Hi guys. I'm just starting to look into this long range shooting. I've owned a Remington model 700 7mm STW for about 12 years now that is all factory except for I've had the trigger adjusted down to about 3 1/2 pounds and up until this point I've always had a good friend reload for me. Im not sure on the powder he used but I've been using 160 grain Nosler partitions without a problem on deer and elk out to about 450 yards. He recently passed away so now I'm looking at getting into reloading for myself. My main hunting consists of deer and elk in Idaho and I'd love to be able to shoot out at 800 to 1000 yards. I know I will have to upgrade my current vari-x 2 30-49 Leupold but I'm not sure where else to begin. Any and all help would be greatly appreciated!
Where to start?
- Thread starter GB87
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WildRose
Well-Known Member
Life gets tough fast when we lose friend's like that.
How does your rifle shoot with the ammo you are currently using?
The partition is a great bullet for shooting through tough critters at short to medium range but it's a low BS flat based bullet that was never intended for long range shooting so a bullet change is in order.
If you want to stick with Nosler Bullets move to the Accubond or Accubond LR. If not there are other very good choices out there. Personally as a rule I prefer the Hornady Interbond and interlock bullets and the Swift Scirocco II but there are a whole lot of guys that are happy with the Bergers.
Finding a bullet and load that shoots well in your rig is the key. Hitting exactly where you want is far more important in the long run than any other factor.
You didn't mention your optics, quality optics are essential once you start stretching your range beyond that usual 300-400yds max that most hunters will never exceed.
As for learning about reloading itself if you don't have someone to work with who can mentor you it's a tough haul. You might want to spend some time over on Youtube and at our own Reloading forum reading the existing threads and looking at videos and that will at least help.
Welcome.
MudRunner2005
Well-Known Member
Adding on to what Rose said about the YouTube vids to get started...Search for IraqVeteran8888. He has several getting started videos, and he does a great job helping you get started.
Thanks for the welcome guys. I know of a few others who can watch over me learning how to reload so that is not an issue. Im just the only guy I know to shoot an STW so I don't have much to go on in terms of finding some good loads to start with to get to the point of stretching the legs on this gun.
As it is right now I can shoot the partitions very well. I was just trying to find a better bullet for taking those long range shots as I've read the partition isn't an ideal choice at the distances I want to shoot. Bullet weight doesn't matter to me so long as I can shoot it good at 800+ and can carry the energy to bring elk down at that distance. For optics I'm currently using a vari-x 2 3-9x40. I use swarovski binoculars and spotting scope so I'm not completely clueless on good glass I just have never had a need for a great scope as I've never taken a shot over 500 yards and the 3-9 has always worked fine for me out to that distance and all of the options out there can start getting overwhelming for someone who has no experience in long range shooting
As it is right now I can shoot the partitions very well. I was just trying to find a better bullet for taking those long range shots as I've read the partition isn't an ideal choice at the distances I want to shoot. Bullet weight doesn't matter to me so long as I can shoot it good at 800+ and can carry the energy to bring elk down at that distance. For optics I'm currently using a vari-x 2 3-9x40. I use swarovski binoculars and spotting scope so I'm not completely clueless on good glass I just have never had a need for a great scope as I've never taken a shot over 500 yards and the 3-9 has always worked fine for me out to that distance and all of the options out there can start getting overwhelming for someone who has no experience in long range shooting
WildRose
Well-Known Member
Yes but how good is "shooting good"? Are you consistently getting one inch or smaller groups at 100yds?
As for glass there's a lot of good options out there that run from anywhere from around 450.00 for a used Leupold 3.5-10x50 to as much as over 3k for USO and some others.
My suggesting depending on the budget is look at Leupold VXIII and Vortex Viper PST scopes with 50mm or larger objectives with a top end power range of at least 14x. You can get buy with less with higher quality glass and as a rule I always say get the best glass you can afford and if you have to choose between more magnification or a larger objective, then get the larger objective because in those critical low light opportunities good glass and a larger objective will extend your shooting times dramatically.
You can get to a thousand yards on deer or larger sized game with a 10x magnification but moving it up to a minimum of 14x will help.
Be careful not to go nuts buying something with a bottom end Magnification of greater than 6x if there's even a possibility of needing to shoot at under 200yds because that's just getting to where there's so much magnification it's hard to really pick out the right point of impact especially on a quick shot.
MudRunner2005
Well-Known Member
If you're only reloading for 1 caliber, $1,000 is very attainable...
RCBS Rock Chucker Supreme Single Stage Press
RCBS ChargeMaster 1500 Powder Scale Dispenser Combo 110 Volt
Redding Deluxe 3-Die Set 7mm STW
Redding Shellholder #6 (7mm Remington Mag 300 Winchester Mag 338
Starrett 799 Electronic Caliper 6 SS
Hornady Lock-N-Load Bullet Comparator Basic Set 6 Inserts
This will make for one nice reloading setup, and is VERY similar to what I have. With those items you're looking at $793.94 + shipping. Then you'll have $206 left for primers, bullets, and powder, and a reloading manual of the brand of bullets you choose to shoot. That would get you a real nice start.
Good luck, and keep us updated.
WildRose
Well-Known Member
That was what we needed to know. This tells us that you have a rifle capable of shooting sub MOA.
The first thing I'd do if you don't have it already is to see if you can get the load recipe your friend was using for your current supply of ammo.
I'd use the same load data but switch to the Accubond or Accubond Long range vs the Partition.
The partition is a great bullet at short to medium range but it simply lacks the BC for long range shooting.
BC basically tells you how easily and efficiently a bullet flies through the air at supersonic speeds. The higher the BC the longer it remains stable and above SS.
Now when you get to shooting beyond the range at which the bullet remains super sonic things get tricky particularly as they transition from SS to sub sonic speeds.
As long as you stick to the same weight bullet as what he was loading the loads should remain safe particularly if you just switch from the Partition to the AB.
