7mm TCU barrel ???'s..........

[Del]

Just curious, what's the deal with 7mm TCU barrels?? :?

Seems that there are a lot of them for sale or trade frequently.  
Is this a troublesome wildcat to reload?  
Is it over kill for varmints, yet under powered for deer size critters?  
Is it hard to find a 7mm bullet that will perform at TCU velocities?

Any input you could share from your experiences - good, bad, or neutral - would be appreciated!

Thank you, Del

[jhalcott]

I think it is a great round! I have them in 10,14 and 21 inch versions. They will kill wood chuck to way past 200 yds. I have put a Nosler slug thru a deer's head at just over 100 yds. So they are accurate,and reasonably powerfull. A breeze to reload and mild recoil.
    The problem is T/C owners want a NEW toy to play with  often. They swap out what is no longer a mystery .It is as simple as that!!! :grin:   jh

[quicksdraw45]

In my opinion , Thre are better choices than the 7 tcu for deer , same for varmits  . The 7 TCU really shines in the Silhoutte game or for just plain fun target shooting .
I have been guility of buying a barrel and shooting the hell out of for 6 mos and then growing tired of it , I then sell it and try something new and that could be what happens with the 7 TCU barrel I have now.

[Bug]

The cartridge became incredibly popular in the silhouette game, due to it's ability to take down the rams, coupled with mild recoil, and excellent accuracy. There is no way of knowing how many have been made, but it's for sure in the top 10, probably in the top five. The .22 lr, and the ubiquitous .30-30 are likely more common, and maybe the .357 & .44 mags. There's no way to tell. But, the main reason you will see a large number of them for sale, is simply because there ARE SO MANY of them out there. FWIW, I have one in 10", and love it. I use the Nosler 120 gr ballistic tip, and just go hunt. Except, of course, when I'm using cast bullets. I wouldn't hesitate to use it on anything here in Texas. That includes 400# hogs. It ain't an elk cartridge, though. Were I to hunt 'specially fo varmints, I'd go to a lighter, hollowpoint bullet for more speed & frangibility. JMHO,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Bug

[Double D]

I have an XP-100 in 7TCU that I used to take a Fallow deer.  I used a Sierra bullet.  One of the 7mm pistol bullets.    Stalked the deer and shot it from about 30 yards.  Heart shoot.  Deer ran about 10 yards and stopped and fell over.  The wound looked like someone drilled a 7mm hole right through  the animal.  No blood shot meat.  Neat little hole  through the heart.   Never used that gun on large game again. Blamed it for obviously hit coyotes getting away.

Absoulutely awesome on prairie dogs. Suck them out of their holes and toss them into the air.

Used the 7TCU in my TC for IHMSA silhouettes...liked the 30 Herret better.  Now there was a deer killer.  Never range a ram with that one.


DD