7MM Shooting Times Westerner

[std7mag]

jbowlin,

You don't mention what type of hunting conditions your expecting.
50 yard shots in heavy timber, or 600 yard shots in open country.
For longer shot oportunities, i'd probably keep the speed up and use a 150 Ballistic Tip.
For closer shots, i'd use a powder and charge that would slow the speed down some.

My hunting area presents the challenge of 20 ft shots to 1,200 yard oportunities. No i'm not willing to shoot to those distances, but the oportunity is there.

 

[jbowlin]

jbowlin,

You don't mention what type of hunting conditions your expecting.
50 yard shots in heavy timber, or 600 yard shots in open country.
For longer shot oportunities, i'd probably keep the speed up and use a 150 Ballistic Tip.
For closer shots, i'd use a powder and charge that would slow the speed down some.

My hunting area presents the challenge of 20 ft shots to 1,200 yard oportunities. No i'm not willing to shoot to those distances, but the oportunity is there.

Sorry about that. I would say that his shots would likely be 50-300yds. To be honest, he and I haven't done a lot of shooting together so I am not sure how far out he is comfortable. He may stretch it to 400yds but I would highly doubt he would shoot much past that.

 

[std7mag]

jbowlin,

Something you want to bear in mind is case fill.
With that large of a case volume, loading below 85% fill can give you some nasty surprises, in the form of pressure spikes.
I might look at Hodgdon Hybrid 100V. Gives above 85% fill, and should keep a 140gr Ballistic Tip in the 3,100 fps range.
IMR 7977 might work also. Although you will give up some incomplete burn in the process.

The 150gr. would open up more possibilities powder wise, and keep velocities in the 3,000 fps range.
This would be highly beneficial if a close (50 yards) shot presented itself.

 

[brockel]

A 143 grain hammer hunter at warp speed wouldn’t suck either

 

[std7mag]

I'd go with the 145gr Cutting Edge MTH myself.
But they are local to me.