I have two custom 7 STW's with zero freebore and min spec match chambers on Rem 700's.
My barrel length is 26" and I shoot the 120g Tripple shock at 3900 fps into tiny groups, and the 140's at 3600.
With the Vias muzzle break, the recoil is about like a 25/06 or a little less.
My brother and I have killed at least 50 deer at all kinds of ranges and neither of us has ever had a deer take 1 step after being hit with the 140g Nosler Win Combined tec 140g bullets.
I have yet to kill anything with the 120g Tripple shock.
My friend used the same reamer to build a 7 STW on a 26" Pac Nor super match barrel. He is shooting the 140g tripple shock at 3600 fps in his rifle and has killed over 30 deer with it. Damage is massive with the 140g Tripple shock at this velocity, but he has also never had a runner.
My brother shot a massive trophy Kansas buck at 460 yards with the 140g Nosler/Win Combined tec bullets at 460 yards; the deer dropped in it's tracks with a quartering shot breaking it's right front shoulder and ending up under the hide in the middle of the rib cage on the off side.
I keep accurate records on my 7 STW. In 237 rounds fired, the leade has grown .032, which is not bad. Load development with the 140 Combined Technology bullets took one trip to the range using Win brass, Fed 215's, and IMR 7828. One trip to the range was all it took with the 120g Barnes Tripple shock and 120g Nosler Ballistic tip. I would love to shoot a ground hog with the 120g Nosler Ballistic tip.
5 of the 7 STW's have been built with the custom reamer that I had ground by Pacific that has zero freebore. All of the rifles are extremely accurate and extremely fast.
Another buddy of mine has a food plot set up 550 yards from his tree stand. He has killed a lot of deer over the last 3 years with this 7 STW, not one of them has ever taken a step with him shooting the 140g Nosler C/T bullets.
