What do you use? I just picked up a used 7mm Mag for my Grandfather to finish his hunting career with and now I need to get a load together. This year he's going for mule deer, cow elk, and doe antelope. I'd like to use one load to keep things simple. I was thinking a 160gr Partition at 2900-3000fps would be just the ticket unless someone has any better ideas. He can't get out much, maby one or two trips to the range so I'm trying to keep any requirements on his part to a minimum.

160 Partition and Re22 all mine has ever needed.

140 TSX would be my choice....

Any Partition from 140-160 grains will do it...so won't the tsx's etc, but Partitions are what I personally know,so that is what I can recommend.In the end, it won't matter.Partitions and 7 Rem Mags go together like ham and eggs.

Handloaded 160g Grand Slams were my choice for 20+ years and they worked great. 160g Federal-loaded Partitions were my backups.

In your situation I would use the 160g Partitions with absolute confidence.

The 150gr. Swift Scirroco II at 3110 fps should work for deer, elk and antelope.

If you're handloading, I'd suggest the new 150 gr. Nosler E-tip, at about 3100 FPS. 100% weight retention, flat trajectory, .495 BC...what's not to like? They are only $2 more a box ($31.50/50 at Midway) than the 140 gr. Partitions. The Barnes MRX 160gr bullets are $30 for a box of 20, which is more than twice as expensive. The 140 gr. TTSX are $35/50, but the BC on those is more like .400 than .495, and you get 10 gr. less weight at the target.

As soon as I can work up some loads, I intend to make those E-tips my "go to" 7mm bullet.

Hope it was interesting!

139 Interbonds @ 3300fps have worked for me on all of the critters you mentioned. I have found 140 Accubonds @ 3250fps are even more accurate out of my gun and they've worked great on the few deer I've shot with them. My new load is a 140TTSX @ 3280fps. I've yet to draw blood with it yet, but it'll work great no doubt. As PreciousLiberty said, I would also look hard at the new E-tips. I'll buy some 140's if/when they show up.

In my experience a stout 140(i.e. tsx, NP, AB, IB, etc.) will penetrate just as good as a heavier bullet with less recoil and a flatter trajectory. Just my 2 cents.

Good luck,

Brett

I would go the 150 grain partition route.

There's about a kajillion ways to skin this el gato Hunterbug.

I've done a lot with various big 7's and the combo that you mentioned still does all that everthing else will do (it's just a bit boring....can a fella say that about Nozlers?)

I'd grab some 7828 and the 160 Nozlers and rock on.

Dober

Mark,

you just hate that 7828 don't ya?

Try 160 NABs with R22 and federal 215s.

I've shot that combo in 3 7RMs so far and all three were sub MOA. Took a bull at 325 with them and loved the performance. Also took a large mulie and large whitetail with them with outstanding performance. The 160 NAB has a good bc and yields good trajectory. Build up to 66grns of R22 and see how it shoots. 66 grns gives me an avg of 3080 fps from a 24" tube 700.

That would truely be a one load do-all set-up for him.

Good Luck

Reloader7RM

I've also had very good luck with 160 Accubonds. Took my bull last fall with them from a very long ways away and couldn't have asked a bullet to perform any better. It's a great choice for a bullet that will hold together well at closer distances and as stated, has a good BC to help retain it's velocity/energy when stretching it out there.
Got the VLD bug and am now trying 168 Bergers with 70gr. of Retumbo running right at 3000fps. So far I've only taken a couple hogs with them but am going to use them this fall for antelope/deer/elk. If I don't like their performance I will confidently go back to using the Accubonds.

Agreed. The 160 partition would be hard to beat in this case.

I've used the 120 gr. XBT's, the 140 gr. and 160 Nosler Partitions in cartriages like the 7X57, the .280 and the 7mm RM for many years.
I think I'd just do a good load with a temp insensitive powder like the Hodgden's or the Ramshot line with a 160 gr. NP. It should be very close to the factory ammo with it and the Swift A-Frame bullet. Can't imagine anything much more practical. E

H-bug,

I'm doing the same - I'm using 160 grain pills - A-Frames/Partitions pushed by healthy doses of RE 22 or 25, Magnum, Retumbo, or IMR 7828. I have a lot of work to do, if I ever get my rifle back from the gunsmith.................

I'm working on a 150 NBT load for a 7 WSM now, but am thinking of picking up some 160 accubonds factory seconds since they're on sale right now. Reckon R22 will work same as the 7RM?

My current favorite all around bullet in the 7mag is the 160gr. Accubond. IMR-7828 or RL-22 with a CCI-250 primer.

Hunterbug,

I liked the 160 gr Nosler Partition for everything in my 7mm Rem Mag, but my hunting buddy has decided the 175 gr bullet does it all for him. He has killed all three animals with that load.

I have been loading 175 gr NPs for him, but he has some Federal Fusion loads that he bought for about what I pay for components -- and they shoot as well or better.

jim

There is so many premium bullets out there for the 7mm crowd that you can't go wrong with none of them.

Though, the 140-grain TSX would be my first choice.

My 7mm Rem Mag seems to be more fussy about ammunition than most.
160gr Nosler Partition seems to give the best accuracy for that rifle.

Just in case no-one has thought enough to mention it, the 160 gr Partition and a half/handful of IMR 4350 has been working for me for ( I think I got my first 7 Mag in 1963?) a long time.

Wayne

Kimber7man,

The WSMs do well with R22. It may not offer top velocity, but it's a good choice ad definitely worth a try in yours. If it's too slow for you, give H4831 or R19 a try. The bad thing in the SMs is that the longer bullets really rob capacity, especially with the short mag length which mandates deep seating.

Good Luck

Reloader7RM

Kimber7man, 7WSM 7RM Same Same.

Sid-my experience has been that the 7 wsm and the 7 rem are close but not quite, same with the 300 wsm and the winnie. Bottom line nothing to ever write home about but I've seen for the most part 100 fps diff.

Like I said not much but it is there, and the animules will never know it.

Dober

140TSX..no question..

My go-to all-around load was the 160gr TSX and now is the 140gr TTSX. I just decided that as far as penetration goes, enough is enough

My 7mag likes the accubonds that you buy loaded up by winchester that have the black coating.
I like the 140 grain, flat and accurate.
Then again I am shooting 80 pound deer. But I wouldn't hesitate to shoot a elk either with it.

I am a fan of the accubond and TSX. But on the other hand I know a lot of people that were hunting with the nosler ballistic tip and remington core lokt for the longest time before the TSX and accubond and they killed a lot of game from little coues to elk. Get a 140 to 160 grain that will shoot good out of your tube and go with it. both will get there, but the 140's might have a little less drop and get there a little faster.

Good luck and let us know what you go with.

Kique

Nothing from nothing leaves nothing.

yup

Let the gun decide.

If it were my Grandfather, I would lean towards a lighter bullet for the reduced recoil, probably wouldn't be a stout load either. I would buy several brands of 140's, a couple pounds of different powder, load some up and head for the range. Once you find a sweet load, load them up and go get Gramps.

I own a 7mm Mag that does not shoot a good group with 150 gr bullets. It is a sub MOA rifle with several 140s and 160s. Still, it is minute of deer with 150s.

"Malt-O-Meal - tastes twice as good as that other tasteless stuff."

A TV ad from the 60's. Needless to say, it didn't last long.
2 x 0 = 0

160 gr. Partitions at 2900 fps is my load. My 7 mag loves them and so do I!!
I'm a 73 year old grandfather and they don't bother me at all.

There you have it, from a man that's been there, and still there.

Joseph

Amen from another Grampa. There are several powders (slow) that get there without problems, and with a B.C. of .48 it's downrange performance is awesome. (No, not paper. DRT!)

Wayne

2900fps seems a little slow for a 24" barreled 7RM...definitely not pushing any envelopes. Good barrel life so far?

2900 is about my average over the years (got the rifle in 1982).

A couple thousand rounds down range and the rifle shoots as well as ever. Got my best groups ever a couple years ago and have been too busy with other rifles to shoot it much since.

I have two 7mm Rem Mags. The one I use is a Mod 70 Win Black Shadow with factory 26" barrel and a Nikon 3-9x40BDC. The one I havent tried out yet is a Browning BLR81 I bought off a rancher, it has a Denver Redfield 4x CH-dot scope on it.

My ammo is Hornady Light Magnum 139gr SST ONLY. This stuff aint cheap (33.00 a box) but it shoots laser straight for a long long ways. I order a couple boxes a month and sort of horde it in case they quit making it. I dont shoot it a lot due to cost(there aint no such thing as cheap ammo any more), but I do use it for elk deer antelope and whatever. I may reload some of the cases some time,when I do I'll probably use the 139 SST or something similar, knowing I'll never duplicate Hornady's load as they use 'special' powder.

Good luck with your 7mm Rem Mag.

While it's not a total concensus, sounds like the 160gr. load is leading the pack. Not so coincidentally, it has been my favorite too. Maybe this is just an old guy thing, as I'm known as papa T by a bunch a grand kids.

Should have said 160gr. Nosler Partition is leading.

lemmings form in mass also but not really a pack I'd like to be part of...

Taking elk out of the equation, my pet deer and antelope load for the past several years in the Hornady Heavy Mag 139 gr IB w/moly. Wicked performance, fast, flat, and very tough.

so what was the point of that condescending comment?

Sorry ya took it that way...

Actually, I've been reloading for a 7mm Mag for about 30 years. My favorite bullet for general usein a 7RM is a 154gr Hornady SP.

It isn't too tough to open up on deer/antelope size game, and has enough integrity for elk. As a cow elk permit is a meat permit, and most guy in their 70's are pretty careful shots, there's really no need for premium bullets, if there ever really was. I've also had very good luck with the Hornady 162gr BT if more weight gives you confidence. I think the best comparison I can think of is the fact that the 154gr Hornady has the sectional density as a 180gr/.30 caliber bullet, and that's a well accepted standard.

I use NP's from time to time, and at one point used them almost exclusively. With experience, I've come to feel that if I need "more", I can pick a bigger bullet, from a bigger hole. Since I bought a couple of Whelen's, my 7RM has seen a lot less use.

I started out handloading with an old Remington 700 BDL in 7 mm RM. It's not a tough cartridge to start with, but does have some quirks. It shot most loads quite well. I finally settled on 160 grain Nosler Partitions, Remington cases, Fed 215 or WLR primers and a top load of IMR 7828. Re 22 works almost as well.

That load accounted for 2 elk, a couple of mule deer bucks, and several antelope.

My new favorite 7mm Rem Mag load is 160 grain Barnes TSX using RL 22 pushing 2985 fps. With this load my T3 shoots .7 MOA..

I shot many game animals with that same bullet, and have recently switched to the 140gr TTSX. I don't foresee any penetration problems caused by going to the lighter bullet...

I use the 140gr mrx out of my 7mmstw for all of my big game hunting.

I don't use one bullet in my 7MM Remington because I found that the heavier bullets 160 plus have a tendancy to just pencil through without much expansion on deer and smaller game.

My load for deer/antelope is the 139 Gr Hornady Interloc the load is in Hornady volume II 3400 fps out of a 24" barrel. Bang flops them everytime.

While I did decide to slow them dwon a little, my 7 RM pushes the 140's out at 3400+ average. I was pleasantly shocked. At first I was in disbelief. But it continues to do so.


Pretty cool.

I've used the 140 and 160 Partition a lot; the 140 and 160 Bitterrot as well.Today,I'd use any of these, but my pick of contemporary premium bullets would be a Swift Aframe,140 or 160.Likely the 140 would see the most use.

Couple of decades ago I was loading for myself and several family members. Everyone was shooting either 30-06 or 308. I bought a box of 1000 150 Grain Core-Lokts to use for everyone. Well over 100 deer, elk, and antelope kills later it must have been a OK choice. We butcher our own, and meat damage is better than some of the so called Premium bullets with terminal results seeming as good or better than I have read here and there in these forums. As far as accuracy goes I have several different makes of rifles in several calibers that will ALL shoot MOA or better with those reasonably priced Remington bullets.

Go buy whatever makes ya feel good and you feel confident with, it;s your money, gun and hunt, and I will stick with what works fine me. I just don't buy into this fancy-dancy superduperX100special bullet is what you hafta have or your waisting you time. Remington and Federal spent a lot of time and money some where around 40 years back figuring out what is needed for good clean kills and are still making them and their still fine.

Learn when and where to shoot your game, use a bullet made for the job at hand, and you will be fine without costing 2+ bucks a bullet.

Forgot to mention, case life is great, too. My 7mm RM leaves a small scratch in the cases after they are chambered. The scratches don't polish out in the tumbler but they are not deep enough to hurt anything so I've never had the problem fixed.

A bonus of the scratches is thay I can count exactly how many times a case has been chambered, which generally equals the number of times it has been fired.

At 18 firings I tossed my brass and started over.

Nothing wrong with 2900fps - it has downed everything I've shot with that rifle with authority.

Bob,
I really like the 140 A Frame a lot. Both my 7 Wby & new 7 RM like them. I have yet to make a kill with them but I am confident they'll do the job. The Wby load is running 3224 fps & the RM load is clocking 3350 fps.

I gave 150's the all-american effort in both guns but it was not to be. I don't see any reason for the 160's. I figure that since I have NEVER recovered a .284 bullet, what difference does it make how heavy it is?

In a 7 Mag, with Rem Brass, Win Mag primer, 73-74g of R#25 with a 154g Hornady sp @ 3200 fps is all you will ever need. This load has been extremely accurate in MANY 7 Mags.

I can't even count the bull elk that have been accounted for with this bullet from the guys that I know.

On deer, the bullet performs flawlessly, no need for any kind of special high tec bullet because these bullets do not fail you!