Moving from 338 to 7mm.

could you sum up comparative differences in terminal performance between the 210 VLD and the 215 Hybrid in a single sentence? As in a little better? Moderately better? Substantially better?

Yes, and will add the 195 were definitely expanding,maybe too much for their weight?? But, and we got good penetration as well. Tips were all checked to be clear of obstructions also. So does it boil down to sectional density and soaked up energy??


Remember, I never ever lost an animal or even tracked one out of the immediate area with all the game from the 210's I shot. That includes when I used them from a 30-378 as well as a 300 win. But there is no doubt in my mind now that the 215 dispatches game quicker. Especially at impact velocities well below 2000 fps. When we look at terminal damage that many, including myself, will deem as "Too Much" or "explosive" as they stand over the DRT dead animal, it has come to my belief destroyed vitals rules. Even intestines and livers are effective if you trash them.

Ok, compare why in one sentence? More expansion and weight at all impact velocities from Hybrid ogives.

Thanks for the kind words also. I truly appreciate it.

Jeff
 
Getting ready to re barrel a Rem 700 with a factory 338 Ultra Mag barrel to a 26" #4 Contour Barrel and brake. Rifle is in a Brown
Precision Sporter Stock. Will go with a Shilen, lilja or similar brand barrel.

Would you recommend the 225 grain Barnes TTSX and Accubond 225
grain bullets ?
Would also appreciate someone throwing a load my way to get me in the right direction.

Could you expect 3150 fps with t he 225 grain and 26" barrel

Thanks
 
I got 3200 out of a 26 inch bartlein. 338 rum loaded with 225 accubonds, 96 grains of H1000 loaded to 3.72 worked great in my rifle. Check the new nosler manual i think they dropped their recommended "max" charges.
 
After reading this I'm thinking about selling/rebarreling my 7mm.
 
Thanks Mud, I was of the same mind set. That's why I kept building and testing 7mm's. Even lead a few good friends to this having them build 7mm's. Ask BignGreen. I had him all set, we have reamers ready, and I was going to change my 300 win over to a 7mm for the 195's. I felt this was the perfect deal for me in a mid sized magnum. But when we went to the field this year with both rifles, and started shooting elk, (at times 3 a night) we soon saw once again that, the 300 win with a 215 just kills better and faster. I then went back to my shop and cut open some 195's and 215's to try to make sense of this. The only difference I found other than the obvious .024" dia. and the 20 grains of weight was the 215 has a .400" deep void in the tip and the 195 has about .300" deep void. I compared impact velocities and wound channels. I believe both the 215 and 195 do better with impact velocities under 2500 fps to limit some expansion. I called a few trusted well informed people in the field for their input. They told me the same thing, the 30 cal kills better and quicker than the 7mm and the 338 will better them both. This came from some huge 7mm fans. The same fact I have witnessed over and over, more one shot kills with the 215. Especially if the placement is off a little. In fact, we now have 31 consecutive one shot kills on the 300 win with a 215. The 7mm never made it to 5 before we needed a finishing shot, and one took 3 as it was still alive when we got there. One yearling calf elk took two. Again, these were not perfectly placed shots, but this is the pattern. I have seen the same placement with a 215 from a 300 win result in quicker dispatch and no finishing shots. Not just once, but numerous times. I have a unique situation here. I escort hunter into the ranch for depredation elk hunts. We are at over 40 kills just this season and will have many more. The only one lost so far was a 7 STW with a 175 LRA bullet. I found it a week or so later. It ran off and we could not find it that night. I have made the decision that it is very hard to beat a 30 cal 215 for my needs in a midsized magnum. I invested many many hours and lots of $$ trying to improve or make a 7mm match the terminal performance. But I could not. Thus the reason I will be shooting the old 300 win from here on till I come up with a plan to beat it for my needs, if there even is one?

Please believe me when I say I wanted to make a 7mm work and had great hopes for one. But I have to be truthful to myself and believe what is in front of me over and over. I am not knocking anything. Just sharing true field results with many documented kills.

That's all I have to offer for an explanation. We all have the choice to take it or leave it. I have simply beat myself to the end, and have to believe what I see.

I will not debate it, I , like many, derived to my opinion from experiences. I hope some find my results useful and maybe some will benefit from it.

Good luck to all.

Jeff

Right or wrong, I agree with you all the way. When I lived in Wyo. I started elk hunting with a 280. I soon went to a 7mm. But, everything changed when a fellow gun club member talked me into buying a 300 Win Mag. Dead is dead but, the confidence that 300 instilled in me was priceless. I knew that if I shot an elk, it was not going to run over a hill, drop dead and be tagged by another hunter!
 
The time has come to move from my beloved 338 RUM to a 7mm mag. The 338 RUM used to be the "poor mans lapua." But now that brass is nearly impossibly to find and Nosler charges $65 for 20 pieces of brass. I have made the decision to go with a bartlein barrel, M40 contour, finished at 26 inches. My biggest hurdle is figuring out which is the best twist rate for this build. I'm currently waiting on Bartlein's opinion on twist but figured I'd pick your guys brains. The lightest bullet weight I'll be shooting is the 162 Amax and the heaviest being the 180 Bergers. Your opinions are greatly appreciated.
Just switch to a 338LM or 33XC
 
Top