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

[7stw]

Question
In the future I want to get my Sendero rebuilt/rebarreled. I'll be going with the 7mm ultra mag or the 7mm STW. I would like to primelry set the gun up to shoot the 180 VLD's for long range. What is the preferred twist rate or best twist rate and length of barrel to get the best performance out of this combo....any experienced or susgestions are welcome. The gun I currently have is a 300 ultra mag. Thanks for your input.

A 9 twist will be very adequate for the 180's. Maybe " Dano1" will chime in and verify that, as he is the heavy for caliber " guru". The 180's have really caught on, and now 185-200 grain bullets are being talked of a lot. Those latter ones need a 8.5 or faster twist to stabilize those. I think the STW will do just fine for what you want. Just my 2 cents.

 

[WildRose]

A 9 twist will be very adequate for the 180's. Maybe " Dano1" will chime in and verify that, as he is the heavy for caliber " guru". The 180's have really caught on, and now 185-200 grain bullets are being talked of a lot. Those latter ones need a 8.5 or faster twist to stabilize those. I think the STW will do just fine for what you want. Just my 2 cents.

Ditto to both. At the velocities we can generate with the STW the 1:9 should be more than adequate. On the chance we may see some offerings in the future in heavier bullets though if I were building one today I might just go ahead with a 1:8.5 just to be sure.

Ditto as well on sticking with the STW. All you really gain with the 7 Rum over the STW is shorter barrel life and considerably more blast and recoil.

That's a heck of a price to pay for 150fps.

 

[SFR292]

Question
In the future I want to get my Sendero rebuilt/rebarreled. I'll be going with the 7mm ultra mag or the 7mm STW. I would like to primelry set the gun up to shoot the 180 VLD's for long range. What is the preferred twist rate or best twist rate and length of barrel to get the best performance out of this combo....any experienced or susgestions are welcome. The gun I currently have is a 300 ultra mag. Thanks for your input.

I would run the 1:9 and also have a reamer built with a bit more freebore space for the longer 180's, keep in mind what your magazine internal max length is going to be as well. Cal David at PTG and he'll talk it through with you on designing a reamer for it to allow you seat 180's to whatever your length limit is and not have too much jump (or too little).

 

[Big Jake Duke]

Update : Killed a 7 point Whitetail this morning. 220yds. DRT dropped like a sack of rocks. I shot this deer with a 180 VLD behind the shoulder and found the bullet fragments just under the hide in the top of his neck. Internial damage was like a bomb went off. Not exactly my choice of results. I will be glad when I get my LRX's loaded up.

That's exactly what that bullet was designed for. Penetration into the vitals and then the expenditure of all energy. DRT, means perfect performance,and you didn't lose the opposite shoulder meat. This isn't underperformance it is efficient performance. Over penetration on a deer (nobler partition/Barnes) often leads to an animal still active after the shot. Yes they can be DRT but that usually involves a spine shot or close to it.

 

[marioq]

A thought came up to me today after reading some info on the sight. Because y'all are so good at being honest and share your thoughts and experiences truly, I wanted to ask about scopes. I have a Night Force and LOVE IT!!!!
But I saw a sightron mentioned and I started to think about the quality of some of the other optic choices out there and your experiences!! Not a this Is better cuz I use it but more I have tried X, Y, Z and I like X because of this.
What do y'all think??
I ask cuz I am building an STW and going to buy a 6.5x284. All able to make 1000 yard shots, just wondering if the price of NF is worth it or can I still get good quality glass and performance but at a lower price point.

Thanks a bunch!!!!

 

[SFR292]

Nightforce is an awesome piece, if you "drive" a scope a lot like I do (run the turrets all the time for almost every shot) then nightforce, US Optics, and Leupold (usually in that order) is the way to go, Schmit & Bender is a great scope too. There's a ton of good glass out there, but the turrets are another story. I"m curious about the Huskemaw(sp) scopes, I've never had my hands on one or even seen it in person.
The sighttron I do have experience with, the only two I've dealt with failed, one blew up (nitrogen seal failed and fogged over inside) and the other the reticule rotated after 9 shots out of the box. Glass seemed to be pretty good. I know a lot of people that use Vortex and they seem pretty decent to me, I've shot a few but haven't "driven" them very much.
With all that said, I'm putting a Leupold Mk 4 LRT TMR on my STW, they have one of the best warranties I've ever seen, they stand behind everything, even user abuse (guilty) and they stand up to a lot. I've used them downrange and literally put my life on them like our S&B's and they came out on top. Another plus is I really like the TMR, very easy to precisely Mil a target quickly and the gap in the middle of the cross hair allows for visual on very small targets at long range that could hide behind a crosshair (i.e. prairie dog at 800+) .
So in the end, IMHO I think Leupold is the best bang for the buck in a long range scope, they are not cheap either, but usually can be had for a bit less than a NF and a lot less than an US Optic or S&B.

 

[Big Jake Duke]

These pics do not belong here as neither of these bucks were killed with my STW but this is hands down the best thread on this entire site so I thought it was only fitting to put them here. The first pic is my Alberta Whitetail shot on Remembrance day here in Canada (Nov. 11) and the second pic is my Saskatchewan Whitetail shot Nov. 29th on the last day of my hunt. Enjoy and I promise next year only STW harvests!!

Very nice buck. Huge mass!

 

[Big Jake Duke]

H-1000 is a great powder in this cal and RL25 is showing good results as well

You can try imr7828 in a shorter barrel.

 

[Dano1]

A 9 twist will be very adequate for the 180's. Maybe " Dano1" will chime in and verify that, as he is the heavy for caliber " guru". The 180's have really caught on, and now 185-200 grain bullets are being talked of a lot. Those latter ones need a 8.5 or faster twist to stabilize those. I think the STW will do just fine for what you want. Just my 2 cents.

Wachsmann,

A 1-9 twist is just about perfect for a 180g Berger VLD and it's what my 7stw has. I shoot the Bergers, but they have to be single fed as they don't like to be jumped at all in my rifle and it has a long throat. I have harvested both muleys and elk using Berger VLDs in my .30-06 AI, but haven't had the opportunity to use them in my STW as of yet. I wouldn't hesitate to use the 180s at all on large game. That being said, I don't like the idea of having to shoot my rifle single shot. So I developed a load for 175g Sierra Gamekings and they shoot very well. But the exciting thing is that Nosler is coming out with a 180g Accubond Long Range that has a higher BC than the 180g Berger VLD, and Berger is going to offer a 190g VLD or Hybrid (I can't remember) , but they are saying that a 1-8.5" or 1-8" is necessary to stabilize these heavies. I may just buy a box just to try them out when they become available.

SFR292 is right about Dave Kiff, he will build you a custom reamer for the job, but at $150, it may or may not be worth the extra expense. Most Gunsmiths worth a darn, will have a 7stw reamer as they are still quite popular, so that expense is definately up to you.

Stick with the 7STW its by far a better cartridge. There are some valid concerns and problems associated with the 7 RUM that just don't make it worth the effort and WildRose it completly correct about the barrel life and muzzle blast, the velocity gain just isn't worth it.

I'd love to have a .300 RUM they are flat out amazing with a 230g Sierra Matchking. Someday I'll get one of those too.

Hope this helps,

Dan

 

[Big Jake Duke]

82.5gr Retumbo 3268 average, ES in the teens. This is a stout load in my rifle, work your way up!

Barrel length?

 

[Big Jake Duke]

Has anyone tried these in 190s?

I have had great groups with the 168's and I'm thinking the bc on the 190's is too good to pass up.

I think I an drive them around 3000.

 

[WildRose]

Nightforce is an awesome piece, if you "drive" a scope a lot like I do (run the turrets all the time for almost every shot) then nightforce, US Optics, and Leupold (usually in that order) is the way to go, Schmit & Bender is a great scope too. There's a ton of good glass out there, but the turrets are another story. I"m curious about the Huskemaw(sp) scopes, I've never had my hands on one or even seen it in person.
The sighttron I do have experience with, the only two I've dealt with failed, one blew up (nitrogen seal failed and fogged over inside) and the other the reticule rotated after 9 shots out of the box. Glass seemed to be pretty good. I know a lot of people that use Vortex and they seem pretty decent to me, I've shot a few but haven't "driven" them very much.
With all that said, I'm putting a Leupold Mk 4 LRT TMR on my STW, they have one of the best warranties I've ever seen, they stand behind everything, even user abuse (guilty) and they stand up to a lot. I've used them downrange and literally put my life on them like our S&B's and they came out on top. Another plus is I really like the TMR, very easy to precisely Mil a target quickly and the gap in the middle of the cross hair allows for visual on very small targets at long range that could hide behind a crosshair (i.e. prairie dog at 800+) .
So in the end, IMHO I think Leupold is the best bang for the buck in a long range scope, they are not cheap either, but usually can be had for a bit less than a NF and a lot less than an US Optic or S&B.

I'll throw in the IOR as well. Best reticle I've ever used MP-8, outstanding glass and performance especially in their tactical line.

the 4-14x50 tactical is one of if not the best scope I have ever owned or used overall.

The Vortex Viper PST series is probably the best value in their price range and superior to a lot of more expensive scopes. For a guy on a budget wanting to get the best for their dollars they are certainly well worth looking at as well.

 

[marioq]

Thanks for the input Ben and rose!!!
I'll look into all that was mentioned!!

 

[Wachsmann]

Thanks for all the input on the 7mm and twist rates, the gun I have is basically brand new. I have put 15 rounds down the barrel so far just to do some breaking in. My wife really thinks I need to be well she's has her opinion because this gun that I have is new. I may just opt out for a break on the barrel for now, since we have little girl on the way. The 300 has a lot of recoil and needs to be taimed down a little. I love shooting guns but after shooting a 300win mag with 178 amax in a savages stevens (18 rounds) and then shooting the 300RUM with the 178amax I sported a bruise on the sholder for a week. I hate to say it but I really love my 6.5x284. Very mild recoil and with hand loads I constantly shoot .5 inch groups at 100 and have been shooting 4 inch groups at 600. Its a stock savage 116 stainless accu stock and trigger. I also really love the trigger on this rifle as well. But thanks for the input and I will takes some notes down and when it does get changed over it will also have a break. Thanks.....