Belted magnum reloading

[geezerbiker]

My favorite gun shop has a use 7mm mag rifle on the shelf for a reasonable price and I'm thinking about getting it.  However I've never loaded for a belted magnum and I'm not sure I want to. 

How much different is it loading for a belted magnum.  Do you find that you get less reloads on belted mag case than say something like a .308 or .306?

I'm not sure if I'm going to get it or if I should wait and get one of the WSM or RUM mags.  I don't need more power than the 7mm mag for elk hunting but I also prefer to shoot my hand loads to factory loads hands down...

Tony

[Larry L]

As you're probably aware, any belted case headspaces on the belt. In a word-don't. Don't use the belt for the headspacing. Instead, when adjusting the sizer die on fireformed brass, adjust the die so that it resizes the brass enough at the shoulder area so that it chambers reliably. Basically, use the shoulder for the headspace, not the belt. Load it just like any other high pressure round.
FWIW, I'm not a fan of the 7 Rem Mag. It doesn't do anything remarkable over any other cartridge other than burn more powder. If you want a fast shooting 7mm cartridge, look at the 7 Sharpe and Hart round. Obviously not a standard chambering anymore but the best of the 7mm cartridges for speed and flat shooting. Otherwise, the 7x 57 is a bad boy but it doesn't wear the magical "Magnum" name plate. Rarely will you see a 7 Rem Mag in the winners circle of any target shoots and that should just about say it all for the cartridge.

[FPH]

I'm not overly fond of the 7mm mag. myself.  However ,I know a guy who has had great success with his 7mm Weatherby.

[Savage_99]

The 7mm Rem. Mag. is the most popular magnum cartridge and a good one.

While Larry L is correct with his advice on how to size a belted round that could headspace on it's shoulder after the first firing the suggestion to consider the 7mm S&H is not.

The old 7mm S&H was promoted 50 years ago by Phil Sharpe and it never caught on.

Buy the 7mm Rem. Mag.

To add, not to be outdone by Larry my 7mm magnum is the 7mm WSM.  It headspaces on the shoulder for the first shot! 

Of course nobody carries the ammo.  It never caught on either!   

[Lloyd Smale]

for years i wasnt a big fan of the 7mag either. On paper its not a whole lot more then an 06. I started shooting crop damage deer with it about 5 years ago and found out paper isnt allways right. the 7mag does kill with more athourity then an 06 at about any range. Its a fine caliber if your game is going to be out past 300 yards. As a matter of fact theres not many rounds that do it any better. Loaded with a 150 bt it hammers deer, shoots flat and has little recoil.

[FPH]

I haven't given the 7mm a "fair" chance.  It is between the 06 and the 300 mag. in ballistics.  I just "know" two guys that use the 7 and they think that since they shoot a "mag." that they can lob away at anything.  They have done well on Muleys, but are atrocious with Elk.  They aren't what I would call "ethical" hunters.  I'm sure in the hands of someone like Lloyd (who recognizes it's limitations) the 7 is a good caliber.
 

[geezerbiker]

Thanx guys.  I think if it's still there when I have the $250 running up hill, I'll get it.  On the other hand, I won't feel bad if it's not there.

I've often thought I'd like something a step up from my '06 in power for elk but up to now, I haven't gotten too serious about it. 

I can't take the time away to hunt mule deer in Eastern Oregon or I would have something with a bit more range already.  Many years ago I helping a friend in Baker, OR cut and load some firewood up in the mountains around there.  As I recall it was just before deer season and we were seeing deer all over at 400 to 500 yards away.

Tony

[BBF]

Just skip the 7mm and go up to the 300 Mag, The short version or the belted one makes no difference. They are a good step above the 30-06. Depending on what bullets you have for the 06 you can use them on the 30 Magnums as well.

[geezerbiker]

The rifle I'm looking at is a real good deal.  If it's gone when I get there, I'll keep my eye out for the next real good deal on a magnum rifle.  Not needing one too badly gives me the time to wait for a good deal and did I mention that I'm cheap...

Tony

[calvon]

I'll be 90 on my next birthday and I'm done buying rifles. My armory now is short, a 35 Whelen, a 22-250 Remington, a Sako 222 Remington, a 22 rimfire, a 22 rimfire pistol, and a 40 S&W Sig, the latter for which to deal with the bad guys.


I live in the desert/mountain part of Oregon. The game we have here includes, Pronghorn antelope, mule deer, desert bighorn sheep (if you're lucky enough to get a tag), and Rocky Mountain elk. If I were a young man with the knowledge (and opinions) I have now I'd have four rifles, the Whelen, a 25-06, a 223 Remington, and a 22 rimfire. I'd use the Whelen in the timber for deer and elk and the 25-06 in the desert for deer and antelope. I'd use the 223 for rabbits and ground squirrels and I'd use the 22 rimfire to teach my grandsons and great grandsons to shoot.


Differences of opinion are what horse races are all about, and similar differences exist in the gun world. I just gave you mine and you are as welcome as sunshine to yours.

[Lloyd Smale]

yup you can skip the 7s and go to the 30s or skip the 30 and go for the 338 or just go to a 375. Problem is for many that theres a limit to how much power you need and how much recoil you personaly want or can handle. the 7mag has recoil closer to the o6 then the 300 mags and a trajectory closer to the 300 mag then the o6. Its a great compromise for someone who really needs a long range rifle and doesnt want to get beat up shooting one.

Just skip the 7mm and go up to the 300 Mag, The short version or the belted one makes no difference. They are a good step above the 30-06. Depending on what bullets you have for the 06 you can use them on the 30 Magnums as well.

[41 mag]

I only have experience with two 7 RM's, one in a Sendero and the other in a lightweight Weatherby. THe latter was about as unpleasant as it gets when shooting from the bench.

With the Sendero I used the Hornady 162gr SPBT when I worked up the loads. It was initially intended to be used on feral hogs at longer ranges but somehow we got distracted form that. The rifle however would hold those bullets to aorund an inch or so at 300yds and would literally knock deer or hogs off their feet out to much further than that. I took one of my best deer using that load in one of the shortest deer seasons I have ever had. I was set up at a friends place with him behind me with a video camera. We were actually hoping to get some hogs, but instead a buck we had seen the previous year came out and well that was that. My season lasted a whole 15 minutes due to the one buck rule in that county.

The other rifle was a friends who was looking for something a bit cheaper to shoot, and had hoped that I might be able to work up a load, and then simply load him up with what ever brass he had saved. After one weekend of shooting that rifle, my shoulder looked like I had been hit head on and the seat belt stopped me. It was simply one solid bruise. The rifle only weighed in at 7# and anything above a start load in it was simply punishing.

As for the cases holding up as mentioned above, simply set up your sizing die so that you can just feel the slightest resistance when closing the bolt with one finger, and then add 1/8 turn. You should be good for up to a dozen or more loads within any load manuals top end data. I purchased a hundred new cases when I began the work up on the Sendero, along with 60 case my friend gave me that had who knows how many loads on them. To date some 15+ years later I still have over half of the new cases I orginally purchased, and the ones my friend gave me have slowly been run through, mainly with neck splits, and a few with enlarged primers.

I had all intentions of starting off fresh this year working up a new load for it using some 139gr bullets, and then bumping the 162' up to my 7mm STW. However with the events that have transpired, I don't see that happening anytime soon, as I had purchsed the particular powder I wanted to use and it ain't there now.

[Siskiyou]

I have found the 7MM Remington Magnum an easy cases to load.  I have loaded different bullet weights from 145-grain to 175-grain.  The rifle likes them.  I have loaded with H4831, AA8700, and H870.  They all produce accurate top velocity loads. 

The 7 Magnum case takes far more powder then the 270 or 30-06.  But the cost per load when it comes to powder has been lower for me because I purchase the slow burning surplus powders.  Most of the powder has gone off the shelves by now but when I was looking and buying a couple weeks ago I found some slow burning powder on the shelf like RL25, H1000, Retumbo, and Ram Magnum.  I like the slow burners that use 95 to 100% of case capacity.  I believe the more capacity used with the correct powder enhances accuracy.
 
I went to my favorite shop looking for a 300WM for elk hunting.  He did not have one but offered me a very good deal on a 7 Remington Magnum.  With some regrets I bought it, but 40  years later I think the 7 Remington Magnum was the best deal for me.

A while back a relative passed a 300WM to an adult grandchild for elk hunting.  He had other choice, a 7 RM, a 7 Weatherby Magnum, and a 308 Norma Magnum. 
He told me the real decision was between the 300WM and the 308 Norma Magnum.  He said he decided to keep the 308 NM because of the lighter recoil and he still had a performance upgrade from the 30-06.
 
 

[Wyo. Coyote Hunter]

  Lloyd is right on about the 7mm Rem..I have been shooting it since the late 60's..Not the same rifle, but the caliber..Loads were far hotter in those days than now..I believe it is because some rifles from other countries were not chambered the same as ours..I had a Sako, that would pop the primers with minimum loads..Now I stick with American rifles ..My current 7 is a rebarreled job on a 700 action..It has killed piles of game for both my self and my wife..It was her favorite deer , antelope, elk and moose rifle the last years of her life..We mostly loaded 140 BTBT and with RE22 it was no trick to get 3400fps.  It is a great caliber..It will not make up for bum shooting, but  there are just as many or more bum shots with the 06 as anything..I particularly remember three kills with the 7..One was a big bodied 3 x 3 mulie he was about 350 yards away, and felt he was pretty safe..When the 140 smacked he fell in his tracks and rolled down the mt..the other two were my wife's...She dropped a huge cow moose with one shot 1/3 of the way up behind the shoulder ..The cow took one step and fell..!!! The third was her last antelope..I suppose it was 300 plus yards..I told her to hold at the top of the shoulders, she did and dropped it in its tracks..She was not an avid shooter, but loved to hunt..The 7 made an excellent rifle, light recoil, flat shooting, and a great killer. That said, I do prefer the .300's for much of my shooting..They hit harder, but kick more also..
As for the 7 x 61 Sharp and Hart, it doesn't quite match the vel. of the Remington..cases are also tough to find..Acouple friends of mind have or had 7x61's..The 7 does use a bit more powder than an 06..With 150's in my 06 I use 59 grains of powder for 2900 fps.  In the 7mm mag. I use 69 grains of powder for 3400 fps..to me the expense is worth it..