Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Long Range Hunting Having Fun With The 7mm SAUM

First, here is a pic of this 7m SAUM beauty built by Mac's Gunworks: (Shop: 307-685-3373 or Chuck's Cell: 307-689-2796)
http://macsgunworks.com/default.aspx

Action has been trued, pinned lug, New bolt, Seekins picatinny 20 MOA Base, Modified (strengthened) H-S Stock, NF Rings, Leupold FFP Mark 6.5-20 with ART (Holland's) reticle, Holland Radial Quick Discharge brake. Barrel 1-9 twist Lawton, chambered in 7mmSAUM.
Load is a 162 A-Max, H-1000, Fed Match primer @ 2759 fps from the muzzle.

This is the beginning of a switch barrel/switch bolt rig that Chuck (Mac's Gunworks) is building. His shop is South of Gillette, WY.
Chuck has done very nice work on this as you can tell by the pics and the shooting.
This is the first of four barrels to be fitted:
7mm SAUM (Lawton 1-9 twist)
6.5 Leopard (WSM) (Benchmark 1-8 twist)
6.5x47 Lapua (Shilen Select match 1-8 twist)
6mm-284 (Broughton 5C 1-8 twist)

First time it had field use was when I helped teach a couple of LR shooting schools for Darrell Holland (Holland's Gunsmithing & Shooters Supply http://www.hollandguns.com/) at the end of April through early May. I took my 7mm SAUM center-grip XP and my 7mm Rem Mag Improved MOA--Can't let the rifle guys have all the fun
Worked long days, but it was very enjoyable.
Darrell has opened the school to specialty pistol shooters when I am there, but we had none this year.
When I had some free time when the students were on solo mode I was able to do some shooting between 400 to just under 900 yards.
Good fortune was on my side, because I never missed steel one time.
I wish I could say this is always the case, but it is not so. Most of the target were 10"x16", but there were two humanoid targets like the one pictured below.

Also, about 20 rifle guys got introduced to specialty handguns at long range.
None of this shooting was from the bench and there were no wind flags.
One of the students from the second class watched me shoot beyond 800 yards in a 14mph wind on last day of class, told me that if he had read or heard someone talk about such a shot with a specialty handgun he would say that person is full of cow manure (I edited his actual words). I asked him what thought about it now, and he said with a smile, I witnessed it myself and I still can't believe it."

Two one-shot attempts at 775 yards (one shot per person).
This was Jody's first shot from a SP, although I had him dry-fire several times to get used to the trigger.
He was one of the assistant instructors for the second class.
His brother helped with the first class and shot both specialty handguns good also.

I kidded with Jody afterward, telling him "long-range handgunning so easy that even a rifleman can do it."

nice is that a xp100

Yes it is.
Thanks!

Good job! SOunds like a good time all around!

its a gun-camino

You're making me drool, Ernie! I'm waiting on an XP rebarrel to 260 Rem to get done. Now you've gone and made the wait harder!

Is yours a rear-grip or a center-grip?

Fine shooting. What caliber XP's do you hunt deer/elk with?

In the past I have killed a couple of bulls and a five or so cows with the 284 Win XP.
A cow and a bull have fallen to a 14" MOA Maximum in 260 Rem.
Several elk tags have been filled with the 7.82 Patriot in a XP, and a 7mm Dakota XP-100.
My biggest elk rig, that I am still doing some load development on is a center-grip XP, chambered in the 338AX (338 Lapua Mag. Improved)
For elk I prefer the 7mm's or jump to a 338.

I was there, saw it with my own two eyes.

-nosualc

I wish there had been more time for students to shoot either or both of the specialty handguns, for those who wanted too.

I would have loved to give 'er a whirl, but I'm afraid it may have been very humbling.

Or worse, really expensive (and I already have more hobbies than I have time).

For those of you that haven't had the pleasure, Ernie is the real deal; one heck of a shot, a incredibly knowledgeable, patient instructor, and a fine gentleman to boot.

Ernie is my idol.

-nosualc

Thank you for the kind words!
I think you would have done better than you think.
You don't have to worry about proper cheek weld or the butt-stock being in the shoulder pocket properly.
Also you don't have as much of an issue of your heartbeat affecting your shot through your cheek or shoulder.
E

Center grip, Ernie. Nothing fancy, just an 18.5" Model 7 takeoff barrel. If it shoots anything like my Remington barreled XP in 7mm-08 I'll be a happy camper. I like the possibility of taking an offhand shot (under 100 yds) if presented with the center grip. That would be a pretty tall order with a rear grip. I'll post a pic or two over on LRH after I get it back from the smith.

Good, look forward to seeing it!