I'm looking for a new load for my 7mm. I'm hunting elk next year in WY and wonder what some "hardcore" reloaders are sending down the pipe. It is a Browing A-bolt 7mm. Power; type, amount, and bullet choices if you don"t mind.
Thanks

Ive loaded the SPEER grand slams with a 215 fed primers over a stiff load of 60 grains (work up your rifle might not like that much)
H-4831sc
http://www.speer-bullets.com/ballistics/detail.aspx?id=57

for the one guy that used a 7MM rem mag, in our group, hes had excellent results, Id use the same load if I used a 7mm rem mag.
don,t worry about getting the highest potential velocity , just get a good accurate load and sight in at about 3.5" high at 100 then just remember your good holding center chest out to 330 plus yards,if the elks 330yards to 400 yards just place the horizontal cross hair on the shoulder top edge
laminate the chart and tape it to your stock then PRACTICE and get a sling and bi-pod

Nosler 160g Accubonds over Reloder 22

shot a bunch with my remington. 69.5 H-4831 139 horn. ( could use a 140 accubond or 140 partition) . remington brass. 9.5M primer. 030 off.

Sorry, but a 7mm what? 7mm Rem Mag? 7mm Wby? 7mm WSM? 7mm-08? Something else...?

340mag assumed a 7mm Rem Mag, but if you are asking for load data it's kind of an important point.

For my 7RM I loaded RL-19 (I don't hunt in extreme temps) with 145gr Barnes LRX at 3,100 FPS. Groups well under an inch consistently and at 300yds on a bull I had 99.4% and 99.6% weight retention.

7mm Reminton, sorry.

btw I got an email asking why I prefer the 200 grain speer in a 30/06 to the 175 grain 7mm mag for elk , well consider the two charts and keep in mind that while the 30/06 is a bit slower in velocity (about 2580fps with 200 grains vs 2760fps for the 7mm mag with a 175 grain) Id say 98% of the shots Ive ever seen made on elk were made at less than 300 yards, so check out the charts, in my opinion theres no huge advantage to using the 7mm rem mag , but hey if you feel like its better grab the rem mag Ive seen both used and I doubt any elk will really know the difference, but like I said theres several guys with 30/06 rem 7600 and BARs, BLRs in my group but only one guy uses a 7 mm rem mag, not that it matters because both cartridge and loads work fine in skilled hands


7mm rem mag


30/06 chart

http://www.speer-bullets.com/ballistics/detail.aspx?id=103

my elk hunting bud also uses a browning a bolt in 7mmremmag. his preferred factory ammo is fed prem loaded with 160gr partitions. he's killed a lot of elk with his rig. lots of options out there, but i know the 160/partition works.

In my 7mm RM I've loaded up the 150g Barnes TTSX with 7828 SSC. I get about 3/4" groups @ 100y. Yet to be tested on a live Wapiti though...

My dad has shot his 7mm Remington since 1972 with nothing but 160 gr. Nosler Partitions and has taken a lot of game with it. It has never let him down.

I have mentioned before how much H-4831sc I put under a 140 NBT, but you have to get a very old Reloading manual before you can even get close to the charge weight.

With my Savage, the bolt handle gets hard to lift above 71.5 grains, however the groups do open up before that. As mentioned, approach max loads cautiously.

Tried H-1000 , it just did not pressure up with out compressed loads.

Win magnum primers in win brass, just the right amount of H-4831sc under a 140 gr Nolser Ballistic-tip. And filp the carcass so the zipper is down-hill when you quarter your elk. There a little on the runny side when you first open them up!

If loading up mine to carry afield.. bullet choice is old school... 175 grain Hornady RN.. most of the area I'd hunt, 250 yds is going to be more like it...than these open country shots..

powder choices depend on the MV you want... me, I'd probably use something like RL 15, 4064 or 4895...

If long range was more appropriate... anyone of the host of 160 grain bullets, stiff load of H 1000...

175 gr Nosler Partition, this one was loaded over H870 for 2930 fps from the 24" factory barrel. H870 is hard to find now though. Today I'd likely use Reloader 22 or 25. Not hard to get 2900 fps from a 175, and they are great hunting bullets.

I have zero doubt that theres guys with rifles that can throw a 175 grain bullet, or a 200 grain or a 250 grain in those calibers faster than what that charts says, Im just posting what my chronograph says the normal hand-loads we have used for years show, now it really doesn't make a great deal of difference because any extra velocity will slightly flatten the trajectory and make the bullet expand a bit faster but I doubt it will kill any better, especially when judged at ranges at or under 300 yards on elk and in 40 plus years I can only think of two elk and a few mule deer our groups killed at greater range , trust me a bit here! a 175 grain bullet from a 7mm mag won,t bounce off any elk in my experience at those listed velocities, even if your hand loads boost velocity 150fps I doubt any elk will notice

I think you're right...

I'm no 7mm expert on elk.

I loaded 160-gn Accubonds at about 3075 fps in my WSM last season. Good, accurate bullet that should work great near to quite far. I've killed deer and elk with other NAB's and been very satisfied...

You could also run a 140 TTSX at warp speed. I bet that'd work.

I'd try IMR7828, RL17, and RL22 first. F215 primers.

I use 71 grains of RETUMBO under a 160 Woodleigh PPSN for an accurate load for that size animal. Any premium 160 or conventional 175 will work well.

Start lower and work up your loads.

I've shot a number of elk with 160 partitions and 62.0 grains of IMR4831 in the past several years from my 7MM RM. Also killed an Alaska bull mooose with it as well as a bunch of antelope and deer.

This past year, I worked up a good load with the 160 grain accu-bonds and IMR4831 62.0 grains, cci 250 mag. primes and WW cases.

MV is 2970.

I had 4 elk tags this year, 2 in Wyoming, 1 in Montana, and 1 in Arizona...used the accu-bonds on all four with great performance. All are DIY, public land elk.

Wyoming bull, shot it at 25 yards, hit the back of the on-shoulder exited behind the off shoulder:



Exit side of that bull:



Montana bull, 363 yards, shot behind the shoulder, bullet exited:



Wyoming cow, 211 yards, exit side:



Finally, Arizona bull on the general hunt in late November, 620 yards, shot it behind the shoulder, bull bedded. Wanted to make sure it was done and shot it twice more in its bed. Recovered all the bullets.



Here are 3 of the 4 bullets I recovered...the first two expanded bullets from left are the bullets from the AZ bull shot at 620, the last expanded bullet was recovered from a MT mule deer shot at 130 yards stem to stern.



I'd feel pretty comfortable shooting either the 160 accubonds or partitions...they both work great.

You must have a hell of a freezer. Nice hunting.

I'll say. That would feed the Duggars for two years.

All of the info we've all given should be of some use however, you really need to work up your loads and find out what your rifle likes. Powder weight, bullet type, bullet weight, case brand, primer, seating depth and on and on and on. Just like all of us, each gun has it's own personality and when you find what it likes fine tune from there.

I completely agree with Huntinut. I played with everything in the 160 grain range from speer spire points, to nosler partitions, really liked the hornady 162 BTSP with rl22,but now its hard to beat the berger 168 grain vld's with retumbo powder. With the vld's i tried H1000, RL22, Retumbo, and H4831sc, with the Retumbo having the best accuracy. I'm not one that is worried about how fast it's going, but one being able to hit, not what, but where, you are shooting.

Isn't that the truth....

My 7mm Browning A bolt likes the 160 grain Nosler Partition in the Federal Premium factory ammo.

My current 7mm RM likes 150 gr bullets, so a 150 gr Nosler Partition would do the trick. Years ago Jack O'Connor observed that he thought the 150 gr bullets out of the 7mm RM killed a bit quicker that the other heavier bullets of his day. These days an good 7mm Bullet is going to put elk steaks in you black iron pan. Find a bullet and load that shoots well enough and then get off the bench and shoot a lot. Have a great trip.

I have good success on antelope, deer and elk all with the same load. 150gr swift sirocco with IMR 4831 at 3100 fps out of my 26 inch lilja barrel.

Big time, and some really nice pics!

Dober

A 7mm RM and a 160g Grand Slam over 62.0g IMR-4831 was all I used for elk for 20+ years. It is a great combo. My hunting buddy took his two elk with that combo as well. Most elk went straight down or took no more than a few steps. Two I shot made it about 40 yards but no others came close to that. My hunting buddy had one go about 120 yards after taking a neck shot, but I don�t blame that on the bullet so much as placement.

Although I shoot more 140g North Forks and TTSX over IMR7828SSC these days (I�ve been using the 7mm RM more for deer and antelope the past few years), I think 160g bullets are probably a better choice for elk and I have some 160g North Fork loads ready to go. H4831SC and H1000 both work well with the 160�s but I�ve gotten higher velocities (3048fps vs 2990fps) with the H1000.

Personally, I don�t care much for standard cup-and-core bullets. Tokk my first elk with a 162g Hornady BTSP InterLock as was underwhelmed but its performance. Yes, the elk went down. The shot was 110 yards or so on a broadside. The bullet hit a rib dead center, missed off-side ribs (or slightly nicked one) and came to rest under the hide on the off side. Retained weight was less than 50% even though I didn�t consider the one rib much of a challenge to the bullet�s integrity. I went to Grand Slams the following year and it took me 20 years to recover one. After wrecking both shoulder joints of a 5x5 bull, the Grand Slam still retained over 70% of its original weight.

Partitions are never a bad choice as far as I�m concerned. North Forks are my favorite. AccuBond, TTSX, Scirocco II are all bullets I would use with confidence.

I'm playing with 175 Partitions in mine

Maybe it's the Jack O'Connor influence from my neophyte days, but I still think of 175 Partitions as elk medicine in the 7mm Mags. We have killed elk with 160 Partitions in both the 7 Mag and the .280s, and even taken a couple with 150s. However, if I were limited to one bullet it would be the 175 Partition. I have been instrumental in switching more than a dozen folks to that bullet in their 7 Mags for elk and none have gone back to whatever they were using before. I don't think that any of them have even tried anything else.

I'm also relatively new to the 7mm rem mag, receiving one late october 2011, but not to the 7mm caliber.

I have shot a 280 rem since '89 at elk and have always been very happy with the performance of 160 gr. bullets. Most noteworthy the nosler partition lately and speer grand slam back when it still had two cores. Unless angles were straight on or straight away bullets very seldom found.

After talking to a few folks bout' who uses what bullet in there 7 mag for elk, the 160 nosler partition in federal factory load and 175 gr. generic factory loads for non-reloaders was oft repeat. One guy I know used a 150 gr. fusion load once on a rag horn bull, claims he never has seen such a hole blown threw both sides of elk ribs till then.

For the handloading crowd, bullet weight was always in the 160-175 gr. range but HEAVY in premium makes. Partition, barnes "x" now tsx are popular in design. And 175 gr. interlocks for two guys who habitually kill elk with them no problem and don't plan on changing any time soon.

I worked up a load for my 7 mag that accurately throws 175 partitions faster than my 280 can safely throws 160. Needless to say, I cannot wait to fire a 175 into an elk this fall.

A tribute to my father:

2008...last day of the hunt. I was using a short barreled, open-sight Marlin .45-70. We drove out of the homestead, down the road 1/2 mile or so and headlighted the herd in a deep neck of a large hay field. Turning tail, we headed back to the homestead, parked and planned. I told dad, "I'm going to have to make a long shot...I need to borrow your rifle." He handed me his late 60s era Ruger M77 in 7mm Rem Mag ("The 7-Mag"). Dad made dozens and dozens of clean kills with that rifle over the last 40 years, but never, not once, had I ever fired a round from the weapon. Didn't matter, I knew my dad and knew exactly what the rifle would do. I put a sneak on and managed to close the distance to a lasered 365 yards on a nice purple cow. The ballistics of dad's handloads were taped on the side of the stock. I remember looking down and seeing that the 160g Accubond would drop 12.3" at 350 yards. I held about 6" below the top of her back and squeezed. I never heard the shot and I never felt the recoil (as it should be), but knew at the exact split second the sear broke that the shot was perfect. It turned out to be probably the most perfectly fired round of my life. The cow was quartering slightly away and the bullet pierced her heart. She ran 30 yards, backflipped and died.

Dad passed almost 11 months ago now and the M77 has risen to exhaulted status as my most prized rifle. I have many others, more expensive, with better glass and fancier bells and whistles, but this one, despite its limited use by me to this point, is special. I also found 78 meticulously hand-crafted rounds that dad made for that M77...I believe it is all the ammunition I will ever need as they are perfection personafied. His formula:

Federal Case
CCI 250 primer
61g of IMR 4350
160g Nosler Accubond
COL of 3.355
MV: 2950fps
ME: 3095

R.I.P. dad....you built one hell of a handload!

I started using the 160 Partition @ 3090 fps back in 1980 --- It's always worked so I've stuck with it.

anyone here use a 175grain sierra gameking

What a science it is how some rifles prefer certain weights bullets as much as they prefer certain charge-weights and seating depths.

My elk rifle, an old safe-queen Savage 7RM I traded a horseshoeing and a mule trimming for. Shot all over the place with anything you tried. So I made a couple piller-blocks and glassed-in the action. Serious Improvements!

But a work in progress, it's real finicky.
The only thing that seems to work real well is 140s . And they only like the very upper spectrum velocities, that is fine with me!

I did luck out.
Before I glassed in the action, I did scrunch the magazine in a vice a little to make it a little longer. Turned out to be a good thing.
The OAL that shoots the tightist , just barely clears the box.

Two years and two elk with this one.
I did add a little more glass about 3" into the barrel, in hope that it would be less finicky. But have not loaded any changes yet, not sure I need to?
It is doing it's best with about as hot as you can go!

Great story. Thanks for sharing.

My current load is RL22 and the 175gr sierra SPBT at 2900fps. Killed a 6x6 last year with the combo. About 225yds in its bed with only a head shot. Bullet entered just below antler base, exited just below antler base. In my rifle i can run it up to 3000fps but accuracy is at 2900fps.

Stiff load again. Work up to it as you test. Works for me, but maybe not for you.

Nosler 175 Spitzer over 60 grains R4831 and Federal 215.

Unbelievable 5 shot groups at 100.

I used RE22 with 160 Accubonds last year on a WY cow.
Straight on frontal shot at less than 100yrds.

Could tell bullet made it to the hip, but did not find it.

If the same rifle goes this year it will be with 160 Partions and RE22 to give them a try.

42 1/2 grains of Varget topped with a 140 grn Accubond.....7-08

I'm hoping to test out the 160 AB this year. I see it, and the 7rm, as the perfect dual-purpose load. Plus, I feel,that it would work well for moose.