Switchback2
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Feb 18, 2016
- Messages
- 276
Anyone here have any first hand experience with the 7mm SAW??
Here is alittle info on it.
The 7mm SAW was designed based on experience shooting in the Precision Rifle Series with the standard 7mm-08 Remington. The mid to heavy weight, high BC bullets available in 7mm give a noticeable increase in energy on target compared to the current crop of fast 6mm's being used, while maintaining excellent wind drift characteristics. The larger bore diameter lends itself to longer barrel life too, which is a cost saving asset in a game where an average round count is 200 rounds for a single match. The intent of this design was to have a magazine feeding 7mm cartridge able to drive a 162/168gr bullet to speeds at least equivalent to current 6.5mm competition cartridges such the 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5×47 Lapua, and .260 Remington without the need to fireform brass. The parent case is Lapua's .308 Winchester "Palma" brass, which has an extremely strong case head due to its use of a small rifle primer pocket(already proven to work well via the 6.5×47). Brass is formed in one pass through a 7mm SAW sizer die, and is then ready to load. Our current reamer uses a .316″ neck diameter, so neck turning is not necessary.
The 7mm SAW can drive mid weight .284 bullets like the 162 Hornady ELD-M and 168 Berger VLD to between 2850 and 2900FPS in a 26″ barrel. Heavy bullets such as the 180 Berger Hybrid and 183gr Sierra Match King can be pushed to around 2725-2750FPS. Those numbers give the cartridge a slight edge in drift and drop over the medium 6.5's, while still providing low recoil and excellent barrel life. Additionally, the cartridge will hold around 1000 ft.lbs. of energy to 1000 yards with either the 162 or 180 class bullets. Although not meant to be a true long range hunting cartridge, the 7mm SAW is a viable option for normal and extended range hunting on deer sized game.
Here is alittle info on it.
The 7mm SAW was designed based on experience shooting in the Precision Rifle Series with the standard 7mm-08 Remington. The mid to heavy weight, high BC bullets available in 7mm give a noticeable increase in energy on target compared to the current crop of fast 6mm's being used, while maintaining excellent wind drift characteristics. The larger bore diameter lends itself to longer barrel life too, which is a cost saving asset in a game where an average round count is 200 rounds for a single match. The intent of this design was to have a magazine feeding 7mm cartridge able to drive a 162/168gr bullet to speeds at least equivalent to current 6.5mm competition cartridges such the 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5×47 Lapua, and .260 Remington without the need to fireform brass. The parent case is Lapua's .308 Winchester "Palma" brass, which has an extremely strong case head due to its use of a small rifle primer pocket(already proven to work well via the 6.5×47). Brass is formed in one pass through a 7mm SAW sizer die, and is then ready to load. Our current reamer uses a .316″ neck diameter, so neck turning is not necessary.
The 7mm SAW can drive mid weight .284 bullets like the 162 Hornady ELD-M and 168 Berger VLD to between 2850 and 2900FPS in a 26″ barrel. Heavy bullets such as the 180 Berger Hybrid and 183gr Sierra Match King can be pushed to around 2725-2750FPS. Those numbers give the cartridge a slight edge in drift and drop over the medium 6.5's, while still providing low recoil and excellent barrel life. Additionally, the cartridge will hold around 1000 ft.lbs. of energy to 1000 yards with either the 162 or 180 class bullets. Although not meant to be a true long range hunting cartridge, the 7mm SAW is a viable option for normal and extended range hunting on deer sized game.
