Modern, short action 7mm

[6.5284 Guy]

In this day and age of "new" cartridges being introduced all the time, I am surprised that we haven't seen a modern, short action, magnum bolt face 7mm. I'm thinking about something that has an COAL of 2.995" and is optimized for 150 - 170 grain bullets. The 6.8 Western is obviously pretty close, but hasn't caught on and has limited factory support.
Anyone have a guess why this is? The 7mm SAUM has a cult following but no factory support. The .284 Win was pretty versatile but ahead of it's time. 7 mm-08 is pretty awesome but lacks horsepower for heavier bullets. People love the balance of the .280 AI; I suspect it's ballistics could be reproduced in a short fat case.
Obviously there are several great 7s out there, but seems like there is still a hole to be filled. Curious what you have to say, thanks.

 

[Jstumbaugh]

7mm Sherman Short sounds like what you are looking for. I’m in the process of building one now. Not a factory round but headstamp brass is available.

 

[6.5284 Guy]

Yep that's a great round too. But it's not one the the average shooter can take advantage of since it requires handloading. I am wondering why Hornady / Federal / Winchester hasn't felt the need to provide something off the shelf.

 

[fishdart]

Yep that's a great round too. But it's not one the the average shooter can take advantage of since it requires handloading. I am wondering why Hornady / Federal / Winchester hasn't felt the need to provide something off the shelf.

It'll be Federal. Peak alloy case. Standard bolt face. It'll be called the 7mm Front Range.

 

[6.5284 Guy]

It'll be Federal. Peak alloy case. Standard bolt face. It'll be called the 7mm Front Range.

That's an incredibly specific answer haha. Just a wild guess or do you have an inside scoop?

 

[fuzzymarindave]

In this day and age of "new" cartridges being introduced all the time, I am surprised that we haven't seen a modern, short action, magnum bolt face 7mm. I'm thinking about something that has an COAL of 2.995" and is optimized for 150 - 170 grain bullets. The 6.8 Western is obviously pretty close, but hasn't caught on and has limited factory support.
Anyone have a guess why this is? The 7mm SAUM has a cult following but no factory support. The .284 Win was pretty versatile but ahead of it's time. 7 mm-08 is pretty awesome but lacks horsepower for heavier bullets. People love the balance of the .280 AI; I suspect it's ballistics could be reproduced in a short fat case.
Obviously there are several great 7s out there, but seems like there is still a hole to be filled. Curious what you have to say, thanks.

The 6.8 Western is more than "pretty close" to what you are asking about for a factory cartridge. If you want custom you could do a 7mm Western.

 

[Southernfried]

I never understood or know why the 7wsm did not do better, the 300wsm and 270 wsm are still chugging along

 

[nphunter]

I’ve never really seen the draw to short action magnums. To me I want a short action for a light rifle and if it’s light I want manageable recoil. I have a cut down Kimber hunter in 280AI that is 7lbs scoped with a HST. I’m actually going load 120gr bullets to make a laser gun for deer and predators inside of 500. With a 16” barrel I should still be north of 3Kfps, it will eventually wear a small can too. I could go lighter and shoot a 168gr bullet like my LR 280AI but for what I want a light rifle for there is no real advantage.

 

[KY_coop]

I've read of some people necking up 6.5 prc to 7mm. Could be a good setup, though I know nothing about it. I like my 284 win and get pretty good performance out of it in my opinion.

 

[ianpadron]

Winchester should get their heads screwed on straight and re-release the 7WSM...best of the WSMs, just ahead of its time.

I like your username, I've got my first 6.5x284 in the works at this very moment

 

[rootacres]

I think companies need the new shiny thing to sell. We saw modern 30 cal mags, modern 6.5 short action mags, a 6.8 short action mag among others. Putting lipstick on something and calling it a new cartridge is tough proposition from a marketing and sales standpoint. If Hornady for example came out with a 7 PRC that had a max coal around 2.950", that would be tricky. It would basically be a rebranded 7 SAUM that would inherently be slightly slower than what the 7 PRC ended up being. A lot of guys nerd out on ballistics and rush to the store to pick up a new rifle that, on paper, outruns or has a feature set that compromises in a different direction than what their current setup has. At the end of the day these company's create new items to drive sales and volume is what keeps the lights on. A short action 7 mag would get beat up as the 7 SAUM has pretty much maxed out the performance of a 2.955" magbox.

If a marketing machine like Hornady released the 7 SAUM 20+ years ago instead of Remington, who managed to cripple one of the most iconic firearm brands in history, the 7 SAUM following wouldn't be a cult made up of reloaders and custom gun builders.

The 7 SAUM has ADG support, great bullet options and runs well with H4350, H4831 and H1000. Not sure there is much left to improve on, maybe ackley improve it if the pressure allows.

 

[NWBLKTAIL]

I've got my first 6.5x284 in the works at this very moment

This one has crossed my mind a time or two, but brass always seemed hard to come by when I was looking

 

[fishdart]

That's an incredibly specific answer haha. Just a wild guess or do you have an inside scoop?

Just tongue in cheek. Being shorter, it'll have less range than the 7mm backcountry.

However, I would suggest it would be their next logical move to do a short action cartridge next in that lineup

 

[IrkedCitizen]

7PRCW is 6.5prc necked up to 7mm and has headstamped brass available from ADG.

 

[hunting1]

7PRCW is 6.5prc necked up to 7mm and has headstamped brass available from ADG.

I would love to see this one go commercial and would buy! It is a preference but I love SA calibers.

 

[juju]

The number of cartridges that are almost the same thing jumped the shark a long time ago. I don't see factory ammo as significant because the manufacturers have plainly demonstrated they'll stop producing one to get you to buy the next. 6.8 Western production, for example, necessarily limited 270 WSM availability.

Minutiae aside, offering same ol cartridge with different loads and twist rates makes more sense. Too bad average shooters don't seem to understand anything that doesn't have a ridiculous advertising campaign behind it and an excuse to buy a new rifle.

I find that different action lengths handle enough differently to prefer one over another depending on use.

 

[The Harbor Master]

What kind of barrel life are you thinking you'll see with the Sherman short?

7mm Sherman Short sounds like what you are looking for. I’m in the process of building one now. Not a factory round but headstamp brass is available.

 

[6.5284 Guy]

Winchester should get their heads screwed on straight and re-release the 7WSM...best of the WSMs, just ahead of its time.

I like your username, I've got my first 6.5x284 in the works at this very moment

Agree on both points. The 7wsm seems like a great round that should be more popular.

The 6.5 x 284 is an all time cool cartridge. The history, the rebated rim, 35 degree shoulder, etc just make it so unique. And makes me wish the 284 win was supported in a modern package.