, but I already have parts ordered (6 months into the orders) for a magnum hunting rifle build = BAT action, McMillan stock etc...

Any other good options......338 Win Mag??? .264 Win Mag?? 300RUM??

I want a hard hitting big caliber that is doable with parts I have ordered. Right now the only 2 rifles I own are a 7mm Mag and my new .308......alot of my others have been sold off (imagine that).

Maybe just build the ole reliable 300 Win Mag??

I hate to admit it but having messed with all the magnum 7mms except the Dakota when I want to hunt elk or bears which can include some longer shots I always end up with my 300 RUM. ( three 7 RUMS, two 7 STWs, five 7 REM mags, and one 7mm/375 Ruger)

That said if I were to rebarrel that 300 RUM I would consider the 300 win mag. Read this thread to its conclusion and see if the 300 win mag with 215 bergers might be THE larger big game hunting package for you:

http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f19/comparing-berger-210-vld-215-hybrid-88657/index15.html

All thoughts, info, and suggestions are appreciated - thanks guys!!

Jeff I didn't know you had the parts assembled for a build already.And thought you wanted to try a good 7mm magnum.Alos, you have a 7mm Rem Mag already(you could stop right there if you wanted to So scratch Gunwerks.

Are you going to gain anything from a 7 STW over a 300 Win Mag and factory ammo? Probably not. The 300 Win Mag just offers more in the way of factory ammo and bullet weight options,making it a theoretically better all around cartridge.

The 300's as a class offer more bullet weight (numbers notwithstanding) and just throw more flak than a 7mm. The 300 Win Mag is a good cartridge for any of the game you mention.

But would I hesitate to hunt any of them with a magnum capacity 7mm and good bullets? No.

We can play the mind numbing game as we creep up the caliber/bullet weight spectrum and move to 338's 35's, and 375's(IMHO the next stop over a 7mm or 30 cal magnum). Depends what you want.


That said, with todays good bullets, the differences between a 300 magnum and a 7mm magnum are something I really don't worry about anymore,and having used both on game of the size you suggest at more or less "normal" distances (out to 500 yards or so), I doubt the success or failure of a hunt is going to depend so much on the cartridges, and more on the bullets and placement.

But if I were depending on factory ammo for that general range of game you suggest, I'd keep it a 300 Win mag over an STW.