I about bought the same rifle in 338 RUM and my no-good-for-nothing sensical side told me I didn't need it. What a dummy.
Rifle Brand for 7mm Rem Mag
- Thread starter WVmike
- Start date
Years ago my neighbor had a 700 LSS. In a moment of weakness he sold his LSS. He regrets it too.
Wheatgrass
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I have generally been setting my RCBS resizing dye so that the press locks up on the die with a little pressure on the lever, without any case in the die, using standard RCBS shell holders. After lots of testing, I came to the firm conclusion that the old cases are not chambering because the base of the case, just above the belt, is two wide. We are talking about maybe .003" to .005" wider then new cases. The problem has nothing to do with the shoulder of the cases. There is a small area just above the belt where the die simply can't resize the cases.
I did a lot of research on this problem and found a special "belted magnum collet resizing die" made by Reloading Technologies (LarryWillis.com), which goes right down the the belt. For new brass shot out of my new CA Ridgeline, the special collet resizing die helps keep that area "just above the belt" close to SAAMI specs, but it just can't press the old brass (shot from the Ruger Mark #) enough to chamber in the Ridgeline.
I recently started using gauges and shell holder to try controlling the shoulder spacing, but I do not believe that this was the issue with my chambering problems. Honestly, compared to my other rifles, my CA Ridgeline seems to shoot really good with all of the cartridges that I have tested, factory or handload. In hindsight, I think that I spent too much time trying to make handloads that shoot accurately from sloppy guns.
The one I was gonna grab was a lefty model too. A match made in heaven. I’d probably have rebarreled it to a 264wm
I can't think of why you'd buy another 7mm Rem Mag, as it's hard to beat your rifle with the upgrades you have made.
Assuming it's been bedded to the stock, that should be one extremely accurate rifle.
What are you hoping to gain by changing rifles in the same caliber?
As already noted, you'll get a very low value on your trade if you actually trade it; you'd be much better off selling it outright.
I would look to a 30 caliber as the next option.
WVmike
Active member
The HS precision stock has an aluminum bedding block in it. The grouping as I have said before isn't the best. I shot multiple groups in November at 100 yards, 200 yards and 300 yards and my group at 100 was well over 1 MOA, 200 was almost 3 inches low and one at 6 o'clock and the other shot 8 o'clock. The 300 yard group was around 3 inches low again but it was around 5 o'clock and the second shot not even hitting the steel target which was a 8 inch tall, 12 inch wide buffalo silhouette target. Shooting the groups were following missing a nice 10 point at a shade under 400 yards. I by no means will say that I am olympic caliber marksmen but I have been shooting the majority of my life with bolt actions and I have 4 years of being in the Marines and in the Raider Battalion along with that. I have to this point not been overly pleased with the grouping whether it's factory ammo or hand loaded ammo and I also realize that it is a 700ish rifle brand new, which is why I bought a different stock and put a timney trigger in it. The trigger and I'm sure the stock has helped but it almost seems that the barrel is very picky about what it likes. I also have a .264 win mag in a model 70 sporter with the original wood stock that my dad bought brand new in the 80's with maybe 2-300 round through it and I can group a little more than an inch or under with the cheap pentax scope he has on it even with factory ammo. The trade in value at the gun store I deal with was $750 when I had them take a look the other day. I also don't have much interest in acquiring numerous rifles in different calibers being that I already have a .308, .264, .243, .223 (AR) and a 7mm Rem Mag. My hunting buddy has a 6.5 creedmoor, 6.5 PRC, 257 weatherby, 30-06, 300 PRC, .223 (AR) and some other rifles and he has a hard time figuring out which one to use. Here in WV I can take almost anything that lives in the woods with all the calibers I have especially the .243 and up. I would not feel the least bit bad about using the 7mm or .264 for anything in North America which has been a proven thing over the years of being introduced as a caliber.
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noharleyyet
Well-known member
The 300 RUM Dan Coffin rebarrelled and trued was born a 7 RUM LSS. Good bones. You need a LH Ruger #1 nhenry.
There's a color case hardened #1 300 H&H in Wichita at Cabela's... I've been tempted by it for a while.The 300 RUM Dan Coffin rebarrelled and trued was born a 7 RUM LSS. Good bones. You need a LH Ruger #1 nhenry.
@kansasdad buy it so I don't, please.
Farmerj
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That’s on someone not know what the heck they are doing setting a barrel then.
The only difference between my Zermatt arms big horn origin and my savage actions is a $450 PVD coating on the action.
... and tighter tolerances, better looks, more reliable history, etc.
Wind Gypsy
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From the factory? Sure, maybe it was fixable by someone with the right tool and go/no-go gauges but i've never bought a rifle that needed me to check headspace.
If true, i will have to recalibrate my perception of the Origin actions.
Islander
Well-known member
If you are shopping for a hunting rifle in 7mm Remington Magnum, which I semi-confidently understood from your OP, I would only recommend a Tikka.
Accurate. Relatively inexpensive for a stainless rifle with a decent stock, most reliable trigger assembly, and accurate barrel. Add a KRG Bravo stock and you'll never need another med-large hunting rifle.
Accurate. Relatively inexpensive for a stainless rifle with a decent stock, most reliable trigger assembly, and accurate barrel. Add a KRG Bravo stock and you'll never need another med-large hunting rifle.
WapitiBob
Well-known member
I have shot thousands of rounds of belted 7STW brass. The worst thing you can do when using a full length sizer like an RCBS is to screw the die down so it cams over on a factory shell holder; that will set your shoulder back well over .010".
Buy a set of Redding comp shell holders, a Redding comp 3 pc die set, and a Larry Willis collet die.
Every piece of brass is body sized to the belt with the Willis die (way better process than an extruding full length sizer).
Use the Redding comp body die to finish any body sizing and to set your shoulder back, in conjunction with the correct comp shell holder. The comp shell holders are up to .010 shorter than a std shell holder so you can dial in your bump with press cam over. You can remove the pin from the bolt or smoke the shoulder to set your shoulder/chamber contact. Your belted case will still headspace off the belt but the shoulder will also be within a cpl thou of the chamber shoulder, removing the brass stretch.
Use their bushing neck die to set your neck tension. After you fire your virgin brass the necks will be expanded, just use bushings to set your tension; I step down with .315/.312/.310 bushings.
Then use the Redding comp seater to dial in your bullet seating.
Your belted brass will lose the primer pocket way before you get a stretch ring above the belt.
Buy a set of Redding comp shell holders, a Redding comp 3 pc die set, and a Larry Willis collet die.
Every piece of brass is body sized to the belt with the Willis die (way better process than an extruding full length sizer).
Use the Redding comp body die to finish any body sizing and to set your shoulder back, in conjunction with the correct comp shell holder. The comp shell holders are up to .010 shorter than a std shell holder so you can dial in your bump with press cam over. You can remove the pin from the bolt or smoke the shoulder to set your shoulder/chamber contact. Your belted case will still headspace off the belt but the shoulder will also be within a cpl thou of the chamber shoulder, removing the brass stretch.
Use their bushing neck die to set your neck tension. After you fire your virgin brass the necks will be expanded, just use bushings to set your tension; I step down with .315/.312/.310 bushings.
Then use the Redding comp seater to dial in your bullet seating.
Your belted brass will lose the primer pocket way before you get a stretch ring above the belt.
WapitiBob
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Wind Gypsy
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Agree on the measuring the shoulder bump.
5 passes through a press just for sizing is a lot but there's some opportunity to cut two of the neck sizing steps out if people prefer depending on a number of factors. Assuming you do 3 steps to minimize runout?
After using the willis die to size to belt, what is the benefit of using separate body and neck dies over using a FL bushing die with desired bushing size?
Don Fischer
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There's a number of different rifle's I simply don't care for. Doesn't mean there's anything wrong with them, just don't care for them for one reason of the other. Seem's to me rifles are a pretty personnal thing and I look for those that appeal to me. Kinda of like choosing a wife! I don't want anyone's opinion on who my next wife should be, can screw that up myself and then no one else to blame!
noharleyyet
Well-known member
Hey man you gotta knock that off right now
WapitiBob
Well-known member
Yes, better groups when I step down the neck.
No benefit, I had been using the std RCBS full sizer and expander stem when the comp die set popped up for sale and was too cheap to pass up.
WVmike
Active member
Thanks for the info, I will look into this route as well.
