7mm STW
- Thread starter mikewayde
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I had a Winchester Classic Laredo in that caliber and it is indeed a very good long range caliber. I bought it on the intention of going out west on a elk or deer hunt that didn't happen and since I didn't need it here in Minnesota, my 308 will do, I sold it....
hometheaterman
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I have a friend that has one. He absolutely loves his. However, he says the barrel is shot out on his and needs to be re barreled. According to him he only gets 4-500 shots before it's shot out. Other than that issue, he loves it and is always telling me stories about it.
The barrel will not wear out that quickly. Unless he is loading crazy hot rounds. I've got a older Remington 700 Sendero 28" bull barrel and have shot 200-250 rounds through it. Loading a 139 grain hornady InterBond using Retumbo and WLMR primers it runs just shy of 3400 fps. I have the same rifle in .300 win mag and the .300 is more comfortable to shoot. I really can't say that the 7stw kicks harder it seems to have a sharper recoil. I have only shot mine long range once. We took one of those life sized cardboard cutouts that they put in front of beer displays and placed it at 1000 yards. Range verified using a Leupold range finder. Now I have shot at 500 yards and inside a pretty fair amount. It took me 9 or 10 rounds to get on target. The 139 grain bullet I was shooting not really ideal for this task. Once I got dialed in I could hit 6-7 out of 10 inside the target. The game I have taken with this rifle went down with some serious authority. Nice rifle but I prefer my .300 win if it comes to a magnum type rifle. I am more accurate with it and it has more than enough power for any job.
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Wickens
Member
Mike, as a gunsmith I have to say it's a lot of case and powder for the caliber. If you look at a reloading manual you can see you aren't gaining much over a 7mm mag velocity with 10 gr. more powder and more recoil. I just put togaether a very nice 7mm STW for a client, with a 26" barrel and he sent me his load of 80gr. of RL22 and 140 gr Accubond, Which is 5gr. over max. in the Nosler reloading guide. I ran it across the chrony and I got 3300fps and knocked off the bench. I can get 3250 with a 280 ackley with 20gr less powder and very pleasant to shoot. Also a 280 Rem at 3150fps.
hometheaterman
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Realistically what kind of barrel life do you get out of these things? I don't want to spew misinformation again. I have never had one or had any experience with them. All I had to go by was what my buddy told me. I know he did tell me about the loads he was shooting and how they were on the hot side. I don't know if that's really all it lasted, or if he is under estimating. He said the throat of the barrel is worn out. Anyway, despite him saying he either needs a new barrel, or needs to have his cut down and re-chambered, he loves his.
cdet69
Member
I own a Winchester Model 70 7mmSTW . It is the stainless steel classic series.It is a great caliber but does have some drawback. I have never noticed a problem with recoil I have a 308 that kicks worse. The bad part of owning one is factory ammo and brass are expensive. It does use quite a bit of powder also. You also need to use a very well constructed bullet because of the cartidges velocity. It is definitely a 200 yard plus rifle not something you would use in the woods. I also know a local farmer who hunts with one exclusively and uses it on everthing from woodchucks to bear. If you do buy one it would be wise to get into reloading to offset the cost.
hardluk1
member
Unless the 7stw is some kind of a great deal it ain't any better than many other optiond out today. My 28" kreiger barreled rifle will croco the same fps that a friends stw will with a 7 rem mag. Easier to shoot to. Look for a 270.
Runningman
Member
Have 4 7mm STW rifles. Two heavy barrels and two sporter barrels. In my experience STW are a good long range hunting round that drops varmints to large game animals fast. I don't like shooting large 300 mags from prone position for long range shots. But find I can tolerate a 7 STW from prone position.
Reality is the STW is not a big step up from a 7mm Remington Mag velocity wise. Just that the STW doesn't seem as finicky about loads as the 7mm Rem Mag in my experience.
As far as barrel life I work with 3 shot groups and let the barrel cool down in between groups on all magnums. Continued rapid firing a hot barrel in a big Magnum will burn out a barrel sooner rather than later. But thats true of just about any 338 cal Magnum or smaller caliber.
I know a guy that would shoot 30 rounds thur a 300 WBY Magnum in about 15 to 20 minutes every time he went out. I could not believe the heat mirage coming off that barrel. After about 200 rounds thru it he turns to me at the bench and says "this thing don't shoot like it used to". The rifling was eroded away about the 1st 5" or so in the barrel. Than there is the guy I seen put 200 rounds thru a 220 Swift in about 30 - 35 minutes. But that another story.
One of my original aftermarket heavy barrels has 942 rounds thru it. It is showing a fair amount of throat erosion. Had to adjust COL out a few years ago. Yes its getting near the end of its life. But none the less I still managed to get .740 group at 200 Yards. With 160 grain Sierra SPBT hunting bullets.... not match bullets.
I like the STW myself, but admit a good 270 Win, 270 WSM, or 270 WBY will most likely do just about anything a STW will do in actual field work, with less recoil. Shot placement is everything. Always been a big fan of the 270 Win and 270 WBY. But in recent years I've been playing around with the 270 WSM in a Tikka T3. This is also not a bad setup for a fairly good shooting easy packing rifle.
Reality is the STW is not a big step up from a 7mm Remington Mag velocity wise. Just that the STW doesn't seem as finicky about loads as the 7mm Rem Mag in my experience.
As far as barrel life I work with 3 shot groups and let the barrel cool down in between groups on all magnums. Continued rapid firing a hot barrel in a big Magnum will burn out a barrel sooner rather than later. But thats true of just about any 338 cal Magnum or smaller caliber.
I know a guy that would shoot 30 rounds thur a 300 WBY Magnum in about 15 to 20 minutes every time he went out. I could not believe the heat mirage coming off that barrel. After about 200 rounds thru it he turns to me at the bench and says "this thing don't shoot like it used to". The rifling was eroded away about the 1st 5" or so in the barrel. Than there is the guy I seen put 200 rounds thru a 220 Swift in about 30 - 35 minutes. But that another story.
One of my original aftermarket heavy barrels has 942 rounds thru it. It is showing a fair amount of throat erosion. Had to adjust COL out a few years ago. Yes its getting near the end of its life. But none the less I still managed to get .740 group at 200 Yards. With 160 grain Sierra SPBT hunting bullets.... not match bullets.
I like the STW myself, but admit a good 270 Win, 270 WSM, or 270 WBY will most likely do just about anything a STW will do in actual field work, with less recoil. Shot placement is everything. Always been a big fan of the 270 Win and 270 WBY. But in recent years I've been playing around with the 270 WSM in a Tikka T3. This is also not a bad setup for a fairly good shooting easy packing rifle.
xphunter
Member
I have a 7mm Dakota-Basically a ballistic twin to the STW.
I use Retumbo and shoot the 160-180 class bullets.
Most hunters won't go through a barrel, but I did cook one between BR comps and pd's.
I use Retumbo and shoot the 160-180 class bullets.
Most hunters won't go through a barrel, but I did cook one between BR comps and pd's.
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