Just bought a Weatherby Vanguard Synthetic (7mm Mag)

[ojibweindian]

Yesterday, I bought a Weatherby Vanguard in 7mm Mag. I was wanting something in 30-06, but there was nothing in a Weatherby in stock at the local Wally World.

Anyway, the rifle seems to be well made; bolt was smooth, no discernable gaps between the action and the stock. Trigger on the Vanguards I've handled in the past are pretty nice; about 3.5 lbs. with very little creep, and no readily apparent over-travel.

I will need to get bases and rings for a scope. Also, I need to get a scope

I've got to get some brass, bullets, and powder for the thing to develop a load for deer and hogs. Was thinking about using a 160 grain bullet at around 2,800 fps for deer and hogs; if I am ever fortunate enough to go elk or grizzly bear hunting, I'd probably go with a 175 grain bullet.

Anyway, I thought I'd share the good news.

 

[BIGJACK]

Yeaaaa! I also got me one the other day in .243. I have shot it a couple times and it shoots really good. Feels good on the shoulder and groups pretty dam good too. Didn't shoot Winchester ammo worth a crap but some loads look good with "standard" over all bullet length. Today I will determine the proper length for my rifle and load up a few at that length and I expect even better results.
You can see some of my groups on the "cheap .243" thread.

 

[ojibweindian]

BIGJACK

What kind of groups were you getting with the factory loads used?

 

[bigcim]

ojibweindian great cal its my fav

 

[ojibweindian]

Okay

I've been searching around for a bit, looking to find a scope that would be appropriate for my 7mm Mag.

I've not a lot to spend (cost <= $250) and am thinking that either a Burris Fullfield II or a Bushnell Elite 3200 (both 3-9x40) will do a good job. Not too concerned about brightness of the scope at dusk, because all of my previous hunting has early morning to mid-afternoon, and I don't forsee any late afternoon hunts occurring for me at all in the near future.

Anyway, my great concern is whether or not either of these two scopes will fit on a long action gun, and if it will be able to hold up to potentially heavy recoil.

 

[BIGJACK]

Ojibwey, I only tried Winchester 100gr power points and they were not too good. About 2inches. I am gonna try some Federals and I believe they will do better.

My hand loads were all around 1inch and less.

 

[ojibweindian]

BIGJACK

I'll bet you the 1-9.5" twist is too fast for those 100 grain bullets. You'd probably have good results with a 140 grain or heavier bullet.

 

[MTMilitiaman]

I love the 7mm Rem Mag, though mine is a Remington BDL.

You can get the 160 gr bullets out of a 24 inch barrel at least 150 fps faster than that, but if that is the velocity you are getting the best accuracy at or are otherwise inclined to stick with, that is your option. I am loading a 160 gr Accubond over 63 gr RL22 for 2960 fps. I am thinking of trying Retumbo or Ramshot Magnum and seeing if I can't get a little more. Truth be told, anything around 1.5 MOA is fine with me on a hunting rifle, and the current load is around MOA, with groups going down to about .75 MOA when I do my part. I also have a strange urge to try the 175 gr Partition. As you can probably tell, I am a heavy for caliber guy.

For decent optics on a budget, I've heard good things about both the Burris and the Bushnell Elite series. You might also want to try them side by side against the Nikon Buckmaster series.

 

[BIGJACK]

Could be, and I will try some but it shoots the 87 gr Hornady Hp pretty good too.

 

[BIGJACK]

How critical do you guys think over all bullet length is. I am fixing to load som up 10% shorter than lands to bolt face length and see how they shoot.

 

[ojibweindian]

I assume that OAL, as it relates to accuracy (not saftey), is rather important, depending on the rifle.

My thought is that it would matter greatly for precision rifles with tight chambers used in competition. For GP, i.e. hunting, informal target practice, etc. with an off-the-shelf rifle I would think it to be not nearly as important.

 

[rockstar.esq]

FALSE!

Makes a large difference with ANY rifle. Too short and over pressure develops, too long over pressure develops. Accuracy hangs somewhere in between. The amount of bullet "jump" directly relates to pressure and buring consistency. Without consistent burn rates, your shots will have differing velocities which plays havoc with accuracy.

 

[ojibweindian]

In a hunting situation, shrinking groups from, say, 5/8" to 3/8" isn't that much of an improvement. If you get a hunting load that does that, messing around with OAL to wring 1/4" isn't really worth the time. I'd rather be in the field than at the bench, or at the range.

As far as safety is concerned, BIGJAKE is certainly aware that a cartridge with excessive OAL will cause a serious problem with overpressure. Your over-zealousness was misplaced.