Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters What's Petzals beef with the 7mm RM?

A lot of folks are just as uptight about long range hunting as they are poaching. We have thousand yard hunting clubs in northern PA so I've long been used to the idea because it's a pretty well known thing around here. They use bench mounted rifles in stuff like .30-378 and watch distant mountainsides through spotting scopes. They even have spotters who keep an eye on the vapor trail of the shot.

Everyone's entitled to his own opinions, even gun writers! I enjoy Petzal's stuff, even though I don't always agree with him. Regarding the 7mm Magnum vs. 270 comparison, Petzal is echoing Jack O'Connor's views.

The 7mm Remington Magnum was invented as a niche cartridge - for long range western hunting. The idea was good long range ballistics with less recoil than the 30 caliber magnums. The late Les Bowman sold the idea to Remington after using various 7mm magnums himself. He concocted what was to become the 7mm Rem. Magnum based on some unheadstamped 338 Win. Magnum cases he got from Winchester, a Remington Model 721 action, and a 7mm barrel Fred Huntington had, as I recall.

When it boils down, the only one I have to worry about when it comes to how far to shoot a deer (or anything else), is myself.This entails a knowledge of my own ability and that of my equipment.

Beyond that,I really don't care what others do.....or use to do it

Forgetting all the nitpicking about which cartridge is better than another, just use what you like. I have owned two 7mm Remington Magnum rifles, and both shot well. I bought them for hunts out west, and ended up using 30 caliber magnums instead. I currently have a 7mm Weatherby Magnum which I will take next time - if there is a next time!

But this is the 24 Hr Campfire! People absolutely will not use what they like. Why do you think threads like this go on for so long?

This must be debated, rehashed, over analyzed, referred by X-spurts, trashed by the great unwashed, targets with holes posted, discussions of hunting trips where they used one, counterpoints of hunting trips when they did not use one, but apparently killed something just as dead, BC and SD must be included, as well as velocity, time of year, hunting location, and my particular favourite, the Solinar tables. You know, you can never go wrong if the Solunar tables or a medicine man tells you where and when to hunt. The bonus is, they will also recommend a cartridge...which starts the whole discussion going again.

Has this discussion even touched on which powder is best? Retumbo, 7828, or one of the 4350s? And what about the 4350s? Which one is best overall? That sounds like a spin off discussion!

Anyway, my foot's been bothering me. Do I use Asper-Cream, Bengay, Pain Bust-r or Blue Emu? Which one is best and why? And what exactly is Petzal's beef with pain creams anyway? Since he writes for F&S, he probably only knows about a couple of muscle creams, and nothing about prescription ones!

I'm sorry, what was it you said again?

That would be something if you weren't a Canuck

You only think I'm from Canada. I'm actually an illegal European alien living in Connecticut living off my ill gotten gains.

[video:youtube] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aa4sE5q7ogg[/video]

That makes it better?

Can it be any worse?

When I was younger, my friends and I would sit around and debate whether muskrat tasted better than skunk. We came to the conclusion that it depended on when you killed them. Both taste better in the fall.

There was never a cartridge debate however. We trapped them, and my best friend used snare wire. Naturally, our discussions would degrade into fights about snare wire being as effective as a trap. Like my sister, it's all relative I suppose.

That would be your ill-booten gottie.

Yeah!

What about H1000? Anybody use it for either of these cartridges? I use to use it in the .270 and got good results. I hear its an even better 7 mag powder but it never gets talked about.

It's my go-to powder in the 7RM with 168 Bergers.

Too slow for the 270 IME. H4831sc is almost too slow.

Well it seems like its the perfect 7 RM powder but it almost gets ignored.

IMR 7828 was formulated especially for the 7mm Rem. Magnum. It is a good choice, along with H1000 and H870 (and others). I liked the long-discontinued H570 in my 7mm Rem. Magnum as well. H870 has the advantage of being a ball powder. I will be able to say more after I spend more quality time with my new-to-me 7mm Weatherby Magnum rifle. In my experience, the 4831s are the best powders for the 270 Win.

We can't get the IMR powders as a rule here but the Hodgson versions are available. H4831SC is very popular here for the 7mm RM. The Alliant ones especially R22 are becoming moreso.

Jerseyboy, I'm far from the worlds most experienced handloader, but for me H4350 is really starting to emerge as a superior powder for the 270 Win, especially for 130g bullets. Current H4831SC just seems really really slow. I'm finding this also in 30-06 and 338 WM handloads as well.

R17 might be a good one to experiment with for all these cartridges too it seems.

Rel 17 is a nice fit in between the 4350's and 4831's in fact, it is a little surprising that there was really a powder gap there.

Reloader-22 is my go to powder for the 7mag.Works so well for bullets
140grs-175grs.

This thread has morphed into something else but so what, that's fine.

I have successfully burned in a 270: 4064,IMR4350,H4350, IMR4831(lots),H4831 (three versions I recall),RL22, 7828, H1000,and RL25. I might have used some MRP but can't remember for sure.

Everyone of these performed pretty well depending on the bullet,with 4064 giving the least velocity across the board but very accurate. There is better stuff.

The 4350's did OK with 130's; I used to hunt a lot with IMR4350,but really prefer the slower powders. H4831 has a been a "go to" for years but some barrels are "slow" with it while others are not and I don't know why.

If H4831 is behaving dog-like with 130's, a switch to RL22 sometimes solves the problem, giving good velocity and accuracy....yeah I know temp sensitivity.... Suggest guys shoot it in their own rifles to see what effect it has.

7828 has been quite good and I have a sneaking hunch the stuff was formulated to be like WW II H4831 but can't prove it (the timing of its introduction by Dupont was about the time stocks of WW II H4831 were running out), and it behaves in a similar fashion in both the 270 and 7 Rem Mag.

RL 25 was a surprise, giving 130 gr Barnes XLC bullets about 3200 fps from a 22 inch barrel, following Barnes manual data. Loads were heavily compressed.

The 270 works with a pretty wide range of slow burning powders IME. I would be hard pressed to choose a "best".