First of all he asked about building an stw. I told him exactly what my experience with the cartridge is. Brass is a pain and not worth the minor fps gain. Just because the forum is for 7 stw doesnt mean we cant give our opinion. If he can get all opinions on the caliber good or bad then it may save him from getting a caliber he may not like. This forum is not only to push people to het a 7 stw. The mistake i made on the forum was just hearing how fast the caliber was and how it outperforms the 7 mag which is not true. Now that ive seen both calibers side by side on the chrono i know the true facts not just what people that love the caliber say. I didnt jump on anyone just because i disagree with them. I dont dislike the caliber i just think there are better ones that are much more available. It is a forum for all people to post there opinions on not just for u.
Thinking of building a 7 stw
- Thread starter rshcwisdom
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Jokostel
Well-Known Member
The brass isn't a pain. at all.
Buy 8 Rems, neck them down.. Watch Midway or Shootersproshop... Noslers sales site for proper headstamped brass. If your desperate, 375 H&H or 300 H&H aren't that difficult to form either. The STW was never known as a novice cartridge.
Every chucklehead in the field has an 3006 or a 270 or a 7 Rem.. Nothing wrong with that though. STWs and RUMs are different... a cut above the rest....Smart money says, that if they are hand loading for those, they know what they're doing.
There are MANY avenues. Like with most cartridges these days.... you pay to play.
Myself... I have an STW as a range/truck gun.... why? because. I have my RUMS and AIs for hunting.
Buy 8 Rems, neck them down.. Watch Midway or Shootersproshop... Noslers sales site for proper headstamped brass. If your desperate, 375 H&H or 300 H&H aren't that difficult to form either. The STW was never known as a novice cartridge.
Every chucklehead in the field has an 3006 or a 270 or a 7 Rem.. Nothing wrong with that though. STWs and RUMs are different... a cut above the rest....Smart money says, that if they are hand loading for those, they know what they're doing.
There are MANY avenues. Like with most cartridges these days.... you pay to play.
Myself... I have an STW as a range/truck gun.... why? because. I have my RUMS and AIs for hunting.
MudRunner2005
Well-Known Member
Since we are now finally having a civilized debate at this point, with exception of that last remark, which I'll overlook, I would like to ask a few more questions picking out some things I noticed from your posts. And hopefully getting a civilized (non-angry) response in return.
If the STW is faster (which you admitted in post #21, that it in-fact is) even with 2" less barrel by around 65 fps...Wouldn't that mean that it is technically still out-performing the 7mmRM in velocity and KE, even though not by much? And if it is still faster with 2" less barrel, then when comparing apples-to-apples both with 26" or 28" barrels, it would substantially out-perform the 7mmRM by over 125 fps (at a minimum), since it is already about 65 fps faster with only a 26" barrel, compared to the 7mmRM's 28" barrel...
Now, I know you think I'm hating on the 7mmRM...I am NOT. I have been using one almost exclusively since 2002 for (inside of 500 yard) whitetail deer hunting. It is hands-down my favorite deer cartridge of all-time. I have other calibers for reaching out past 500 (7mm STW, .300 Ackley, etc...). Something about that cartridge is just magic on deer out to long distances, even with the 168gr bullets.
The 100 to 200 fps isnt enough to justify the round to me. Especially when im only getting beat by less then 100 with a 28 inch tube. The stw will only show a little improvment at 1400 plus yards. Anything within that its not justified to me. Deer past 500 is no problem for 7 mag. Now if u want to holdover shoot then maybee at 400 yards will the stw give u a slight edge on shooting a deer but ke wise its so small i still see no benefit. The 7 rum i did say was a good choice in my first post. The hassle to get or make 7 stw brass is not worth the minor gain to me. If i want to hit harder than the 7 mag i would fo big 30 call or 338. The 7 stw i own im contimplating changing to a 300 rum or 338 edge. The difference in ke compared to my 7 mag is worth the brass hassle. The stw just doesnt have enough power over the mag for me to justify it.
MudRunner2005
Well-Known Member
The 7RUM uses about 18-20gr more powder for about a 50-75 (maybe 100) fps gain on the STW, and the excess powder burns the throat more per shot, which in-turn cuts the accurate throat life by nearly half. The point of diminishing returns far outweighs the need for such a slight advantage...Whereas when comparing the average estimated accurate barrel and throat life of the STW to the RM they are much closer. Basically, once you reach a certain point of powder capacity for bullet diameter ratio, the negaitives far outweigh the positives. Best example I know first-hand is comparing the .25-06 AI vs. .257 Wby. The Weatherby uses 14+ more grains of powder for the same velocities as the ..25-06 AI because the case design is nowhere near as efficient using the same diameter and weight bullets.
IMO, the only way I could see a RUM noticeably out-performing the STW is if the new Berger 195's ever enter the equation. However, that also has ALOT of factors playing into it that would be borderline worth the excess wear & tear...But have yet to be seen. At this point it's strictly speculation, as nobody actually knows, other than the testers for Berger, but they aren't at liberty to discuss this yet, since the bullets have not been publically introduced to the open market.
IMO, the only way I could see a RUM noticeably out-performing the STW is if the new Berger 195's ever enter the equation. However, that also has ALOT of factors playing into it that would be borderline worth the excess wear & tear...But have yet to be seen. At this point it's strictly speculation, as nobody actually knows, other than the testers for Berger, but they aren't at liberty to discuss this yet, since the bullets have not been publically introduced to the open market.
338edge
Well-Known Member
I love my 7mmstw. Here's my info
-26" Hart tube in a 1-9 twist
-Holland muzzle brake
-McMillan A-3 stock 75% tan 25% tan marble finish
-jewel trigger @ 2lb
-Atacr with NF rings 20 moa rail
-Holland cheek piece
-Load = 74.0grs of 7828 lit with cci 250 shooting 180 berger @ 3104. Nosler brass
-accuracy = .2 or .3 if I do my part.
-575 rounds fired
The guy from Kamiah Idaho who started this thread please call me for more info on this cartridge.
541-444-7110.
Thanks, Corey
-26" Hart tube in a 1-9 twist
-Holland muzzle brake
-McMillan A-3 stock 75% tan 25% tan marble finish
-jewel trigger @ 2lb
-Atacr with NF rings 20 moa rail
-Holland cheek piece
-Load = 74.0grs of 7828 lit with cci 250 shooting 180 berger @ 3104. Nosler brass
-accuracy = .2 or .3 if I do my part.
-575 rounds fired
The guy from Kamiah Idaho who started this thread please call me for more info on this cartridge.
541-444-7110.
Thanks, Corey
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338edge
Well-Known Member
chuckhammer
Well-Known Member
I designed and built an improved 7-300 Win Mag wildcat that I call 7mm Valkyrie. It has a similar case capacity to 7STW at 93 grains H20 with WW Super brass. The rifle is built on a Savage 110 and has a 28" Criterion Match tube. The WW Super brass is quite strong. Using Reloader 33 I can get 3250 fps from 180 Hybrids for multiple loadings. I've hit 3300 but extractor marks begin to show up consistently.
Since 7STW Rem headstamp brass has similar capacity (95 gr H2O) and strength (I understand it's a bit softer) I would think you could match the above numbers using RL33 and a 28" tube.
Retumbo, H1000, and 7828 just don't have the energy density and slow burn rate to optimize velocities as well as RL33 for 180s in the big cases.
Since 7STW Rem headstamp brass has similar capacity (95 gr H2O) and strength (I understand it's a bit softer) I would think you could match the above numbers using RL33 and a 28" tube.
Retumbo, H1000, and 7828 just don't have the energy density and slow burn rate to optimize velocities as well as RL33 for 180s in the big cases.
Lefty7mmstw
Well-Known Member
I finally got my shilen barreled 7mmstw on paper yesterday. The 180 sierra hpbt with rl26 was capable of 3150 fps without pressure issues, but the best accuracy was at 2900 fps with a .980" group at 200 yards. It also shoots the 140 nosler bt (pushed by rl25) to 3340 fps at 1.080" at 200 yards; that was the load the last two rifles ate so I have 350 of them loaded.
I will be working the sierra up with rl33, rl50, and h50bmg in the next couple of weeks to see if I can get another couple of hundred fps with good accuracy. rl26 seems to be a bit fast burning for full throttle accuracy with heavier bullets in this chambering.
chuckhammer
Well-Known Member
Cool. I think the Big Sevens offer an awesome combination of power, range, and reasonable recoil without requiring a muzzle brake. Once the Berger 195 Hybrid hits the streets we'll be shooting inside of the Big 300s.
The other powder you might try if you can find it is VV N570. Large kernels. Burns hotter than RL33 from what I've read. Probably a bit harder on throats.
StaMic006
Well-Known Member
I ordered 10 lbs of N570 today from Graf & Sons. They had 25 lbs left. It'll probably go in a hurry if it's not already.
