Review 7mm RM Hunting Load.

[jwrowland77]

Well, when I did my workup, I had two accurate loads, one around mid-range and one near max.

My hunting load I have loaded and shot that is extremely accurate is:

Hornady 139gr BTSP
IMR4350 57gr
Winchester case
CCI 250
Velocity when I chronographed them was 2850.

The short: the load did it's job on a good buck opening morning this past weekend.

The long: I just don't know if I like the bullet and load. I shot the deer in the neck and it was DRT. The good was, it didn't damage the hide that much on entry or exit. It did massive amounts of damage on the inside. The only part I could find of the bullet was part of the jacket still left in some neck meat. It definitely didn't leave the massive amounts of damage I'm used to with factory ammo, which is a good thing, less meat loss. Maybe I need to try it out on a heart shot. This was my very first deer to shoot with a reload instead of a factory load out of my 7mm RM.

Take-away: I might have to try a different game bullet, and see how different hunting bullets workout.

Results: getting a European Mount.



BTW: this is an Arkansas deer. It's not too bad for an Arkansas deer. It was around 180lbs before I went to quartering up getting it ready to take to processor. Lots of meat came off of him. Huge hams, had a neck roast front the front of his neck that was around a 4lb roast. Huge backstraps.

 

[627PCFan]

Nice deer. I did the same thing when I created my loads. I shoot a140Gn nbt and its only doing 2750 in a my rem mag. Blistering fast ain't everything. Congrats, nice deer anywhere

 

[gamestalker]

I tried that bullet a few years back, but with RL22 though, and experienced the same results with the whole jacketed separation thing, didn't care for that. So I have gone back to using a Speer Hot Core, which in every cartridge I've used it in has been superior. It's an accurate bullet, and from my 7mm RM it pushes about 3200 fps at just under max charge. And actually until you posted the velocity of 2800's causing separation, I thought maybe I was just pushing to fast (Hornady), but I guess it's just the nature of that bullet.

On the other hand, good job! It feels so rewarding when we see our loads put em down in their tracks, ya buddy!

GS

 

[Clark]

CAUTION: The following post includes loading data beyond currently published maximums for this cartridge. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK. Neither the writer, The High Road, nor the staff of THR assume any liability for any damage or injury resulting from use of this information.

I shot mule buck with a 7mmRM one last month at 477 yards:
70 gr H4350 140 gr Nos Bal Tip moly 3.34"

It chronographs at 3200 fps

Looking at the Hodgdon / IMR web site...

Your max was 63.4 gr and you shot 6.4 gr under.

My max was 59 gr and I shot with 11 gr. over.

Both deer died.

 

[jwrowland77]

Yes it was nice to see him drop, especially since I've seen him around the lease for last three years but he never would present a shot.

Yeah I didn't care too much about the jacket separating. Might have to try the Speer or Sierra GK.

 

[CarJunkieLS1]

I agree 2850 seems awful slow in 7mm RM, but speed isn't everything and it sure did its job. My .270 Win is pushing a 130gr Accubond at 3019fps with a 22" barrel...

With your bullet seperating like it did kinda makes me worried about shooting my .30-06 using the same bullet at the same velocity but .30 caliber of course.

 

[jwrowland77]

I agree 2850 seems awful slow in 7mm RM, but speed isn't everything and it sure did its job. My .270 Win is pushing a 130gr Accubond at 3019fps with a 22" barrel...

With your bullet seperating like it did kinda makes me worried about shooting my .30-06 using the same bullet at the same velocity but .30 caliber of course.

Yeah, it's really slow, but man is it deadly accurate. When I did my workup with it, it put 5 shots in the size of a dime. One ragged hole.

I wonder though, if pushing it faster will help it mushroom better, or just make the bullet disintegrate upon impact and just wound the animal, which I really don't want to happen. I like the good clean quick ethical kills. I get ragged all the time about taking my time on taking shoots and sometimes deer slipping away, but I never have to track a deer.

I wonder if there's a way I can test the impact of the bullet at my upper limit load to see how it reacts without shooting a deer with it?!?

 

[CarJunkieLS1]

If its accurate who cares how fast it is a 139gr bullet going 2850 will kill any deer walking this planet. I guess if my load kills quickly and is that accurate I wouldn't sweat it. My .270 goes 3019 and 3 shots inside a quarter I haven't shot a deer with it yet but I'm hoping I get the same results as you...meat in my freezer. I "should" have a death ray coming out the end. Looks like you do too.

 

[nastynatesfish]

I swapped to the 140 Bergers. I run h4831 get around 3200 also. They drop deer dead and don't tear meat up last year. At 385yds
Entrance

Exit

Good accurate too, easy to work up for load in my 7 mag

 

[jwrowland77]

That's not bad for entry and exit wounds for a 7mm RM.

 

[Clark]

The entrance wound in the right shoulder.


The exit wound in the left lung.

The 140 gr ballistic tip 7mm bullet left my rifle at 3200 fps and hit the animal at 477 yards going 2,320 fps.
He went over with his hooves in the air and never got up.

I have killed 2 with VLDs and 1 with SST.
I have killed 16 with ballistic tips, and I love the way those bullets kill over a wide range of velocities.
I like to hit the lungs if I can.

I had target practiced at that exact range 3 shots. I missed the bull by 2", 3", and 5".
So I knew I had him.

 

[jwrowland77]

Nice.

 

[dsm]

IMR-4350, Rem 9.5's and a Sierra 160 SPBT. The Sierra does one heck of a job!