Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles 7mm WSM dying

I just joined the cult.

What's not to like about a 160 grain partition at 3150 fps? At 400 yards it still is pushing 2400 fps and retains 2,000 ft-lbs...

Kimber7man

You have a lifetime supply. Maybe someone else lifetime too!

..............You`re probably right about the 7mm Winchester name part.

The 270 and 300 WSM`s are here to stay, the 325 WSM is holding on and it appears the 7 WSM will likely become less popular as more time goes by.

The bottom line is sales and if the rifle makers aren`t selling enough 7 WSM units, they`ll eventually drop the chambering.

I happen to like the WSM line, own a 300 with no problems. On the flip side, I have read that the 25 and 243 WSSMs are very finniky and aside from that IMO, they are just plain ugly with a case totally out of porportion in size to the bullet diameter and the case neck.

For those who think or want all WSM`s to disappear??? Don`t bet on it. I wouldn`t bet against the 270 or the 300. You`ll be praying for their dis-appearance a very long time.

Exactly.I don't dote much on energy figures but for the amount of recoil they dish out, it is tough to beat a 7mm bullet at those velocities.You have to go uo a good deal in case capacity and bullet weight to hit those velocity levels and trajectories with a ballistically equivilent 30 cal; which translates into more recoil.

270's are sort of similar,but what possible magic a 270 WSM has over a 7mm WSM is sort of lost on me.I think the 270 WSM benefitted from a lot of gunwriter hype when it came out.

Why Winchester would expect that both the 270 and 7WSMs would thrive?

From the 2009 Hodgdon Annual Manual.

Will readily accept that other sources will give different estimated maximum velocities, that we individually reload these cartridges to different pressure levels, or that some of us have magic barrels. Myself, I routinely load the 7 x 57 to 2500 fps in my 26-inch long Shilen barreled Ruger 77. But this Hodgdon manual is the only source I have available in my hotel room at 2 AM without doing more work than I am willing to.

With 175 grain bullets, as Karamojo Bell would have directed.

7 x 57......................2300 fps MV
7mm-08 Rem.............2568
280 Rem...................2593
284 Win...................2722
280 Ackley Improved...2743
7 Remington Magnum...2800
7 WSM.....................2850
7 RSAUM...................2863
7 STW.....................3020
7 Weatherby Magnum..3022
7 RUM.....................3077


The great issue in America today is the very large gap between 2863 and 3020 for maximum velocity that needs to be filled with a new original cartridge to equally split the difference. Any capitalist greed mongers out there want to get on the ground floor with initial funding ? Or perhaps some 401K'ers with some pension money left since Election Day ? Make you a partner.


Have the 3077 fps MV already beat with my 7mm/378 Weatherby 32-inch long barrel with its 7-inch twist.

And have the other end covered too with my 7BR with 30-inch long, 8-inch twist, featherweight-contour Pac-Nor barrel.


.

In the overall scheme of things, few knew about the 7mm WSM.

Even fewer will miss it.

I will not be one of them.

Dat's why I like my 7 Mashburn Super and or the STW, those kinds of speeds are doable and sane with these kinds of rounds.

IME running a short fat 7 to those kinds of speeds (even if it's factory) is IMO nutso and reckless....

Dober

Dober,
Dat's what the factory Federal premium does out of my Kimbers, however, I don't have much use for it until I go elk hunting or something like that. Heck, even with my cache of Federal 140 accubonds, I'm already reloading with the 120 NBT, 120 TSX, and 150 NBT (really like that one!)...

3150fps with a 160 sure seems quick to me. Figuring close 3000 is more than enough mojo to be getting with that combo.

I have a 270 WSM and a 7mm WSM. My 7WSM is a Featherweight, and get's to go afield quite a bit more than the 270WSM. I at one time owned a .280 Rem. 7mm-08 and 7mmWSM at the same time. I needed some money for my wife's college, and I decided the 7-08 and @80 Rem were to close in performance, so I sold the 7-08. Now with two boys soon to be hunting, I am think about buying another 7-08. I guess, I need to stock up on 7WSM ammo while I can then.

Marty, I can assure you that my comments weren't directed directly at you. More so than anything just a comment in general. From my working with the 7 shorty mag, I can't see pushing a 160 over 3K.

2950 is what I felt the sane range....but then againg I've never been accused of being sane...

Dober

Dober,
Never took it that way....
I think we all can stipulate that Fed loaded the WSM rounds pretty darn hot to look good at first. Now when I look at Fed factory loads for the 160, they are around 3,000 (or 2,960 for the TSX for the sane ones )

Marty/Dober: IME you are both "right". When the 7mm WSM first came out, I had two rifles for it; a M70 FW and a Kimber Montana. With the lots of Federal factory with the 160 Partition, each rifle averaged well over 3200 (the FW about 3240 and the Kimber about 3260. This was over several range sessions,firing known rifles of other calibers just to be sure.

I was a bit surprised,as I've been loading the 7 RM since the 70's,and "know" that in that cartridge with a 160,a bit under 3100 is about max,on average.

I emailed Federal, told some techie about the results,and he responded that they loaded the 7 RM to about 58,000 psi;and the 7mm WSM to about 65,000 psi.

I could never get my handloads near those velocity levels with the 160's.Also, that Federal brass from the factory stuff got sticky, I could not size it back down for easy chambering,and generally had problems. This and experience with the 300 and 270 WSM's made me say adios to the WSM's; they are a bit too funky for me.

I've got a custom built on a Nesika in 7 WSM and it's got a long mag box so I can seat bullets out a bit further than most. Dober and I have chatted quite a bit about the 7 and I think I'm running a fairly hot load behind 160 TSXs @ 3050. I can run mine faster with no pressure signs, but I suspect it would be way over pressure. I had a guy I trust run my loads thru quickload and it falls right on the line of safe. I won't run 'em hotter and mine is a book load. I think anybody goin' beyond 3000 to 3050 is just plain over pressure.

I agree,which was the point I was trying to make.

Sorry bob, wasn't intended to be directed at you... just a general comment based on mine.

mtn: Oh I knew that ...we are in total agreement; I went at it arse-backward.

I'm still messing with my 7 WSM trying to find a load for the 160gr Accubond that will get me to 3000fps without too much pressure. Everytime I think I've got it, I seem to encounter some new problem. My rifle is a Montana 1999 and I'm happy with the way it handles and shoots, but I've never had this many issues with a cartridge and pressure. Does anyone have a recommended powder and charge for the 160gr Accubond that will get me to 3000 and under max pressure? I suppose I should just move to a different bullet like the 140gr TSX, but I haven't tried that yet. I just like the idea behind a relatively heavy bullet at the 3K mark.

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