7 Rem Mag reload vs factory

Lighter bullets tend to shoot lower than heavier. Move to 50 yards to start maybe? Lighter bullets have less dwell time in barrel I believe the reason less time for recoil .

Use a bigger target to know for sure.

Any changes to a load will change POI. You could be hitting higher, lower, left or right with a different load. But the difference is usually not significant enough to be completely off the target.

Just a SWAG, but those are all pretty mild hand loads and should have pretty mild recoil. When a rifle recoil's you get muzzle flip. The barrel will rise slightly while the bullet is still in the barrel. The more recoil, the more the barrel rises, and the higher the bullet will impact on target. I'm guessing that your handloads have much less recoil so the barrel doesn't rise as much during recoil.

Orion62, you're shooting off a bench, correct? How you position yourself can have a lot to do with how you shoot. I'm thinking you already know that.
What other powders do you have? I had very good luck and accuracy with H4831 and 160gr Speer bullets. There seem to be other thing[maybe] at play here why you are shooting low.
Any other details?

Barrel timing. Every change in bullet, every change in powder is a new game. This is exactly why you zero with the load you shoot and each one is different.

Generally lighter, faster bullets shoot lower at 50 and 100 yards.

69 gr of 4831and 140gr Nosler Partition gives 2 1/2" groups @ 300 yards, in my rifle.

When all of the sudden I can't keep paper it's usually because the sight came loose. Silly suggestion but worth checking.

SingleActionAndrew said:

When all of the sudden I can't keep paper it's usually because the sight came loose. Silly suggestion but worth checking.

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My very first thought as well. Check scope bases, rings first. Next check barrel lug screws although if they are loose you usually shoot high. But maybe the lighter bullet doesn’t lift as much?

I’m with you that you should still “be on paper” unless it’s a tiny paper.

Orion62 said:

I was shooting off a lead sled on the ground in prone position

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Try off a bench with rest & bags. Has made a difference in bullet point of impack.

Faster bullets tend to hit lower on target. As said above.

168 gr. Retumbo 70.0 Gr. go up by 0.02 Gr increments IF 70.0 isn't doing it . I know people are up 71.5gr. plus but honestly DON'T see improvement over 70.0 .

My loads are of NO use to any of you as I run H870 @ 100 yd. clover leaf pattern but I have a Commercial Mauser 3000L 4 Th. shot strays 0.5 " It's a Hunting rifle not a target rifle .

BushMaster-15 said:

168 gr. Retumbo 70.0 Gr. go up by 0.02 Gr increments IF 70.0 isn't doing it . I know people are up 71.5gr. plus but honestly DON'T see improvement over 70.0 .

My loads are of NO use to any of you as I run H870 @ 100 yd. clover leaf pattern but I have a Commercial Mauser 3000L 4 Th. shot strays 0.5 " It's a Hunting rifle not a target rifle .

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OK I don't follow this at all. At 70 grains an incriment is normally 1% or .7 grains. Doing .4 or .5 may be reasonable but .02 grains. Most including myself don't have scales that accurate.

Did any factory loads come with this rifle? If so, what kind of group are you getting with them? It took me 3 different boxes of ammo before a found the load that would group tightly in my Ruger .338 WM. I have used that factory ammo ever since. The stuff that didn't work I shot up and used the casings for reloads. I was fortunate that my first reloadings (in 2002) worked best, and I never had to make any changes. My .222 Mag (in 1970) was not as easy as it did not shoot factory ammo worth beans. Two different bullets (100 packs) and three different powders later I settled on Sierra 53 grain Match Kings and either BLC-2 or IMR 4895 (two of the three powders I tried out). Now I was stuck with 95 bullets and a little less than a pound of powder that I couldn't use. Such is the way with experimentation.
You have made 3 reloads, but if I understand correctly you made each one with a different powder charge. Those are 3 different loads. Try 3 loads all with the same powder weights and try again.
I agree with the post about shooting off the bench even with a lead sled. Good luck and be safe.

I don't know if you can find any, but Federal Premium ammunition with the 160gr Partition has always performed very well, like 1/2MOA, in my Winchester M70 Classic. When my rifle starts shooting inaccurately, I shoot a group of that load through it to determine if it's a rifle problem, or an ammo problem.

As mentioned, I would try shooting off a bench and not use the lead sled. I am not sure that restraining the rifle doesn't make them shoot oddly. Benchrest shooters let the rifle free recoil on the rest. One can't do that on sandbags with a hunting rifle, but one can get a consistent set up. If recoil is a problem, I put a sand bag between the buttplate and my shoulder.

I have used RL22, RL25 and H4831SC all with good success in my 7 mag.

Those grain bullets are on the high side for 7mag I believe I use 140-150 something I’d have to look could possibly be heavy bullet not stabilizing in flight??
I also have a tendency to shoot my 7mag low off hand but in a lead sled I was Inch high at 100 yards I believe is where I originally had it zeroed

What is your twist rate on the barrel? That will dictate what gr bullet to use for best results. Also check the barrel for cu fouling, and throats being burnt out if you have a bore scope. If the previous owner was shooting hot loads, the barrel in only good for 1200-1500 rounds.

sharp tooth said:

Those grain bullets are on the high side for 7mag I believe I use 140-150 something I’d have to look could possibly be heavy bullet not stabilizing in flight??
I also have a tendency to shoot my 7mag low off hand but in a lead sled I was Inch high at 100 yards I believe is where I originally had it zeroed

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I know leverguns are very sensitive to how they are held and point of impact. I believe most others are not near as picky. Maybe the cheek weld and eye to optic are different if the impact is consistently different.

Are you using a scope or open sights? Browning BAR is one of the few that really manages (reduces) the recoil. When I first got my Rem 700 in 7mm Mag I went through 2 scopes before I bought a high end scope for it. The cheap scopes would not hold their zero it literately shook the inside apart. My VXIII has held up for nearly 40 yrs and still going.