help me decide.... keep 7mm STW alive or move on to different caliber??

[WoodPecker Hunter]

Set back the barrel and rechamber to a long throat 7 mm REM Mag
great Performance and lots of Brass avail . Will only be 100 -150 fps MAX behind the STW . JMO

 

[VarmintBob]

7mm PRC is the latest thing. It's almost a 7mm Rem Mag in case capacity. I think it will be the dominant 7mm in popularity in a few short years.

 

[baldhunter]

I'd hang on to the 7STW.Things are always changing in the gun world and the 7STW is hard to beat in the 7mm world.I don't shoot my 7STW very often anymore.My barrel is starting to show a good amount of erosion,but it still shoots good.I have to agree about the brass.My rifle is hard on brass too.I had to anneal my new brass.I think the new brass was brittle to start with.But I have enough brass to last me the life of my barrel.As for your Son,a good choice would be a 7mag.I find the recoil to be rather tolerable,not that much difference to a 270 Win in felt recoil.The 7STW burns about the same amount of powder as a 300 Win Mag and to me the recoil feels about the same.

 

[Les in Wyoming]

I purchased a 7mm STW 22 years ago +/- and since have migrated to the 300RUM, (but kept the stw in my safe) I now have a 16 year old son that is hunting and using the 7mm STW and is a very confidant shooter, handles the gun quite well, however I'm getting tired of the brass shortage for this caliber, my stw shoots best when loaded HOT and only get 3X until primer pockets are done.
I'm toying with the idea of sunsetting this caliber but what do I have my son shoot? he is smaller framed 125 lbs. I don't want him to lose his confidence from shooting a heavy recoil gun like the 300RUM, He did take an elk with my 300RUM this fall because the stw went for a tumble and made a great shot.
Do i turn this 7mmSTW turned into a different caliber that brass is more readily available or what do you 7mm STW shooters do about brass?

Primer pockets are easily fixable. I have reused my 300WM brass and refined primer pockets over and over again. I simply put a ball peen hammer in vice. I insert a bolt or metal rod close to the ID of the neck and long enough to extend outside the casing. I then set the case on the ball peen hammer and tap it. This closes the edge of the primer hole. You don't need to do it too much. But this will allow you to reuse your brass many times over. So, if it is a good shooting rifle, there is no need to retire it as long as you can reload.

 

[nksmfamjp]

At the boys size and weight, I like 7-08 to 280 ai…..maybe 7 SAUM…all shooting 140gr or so bullets.

 

[KS2506]

If you are interested. I have 78ea. WW nickel plated 7STW once fired cases. 70 ea. once fired RP 8 mag cases necked to 7STW, primed. And 39 RP 8 mag cases, once fired. 50 cents each, plus shipping.

 

[Mr. Magoo]

At the boys size and weight, I like 7-08 to 280 ai…..maybe 7 SAUM…all shooting 140gr or so bullets.

As I understood it that the boy handles the recoil of the 7stw just fine and likes the round so there was no sense in going down in power..

 

[AggieHunter]

Call Randy Fite in Richards Texas. He turned my 7mmSTW into a 300 Weatherby Improved. It is an awesome caliber. 300 Weatherby brass is easy to find and no fireforming (like I had to do years ago). Mine wll shoot a 180 grain bullet 3200 fps and a 150 grain bullet at 500FPS. Its a great 30 cal rifle.

 

[Starbuck]

As many have replied, I'd go 7mm rem mag. In fact, I am in the process of doing so. After having some odd balls through the years, I appreciate ability to find high quality components at going rate prices. And since time is often scarce for me these days, I appreciate the option, if need be, to run factory ammo.

One thing I never cared for in the STW and other long rounds is the lack of additional COAL. A 7mm rem mag in a 700 offers plenty of latitude to run heavies and chase lands without any modifications. Also, other actions/mags can be modified to fit greater COAL on a 3.34 cartridge.

I've had a couple of stock Big Green 7mm rem mags through the years, and despite the less than ideal 1:9.5 twist, they all shot 175's well, even near sea level.

IMO, a 175 .284 at full capacity 7mm rem mag velocities will handle well the vast majority of game animals out to as far as I care to take a shot.

 

[Gene Allen]

Heck these days the STW might win out by the fact that you can make cases from 300 Weatherby if needed.

Having never necked down brass how hard is it to neck down 300 Weatherby to 7mm STW? I see Peterson is now offering the 300 brass. Any help would be greatly appreciated *** I have to agree with everyone else the seven brass is getting harder to find and I like my 7 STW. Thanks Gene

 

[Danny1788]

Simple chamber it in a 7-300win mag. Tons of brass available and it's matching my stw and 28 nosler for speed.

 

[KyCarl]

If it ain't broke...Don't fix it!!

 

[Calvin45]

Simple chamber it in a 7-300win mag. Tons of brass available and it's matching my stw and 28 nosler for speed.

I believe some call this cartridge the "7mm practical". That's a good idea here, everyone that makes top quality brass for sure makes .300 win mag brass and it's not hard to find compared to most other magnum cartridges.

 

[Starbuck]

If it ain't broke...Don't fix it!!

Another hackneyed platitude:

Just because something works, doesn't mean that it can't work better.