Reloading input

[7mmfan]

I'm opening a couple of cans of worms here. I fully expect them to be crawling all over the place by the end of the day. I like more information than less though so I'll put it out on the interwebs for you bafoons to give me your thoughts and extensive knowledge on the subject.

I've been reloading for two rifles for sometime now. 7mm Rem Mag, and a 7mm-08. The 7mag has had the same load for over 15 years, but the bullet I've been using is no longer available. Since I'm being forced to develop a new load, I'm going to give monolithics a try. Some time ago I made a decision to do my best to provide my family with game meat every year and I'm on year 5 of at least one deer and elk in the freezer. My argument is that it is healthier and I feel better about putting it in the freezer than stockyard beef. The next step is to make sure that meat is not full of microscopic lead fragments. I also see the trend going this direction in the future anyhow. Lead is the next asbestos and it will be taken out of the hunting industry completely at some point. I might as well be ready for it.

I picked up a box of Barnes 145 gr LRX the other day and I plan to start work with these. I'm not necessarily using these because I am a long range hunter, but these bullets have a good following, and I like the idea that they will open more reliably than the standard TSX or TTSX. I'm curious if anyone on here has reloaded these and what they're opinions were? Also, if you have, i'd be curious to hear what your recipe was. Obviously I need to work the load, but having ideas what has worked well for others in the past is nice.

2nd. The 7mm-08. My love/hate problem child. It's an older model Remington LSS Mountain Rifle. Beautiful laminate stock, lightweight, my favorite gun. Didn't shoot worth beans for the first 10 years I owned it. I finally broke down last year and free floated the barrel and bedded the action. That work brought it to an MOA gun finally. I tried several different loads last year with different bullet and powder combos and settled on a load with 120 Barnes TTSX and 43 grains of Varget. I killed a bear and a mule deer with the load, and overall I'm pleased with it. However, I'm not physically able to leave a good thing alone so I bought a box of 110 gr TTSX the other day and I'm going to try and load a blistering fast deer/bear load. There is very little data available for this bullet online though other than basic reviews saying people are happy with them. Hoping someone on here has had some experience?

So in closing, looking for reloaders experience with Barnes 7mm 145 LRX for 7 mag, and Barnes 7mm 110 TTSX for 7mm-08.

[saddlesore]

First, stop worrying about the lead fragments. Numerous studies have been done that essentially debunk this by comparing hunters that have eaten lead killed game animals with those that don't by extensive blood test. All this was foisted on us by those on the western shore that have taken the stance that everything can kill you or give you cancer that will kill you.

That being said,stop chasing bullet weights and start chasing bullets that either match the twist rate of your rifle or buy rifles with a twist rate that matches the bullet you want to use. It is a widely accepted mis-truth that lighter bullets are better just like boattails always being more accurate.Consume some time researching ballistic tables and you will find lighter bullets shed velocity faster and heavier bullets deliver more down range energy because of it.

Most out of the box 7 mm rifles come from the factory with a twist rate that is designed for 140gr C&C bullets. However,the prime factor in matching twist rate has more to do with the length of the bullet instead of the weight . Since most heavy bullets,say a 175 gr 7mm vs 120gr 7mm is longer. Many rifles with a different twist rate will do better,with heavier or lighter bullets but the fly in the ointment are bullets like the Nosler Acubond which is lighter,butlonger. One rifle can digest those lighter bullets better,but you sacrifice the down range velocity unless you start them off at some thing like 3500fps which doesn't do a lot for meat preservation if you shoot an animal at 50 yards.Other rifles will do better with heavier bullets, say a 160 or 175gr 7mm bullets, but you preserve more meat

" Lead is the next asbestos and it will be taken out of the hunting industry completely at some point. I might as well be ready for it." is only because people have drank the Kool Aid and the proponents will say the all copper is now available so le'ts ban lead.Same thing with lead sinkers and lead shot.

[7mmfan]

The lead issue may be true, but enough people believe it that the decision will be made for us one day. I'm a firm believer in that.

I'm all over the twist rate vs length of bullet combo that you're describing. In fact that is why I settled on the 145 gr LRX for the 7 mag. It is identical length to the bullet that I used previously with exceptional accuracy.

The 110's I picked up for the -08 are shorter than other bullets I've used in the past, but not by much. If they don't workout, I'll go back to the 120's I used last year and refine that load. I have a self imposed range limit of 450 yards because that is what I can reliably hit every single time I shoot. Based on ballistic charts, both of these bullets at velocity's that I feel will be attainable pack more than enough punch for the intended game.

On the note of high velocity for lighter bullets and meat damage, I will say that both animals I killed last year with the Barnes bullets, I could virtually eat up to the hole. Tremendous internal damage, but very little bloodshot meat. It's been my experience that most C&C bullets at close range will cause significant bloodshot meat and that is part of what I'm trying to get away from with the monolithics.

[Lefty]

and start chasing bullets that either match the twist rate of your rifle or buy rifles with a twist rate that matches the bullet you want to use..

Find and shoot what works in your gun.
Kind of strange but Partition 120, 140 and 160 shoot very good out of my 7 mm A-bolt

IMR 4831, 54.6 for 140 gn ballistic tips I started shooting it 2003(?) I just checked Noslers web page and that load is not recommended above 54 gn My reloading stuff is packed up so I cant give you recipes

I plan to move over to the non lead as soon as my Accu bonds , partitions and ballistic tips are gone

Like leaded gas I believe lead shot( not bullets ) needs to go.

Lots of powder and bullet manufactures have done the majority of the work. And its fun to find out what really works best in a gun

[7mmfan]

I've shot a lot of different bullets over the years testing this and that, and I totally agree that some guns like certain bullets, and not others. The difficulty for me is I'm at least an hour from anywhere that I can reasonably go to test shoot different loads. So it's not like I can get up Saturday morning with a cup of coffee, load a ladder test of certain ammo and go shoot, then hop back home to regroup and hit it again. It takes months to dial these things in for me. Then you throw different seating depths, charges, primers, etc... it's a miracle I ever get a new load put together. So I've decided to pick the bullet I want and work it until I'm happy with it, or I toss it and start over. There's just not enough time in the day to test them all.

Lefty I'm surprised by the load you referenced for the 140 BT. I've been shooting the 154 gr Interbond with 63 gr of IMR 4831. It hovers right at 3000 fps. That load of yours seems undercharged, but it is a significantly lighter bullet.

[Lefty]

Lefty I'm surprised by the load you referenced for the 140 BT. I've been shooting the 154 gr Interbond with 63 gr of IMR 4831. It hovers right at 3000 fps. That load of yours seems undercharged, but it is a significantly lighter bullet.

A bit slower too but very tight groups. That use to be my thing

[7mmfan]

Nothing wrong with very tight

[7mmfan]

Quick update, when shooting yesterday with a buddy from another forum. Tried out ladder tests for my 7 mag with 145 Barnes LRX's, and my 7mm-08 with 110 Barnes TTSX's.

The 7 mag was a done deal on the 3rd set. Can't get much better than this. I did shoot some of the faster loads, but they opened back up. Load was 62.6 gr IMR 4831, set .05 off lands for a COAL of 3.380. Don't know velocity, we'll go back and figure that out.

Group.jpg (46.4 KiB) Viewed 4176 times

Never got a group better 2" out of the -08. Back to the drawing board for that one.

[Lefty]

That pic group looks good .

Years back I was lucky I lived 1 and 1/2 miles from where we shot. at that time I had a shooting bench out there before it became a real range https://www.perrycity.org/about-three-mile-creek-range.htm
I was consistent out side conditions temps in the upper 50,s when I shot I found one load for what ever reason was by far much tighter than the rest .1 gn made a .3" differences on a .67-75" group


Kind of disappointing what the 700 is doing for you.
While that group could be workable in thick brush and cover. I would try a few more loads/ bullets , if they didn't work I would take the loss on the bedding and make room in the gun cabinet


Just kind of an oddity . My wife and I were vacationing the past few weeks. Drove past Barnes in Utah and Berger a ways out of Phoenix . I wanted to stop at Avery https://www.azgfd.com/shooting/basf/
Berger is next door. Next yea Avery will be on my list.

[7mmfan]

I'm not done with it yet. The 7mm 08 will get a few more rounds put through it. I'm assuming there will be a load that works well in it, it's just frustrating that it's making me work so hard to find it.