7RM and 168VLD

[Plinker147]

To me I would shoot 3 shot groups with a mag. Shoot 3 shots and see if you have flyers. Heat waves off suppressor might be causing your groups to open up. With mine about 3 shots and there is enough heat waves that distort vision enough to make a difference like horizontal stringing.

Flyers are usually caused by shooter or reloading practices. I doubt it's the powder or the bullet.

You good groups are good enough to hammer a sheep at 700 yds so don't over stress it.

 

[Brathany]

After making that post, I dug out some H4831SC, loaded up 5 groups from 63gr to 65gr in 0.5gr increments. Loaded 0.010" off the lands.
Double checked every single powder load, checked BTO length for every load. It looks like a copy and paste from this mornings loads with H1000 and the seating depth chart. 1 group at 1.080" and the rest between 1.25" and 1.5". 3 touching, 2 thrown.

I've tried factory hornady eldx loads and thus thing hated them. But I am wondering if I should try those next or if it would like something more "standard" like a accubond or LRX or even a sierra. I just really wanted something in the higher BC range that would make 65+ gr of powder worth the recoil.

I've been in this same struggle a few times over the years with a barrel. Everything solid with the gun and nothing printing good no matter what the meticulous tweaks I tried. Wasted a lot of money on components. You, we, all have to understand that some barrels just don't shoot. The bore diameter could be slightly too big, number of other minuscule unseen problems.

A good shooting barrel/gun combo does so without much fuss & effort. They still shoot into or touching the same hole even when one thinks they messed up the fundamentals in the shot sequence. I know these barrels/guns and I refer to them as "Effortless Precision Rigs".

If bold adjustments of the recommended powders and bullets for a particular cartridge don't work, I'm done with that barrel. Bold adjustments are changing powder & bullets. If neither a Berger VLD, Hybrid or Sierra Matchking/forward ogive type bullet will print decent, I'm done.

I think it accurate to say that micro adjustments like seating depth and tenths of grain of powder charge changes can tweak in 1/2MOA at most. Usually I see only a 1/4 difference in group size. So, simply put, don't polish a turd if it's not shooting out the gate acceptably.

 

[Buttermilk]

I would try Retumbo in that 7mm RM. I've had guns that wouldn't shoot some powders, only to switch to another powder and start grouping. It's my opinion that H4831 is a tad on the quick side for what you are trying to accomplish. The Retumbo would be a tad slower than H1000 (an excellent powder and should be a good choice in the 7RM - it was in my 7RM) and likely just get you to your goal.

I've shot a lot of those 7mm 168 VLD's and they are a very accurate bullet. In my experience, they like to be close to the lands.

 

[overinfinite]

I thought Retumbo was quite a bit slower than H1000? I've loaded some Retumbo in a 28Nosler and it seemed like I got into a compressed load very quickly. not saying I dont want to run compressed, it just leads to more finicky neck tensions and even more work than I've put in.
I should state that I am not new to reloading and putting together setups, but my experience has been more close to @Brathany .

 

[southpa]

I would try Retumbo in that 7mm RM. I've had guns that wouldn't shoot powders, only to switch to another powder and start grouping. It's my opinion that H4831 is a tad on the quick side for what you are trying to accomplish. The Retumbo would be a tad slower than H1000 (an excellent powder and should be a good choice in the 7RM - it was in my 7RM) and likely just get you to your goal.

I've shot a lot of those 7mm 168 VLD's and they are a very accurate bullet. In my experience, they like to be close to the lands.

I'll second this. Found 4831 to be just a bit lack luster and tumbo to shoot good in the 7RM. Although not necessarily "finnicky" but it works in the barrels it works in. I thought for years that retumbo and 168s right close to the lands was magic until I found barrels it wasn't magic in hahaha. Retumbo netted 25-75fps more than h1000 but h1000 always seemed super consistent.

 

[AZHTR]

Model 70 7-mag, 26" Bartlein 3B, WIN Mag primer, Nosler brass, 168VLDH settled on 71 grains of IMR7977, .025 off the lands at ~3050 FPS (avg) - this rifle/barrel shot great groups from 68 grains to 71 grains regardless of seating depth. (I listed my exact components because I've tried many combinations in the past with other rifles - this barrel/rifle shot every combo well)

 

[AZHTR]

Rem 700 7-mag, 26" Bartlein 3B, CCI Mag primer, Hornady brass, 168VLDH settled on 69 grains of H1000, .025 off the lands at ~2980 FPS (avg)

I do have a third 7-mag custom - Defiance anti-x, Bartlein Carbon, 175 EOL's with H1000 etc etc. (It shoots well too.)

just my opinion: I like Bartlein barrels and in my many years of reloading they seem to alleviate some of the variables of finding a good reload combination.

For me personally, I've never had three rifles that I could personally shoot this well. (and I'm nothing special when it comes to shooting)

 

[std7mag]

My experience....

Get closer to the lands.

All the hunting rifles that I shoot the VLD through like them touching to 0.005" off the lands.

As soon as I went further from the lands, my groups opened up.

Have you tried to tune your action screws?

You are being redirected...

Even though the article focuses on Savage rifles, it works with other manufacturers also.

 

[overinfinite]

Alright guys, I stripped this thing down to a bare bore to start over. One thing I noticed was a small hairline crack about 1/16" of an inch long perpendicular to the bore about 1.5" from the crown.

 

[southpa]

Alright guys, I stripped this thing down to a bare bore to start over. One thing I noticed was a small hairline crack about 1/16" of an inch long perpendicular to the bore about 1.5" from the crown.

That'll do it....

 

[overinfinite]

I can feel it with a small pick, My machining experience, be it only 4 years and 8 years ago, tells me it's it probably 0.003-5" deep. Strange place it's located.
Maybe a cleaning rod jam? The crown has zero bur even though it looks like a strange wear ring right at the exit. That is the hardest thing to photograph without a borescope.

 

[FireFlyFishing]

I can feel it with a small pick, My machining experience, be it only 4 years and 8 years ago, tells me it's it probably 0.003-5" deep. Strange place it's located.
Maybe a cleaning rod jam? The crown has zero bur even though it looks like a strange wear ring right at the exit. That is the hardest thing to photograph without a borescope.

Remember when you were thinking of chopping the barrel? Well, now's the time!

 

[tomcat818]

IDK I'm struggling to figure out where your point of aim is on your test targets. I make my own targets with 1.5" hunter orange bullseye and point of aim is vertical reticle left edge of bullseye horizontal reticle at bottom of bullseye when trigger breaks and this process is the same every time. Consistent POA is the key to analyzing accuracy in load development. If your barrel is happy with bullet and powder you should see fairly consistent POI and somewhat consistent groupings with this method. Below is an OCW test in 5gr increments as an example.

 

[southpa]

IDK I'm struggling to figure out where your point of aim is on your test targets. I make my own targets with 1.5" hunter orange bullseye and point of aim is vertical reticle left edge of bullseye horizontal reticle at bottom of bullseye when trigger breaks and this process is the same every time. Consistent POA is the key to analyzing accuracy in load development. If your barrel is happy with bullet and powder you should see fairly consistent POI and some descent somewhat consistent groupings with this method. Below is an OCW test in 5gr increments as an example.

Are you suggesting that the OP is just picking different POA for his shots within the same group? Sorry I'm not trying to be facetious but aren't you pointing put some obvious goals of load development? The whole point of it is to find a powder charge and depth that shows a consistent group? I believe that's the aim of his post is that he's searching for where his barrel is happy. It's obviously not.