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

[jweigel]

Hey Tidesloe....I am just down the road from you in WestCentral ND. I did a refresh of my 7STW Sendero a few years back. We shoot to 1000 yards every summer and the old girl just gets the job done. After the years that have went by and all the new stuff that has come on the market....I would NOT change a thing. Love this gun.

7STW Refresh

With all the Nosler 28 info since its inception, I want to post the results of a refresh of an old school 7STW. This gun started out as a Remington Sendero. I picked it up used and shot 700+ rounds through it myself over the last couple years. I added a Greybull Stock and Timney Trigger and...

www.longrangehunting.com

JJW
ND

 

[Tidesloe]

Tidesloe yes 74 grains of RL-26 with 195 Berger 2990 in 26" McWorter… 1 hole 3 shot group at 100 if I am on my A game

Ok, I also shooting a 26" barreled McWhorter that I just had them rebarrel, throated for 195's. The first barrel ran 180's, so the 195 chamber has less FB than the 180 chamber, so itll cycle and fit the mag box. That leaves a lot of bullet below the case neck. I havent started load development, but I located my lands, and made a dummy to the lands. At mag length you are at the lands. Id considered sending it back and throating it longer for the 180's. Its a much better fit in the case neck. Ive youre shooting that well, and thats acceptable velocity, Im gonna see what it'll do with N570.
Thanks for the input.

 

[Tidesloe]

Hey Tidesloe....I am just down the road from you in WestCentral ND. I did a refresh of my 7STW Sendero a few years back. We shoot to 1000 yards every summer and the old girl just gets the job done. After the years that have went by and all the new stuff that has come on the market....I would NOT change a thing. Love this gun.

7STW Refresh

With all the Nosler 28 info since its inception, I want to post the results of a refresh of an old school 7STW. This gun started out as a Remington Sendero. I picked it up used and shot 700+ rounds through it myself over the last couple years. I added a Greybull Stock and Timney Trigger and...

www.longrangehunting.com

JJW
ND

Hey there jweigel, where are you? Im guessing your somewhere between Bismarck and Minot? Im in Dickinson. I agree with you, I like my STW, and its still in use. Ive ventured into the wildcat world over the past year and a half, and now recognize the STW limitations. The biggest of which is brass quality. That being said, Ill never change it, and will continue with it, cause your right, it flat out gets it done. Id love to be able to shoot at 1000. Hard to find around here, even in the Badlands and with the draught, and shooting bans this past year, it just wasnt happening. I used to shoot it at 1000 and more in Colorado. I just had it rebarreled and am getting ready to do some load development. I'd sure be interested in shooting at some distance.

 

[Tidesloe]

I'm certainly willing, the issue is getting it from here to there and back. I haven't inventoried but everything is packed up to move and I have a 5'x2'x2' steel locker full of various powders so I'm sure there's at least 2-4lbs of RL26 I could spare.

I used to spend every fall in Timberlake, SD so I know just how long a drive it is from here to there unfortunately and I'm not sure how we could legally go about shipping between individuals legally.

Im not sure how to best do it either. Theres gotta be a way. Im from the Texas Gulf Coast, and will most likely make a trip down in the next few months. What part of north Texas are you located? Ive been a long way from home for too many years now. I do like ND though. Winters can get a bit rough, but otherwise it suits a guy like myself pretty well.

 

[jjmp]

My two remaining STW 's are slower twisted my Remington 24 inch is 1/9.25 pretty sure my Sako 75 ,26 inch is also same twist , my Remington started life as a 7 Mag,my smith said it was the straightest factory barrel that he Ever spun between centers and he rechambered many , with its stock bbl I shot out to 1000 yds easy,i n preparation for a mountain Elk hunt , bullet 160 N,partition 3232 fps muzzle,took 22 Moa to paper target at Beyers Co range . Cheers to the Great 7STW and it's owners

 

[WildRose]

Im not sure how to best do it either. Theres gotta be a way. Im from the Texas Gulf Coast, and will most likely make a trip down in the next few months. What part of north Texas are you located? Ive been a long way from home for too many years now. I do like ND though. Winters can get a bit rough, but otherwise it suits a guy like myself pretty well.

Until I get done with the move I'm about 50mi Southwest of Wichita Falls.

If you come south on 183/283 you'll have to pass right through town.

Shoot me PM if/when you get a trip planned and I"ll see what I can dig up for you. I'd probably be willing to part with up to half my stash. I'm sure the VVN is good powder but I'm sort of gambling since I have never worked up any loads with it.

 

[WildRose]

My two remaining STW 's are slower twisted my Remington 24 inch is 1/9.25 pretty sure my Sako 75 ,26 inch is also same twist , my Remington started life as a 7 Mag,my smith said it was the straightest factory barrel that he Ever spun between centers and he rechambered many , with its stock bbl I shot out to 1000 yds easy,i n preparation for a mountain Elk hunt , bullet 160 N,partition 3232 fps muzzle,took 22 Moa to paper target at Beyers Co range . Cheers to the Great 7STW and it's owners

You'd like the 175gr Accubond even better.

 

[WildRose]

Hey there jweigel, where are you? Im guessing your somewhere between Bismarck and Minot? Im in Dickinson. I agree with you, I like my STW, and its still in use. Ive ventured into the wildcat world over the past year and a half, and now recognize the STW limitations. The biggest of which is brass quality. That being said, Ill never change it, and will continue with it, cause your right, it flat out gets it done. Id love to be able to shoot at 1000. Hard to find around here, even in the Badlands and with the draught, and shooting bans this past year, it just wasnt happening. I used to shoot it at 1000 and more in Colorado. I just had it rebarreled and am getting ready to do some load development. I'd sure be interested in shooting at some distance.

I'm planning a 7mm-375 Ruger for later this year for that very reason. None of my STW's are going away or going to be rebarreled into something else but I do like to give them a littler rest now and again, HA!

 

[Tidesloe]

Until I get done with the move I'm about 50mi Southwest of Wichita Falls.

If you come south on 183/283 you'll have to pass right through town.

Shoot me PM if/when you get a trip planned and I"ll see what I can dig up for you. I'd probably be willing to part with up to half my stash. I'm sure the VVN is good powder but I'm sort of gambling since I have never worked up any loads with it.

Yep, I do go right thru town there. Ill let you know, when Im heading down that way. I have no experience with RL26 personally, but from what I hear, RL-26 might get you slightly more velocity, but the N570 is more temp stable. Thats based on hearsay. Depends on what you want out of your loads, I guess. Ill be in touch. Thanks!

 

[WildRose]

Yep, I do go right thru town there. Ill let you know, when Im heading down that way. I have no experience with RL26 personally, but from what I hear, RL-26 might get you slightly more velocity, but the N570 is more temp stable. Thats based on hearsay. Depends on what you want out of your loads, I guess. Ill be in touch. Thanks!

I've shot RL26 in quite a few different cases now and typically I get an increase of 50-150fps over the same round loaded with H1000. RL26 takes a bit more tweaking than H-1000 but if you want the extra velocity it's certainly worth it.

 

[Tidesloe]

I'm planning a 7mm-375 Ruger for later this year for that very reason. None of my STW's are going away or going to be rebarreled into something else but I do like to give them a littler rest now and again, HA!

There you go. That'll be a good project. Should get great performance out of it, even with the heavies. It might be heresy on this thread to say it, but if good brass existed for the STW, Id be inclined to push the shoulder back a little, giving a longer neck and then blowing the shoulder out to 40°. It would sure improve the case, and performance. It doesnt need it with 180's down, but the 195's are leaving a lot on the table performance wise with the short necks. You could throat it out but it'd be a single shot. Ive gotten into short and fat wildcats lately, and Ive got another one in the works. Pretty interesting stuff. Performance and accuracy wise, you just cant beat it. Will you be necking down from 375 Ruger, or any other modifications planned?

 

[Tidesloe]

I've shot RL26 in quite a few different cases now and typically I get an increase of 50-150fps over the same round loaded with H1000. RL26 takes a bit more tweaking than H-1000 but if you want the extra velocity it's certainly worth it.

Ive got a good bit of H1000, and Ill be trying that out in the STW also. Im inclined to take a little less velocity for better barrel life. Its a hassle to rebarrel, as far as Im concerned. Id sure give 26 a try though. Pretty sure its no harder on a barrel than N570. I could use some 26 with one of my wildcats also.

 

[WildRose]

Ive got a good bit of H1000, and Ill be trying that out in the STW also. Im inclined to take a little less velocity for better barrel life. Its a hassle to rebarrel, as far as Im concerned. Id sure give 26 a try though. Pretty sure its no harder on a barrel than N570. I could use some 26 with one of my wildcats also.

I get a whole lot of extra velocity for no obvious increase in pressure. Every report I've seen on RL26 is the same.

 

[WildRose]

There you go. That'll be a good project. Should get great performance out of it, even with the heavies. It might be heresy on this thread to say it, but if good brass existed for the STW, Id be inclined to push the shoulder back a little, giving a longer neck and then blowing the shoulder out to 40°. It would sure improve the case, and performance. It doesnt need it with 180's down, but the 195's are leaving a lot on the table performance wise with the short necks. You could throat it out but it'd be a single shot. Ive gotten into short and fat wildcats lately, and Ive got another one in the works. Pretty interesting stuff. Performance and accuracy wise, you just cant beat it. Will you be necking down from 375 Ruger, or any other modifications planned?

Truth be told you wouldn't gain anything by "improving" the case. If there was actually something magical about the 35-40deg shoulder every proprietary round on the market today would have the same shoulder.

What you would end up with is a little less velocity because of the reduced volume.

The 7LRM is a .375 case that has been "improved" with the longer neck and longer angle and it won't equal the STW in performance.

My version is going to simply neck it down an push the shoulder angle forward about 25 thousanths to around a 40 degree angle and increasing the volume and having still about the same neck as the 300wm or 300PRC. In fact it would be very easy to just simply neck the 300PRC down to 7mm as it is just a modified .375 Ruger case itself necked down to .30cal. You can neck down from 7.62 to 7mm in just one or two steps using an original .375 Ruger bushing die set simply by changing the bushings.

With luck, it will just about mirror the STW's performance and do it with much easier to acquire brass.

Right now Hornady is still I think the only company making the .375 Ruger brass but it's only a matter of time before it's popularity as both a proprietary caliber and it's popularity for new proprietary and wildcat cartridges it's only a matter of time before the big after market makers like Petersen, ADG, and Lapua start producing it.