Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats 7mm wsm or 7mm saum

Yes and no.

For performance on game at hunting distances, BC superiority rarely gets a chance to show itself. And there isn’t exactly a dearth of .277 bullets ..... there are plenty and the vast majority of them are hunting bullets rather than match bullets, which make up the bulk of the heavy, high-BC 7mm bullet selection.

Of course, it’s more of a philosophical decision and we all have our own beliefs. For hunting, I personally would take the shorter flight time, better trajectory and proven penetration and bone-breaking ability of a 140 TTSX over a 180 ELD-M with nary a thought. Since there is nothing a 7mm 140 TTSX can do that a .277 130 TTSX cannot, there is no rationale for choosing one over the other based on performance on game or availability of good hunting bullets.

For punching paper at 600 yards and beyond, the heavy 7mm match bullets obviously have an advantage. Those bullets don’t have to (and aren’t designed or expected to) bust the hip and off shoulder when the only shot presented is the south end of a north-facing bull elk.

What is a hunting distance?

Subjective?

Better be close or those two things apply. If it is, why you need a WSM anyway?

In 42 years of hunting, my farthest shot on game is 435 yards. It also happened to be on the largest game animal I’ve ever killed, a massive 6pt bull elk that had to be near 1,000 lbs on the hoof. Taken with an impressive, lightning bolt DRT with a 125 NPT fired from a pet 700 custom job in 6.5x284. Only one other critter at 400 yards, a 14” Pronghorn buck taken with the same rifle and a 120 NBT.

My largest deer, a great 4x4 Mulie, happened at 385 yards with my .270 Weatherby Magnum shooting a 130 NPT. Everything else has been between 30 and 300 yards.

I guess for me, “hunting distances” means out to about a quarter mile, or so. I can’t imagine it’s much different for anyone else, and more than likely much shorter for most. The only exceptions I’d imagine would be those who actively seek to shoot animals at long range as a hunting style.

That’s RL 26 at 65grains in a 23 1/2” Obermeyer 1-8twist. Brass is federal it’s heavy compared to the Winchester stuff I have.

A 1/8” 270 WSM wouldn’t exactly suck. I wouldn’t choose it over either 7, but 145 ELD,150 VLD and the 170 EOL ain’t exactly ashtrays.

I used the 170 in a 270 win this year on a deer, tad over 600 yards.. first time I’ve used the 270 in 10 years.

How fast are you pushing the 170 eol.

2730 matches up with ballistic AE. RE26, 22” barrel

never chronographed that one,not a bullet I’ll continue to use in the win; I just wanted to shoot something with them and my 270wby wont stabilize them.

Copy that I got a 270win with a lilja 1-10 shoots 140 and 150 very well but she would not stabilize that 170 on top of Everest.

Thank you sir!! I must have a slow barrel or yours is speedy. Either way a 180 ELDM going 3050+ doesn't suck I just apprently need 3 more grains of powder to get there than you do.

My barrel is very very fast I could not be happier.

For sure...luckily RL26 is so dense that even with 3 more grains its still not even close to a compressed load and still room to work up. Thanks for the info!