David Lindler
Well-Known Member
168 grain berger is a beast.
New 7mm REM mag
- Thread starter Nodeeriniowa
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Try as much as you can in the selection that you like and let your rifle tell you what it likes the best. There is some quality stuff available these days. I also second the shooting past 100 with the top contenders to ensure they are performing at range.
Nodeeriniowa
Member
I have a friend with an 800 yd range. It's definitely in the plans. I'm hoping to keep shots at an animal under 300, but I will practice at longer ranges. I can consistently group under moa at 250 with 2 of my muzzleloaders with a good rest, it took a lot of powder and bullet testing to see what each liked. I'm hoping for the same with the 7.
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Ronald W Schaefer
Well-Known Member
Yeah man, what Lancetkenyan said or moose39465. Try Pendleton's ammo--they work up loads for you and given you have some time that might work. Or if you have someone who reloads, my wife's old Sako Finnbear loves 160gr Federal Trophy Bonded bullet ahead of 68 grs of RL-25 and Fed 215 primer and Lapua brass. Shoots Barnes TTSX and Nos ABLR pretty good too but FTB are sub MOA, so we went with that.
FIGJAM
Well-Known Member
Hornady Precision Hunter with the 162gr ELDX.
Buckys
Well-Known Member
I would also recommend ~160gr Nosler Trophy Grade Accubond and Partition
Mine shoots Hornady Superperformance 162gr SST very well.
The Hornady ELD-X and Nosler ABLR are also interesting as well as the TTSX options but they would be on the next tier of my list.
I also recommend getting a concentricity gauge like the one from Hornady to sort out factory rounds that are > 0.005" out of center with respect to the case. You can use those for fouling or separate groups if you would like to test your setup's sensitivity to concentricity.
Likewise, check your velocities for deviations. Unfortunately, you cannot pre-sort your factory ammo for the same but you may find specific lots of your TBD favorite round to be better than others in this regard.
Mine shoots Hornady Superperformance 162gr SST very well.
The Hornady ELD-X and Nosler ABLR are also interesting as well as the TTSX options but they would be on the next tier of my list.
I also recommend getting a concentricity gauge like the one from Hornady to sort out factory rounds that are > 0.005" out of center with respect to the case. You can use those for fouling or separate groups if you would like to test your setup's sensitivity to concentricity.
Likewise, check your velocities for deviations. Unfortunately, you cannot pre-sort your factory ammo for the same but you may find specific lots of your TBD favorite round to be better than others in this regard.
Wandering Wayne
Member
I liked the 160 grain Nosler Partition in the 7 mag I used to have. Federal loads it in their premium ammo. My 270 shoots a good group with the Nosler in 130 grain.
KYHILLJACK
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Aug 18, 2013
- Messages
- 115
I second this. I use the Federal 160gr Nosler Partition in my Vanguard 7mm mag and the Remington Hypersonic Bonded 160 gr in my Model 70 7mm mag.
Coyote_Hunter
Well-Known Member
nodeeriniowa -
Funny - when I was growing up in Iowa in the 50's and 60's I only recall seeing a couple of deer and one of them was at night, crossing the road in front of us as we drove to the drive-in theater in Iowa Falls. No when I go back to the same family farms I often see more deer in a day than I can count.
Congrats on your choice of the Ruger 7mm RM. My first centerfire was also a Ruger (M77) in 7mm RM and it was the only bolt rifle I used for elk for the first 20+ years of elk hunting. That 7mm RM has taken more elk than probably all my other rifles combined. Also got my last elk. a 6x5 bull, at 411 yards using my buddy's Ruger MKII 7mm RM and the same 160g Speer Grand Slam handload I had used for the first 20 years.
Since you don't handload your options will be limited by factory offerings and/or what you can afford. While the truth is that most bullets will work most of the time, I prefer a bullet that provides reliable, rapid, controlled and limited expansion. For this reason I handload various 'premium' bullets for hunting and standard cup-and-core bullets for the bulk of my practice. (I match trajectories as closely as possible and re-zero for the last couple of practice sessions before the hunt.)
There are quite a few bullets I recommend without qualm:
Barnes TTSX and LRX
Nosler AccuBond, AccuBond Long Range and Partition
Federal Trophy Bonded Tip and Edge TLR
Swift A-Frame
Although my hunt group uses a lot of Barnes TTSX and LRX, we have yet to recover one. I've driven two TTSX lengthwise through mule deer. While some people claim the TTSX/LRX doesn't drop game as quickly as other bullets, we've had a little over 50% instant, straight-down DRT results. I have seen a number of elk taken with a Partition but have never used them myself. (I still have a Federal box with 17 Partition rounds in it left over from 1982 when I checked them out at the range.) AccuBonds have worked on elk in every weight and caliber we've tried. My hunting buddy has used Trophy Bonded bullets successfully in his 7mm RM and I think the new Trophy Bonded Tip and Edge TLR are even better due to their hight ballistic coefficient. (They shoot flatter.)
You might want to consider a couple changes to your rifle. The first is to replace the laminate stock (even though it looks great) with a synthetic to reduce weight. The same goes with the scope. A smaller 3-9x is all you need. Get a stretchy sling, too. You can thank me after dragging the rifle over a couple of mountains.
Another item about the scope - get one with a drop-compensating reticle and learn how to use it. Also, get a laser rangefinder good to 800 or 1000 yards, even if you plan to limit your shots to 500 yards. IT is often hard to get a laser reading at 500 yards with a rangefinder rated for that. The extra range helps ensure you get a reading at a lesser range. FWIW, My Leupold rangefinder was rated at 1000 and was crap. My Nikons have always read at their designated range in good conditions, and my 1000 yard Nikon hit an elk at 1104 yards last fall. Before you buy a rangefinder, take it outdoors and give it a try.
I said a smaller 3-9x scope is all you need. Elk are big animals with large kill zones but I've hit clay pigeons on the 600-yard berm using various rifles and 3-9x scopes with drop compensating reticles.
Good luck on your hunt and have preparing for it.
Funny - when I was growing up in Iowa in the 50's and 60's I only recall seeing a couple of deer and one of them was at night, crossing the road in front of us as we drove to the drive-in theater in Iowa Falls. No when I go back to the same family farms I often see more deer in a day than I can count.
Congrats on your choice of the Ruger 7mm RM. My first centerfire was also a Ruger (M77) in 7mm RM and it was the only bolt rifle I used for elk for the first 20+ years of elk hunting. That 7mm RM has taken more elk than probably all my other rifles combined. Also got my last elk. a 6x5 bull, at 411 yards using my buddy's Ruger MKII 7mm RM and the same 160g Speer Grand Slam handload I had used for the first 20 years.
Since you don't handload your options will be limited by factory offerings and/or what you can afford. While the truth is that most bullets will work most of the time, I prefer a bullet that provides reliable, rapid, controlled and limited expansion. For this reason I handload various 'premium' bullets for hunting and standard cup-and-core bullets for the bulk of my practice. (I match trajectories as closely as possible and re-zero for the last couple of practice sessions before the hunt.)
There are quite a few bullets I recommend without qualm:
Barnes TTSX and LRX
Nosler AccuBond, AccuBond Long Range and Partition
Federal Trophy Bonded Tip and Edge TLR
Swift A-Frame
Although my hunt group uses a lot of Barnes TTSX and LRX, we have yet to recover one. I've driven two TTSX lengthwise through mule deer. While some people claim the TTSX/LRX doesn't drop game as quickly as other bullets, we've had a little over 50% instant, straight-down DRT results. I have seen a number of elk taken with a Partition but have never used them myself. (I still have a Federal box with 17 Partition rounds in it left over from 1982 when I checked them out at the range.) AccuBonds have worked on elk in every weight and caliber we've tried. My hunting buddy has used Trophy Bonded bullets successfully in his 7mm RM and I think the new Trophy Bonded Tip and Edge TLR are even better due to their hight ballistic coefficient. (They shoot flatter.)
You might want to consider a couple changes to your rifle. The first is to replace the laminate stock (even though it looks great) with a synthetic to reduce weight. The same goes with the scope. A smaller 3-9x is all you need. Get a stretchy sling, too. You can thank me after dragging the rifle over a couple of mountains.
Another item about the scope - get one with a drop-compensating reticle and learn how to use it. Also, get a laser rangefinder good to 800 or 1000 yards, even if you plan to limit your shots to 500 yards. IT is often hard to get a laser reading at 500 yards with a rangefinder rated for that. The extra range helps ensure you get a reading at a lesser range. FWIW, My Leupold rangefinder was rated at 1000 and was crap. My Nikons have always read at their designated range in good conditions, and my 1000 yard Nikon hit an elk at 1104 yards last fall. Before you buy a rangefinder, take it outdoors and give it a try.
I said a smaller 3-9x scope is all you need. Elk are big animals with large kill zones but I've hit clay pigeons on the 600-yard berm using various rifles and 3-9x scopes with drop compensating reticles.
Good luck on your hunt and have preparing for it.
Nice rifle!
I am a fan of Berger personally, but Barnes stuff is growing on me. The Nosler Partition is tried and true though, so give those a look.
Barnes seem to shoot well in most rifles I have tried them in with the exception of 1. My CZ 6.5x55 doesn't like any of the all copper bullets I have tried. I tried 127gr LRX from Barnes, and also Hornady GMX. No bueno for both. Switched to Berger 135gr Classic Hunters and was under MOA in the first set of work up loads. That rifle also shot ELD-M 140gr well under MOA two weekends ago during a test batch.
My dad's first big game rifle was a ruger 7mm mag except it was a tang safety rifle. It seems to like the 150gr and 160gr Partition. It also seemed to like the 168gr Bergers.
I am a fan of Berger personally, but Barnes stuff is growing on me. The Nosler Partition is tried and true though, so give those a look.
Barnes seem to shoot well in most rifles I have tried them in with the exception of 1. My CZ 6.5x55 doesn't like any of the all copper bullets I have tried. I tried 127gr LRX from Barnes, and also Hornady GMX. No bueno for both. Switched to Berger 135gr Classic Hunters and was under MOA in the first set of work up loads. That rifle also shot ELD-M 140gr well under MOA two weekends ago during a test batch.
My dad's first big game rifle was a ruger 7mm mag except it was a tang safety rifle. It seems to like the 150gr and 160gr Partition. It also seemed to like the 168gr Bergers.
bpcrshooter
Well-Known Member
I grew up with that exact rifle.....always shot reloads out of it til I got older and didnt have the space to set up reloading equipment, I turned to Federal and used the nosler AB and partitions. Both shot really good!! Well I could hit chicken silhouettes at 500m with them anyway. shooting the partitions I had to dial up the scope a bit more but they were just as accurate as the AB's.
After I found a place to call home I set up shop and started reloading again and tried many different bullets and weights the 175's never really impressed me much weather it be hornady,sierra. best load I ever found was 160gr nosler AB, win case, fed 215m primer, 71gr H1000 (this is over noslers max but, in MY rifle I had no pressure signs) shot 4in at 600yrd. The Hornady 162"s shot really well too...Just didnt like the way the ELD is designed, guess Im old school. good luck hunting this fall!!
After I found a place to call home I set up shop and started reloading again and tried many different bullets and weights the 175's never really impressed me much weather it be hornady,sierra. best load I ever found was 160gr nosler AB, win case, fed 215m primer, 71gr H1000 (this is over noslers max but, in MY rifle I had no pressure signs) shot 4in at 600yrd. The Hornady 162"s shot really well too...Just didnt like the way the ELD is designed, guess Im old school. good luck hunting this fall!!
I think somebody else mentioned it ifnyour other buddies are shooting the same caliper each of you buy a box of ammo and take 5 rounds from each other and try them in your guns. Now if your guns are new I would break the barrel in with some Remington brand or Nosler brand ammo because then you would get proably some of the better brass to reload if you ever decide to, that brass is available as factory ammo locally.
Plb119
Well-Known Member
Federal with 160 grain partitions
Work well for my 7mm
Work well for my 7mm
