Help With LR Hunting Caliber

[SgtR]

Hello everyone,

This is my first real post so forgive any administrative or lingo errors. Here is my situation: I just ordered my first totally custom long gun and I'm torn between several different calibers. The rifle will have a bed job, 28" Benchmark barrel, timed Ross Schuler break, Timney…so on and so forth. It will be topped with a NF F1 and Seekins gear (20 moa rail). My point is, the system's potential will exceed my capabilities, which is good. This gun is not for the bench, its first outing will hopefully be spring bear in Hell's Canyon (Oregon side). I plan on shooting VLDs or similar depending on what I can best tune. Now that I've painted a picture, I'm hoping for caliber suggestions based on the practical application. I am interested in 7STW, 7mm rem mag, .300 UM, WM, and maybe 7 Rogue. I like the idea of 7 rem mag, and .300 WM because of load data and availability over the counter (I know some of you are cringing at the otc element). I am open to 6mm; however, I need to maintain wallop! Any advice will help!

 

[lilharcher]

I am personally biased to the 300WM......(i) large spectrum of bullets to handle medium (deer) to large game (bear), (ii) large selection of OTC ammo, (iii) tried, trued, and tested....lots of available info and dope on reloading, etc, and(iv) plenty capable for LRH.

 

[HARPERC]

The one thing about taking a rifle that nice into Hell's Canyon, someones bound to come looking for it if you're not back on time. I might adjust overall length to match what I need in a good walking stick, and perhaps something to grip.

Sorry, I've never been, but it sounds like something you Oregon guys have to do.

.300 Winchester Magnum get's it done fairly well.

Good Luck,spring bear is sooner than what seems possible.

 

[SgtR]

That was my initial choice. The higher bc of the others made me second guess.

 

[el matador]

Based on barrel length, from the choices you list I would go with a 300 RUM. If you were going with a 26" tube I would say 300 Win.

 

[WildRose]

Hello everyone,

This is my first real post so forgive any administrative or lingo errors. Here is my situation: I just ordered my first totally custom long gun and I'm torn between several different calibers. The rifle will have a bed job, 28" Benchmark barrel, timed Ross Schuler break, Timney…so on and so forth. It will be topped with a NF F1 and Seekins gear (20 moa rail). My point is, the system's potential will exceed my capabilities, which is good. This gun is not for the bench, its first outing will hopefully be spring bear in Hell's Canyon (Oregon side). I plan on shooting VLDs or similar depending on what I can best tune. Now that I've painted a picture, I'm hoping for caliber suggestions based on the practical application. I am interested in 7STW, 7mm rem mag, .300 UM, WM, and maybe 7 Rogue. I like the idea of 7 rem mag, and .300 WM because of load data and availability over the counter (I know some of you are cringing at the otc element). I am open to 6mm; however, I need to maintain wallop! Any advice will help!

For your application the STW would be fantastic and the 300wm great. You can go with the Rum if you like but the other two are more than adequate.

We've had some members here take big bears with even the 7mm WSM.

The STW is my favorite but I also own and shoot the 300wm's and Rum's quite a bit as well.

I am admittedly a 7mm STW fanatic.

 

[SgtR]

For your application the STW would be fantastic and the 300wm great. You can go with the Rum if you like but the other two are more than adequate.

We've had some members here take big bears with even the 7mm WSM.

The STW is my favorite but I also own and shoot the 300wm's and Rum's quite a bit as well.

I am admittedly a 7mm STW fanatic.

It seems like most people that shoot the STW are fanatical about them! I have to admit I'm temped. What can I expect for barrel life? I'm assuming relatively short. I will also use this caliber for elk and deer btw.

 

[MudRunner2005]

Been an STW fanatic & shooter for over 12 years...And an enthusiest and fan of Layne Simpson's "Shooting Times" articles for way longer than that.

I have quite a diverse stable of weapons at my disposal for just about any application, and I pride myself in such, because it took many years of collecting from working hard and lots of money spent and other things sacrificed to get here, and still nowhere near done. It's a disease, but you enjoy every minute or it.

My vote echos Rose.... 7mm STW would be perfect for your setup.

You can expect 1,200-1,500 rounds of barrel life, maybe more, maybe less. So many factors play into it, it's a really difficult thing to give an estimate on. So don't hold us to any numbers.

 

[SgtR]

The STW love is flowing! Thank you all for your input. So, what does it offer me that the other 7's can't.

 

[WildRose]

It seems like most people that shoot the STW are fanatical about them! I have to admit I'm temped. What can I expect for barrel life? I'm assuming relatively short. I will also use this caliber for elk and deer btw.

Never shoot it hot and the barrel life can be very good. I'm still shooting my original with over 1,500rds through the tube. Figured it was about time to rebarrel a couple of years ago and had my buddy Dale Price (a very good gunsmith) scope it to see what the throat erosion looked like and he said he honestly didn't think it was even half gone yet.

Unless you are shooting one a lot and hot it will last a very long time. I've had the above rifle since about 1990-92 when Remington first offered the chambering through the custom shop.

 

[WildRose]

Here's my rule for great barrel life.

Always go with stainless.

Never more than 3 rounds in any one minute period.

Never more than 10 rds in any 5 minute period.

Let it cool down completely in between.

 

[MudRunner2005]

The STW love is flowing! Thank you all for your input. So, what does it offer me that the other 7's can't.

For starters, It's own forum... 7mm STW - Long Range Hunting Online Magazine

Secondly, it is about the maximum capacity vs reasonable barrel life out of the 7's that you can get. You can go bigger, but the costs are much bigger....More powder for little gains, and barrel life decreases significantly. It's known as "the point of diminishing returns". It pushes the heavy 180gr pills with ease. I'm hoping to get 3,100 out of my 180's while still maintaining the same incredible accuracy it has been showing. But we'll have to see how far she wants to be pushed.

 

[el matador]

I have nothing against the 7 STW, in fact I think it is a fine cartridge. I just don't see what all the hype is about. Ballistically it is very comparable to a 300 Win mag, just with a bit more velocity and slightly worse BC. Trajectory-wise at longer ranges it's a wash. The .300 having more frontal area will = more reliable expansion and it will retain more energy to drive that bigger bullet just as deep as the smaller 7mm.

I'm guessing the rifle the OP is asking about will be in the 12-14 lb range. With a brake on a rifle of that size recoil will not be a factor. If you're trying to save a little on the cost of components I can see going with a 7mm, but the .30 cals have better BC and more frontal area, along with generally better selection of bullets. And the 300 RUM will equal the velocity of the STW but using heavier, higher BC bullets. To me there is no advantage to the STW in this case except the cost of powder and bullets (which will be 10-15%). So I guess the question is whether you want better performance or cheaper ammo.

If we were talking about a light weight gun without a brake I would lean more toward the 7 STW since it can do pretty impressive things with 160-180 grain bullets.

 

[MudRunner2005]

You will understand what the hype is all about when Berger finally releases the 7mm 195 EOL with a BC that rivals .338 caliber LR bullets.

Which is supposed to be 2015, if I remember reading that correctly...