7mm mag help please.

[cocky84]

I got a rem 700 cdl sf 7mm mag. Vx3 3.5-14-40 cds

Ive tried ALOT of different handload combos and factory ammo too
175 partitions
160 partitions
175 eldx
162 eldx
168 vld berger
162 sst
154 sst

With different loads of
Rl22
Retumbo
H1000
Any the list goes on. You get the idea

NOTHING GROUPED WORTH A DAMN!!!
Cleaned, tighted scope, cleaned again. Still sucks.

So i know a little about reloading but not a ton. I had just been seating the bullet to the max oal, which is 3.290" and since it wasn't craming the bullet into the lands, thought it was good. Well i measured the actual lenght tonight. Its 3.430"!!

So i loaded
5x 69.5 grn retumbo with 168 vld with win mag primers ( hadnt loaded any with mags and just want to try em)
5x 69.5 grn retumbo with 168 vld with large rifle primers

I made them oal 3.418" ( .012" off lands)

Could this of been my problem the whole time?? Is it a good idea to shoot them with bullet seated that far out? They still fit in the mag.

Gonna go to range tomorrow but wanted to see if that sounds normal. Seems like a long ways to me.

 

[GKPrice]

If you don't own a Nosler loading manual then get one - pay attention to: 1) the OAL of their test loads 2) which load is marked with an asterisk for each pqwder 3) load densities designated in % fill of case - I don't know what "nothing grouped worth a damn" means ? OR how many shots to a group ? Is the rifle brand new or new to you ? check the barrel to make sure there is rifling in it ( I've personally seen 3 come out of the box brand new with none) Action screws Recoil lug Is the barrel in contact with the stock anywhere ? This is just touching the surface .... I've gotten away with some great loads using 210M primers BUT as a "rule" you should be using magnum primers, along with Winchesters you should have cci 250's and Federal 215's in your stash H-4831 has always been a great powder for me in the 7mm RM

Also, David Tubb made a video some time back that should be on youtube (?) which tells of some of his "little tricks" when loading (such as spinning the case 3-4 times when seating the bullet just in case you seater die is not perfectly aligned, it works)

 

[cocky84]

I bought new 5 years ago . 3" groups at 100 yrds from a leadsled 3-5 shot groups. Cdl and bdl are not free floating barrels. I shot the gun a few times when i first got it and it shot sub 1" at 100 yrds. It was factory hsa but don't remember which one. Pretty sure it was 168 berger vld which is why ive been focusing more on those bullets.

Why would a nosler and a berger vld have the same max coal? (Which they are both 3.290") when the berger is a longer, skinnier bullet?

 

[16Bore]

I'd be looking at mechanicals first, bedding and a free floated barrel for starters. Make sure your front base screw isn't deadheading on the barrel shank and front action screw isn't hitting the lugs. No reason a $20 box of CorLokts shouldn't be MOA.

 

[N2TRKYS]

IMR4831 @ 63.0 grains(Max load)
Fed215 primers
W/ 160 grain Partitions
COAL = 3.290"

This gave touching hole type accuracy in my buddy's rifle.

 

[5MilesBack]

I was going to say that maybe you just got a bad barrel.....it happens. But since you have gotten MOA in the past, maybe not.

Try shooting the gun dirty.....don't clean it. I started working up loads for LR in my 7mag and wanted to start at a baseline so cleaned the heck out of it. It didn't like that at all. After putting several rounds down it since, it's now settling in again.

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

I'm a fan of free floated even if it doesn't come that way from the factory...


That said to touch on a few things, seating depth given in the manuals is just what they tested and is safe for that load (of that powder lot), the farther in or out you seat a bullet the more you decrease or increase the powder capacity of the case which in turn affects the pressure developed for the same amount of powder. If you want to stick with standard COAL then you are free to do so and you can do a powder charge ladder to find the best accuracy node at that combination. If you're fine working with other COAL then you can also do ladder test on the seating depths to identify what is working well there.

I've had some guns shoot well at 0.010" off the lands and others shoot well a good 0.12" off, as well as all kinds of stuff in between. If you're limited by magazine length then try and work out a powder charge that gets the most out of that in terms of accuracy.

Edit: Also what are you cleaning with? I personally like shooters choice patchout, its pretty surprising when you use that on a barrel someone says they've cleaned and then proceed to remove a lot of baked on carbon and copper. I have a rem 700 and it collects a lot of gunk (must be a rough bore) over time and takes longer than some of my other guns to clean out. That said ones its clean I don't freak about giving it a heavy cleaning again until I've shot 30-50rds through it. I just like to get it to a baseline off the bat.

 

[Muttly]

Take a look at the muzzle crown. If that gets jimmied, your going to be throwing shots as described. If there's nothing loose, or touching in the action/ stock interface, might consider a cut and 're-crown.
And probably a goofy question, any chance you're letting the gun sit too far forward in the rest?
A thin barrel with a little pressure on it will start throwing shots pretty quick, a thicker barrel isn't immune..

 

[elkduds]

...and even tight scopes fail.

 

[cocky84]

Ok so i did not realize how big of difference moving the bullet closer to the lands makes. Tried few different loads today that were .012 off lands and all shot under 1" 3-shot groups at 100. One group wAs 1/2". It was consistent too. I started with 68grns of retumbo and ended at 71 grns. The hotter the load the tighter the groups.

As a somewhat new reloader i was afraid to load anything that wasn't exactly what the manual says. Amazing that moving a bullet .150 out can take a 3-4" group to a 1/2" group.

 

[LaHunter]

My load in MY 7mm rem mag is 66.5 grains of IMR 7828 & 160 grain Nosler Accubonds. This is a sub .5 moa load from MY rifle out beyond 600 yards. I am getting 3100 fps mv. With that said, you need to establish the CBTO length for YOUR rifle. The Nosler Manual has a good procedure for determining this. Also, Hornady sells a tool for this purpose as well. You are 'shooting in the dark' without this measurement, when it comes to trying to optimize seating depth.
There are lots of steps and procedures that impact accuracy. Brass prep is at least as important as seating depth. The Sierra website has some useful info on the various reloading steps that you can check out and decide which ones work for your purpose. I would recommend getting 2-3 manuals such as Nosler, Sierra, Hornady, etc, etc. Study their load info and compare powders used in their data.

If I was in your situation, I would buy a box of factory Federal Premium ammo with 150 grain Nosler Ballistic Tips. These have shot well in the 3 different 7mm rem mags that I have owned (all M700 action, 1 MOA or better) and several others owned by friends. If your rifle will not shoot these, odds are that you have an issue with your rifle and you may need to focus on that first.

Hope this helps

 

[16Bore]

Start at the lands, work pressure up, then shorten COAL, if need be. Don't start in the middle and work sideways.

 

[N2TRKYS]

My load in MY 7mm rem mag is 66.5 grains of IMR 7828 & 160 grain Nosler Accubonds. This is a sub .5 moa load from MY rifle out beyond 600 yards. I am getting 3100 fps mv. With that said, you need to establish the CBTO length for YOUR rifle. The Nosler Manual has a good procedure for determining this. Also, Hornady sells a tool for this purpose as well. You are 'shooting in the dark' without this measurement, when it comes to trying to optimize seating depth.
There are lots of steps and procedures that impact accuracy. Brass prep is at least as important as seating depth. The Sierra website has some useful info on the various reloading steps that you can check out and decide which ones work for your purpose. I would recommend getting 2-3 manuals such as Nosler, Sierra, Hornady, etc, etc. Study their load info and compare powders used in their data.

If I was in your situation, I would buy a box of factory Federal Premium ammo with 150 grain Nosler Ballistic Tips. These have shot well in the 3 different 7mm rem mags that I have owned (all M700 action, 1 MOA or better) and several others owned by friends. If your rifle will not shoot these, odds are that you have an issue with your rifle and you may need to focus on that first.

Hope this helps

Dang, that's 2.5 grains above Nosler's listed max.

 

[16Bore]

The only number to trust from Nosler is the phone number. BC's, velocity, and even COAL on occasion. 150 NPT's at book were jammed hard into the lands in my 270 WSM.

 

[N2TRKYS]

They've been pretty close for me in several calibers.

 

[16Bore]

150 ABLR is about .540 compared to their claims of .625

 

[N2TRKYS]

I don't shoot past 500 yds, so the BC doesn't mean anything to me. If I were shooting long range competitions, it would still be a moot point cause I wouldn't use Nosler data or bullets for that anyway. As far as my hunting situations, Nosler's data is perfectly fine for me.

 

[Shrek]

Start at the lands, work pressure up, then shorten COAL, if need be. Don't start in the middle and work sideways.

This is my method also.

 

[16Bore]

A 120 TTSX is going to drift a foot further than a 162 Amax (or ELDX) at 500 yards. That's something to consider fo sho.