Range Day With The Rem Mag Brothers

[Joec7651]

SO……I had a great day at the range with my two 7mm RM’s testing loads using 139gr SST and the 175gr ELD-X. Both of the following 3 shot groups were before setting zero.


First, my TC Compass II with 1:9 twist, in a Boyds Heritage walnut stock. Nothing done to it but adding the stock. This one was shooting the IMR 4831 load I was talking about working on earlier. It really loved this load, no pressure signs, and now I have a new deer load for the mountains in West Virginia. Not a screaming load but accurate. The load details are as follows.

139gr SST, HBN coated and lightly crimped with Lee FCD
COAL 3.250”
66 grains IMR 4831
WLRM primer
Avg Vel 3032 fps
ES 14
SD 7

3 shot group 100 yards.


The next was the 175gr ELD-X in a Remington 783. I’m going to use this load for any and everything both near and far.

I installed a 416 stainless 26” X-caliber heavy sporter barrel, rifled with 5R 1:8 twist. Tight chamber with a short throat. I bedded the action, hydro-dipped the stock in Strata camo, and I put a Duracoat burnt bronze finish on barrel and action. It has Burris Fullfield II 4.5x14x42 optics. All work and finishing done myself. It’s a nice weight for a hunting rifle.

Load details:
175gr ELD-X, HBN coated, no crimp
COAL 3.330”, .015” off lands
67.5 grains RL-25
WLRM primer
Avg Vel 3003 fps
ES 50
SD 26
No pressure signs

3 shot group 100 yards

It was a great day and I am EXTREMELY happy with the results. If anyone has any suggestions I’m open to them and am all ears.

 

[Guy Miner]

Wow! Two very good loads! I'm particularly impressed with your results from the 175 - that should prove to be a superb long-range load. The combo of bullet weight, high BC and 3,000+ fps muzzle velocity indicates good things will happen hundreds of yards downrange.

You're right about the 139 gr load as well. Should be very good for deer hunting!

Guy

 

[DrMike]

Your work reveals two excellent loads that will work for about anything in NA. Either will work well for you, but as Guy has already stated, the 175 grain load will get the job done whatever the game night be.

 

[jimbires]

looks good , very nice

 

[JD338]

Nice work Joe. Both loads look great. You are ready to hunt.

JD338

 

[NYDAN]

Congratulations on some great results. Those will hunt very nicely for you. Dan

 

[Rednek rampager]

Looks like you nailed it. Now all that’s left is to load up a bunch more of both loads & commence to filling up the freezer.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[FOTIS]

Very nicely done

 

[Joec7651]

Thanks, they seem like solid loads. A range day was sorely overdue. It was nice to get some trigger time.

 

[TackDriver284]

That is some nice shooting and the 175 ELD-X at that speed will put some hurting.

 

[wvbuckbuster]

Your time and effort paid off. That will get the attention of our WV whitetails or whatever you hunt. IMR4831 did well in the 7mmRM that I had. Good hunting, Dan.

 

[Joec7651]

Your time and effort paid off. That will get the attention of our WV whitetails or whatever you hunt. IMR4831 did well in the 7mmRM that I had. Good hunting, Dan.

It’s home Dan. I love the fishing at Summersville, and come back each fall to hunt. I’m from a little place called Naoma, between Beckley and Whitesville on SR 3 in Raleigh County. I grew up on Coal River.

 

[Joec7651]

I do like my 7mm’s. There are a good number of loads both shoot well in both. It’s a nice problem to have.

 

[wvbuckbuster]

Your time and effort paid off. That will get the attention of our WV whitetails or whatever you hunt. IMR4831 did well in the 7mmRM that I had. Good hunting, Dan.

It’s home Dan. I love the fishing at Summersville, and come back each fall to hunt. I’m from a little place called Naoma, between Beckley and Whitesville on SR 3 in Raleigh County. I grew up on Coal River.

Well we're not far apart. I live in Summers County, Hinton on the New River. Been here all my life. Dan.

 

[Joec7651]

We used to go to Bluestone Lake when I was a kid for the Channel Cats. Stopping at the Dairy Queen down past the dam was a favorite thing to do. We deer hunted a lot in Pendleton and Greenbrier Counties. Some in Randolph and Gilmer too.

 

[Joec7651]

Your time and effort paid off. That will get the attention of our WV whitetails or whatever you hunt. IMR4831 did well in the 7mmRM that I had. Good hunting, Dan.

It’s home Dan. I love the fishing at Summersville, and come back each fall to hunt. I’m from a little place called Naoma, between Beckley and Whitesville on SR 3 in Raleigh County. I grew up on Coal River.

Well we're not far apart. I live in Summers County, Hinton on the New River. Been here all my life. Dan.

This right here is one of the reasons I enjoy this group so much.

 

[Joec7651]

I did try a third load but didn’t chrono it. From past experience it’s been pretty accurate and runs about 3k in any 7RM I’ve shot it in. 65 grains RL23, 160gr Partition at .020” off the lands. It was a little less than an inch shot from the TC. I didn’t try it from the Remington. Surprisingly neither did very well with the 160gr Hot-Cor load I tried. Have to work on that one a bit. It’s usually a pretty good shooter.

 

[Joec7651]

Also, the X-Caliber barrel just hit the 100 round mark, I don’t cook my barrels so hopefully it will be a shooter for a good while.

I am pretty surprised that I wasn’t getting any pressure indicators from the 175gr load. I was hoping to top out around 2925-2950 fps. I’m very happy with the accuracy and 3003 fps average velocity at 85 degrees no less. It’s not even a lightly compressed load but does almost fully fill usable case capacity, and that long bullet protrudes into the case quite a bit because of the short throat.

There was no heavy bolt lift, cratered primers, flowing of primers, or sticky extraction. I have no scientific proof but I 100% feel coating with HBN lowers pressures and made the load possible. I’m not running on the ragged edge. 3000 fps from a 7mm RM with 175gr bullets is moving along pretty good. I worked up to it slowly .2 grains at a time, and would back down if I even suspected an over pressure situation. I stopped at 68.2 when primers flattened.

HBN coating the bullets along with Tubbdust added to the powder COMPLETELY eliminated copper over the full length of both barrels. Validated with borescope. One is a handlapped barrel and the other is a factory barrel that now looks like it was hand lapped. Both have a mirror finish at the throat. I can post pictures if you guys want but it’s just of a barrel that looks freshly cleaned after over 50 rounds. A dry bore snake and they look like they were cleaned with Sweets 7.62. I’m amazed to be honest. I cleaned them as I always do with Sweets, and run an alcohol soaked patch with HBN on it down the bore a few times when I’m done. Fouling shots don’t seem to be needed with it either. The rifles look better than my shoulder after 120 rounds of full house 7RM.

 

[SJB358]

That’s some great shooting Joe! That 175 is just a freight train.

 

[Joec7651]

Shot a load I wasn’t expecting much from today. OMG WOW!

Worked up to 72gr RL25 with 140gr E-Tips yesterday. Average accuracy with really high ES, which told me pressure wasn’t to a level that gives consistent powder burn. Scrapped that one.

Now the WOW load. Shooting the TC Compass II today, tried 66gr RL23 with the same E-Tips. Honest to God “bug hole”! Maybe a 3/8”, one hole, 3 shot group. Didn’t take my chrono or get pictures because I went at it with a “ho hum” attitude and wasn’t expecting much from it. Oh was I wrong. I have to try this recipe again and make sure it wasn’t a fluke. Im thinking maybe 3100ish for velocity but I’m not sure. I threw it together “just to see”, because 65 grains RL23 shoots well w/160gr Partitions from this rifle.

I think I have a problem and can’t stop. Can’t leave “good enough” alone. Lol.