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

[gamehawker]

I am the VERY happy owner of a new 7STW. Specs are as follows:
Surgeon 1086 action
McMillian Rem Hunter stock 50%black, 25%OD, 25%Lt. Tan
Krieger 5.5 taper fluted 9.5 twist 28" long
Jewell trigger
Nightforce 5-25 ATACR scope

Initial load development with 140 Accubonds yielded 1/2" groups at 100 yards. 80 grains of IMR7828 resulted in a velocity of 3477, SD5, ES12.

Can't thank Robert Gradous enough for both his beautiful work and his patience in working with a rookie like me to select the parts for this rifle.

Awesome looking setup!

 

[ncwg2boatguy]

Jimbo if it were me I would try some Barnes 140 TSX's with 79 or 80 gr of RL25 with some 215 GM's .....I know the 140 may seem light but its a monolithic Bullet and hits like a 168 or so The STW seems to favor RL25 but H-1000 works very well also ....Myself and several others here had Awesome results with the Barnes last year but just let me know what you have in mind and We'll get you up and running .......Load to mag length(dont try to stretch it to the lands) The stw really likes a good bit of jump .....As for dies Lee or RCBS are both great ....I would go ahead and invest in a neck sizing die and a Lee factory crimp die (You'll find these most useful) and I'll tune you up on the factory crimp die once you get going.........Welcome Aboard

Thanks . Im on it!!!

 

[WildRose]

Well, the guy said it has no idea on round count (guessing he bought it used or was given the barrel), and said his smith borescoped it, and the bore and throat looked perfect. Said if it didn't shoot, he'd reimburse me my money, which I thought was pretty generous of him.

Anyway, yeah, I'll leave it an STW. I already have 1, this will make another one. I thought about cutting it down to 7RM, since I don't have a 700 in that caliber. My 7RM is a Browning A-Bolt II.

I'm also supposed to be buying a 5R .300 WM barrel used from another member on here soon. He's pulling it off to go RUM, but doesn't want the 24" barrel. So I have been debating on leaving it a .300 WM, since I don't have one of those yet, but have all the stuff to reload for it, sitting on my bench, because I load for a buddy of mine's .300 WM.

Cannonitis has left the .300wm as probably the most under appreciated caliber out there today. Once you get to shooting it especially on game you'll fall in love as long as you put an accurate package together. A couple of more inches of barrel would help you with velocity and slower powders but 24 will get the job done.

 

[MudRunner2005]

Cannonitis has left the .300wm as probably the most under appreciated caliber out there today. Once you get to shooting it especially on game you'll fall in love as long as you put an accurate package together. A couple of more inches of barrel would help you with velocity and slower powders but 24 will get the job done.

"Cannonitis" LOL I like that.

I know guys that hunt the backwoods of Alabama with a .300 RUM, and will never take over a 150 yard shot. I personally know several folks who own .338 Lapuas that will most-likely NEVER be shot beyond 100 yards.

It's like the same people who buy a Barrett M82A1 and stick a $199 BSA scope on top of it. Just makes you wanna punch them.

I know one of those .338 Lapua owners really well, and I'd be willing to bet that rifle never has more than 1 box of shells sent through it, until he either A) sells it, or B) trades it off for something else.

 

[WildRose]

"Cannonitis" LOL I like that.

I know guys that hunt the backwoods of Alabama with a .300 RUM, and will never take over a 150 yard shot. I personally know several folks who own .338 Lapuas that will most-likely NEVER be shot beyond 100 yards.

It's like the same people who buy a Barrett M82A1 and stick a $199 BSA scope on top of it. Just makes you wanna punch them.

I know one of those .338 Lapua owners really well, and I'd be willing to bet that rifle never has more than 1 box of shells sent through it, until he either A) sells it, or B) trades it off for something else.

Yep. Anytime we have new people here talking about starting off with one of the big 300's or 338's the first thing I do after asking them why, is to tell them before they do to go and find a place to shoot one a good bit before making the investment.

Most people simply cannot handle the recoil and blast but they don't learn that until they are already several thousand dollars in the hole.

Look at how many "barely used" or "just broke in" cannons you see on classifieds and Gun Broker, that's why they are there.

They have their place and there are things you can do with them that nothing else will get close to doing at well, but let's face it, we're talking about probably less than .001% of hunters ever actually having a "need" for anything bigger than the .300win or 7mm STW.

That being said I have one very nice 300 Rum and my brothers .338L if I ever do find myself in "need" but they certainly aren't necessary.

 

[MudRunner2005]

Precisely right! I don't even really have a need for my STW, except on rare occasion. But it's still fun to shoot, and it's not quite reached the RUM level yet.

Which is mainly why I shoot my 7RM and .257 Wby for deer hunting. I can shoot deer at 750 with the .257 Wby, but it's not practical. I'd go 500 tops on it.

This is the way I determine which rifle I will be taking with me in the woods:

.257 Wby: 0-350

7RM: 300-500

7STW: 500+

Not that those calibers aren't capable of much longer shots, that's just how I determine which one to take with me which day.

 

[cmor]

At what point do you guys stop loading to mag length and start hand feeding your stw's? Do you load 168 VLD's and 168 Accubonds to mag length?

 

[ButterBean]

At what point do you guys stop loading to mag length and start hand feeding your stw's? Do you load 168 VLD's and 168 Accubonds to mag length?

You will find that the STW likes a healthy bit of jump, Loading close to the lands shows no gain in most cases and Never load into the lands with the STW .....Bad Things Happen

 

[WildRose]

At what point do you guys stop loading to mag length and start hand feeding your stw's? Do you load 168 VLD's and 168 Accubonds to mag length?

I won't load longer than mag length.

As for bullets I'm shooting accubonds, Sirocco, and Hornady Interbonds.

If I were going to limit myself to singleshot capability I'd go back to shooting Ruger No1's.

 

[WildRose]

You will find that the STW likes a healthy bit of jump, Loading close to the lands shows no gain in most cases and Never load into the lands with the STW .....Bad Things Happen

Yep, pressure can get really ugly, really fast.

 

[cmor]

Thanks guys. Will do.

 

[ButterBean]

Thanks guys. Will do.

No Problem .....

 

[MudRunner2005]

Mine was shooting great up against the lands, but I recently backed it off 0.030" to see if that helps my pressure issue.

 

[WildRose]

Mine was shooting great up against the lands, but I recently backed it off 0.030" to see if that helps my pressure issue.

You can try backing off the charge a hair and/or slower burning powder if backing off causes accuracy to drop off.

One thing I'm wondering is, is there a difference in how different mfg's and custom makers cut the angle on the transition from the freebore running up to the lans?

I'm postulating that if you have a longer/flatter slope on that run then you'll have less pressure problems than you would with a sharper/steeper transition.

I was also thinking that the longer transition would cause more accuracy issues if you back off vs the sharper angle.

Maybe some of the real gurus will chime in. This is pure theory on my part.