Help Which 7mm 7wsm 0r 280AI 7REm mag

[Wookie316]

7mm Rem Mag & don't look back. Their Sexy!

 

[shade mt]

i agree 100% with fiftydriver..... it is really hard to beat the 7mm rem mag..... it has been around for years, and is probably second only to the good old 06 ... in gun sales... despite the rage and claims of gun writers ect... about other calibers in the 7mm class.. my own experience handloading , is... out to 800yds or so it will give all you ask of it ,and then some more.

 

[angus-5024]

on a ruger #1 I would definatley go with the 7mm remington. The 280's are sweet on a short action, but you have a single shot so there is no reason to go with anything but the 7mm. In fact if your getting a new barrel anyways you could go with a 26" and get into the STW if you're ambitious. I think that the best fit would be the 7mm remington though. Brass is easy to find and relitively cheap, ballistics are great, you can keep your barrel length at 24", and recoil is more than managable. I wish I had'nt sold mine.

 

[Chopaka81]

I have never owned or loaded for the 280AI or the 7mm WSM.

I have done extensive loading for the 7mm Rem Mag and the standard 280 Rem.

For deer hunting in Rem M700 KS Mt Rifle 280 Rem I went with the Nosler 140gr BT and it performed very well. In another 280 Rem I have it is a old 1912 Styer (M98) that was rechambered from 7x57 to 280 Rem. The old stepped military barrel refused to shoot the anything under 160gr. I settled with 162 Hornady SPBT's and it shoots them very well. In the remington - I never shot anything other than that 140gr load.

In my Mauser Model 3000 26" barreled 7mm Rem Mag I have shot a bunch of different stuff. In my rifleit likes H4831 and a lot of it. I won't post my loads openly but if you would like to know what I am using privately I would gladly share them. This rifle likes the Speer 145gr SPBT, the Hornady 154gr SP, and the Sierra 160gr SPBT. Based upoon what I have seen in this rifle there is not a thing it will not shoot well.

I have also worked with a brother in law's Browning bolt action in 7mm Rem Mag It shot really well with most everything we put thru it. Same with Remington M700's.

My point being I have found the 7mm Rem Mag to be very well behaived and easy to develope loads for. This would be the perfect cartridge for a newbie to reloading to begin with. The only easier cartridge to load for in my humble opinion would be the 308 Win.

Good luck and have a great time. Partner with an experienced reloader if you can, most of the manuals have been lawyerized and published loads are down loaded.

 

[Chopaka81]

BTW, If the 280AI is going to be your first experience with reloading, I would make extra effort to partner with an experienced reloader.

Enjoy!