7mm STW Brotherhood - For those who shoot the 7mm Shooting Times Westerner

[Lefty7mmstw]

I loaded for and sighted in my brother-inlaws 378 Wby Mag. What a killer the rifle spun me slid down my bicep and the bolt handle hit me in tne knuckles on the first shot. I thought maybe I didn't have a good hold. I really grabed it this time. Same thing ouch. Two shots was enough for me.
Brush

The big roy in action-- did it have a brake on it??? The only rifle I own with a brake is my 300 win and it came with a boss from the factory. As long as you can hang on and have enough eye relief (bloody noses from getting a little to close to the scope suck) you should be good to go. You HAVE to tuck the rifle in well and roll with it though. A rifle sliding down your arm is a sure way to find out what is under your eyebrow(and a trip to the clinic for 10 stitches or so). Saw the opened up eyebrow from a 300 win interacting poorly with a cousin's eye after the rifle slid under his arm once. That has been a good reminder for me for years on holding the dang gun correctly.

I wouldn't mind a 416 rigby Jim; they can be run either old school or up with the 416 roy in a #1.. depends on how much beating you want or need to take.

 

[etisll40]

I was talking to a guy a month ago at the range and he was shooting a 12 guage, scoped with 3 1/2 " magnums and had shot a box or so. The first he had used the gun ever, he was getting used to the scope and gun, he had a blackish eye and his nose looked like he it was swelling. He was all excited for shotgun deer season, just loved the new Mossberg. I walked away chuckling.

lol

 

[bobs]

A while back I was at the range sighting in my 12 ga with 3 1/2" slugs and the guy next to me had a 30-378. We got to talking and he asked me if I wanted to take a couple of shots, which I did. I asked him if he'd like to take a couple shots with my 12 ga and he said NO WAY. He had been watching me shoot and wanted no part of it.

 

[7stw]

Hey guys, I'll throw in my hat here about insane recoil. Just as Brush4646 did, I had a " encounter " with a .378 Roy, in a mark V about ten years ago. A guy at my club frequently goes to Africa, and was checking a load in his Weatherby. I was at the bench, about four stalls away, and when he pulled the trigger, the rafters shook. Well, we got to talking a little later, and he invited me to try it. I said I'll shoot anything once at least. He gave me three bullets, and I tucked in good and tight, checked my eye releif, and let it fly. HOLY **** Batman. Shot it once again, hit my point of aim, but it threw me around like a rag doll. I got up from the bench, and gave him his two fired brass, and the one I didnt fire. He said" aren't you going to fire the third round "? I said, if it needs something that big to kill it, I don't need to hunt it!!! There was just no way to even begin to control that beast.
WOW, that is a BADDASS bullet!!! Again, what a beast!!! Beautiful rifle though!

 

[Lefty7mmstw]

I was talking to a guy a month ago at the range and he was shooting a 12 guage, scoped with 3 1/2 " magnums and had shot a box or so. The first he had used the gun ever, he was getting used to the scope and gun, he had a blackish eye and his nose looked like he it was swelling. He was all excited for shotgun deer season, just loved the new Mossberg. I walked away chuckling.

lol

There's just something about a 3 1/2" mossberg's recoil in a pump. It's, well, a hell of a lot more than it should be. I had a maverick (by Mossberg) in 3/12" 12 guage for a couple of years. The dang thing was so light and didn't even have the porting the newer guns have. It eventually was traded off. Not horrible recoil wise, but I bought a semi- auto shotgun so I didn't need to sew my face shut after the morning's duck/ goose hunt. Why push your luck.

 

[7stw]

Hey guys, on another topic, and I don't mean to get " too" off topic, but I am building a 280. I am acquiring a Brux #4 contour, that will , or can finish at 26 inches, but this is not a magnum cartridge. I love a 280, and will be for locations that I don't need it's Big Brother. Action is a M70. Stock to be determined. Any thoughts? I value your opinions. Thanks guys!
Happy New Year!!!!!!

 

[Dano1]

Hey guys, on another topic, and I don't mean to get " too" off topic, but I am building a 280. I am acquiring a Brux #4 contour, that will , or can finish at 26 inches, but this is not a magnum cartridge. I love a 280, and will be for locations that I don't need it's Big Brother. Action is a M70. Stock to be determined. Any thoughts? I value your opinions. Thanks guys!
Happy New Year!!!!!!

Absolutely! I like how you keep with the 7mm theme.... I personally like Improved versions of the -06 parent case and the .308 case... Soooo I'd opt for a .280 AI. They are just plain sexy! (As if a cartridge could be....)

What twist rate are you going with???

Dan

 

[Black67]

Bob, as for M70 stocks, I have always liked the Featherweights. The look and feel of them have always been great.

Ok, and now about the recoil stories. I have a buddy that has a Ruger #3 in 45/70. He loads it very HOT, and I mean close to 458 Win Mag hot. We were shooting one day, and he pulls this "PA doe" gun out. He takes one shot, and then we spend the next 20 minutes looking for his contacts. It knocked both completely out, and they were his last pair. He only took one shot that day.

As for me, one day I took my one semi-auto Beretta shotgun out, filled it with slugs, and let all 7 fly as fast as I could pull the trigger. Well, the gun went down my arm and bruised me bad. the Remmy 3" sluggers are mean, the gun was also throwing flames out of it. It was fun though.

 

[WildRose]

I can certainly undertand why you load the Reloader powders if cost is an issue, and if they perform better for you it's certainly a plus.

I don't have any large caliber rifles my self. I wish I had that .358 Norma Mag It belongs to my Old friend and I'd have to fight his kids for it. I have lots of calibers on my wish list, but due to budget constraints I'm limited to 1 rifle per year and I need to get my boys hunting rifles first. I think a .358 STA would be awesome as would other similar cartridges.

What I would truly like to get into, but will never happen, is the .375 Chey-Tac or other similar Wildcats.

Until then, I'll keep playing with what I have. My 7 STW currently is the best rifle I have to go out to 1200yds, so I'll continue to push it further and further until I can get there and become good at that kind of distance.

Dan

I got a chance to shoot the 375 Cheytac when they were still developing it.

All I can say is if I were ever to go bigger/badder than my 300 RUM that's the way I'd go. It's an easy Elk, Moose, Big Bear killer to beyond 2000yards if you can do your part. It is an utterly phenomenal round. With the bullets they've developed specificaly for it in the last couple or three years the sky literally is the limit.

 

[WildRose]

Hey guys, on another topic, and I don't mean to get " too" off topic, but I am building a 280. I am acquiring a Brux #4 contour, that will , or can finish at 26 inches, but this is not a magnum cartridge. I love a 280, and will be for locations that I don't need it's Big Brother. Action is a M70. Stock to be determined. Any thoughts? I value your opinions. Thanks guys!
Happy New Year!!!!!!

Sounds pretty sweet actually but if I were going the 280 route I'd go ahead and go the 280AI. Almost identical to the 7mm Rem velocity wise in a smaller case.

I love the M70 action as well, currently owning 4 of them but needing just one more to complete the collection... . If I cant' find what I'm looking for I may just rebarrel one of the 300wm's I currently have in .264wm and be done with it.

 

[WildRose]

Bob, as for M70 stocks, I have always liked the Featherweights. The look and feel of them have always been great.

Ok, and now about the recoil stories. I have a buddy that has a Ruger #3 in 45/70. He loads it very HOT, and I mean close to 458 Win Mag hot. We were shooting one day, and he pulls this "PA doe" gun out. He takes one shot, and then we spend the next 20 minutes looking for his contacts. It knocked both completely out, and they were his last pair. He only took one shot that day..... .

Well gee thanks I hadn't peed down both legs laughing in several months.....

Reminds me of an old man I took on a hunt years ago. It was ostensibly a quail hunt but we got a chance on a really big boar so I grabbed my 450 guide gun carbine and we lit out. He decided instead of the 12g slugs he wanted to shoot my rifle since he just couldn't get any closer than 100yds (88yo banker from GA and pretty frail). I said, well ok but hang onto your teeth cuz it barks pretty hard.

I stood behind him with my chest to his back to mediate the recoil a bit and when he pulled the trigger all I could see was his dentures flying past the end of the barrel as the hog hit the ground as we hit the ground... .

Poor old guy I didn't realize he actually was wearing dentures.

That was literally he "hunt of his life" as he told me when he left.

He didn't make it to the next season but his wife said he was prouder of that hog than anything he'd ever done and told the story to everyone who'd listen.

 

[7stw]

Absolutely! I like how you keep with the 7mm theme.... I personally like Improved versions of the -06 parent case and the .308 case... Soooo I'd opt for a .280 AI. They are just plain sexy! (As if a cartridge could be....)

What twist rate are you going with???

Dan

Dan, it is a 1 in 9 twist. I have been wanting to build a 280 for a long time, and I'm on my way. The action I'm using is in awesome condition. My gunsmith is going to charge me 200 to cut, thread, install, and chamber it. Not bad.I'm just not sure what length to have it set at.

 

[WildRose]

Dan, it is a 1 in 9 twist. I have been wanting to build a 280 for a long time, and I'm on my way. The action I'm using is in awesome condition. My gunsmith is going to charge me 200 to cut, thread, install, and chamber it. Not bad.I'm just not sure what length to have it set at.

With that case if you intend on carrying the rig much I'd stay at 26". The little gain you'll get in velocity really isn't worth it going any longer unless of course it's a dedicated LR heavy right and in that case longer and heavier is nearly always better. In that case I'd go to 28".

That 9 twist should work for you pretty well at those velocities with most bullets.

 

[41mag]

Good friend and I have been discussing this, that, and the other builds lately. After running the numbers time and time again, the 280 AI is simply on top with regards to versatility, and velocity across the board with standard based calibers, if you want to call it that. More or less meaning in non mag cases.

If you look at the loading data for just about anything based on a standard case, and I know that most will work up to and sometimes beyond printed data, the 208 AI is right there at 3K fps with most loads where others seem to top out in the mid 2900's. This is with 24-26" barrels.

I just gave my nephew an old tang safety Ruger 77 factory built Varminter with a 24" bull barrel. I had intended to do the Improved version on it, but after talking with Ruger about the history of the rifle, I decided that since they only produced about 2K of that particular version I would just keep it as is. That said I had already purchsaed a ton of once fired cases for it. I will most likly be looking around this coming year for a donor action as well.

I built my 25-06 AI with a Broughton 5c with a 28" finished lenght, and while I enjoy the velocity it will rock a 120gr bullet out at, the lenght of the finished rifle is a bit much for general use. I will more than likly go with a 24" finished lenght on the 280 build simply due to being able to get enough velocity out of it to hit the 3000fps range with 140gr loads, and still be short enough to work as a walking or blind sitting rifle.

In fact I saw a Brno 98 rifles just yesterday that sort of peaked my interest, but I might just have to look around for an older 700 or 721 action instead. I really like the smoothness of them as well as the many different aftermarket items you can get.

Good luck on your 280 build no matter which way you go you will have a nice caliber when your done.