Hey guys, any good loads appreciated. I've got 140 partitions, 160 partitions, 154 hornady interlock, 162 A-max, and a bunch of RE22 powder. What powders are you running with these bullets. Thanks......

I,m using Rl22 in my 7mm rem mag with 160gr Accubonds or
nosler partitions. Rl25 works, I,m going to try Vith N560
next. IMR 7828SC gave High FPS but less accuracy than RL22.
H4831Sc is accurate but less speed than the others. Magpro
would be another one to try.

Love RL22 and IMR 7828. Just fill the case til powder is halfway up the neck, then seat the boolit. Its simple�.. 1/2" load everytime

Here's my load which averages about 3060fps from a Rem 700CDL 26" bbl

Thanks for the response guys. Very much appreciated. Dingo, have you used that 154gr. interlock on any game animal yet? Thanks...

Glad to hear you got your rifle and are working up loads,
My 26" tubed NH Winnie doted on 68gr of Rel.25 and 160NP's

Yep, got it and fine tuned it a little . It didn't need much and is working flawlessly. I'm pretty relieved and had my fingers crossed after hearing some horror stories regarding the newhaven rifles. I think this is one of ther earlier classics from what I've been told. Thanks for the info blackdog.....I think RE25 is calling my name but we'll see how she does today with a little heavier dose of RE22...

i'm using Retumbo with my 154 interbonds. Getting 3071 average with it in my 26" Remington.
My Best Friend is using 4831sc in his 24" Ruger and getting 3026 average out of it using 154's.

Sure,and they perform very well.

IMR 4350, max charge, 150 gr Nosler BT or Partitions.

Kills 'em dead, very accurate,, easy to load..

Well this is what I got with a stiffer load of RE22 yesterday:

Book max here (actually 62.9 is max in the hornady 7th edition)




Now, the lighter load looked more promising but I'm still only running 2800 fps with this 26" barrel with this "book max" load. Do you guys suggest crossing the line (something I never do) or switch to something like RE25? Here's the 2700 fps load which shoots much better:

Hmmm, looks like it's a shooter, for sure....I've had better luck with RL25 and 160's, RL22 and 140's....But, it looks like you are on the right track. I'll have to chrono my loads for comparison - it'll be awhile since I finally gathered up enough parts to take it to the smith for the rebed, etc....

BSA,

I'll relate you my experiences with something similar. I've found Hornady's 7mm RM loads w/ RL-22... well, anemic. I tried to get RL-22 to work with the 154g Interbonds. At the max load (I have 63.4g as MAX, not 62.9g but whatever) I clocked at 2,766 fps with a 24" barrel! That's pathetic! When I asked Hornady about it they replied with:

*This was pre-GMX, so that may not necessarily hold true today

J.B.'s "Handloads that Work" article suggested 66g of RL-22 (or just enough to hit 3,000 fps) w/ a 160g bullet.

Other loads of interest (these are from my notes, please verify independently):


So you can see, other sources list higher max charges for heavier bullets (Lyman #49 shows 66.0g for a 168g Seirra HPBT). Granted, different bullets build pressures differently. So really, it's up to you if you want to exceed Hornady's max charge and see where it gets you. I never did finish working with the Interbond & RL-22. I got good accuracy with the Hornady max load of Ramshot Magnum (72.1g) and fair velocity (2,936 fps). Though even that load I never fully fleshed out. My gun and the 154g Interbonds couldn't seem to come to an agreement on accuracy.

Good luck!

I'm still curious as to how your rifle is turning out. Please post some pics and maybe start a thread when it is completed. One of the reasons I bought this 7mm is because of guys like you posting your pics and coments in that 7mm rem mag thread a while back. Still remember your pic of the yote and nice buck you took with your rifle (the twin to mine ) and the beautiful Idaho background.

Thanks, that is very informative. By the way, the max charge I listed out of the hornady manual is for the 162 gr. bullet which has a different max charge than the 154gr. interlock. However, your info is greatly appreciated. THANKS.....

I haven't checked lately, but Sierra was showing a max charge of 65 grains RL-22 with their 160 grain, 7mm Rem mag loads. I worked up to that in a couple of different rifles, with excellent accuracy results and easily surpassing 3,000 fps.

Guys experience is like mine.

It is a fact of life that you cannot baby a 7mm Rem Mag and get the vlocity from it that the cartridge is capable of delivering. This does not mean that you want to do anything foolish or dangerous...simply that the loads that are max will vary rifle to rifle due to a number of factors; and to get it to potential,you might need to tweak manual loads a bit, and velocity will not show until you get near top (but not dangerous)charges.The cartridge is not really unique in this regard....300 Win Mags are very much the same, and 264's are touchier than hell near max...

Frequently, magnum cartrdiges will not show their "stuff" until max loads are approached.....for that matter, neither will standard cartridges.

I watch the chronograph carefully when working up a 7RM load,and if I get to the point with a powder that is looking too over the top,but velocity is not yet "there", I switch powders, generally going slower which generally works.But going a bit quicker has worked, too.

For example, I had one 7RM on a M70 with Krieger 9 twist and a longish throat that gave 3080-3090 with the 160 NPT and BBC. It shot very well and was well behaved summer and winter with 70 gr H4831...cases had good life and accuracy excellent.

This load is close to max with the same bullet in the 7mm Weatherby magnum (see Nosler manual),yet was perfectly fine in that 7 Rem Mag rifle and barrel,giving vels within 20 fps of what the Nosler manual states for the Weatherby...this and other rifles is the reason I say the 7mm Weatherby is nothing more than a free-bored 7 RM.

RL22 is a fine powder for the 7RM; but today with 160 gr bullets my first stop would be RL25,which has proven excellent.Next up assuming R25 did not work, would be H1000 or 7828.

62gr imr 4831 and 154gr hornady

As Bob said, RL-25 will get you the velocity you seek. Even Hornady's loads w/ RL-25 should get you where you want to be. I've only tested it with the 160 PT and while it acted like it wanted to shoot at around 68.0g-68.5g I never could get the two to settle down and behave consistently.

RL-22 with 160g Sierra's & standard WLR primers played together well.
IMR 7828 SSC w/ 150g Barnes TTSX perked quite nicely.
RL-22 w/ 139g Hornady GMX shows promise.
I never finished testing the 162g BTSP w/ IMR 7828 SSC but the results so far have been ho-hum. I plan to try the 162 w/ RL-25 eventually.

I've never given H-1000 a try in the 7 RM but it's on the list of "powders of interest" along with MagPro and Retumbo.

Great advice Bob, as per usual. I just bought 2 pounds of RE25 to try out (the store I go to is discontinuing them here so I got it for $20.00/pound). I had the clerk stash a coupe more for me incase I like it . Just don't tell anyone . One thing I noticed (that I like) is that charges with RE25 fill the case better (more load density) say 95% as compared to RE22 which is running around 80%. I'm curious to see how the rifle will do with the new powder. Does anyone know how temp sensitive RE25 is? I wish I could take another day off of work to go and shoot/play ....

Will do. I should shoot some before and after groups, but I don't expect they'll be that much different.

Probably not, but it will look different and probably handle better too. Maybe....

bsa, safe in my rifle,

67 gns. Rl-22 w/ a 160 NAB, RP hulls and a CCI-250 primer, COL 3.300, vel 3080 in an old 26" barreled SS Sendero, .440 in calm winds.
Good Luck
Gunner

Thanks gunner, I just bought a new nosler reloading manual tonight and some RE25 and the last of the clearance priced nosler 140 gr. partitions. I appreciate the help....Looks like that rifle of yours shoots damn good.

10-Roger BSA, shes a sweetheart, my load may be a scooch over some book max's, but entirely safe in my rifle, can get around 8/9 load outs on the brass to, with one trim in the middle.

Those 140's oughta do You right.

Good luck,
Gunner

Try this site for some loads reported by shooters:

http://www.centerfirecentral.com/viewer.html

I'm loading Ramshot Magnum to a book listed max of 72.6, (I think) with the 160 AB. Velocity is @ 3020 from a 24" Ruger.

That is rather light for 162AMXes and R22 IMO and your MVs reflect it. I personally would move to 64, 65, and 66. I seem to get the best results overall in the neighborhood of 66g R22 with 160 class pills. ~66g under 162 Amaxes lit by 215GMs in prepped WW or RP is a gem in many a 7RM.

Looks like she's got potential.

I load 64.5 grs. of RE-22 with the 160 gr. Accubond, Winchester brass and Federal 215 primers. Velocity from a 26 inch Winchester 70 is 2980 ft/sec.

Boy, these rifles sure do vary a lot.
The model 70 with 26" barrel I am playing with shoots groups as well as .6MOA using 67gn of R22 and I also got greatest velocity with that 160gn Accubond with 3134fps.

Next best load was 73gn of Retumbo for 3057fps and 73gn of H1000 for 3011fps, all using Win cases and Federal 215's.
John

154gr and reloader22 at 66gr mine love it

I tend to load the 4064, RL 15, IMR 4895 burn rates when I carry mine in the field...

but if I had to recommend one powder, Load and Forget it... that would be H 1000....

Tag

The 7mm Rem. Magnum is the one cartridge I would hesitate to ever post loads for. My best load for a 175 gr. bullet is about 4.5 gr. of powder over book max. but is just over 2900 fps. If I followed the book my loads would be anemic. To me this is one cartridge that absolutely requires you to use a chronograph to ensure you are getting what it is capable of.

I am sure there are lots of guns out there that will achieve the velocities predicted by the loading manuals at the listed powder charges but mine certainly isn't one of them. In case anyone is interested the rifle in question is a M70 Winchester Custom Super Grade.

Jim

Jim I have seen the same thing with the M70's in 7RM.

But it isn't unique to the 7 Rem Mag as I have seen it with the M70's chambered 300 Win Mag as well.

Matter of fact it is so common I am no longer surprised when it happens.

Jim,
Good points.
People tend to forget that most of us are apprentice dinosaurs and predate the majority of reloading manuals available today.

Sure, we are technically out of step with modern pressure testing equipment which is never available to the general public apart from isolated cases and so the use of the chronograph is still the bets option.

I have always been a handloader so any factory ammo I test is usually provided so I always include that in my chronographing session to including in the 40+ years of data I have accrued.

This an the book maximum velocities past and present will provide a "feel" for where approximate maximums lay.

Last weekend i was pushing 160gn Accubonds in my 26: barreled Model 70 using a range of powders.

Top end performance came from Rel 22, H 1000 and Retumbo with Rel 22 generating 100fps more than the other 2, with all 3 being on the smiley side of 3000fps.

My concern was that the REL 22 load was too hot though there was no sign of it in the physical characteristics we grew up using.

I went back to miking the cases having factory unfired, once fired, handloaded brass in unfired and one fired during these tests.

The Rel 22 load expanded the cases less than the 2 slower powder that produced less velocity, though again, all were more than 3000fps.

Brass life and primer pockets is still a reliable method of assessment as long as you are using the same batch of brass and controlling the management of cases during your assessments.

Accuracy can be achieved with a properly set up rifle and tweaking handloads and OAL's.

We also learn that by using a range of cartridges within any caliber, the killing effect between them often proves that velocity variance of even a couple of hundred fps (such as comparing a 7x57 with a 7mm Remington) does not have that much difference in the field.

However, and there is always a "however", we mostly, and I am guilty also, of trying to generate the highest velocities in combination with that accuracy requirement. I do not buy a magnum to load it down to a lesser equivalent though that is often mentioned as an option on here. Simply not my way of thinking, as the added trajectory is a comfort even if an unrealistic advantage, it is there.

So I wont give out my 3160fps velocity load for the 160gn Accubond but I will continue to re test it using firstly new cases from that same batch and then reloading over and over until I "learn" if that is too hot, as it shoots into .6MOA and has considerable value in utilization as a stalking rifle.

John

Good to know I'm not alone in experiencing this. None of the other calibres I shoot seem to show the wide variances of the 7mm Mag. I seldom shoot my 7 Mag. anymore, maybe 20 rounds or so a year. Should get rid of it except it is in a very pretty stock and it was my first expensive rifle. I took one moose with it and then it became a closet queen. I find it to be more than I want to use for deer and for moose I now use either a .338 or a .300 WSM.

Jim

n570

You have some? I'll buy it along with an Ivory folder

7RM is an anomaly when looking at book loads, then seeing its potential in real life. A few pards are spinning 180 scenars at nearly 2900 with H4831..Something the books say is impossible.

7RM is an anomaly,7wby is a [bleep] phenom!

73 grains Retumbo, 168 gr Long Range Accubond, just shy of 3000 ft/sec MV, very accurate out of a 24" Tikka.



P

I'm starting with my first 7mag and must say that I'm very surprised at the large variance between my loading manuals and recent online data by the powder Mfgs. Hogden is 5gr lower online than they were in the #26 manual for H1000 with 140 and 160gr bullets. I got frustrated, said F'it and exrapolated. Got 73gr under the 139 BTSP and 69 in the 160 AccuBond. Am I in the right ball park or will I need reconstructive surgery?

Normally I'd do a slow work up but I need a couple loads to test velocity and accuracy potential of a barrel before going further.

66.0grs of Reloader-22 seems to be about right.Checked my 200yd zero yesterday with 160gr Accubond @ 3000fps.Good enough for me to kill something.

Actually, at normal hunting ranges, it's pretty close to perfect.

Both of my 7mags love this exact load.

Really hard to beat those 2, in that order.

But with 140/150's, H4350 & RL-19 can also be very good, especially in the accuracy department.

MM

Hey Bob! I hope your hunting season went well, and that you are settling into a joyful holiday season.

Since you mention M70's and needing more powder in magnum cases to get appropriate speeds, I'm wondering if you've seen it in the WSM's as well in M70's. Any theories why this model act this way?

For 140's R19 works well also. 140 TTSX and 64 grains R19. 3200 fps 1/2 moa. Very forgiving load in my rifle. Shoots .6 or less from 63 to 64 gr. IMR 4350 and a 140 or 150 is a very good combo. The 140 accubond and 4350 was almost as good in my rifle. For the heavier bullets R 22.

65gr RE22 gets me 3013fps average out of a 26" Pacnor using the 160gr Accubond. 66gr RE22 gets 3158fps with the 140gr Ballistic tip. 65gr gets 3057 with the Sierra 160gr HPBT. The Best load in my Rifle is 63gr RE22 175gr Sierra SPBT at 2900fps. My Old barrel liked H4831 and the 140gr Ballistic tip.

HuntNShoot: My "experience" with WSM's is limited to 7-8 rifles IIRC. But I notice the 300 WSM has run pretty close to what the manuals say with more or less standard charges. It seems to me to be the easiest of the WSM's to hand load.

I got a bit over 3000 fps from the 160 in the 7mm WSM ( two rifles that I recall);and about 3225 from the 270 WSM with 130's.

But in the 7mm and 270 WSM I was not comfortable trying to duplicate factory ammo velocities. Seems the stuff is loaded with dynamite.

Bob, I've seen exactly (1) M70 in 7 WSM, and it has to be loaded well over book to get appropriate numbers, which is why I asked. It tends to be off by 100 fps, or a little bit more, from the proper numbers. Surprising since it has the 24" bbl. It gets loaded hothot, and shoots incredibly well that way, but still doesn't quite meet what factory ammo is supposed to do.

Have you checked factory ammo? I don't know anyone who has so it would be good to get some real info.

After having several 7mm Rem Mags,I've come to the conclusion that getting the full potential out of it requires throating it..........the short throats that many guns have never reach full potential.

The ones I've throated were set up to have a 160 NPT seated to the base of the neck with the bullet .010" off the lands.

With that setup & RL-22, 3175FPS (chrono'ed) is easily achievable.

Same type setup for a 300 Win Mag.

But I'm done with them...........270/280/30-06 is fine for me; if I want something bigger, it's a 338.

JME

MM

Montana Man, factory ammo has ne'er sullied the bore of that fine rifle. Well, it's a fine shooter, anyway. The rifle is big and heavy, and a pain to pack, but it shoots heavies into tiny groups.

Some day when I have more disposable income, I want to build a rifle or two around specific bullets and terrain.

I tried other powder but settled on H-1000 with 140-150 grain bullets.

MM/Jason:Off topic, but I checked the Federal Premium factory ammo with 160 NPT in the 7mm WSM. From two rifles (a Kimber Montana and a M70 FW) the stuff gave 3250-3260 in both rifles,along with swollen brass and ejector slot marks.

I contacted Federal; they said the stuffs loaded to 65,000 psi. Well.....maybe

Handloads at a bit over 3000 fps shot fine.