7WSM.....Would ya?

[Blkz06]

Did you consider the 7SAUM? similar velocity. The norma brass I shoot is tough as nails. I might be able to burn the barrel out of it with only 200 brass. I have five firings out of the first group of 100 with no signs of wear that I can tell.
I heard some reports of more barrel life from the Saum over the WSM which is why I went with it. Reportedly due to the longer case neck.

Yes, I sure did. And it's still on the radar but it seems like there's not much factory ammo out there. I don't mind hand loading but I don't do enough of it to keep up with my shooting.

 

[tbrice23]

I would not trade for mine. it is a great cartridge and I would recommend looking for at least 2 to 300 rounds of brass before going into any builds first.

There is still brass available if you look hard enough. In my opinion, it is one of the best short mags
ever made and as long as I have components I will keep shooting mine.

Find the brass first and then start the build. You can always get someone to re load for you if necessary.

Just my opinion

J E CUSTOM

Im on my second 300wsm and second 270wsm, love em.
I've wanted a 7wsm FORVEVER but the brass thing always killed me. Just two days ago I seated a 168vld into a fired 270wsm case with the boat tail just below the neck, at that point it was a single shot or long action cartridge. I seated it down to short action OAL and it took up too much case space.

Do you build yours on long or short action?
Also I have two 7mm Rem mags, I run 162 Amax at 3080 in a 24 " with great accuracy the other runs 150 gr NBT at 3280 in a 26".
How would a 7wsm/ 7mm-300wsm compare in performance?
Thanks.

 

[WeiserBucks]

My 7 SAUM will be on a long action to eliminate mag length issues, I would think that the same issues would be pertinent to a 7 WSM build .

 

[tbrice23]

At that point, why not go with 7mm Rem Mag?

 

[WeiserBucks]

7 RM is a great round, but I'm looking for something a little different without a belt . Otherwise a regular 7 rem mag would be perfect for my uses , and most others for that matter .

 

[tbrice23]

7 RM is a great round, but I'm looking for something a little different without a belt . Otherwise a regular 7 rem mag would be perfect for my uses , and most others for that matter .

I hear you . I can not leave well enough alone either,lol.
Belts have never bothered me at all , just bump the shoulder .002 and treat it like any other case.
However, I do often see the need to fire form virgin brass as the fire case shoulder can be up to .015 or so longer than virgin.

 

[Blkz06]

A quick search yielded very scarce 7saum factory rounds available.

I'm really leaning towards the 7wsm right now. Next question is if the maximum weight I plan on using is 180-185....Should I get a long action or short action. Also need to make a choice between the 8.44 and 9 twist PR barrel.

 

[WeiserBucks]

As mentioned earlier, I'm doing a 7 SAUM on a long action, Bart 8 twist. That way I'll never be hindered by mag length or stability. I think the 160-180 bullets will suit the case well , but I love BC and will try the 195 Bergers , but probably won't have enough velocity to make them outperform the 180's .

 

[J E Custom]

Im on my second 300wsm and second 270wsm, love em.
I've wanted a 7wsm FORVEVER but the brass thing always killed me. Just two days ago I seated a 168vld into a fired 270wsm case with the boat tail just below the neck, at that point it was a single shot or long action cartridge. I seated it down to short action OAL and it took up too much case space.

Do you build yours on long or short action?
Also I have two 7mm Rem mags, I run 162 Amax at 3080 in a 24 " with great accuracy the other runs 150 gr NBT at 3280 in a 26".
How would a 7wsm/ 7mm-300wsm compare in performance?
Thanks.

I like to build them (All of the short mags) on short actions. even the 338 RCM and the 325 WSM.

They make very powerful rounds and the heavy bullets (200 and 225s) work well at Mag length. They can compete and even top the 7 RM with some load and bullet combinations.

I have built lots of 300 WSMs and a few 270s also the hole range of SAUMs with good success with all. I have not built a 7mm/300 though but that Is a very good alternative to the 7 WSM. The 7WSM has a slight case capacity advantage over all other WSMs but with fire forming the 300 has the same COAL. and could be made into a 7 WSM easy if you wanted to. The 7 WSM and the 7mm/300 performance should be very close to each other.

I have even considered the 6.5/300 because of the great selection of bullets.

J E CUSTOM

 

[Doghunter23]

As mentioned earlier, I'm doing a 7 SAUM on a long action, Bart 8 twist. That way I'll never be hindered by mag length or stability. I think the 160-180 bullets will suit the case well , but I love BC and will try the 195 Bergers , but probably won't have enough velocity to make them outperform the 180's .

I second the idea! long action and 8.44 if that's what your leaning towards, unless you live in high elevation where the marginal stability or reduced BC wont be effected. I have a 9 twist, and is extremely accurate But I am not getting max BC out of the 180's at my elevation and velocity according to Berger's twist rate calculator. My next barrel will be 8 or 8.5

 

[Blkz06]

I second the idea! long action and 8.44 if that's what your leaning towards, unless you live in high elevation where the marginal stability or reduced BC wont be effected. I have a 9 twist, and is extremely accurate But I am not getting max BC out of the 180's at my elevation and velocity according to Berger's twist rate calculator. My next barrel will be 8 or 8.5

Yes...That was exactly what I saw in the Berger calculator. And a quick search shows a few GAP built 7wsm rifles sold or for sale wearing Bartlein 8 twist barrels. I would imagine they know a thing or two about twist so I'm confident a 8.5 twist is about perfect for my rifle.

 

[RockyMtnMT]

I would go with the 8" twist and a long action. The problem we always run into with the wsm rounds is bullet seating down into powder causing a compressed load or running out of powder capacity to get the best performance. Having to go with a faster powder and then pressuring too soon. Long action so you can seat the bullet out so the base is at the neck shoulder junction. Have it throated for this. Then, IMO, you would get everything the round is capable of. You won't be disappointed in a faster twist barrel. You may be disappointed in a slower twist barrel.

Steve

 

[Edd]

I can't think of a good reason to waste a long action on a short cartridge. Especially one that is difficult to source.

 

[Blkz06]

I do have a LA McMillan stock I can use but it's a little heavier for the build I want to do.

My EH1 is a SA, so if go ahead and use a Short Action reciever what is the harm.

Looking at Berger's reloading manual the 175 Elite Hunter calls for a 2.917 COAL, which is only .057 over the SAAMI spec..Correct?

Can I still use the SA?

Also...Has anyone else noticed that Berger's calculator calls for 8 and 8.5 twists for stability, yet their bullet charts call for 9 and 10 twists for the 7mm family?