Should I get a 7mm backcountry?

[grfox92]

A guy at work was talking about his today and said each box of ammo he has opened he has had to rezero the rifle but isn’t getting different speeds on his chronograph. Says the poi has been up to 6” different from box to box. Something seems very weird to me but I didn’t dig.

Are they all from the same lot?

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[Blackbird]

All I know is that he bought them all at the same time I assumed they were.

 

[Presswood_936]

Do you want a 16” rifle that can shoot 2900-3050 fps ?
I bought the cheapest savage rifle I could find chambered in 7bc , threw a Hyperion K on it and the only issues I’ve had have been with the 155 grain ammo . Every few rounds the bolt lift is heavy .
Every factory load has been sub moa , it doesn’t kick any more than a 7prc , and isn’t that much louder with the exact same silencer . I shot the BC and then my buddies 22” prc side by side . We got nearly identical speeds , recoil was nearly identical . Other than the reloading I don’t see any real downsides

 

[keystone112]

7mm BC is a hard pass for me.

If I wanted a 7mm (and yes I am a reloader) I’d go for a 280 AI.

 

[reynolds243]

Do you want a 16” rifle that can shoot 2900-3050 fps ?
I bought the cheapest savage rifle I could find chambered in 7bc , threw a Hyperion K on it and the only issues I’ve had have been with the 155 grain ammo . Every few rounds the bolt lift is heavy .
Every factory load has been sub moa , it doesn’t kick any more than a 7prc , and isn’t that much louder with the exact same silencer . I shot the BC and then my buddies 22” prc side by side . We got nearly identical speeds , recoil was nearly identical . Other than the reloading I don’t see any real downsides

Good to hear someone with actual real world experience vs a lot of opinions on what they THINK it will be that I see a lot with this round (and some in this thread)

I’m not a BC fanboy but love the idea of a 16” barrel suppressed going 2900fps so I have one sitting in my living room waiting on a scope to try out.

 

[UnckleBob]

Since you reload and are eyeing a 7mm, seems like the 7PRC, 7SAUM, 280AI, or 284WIN in a 20” is the best route.

I have a 20” 7PRC and if I had it to do again, I’d go 7SAUM for the reduced recoil and same basic effective range given my own shooting limitations.

If I had a full reloading setup and plenty of time to develop loads, I might opt for a hot 7mm08 or the 284WIN.

I’m with most others that 7BC isnt the right answer for now. Remember Etronx from Remington?


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In 280AI, I have had or have a 20, 22, and 24 barrel. The 20" barrel 280AI could not come close to the promised 20" 7 BC velocities.

I have settled on the 22" barrel as a fair compromise but I still gave up over 100 fps out of two factory loads vs a 24" box velocities. For some reason, I got 2,600fps from a certain box of factory ammo. (i did not include their name because they took it back for testing to see if they could replicate the issue).

For people who want that velocity (whether they need it or not is their decision) out of a short barrel with a 7mm bullet, the 7 BC is the only option.

 

[wind gypsy]

Freel saying 7 of the 8 he’s been exposed to had heavy bolt lift amongst a smattering of other reports of the same is enough of a sign to me to stay away. Until there’s been more positive outcomes from a lot of folks. I like the idea of it though. Enough that I picked up some sig hybrid brass formed to 6.5 creed to maybe give that a go at higher pressures.

 

[coyotekilla]

Personally I think it's gonna be a short lived fad for the reasons above, plus a 3 digit barrel life.

Give me a 7-08 or even 7x57 if I must shoot a 7mm

 

[reynolds243]

Personally I think it's gonna be a short lived fad for the reasons above, plus a 3 digit barrel life.

Give me a 7-08 or even 7x57 if I must shoot a 7mm

Haha where in the world are you getting a 3 digit barrel life??

 

[coyotekilla]

Haha where in the world are you getting a 3 digit barrel life??

If a 22-250 & 243 burn barrels at 1500 rounds. Now you wanna jump to 80k psi your gonna accelerate wear, you have to. Hot 22-250's will burn a barrel closer to 1,000 rnds

 

[reynolds243]

If a 22-250 & 243 burn barrels at 1500 rounds. Now you wanna jump to 80k psi your gonna accelerate wear, you have to. Hot 22-250's will burn a barrel closer to 1,000 rnds

pressure is not a major factor on barrel life and was discussed and explained by a multiple people like federal, seekens etc.

Per most manufacturers it would be in line with 280AI or even 270 barrel lifes. This is not my opinion this is what they are claiming (and I dont mean just federal, even Savage has said as much)

 

[coyotekilla]

While they make claim pressure doesn't affect wear, every other application of pressure increases wear. Drag a piece of sandpaper across a board, then set a brick on the board and repeat. Barrel wear is a function of heat, total powder burnt, and case capacity vs bore diameter. 85k psi must erode a barrel faster than 52k. Now realistically most 7bc shooters will never shoot more than 700 rnds anyhow

 

[Air Bear]

Do you want a 16” rifle that can shoot 2900-3050 fps ?
I bought the cheapest savage rifle I could find chambered in 7bc , threw a Hyperion K on it and the only issues I’ve had have been with the 155 grain ammo . Every few rounds the bolt lift is heavy .
Every factory load has been sub moa , it doesn’t kick any more than a 7prc , and isn’t that much louder with the exact same silencer . I shot the BC and then my buddies 22” prc side by side . We got nearly identical speeds , recoil was nearly identical . Other than the reloading I don’t see any real downsides

Thanks for sharing some real world insight. I am looking at a 7 bc similar to op, except i do not reload. Not a lot of info out there yet from 7 bc owners.

 

[UnckleBob]

If a 22-250 & 243 burn barrels at 1500 rounds. Now you wanna jump to 80k psi your gonna accelerate wear, you have to. Hot 22-250's will burn a barrel closer to 1,000 rnds

So you basically made up a guess based upon no actual evidence. You said barrel life would be less than 1K rounds

Essentially you have a theory, but it is a completely untested theory. An untested theory is worthless.

 

[Fireflyfishing]

Id pass on the 7BC I think it's short lived and won't gain traction.

Not sure what "juice" you need?

This

Flash in the pan.

 

[coyotekilla]

So you basically made up a guess based upon no actual evidence. You said barrel life would be less than 1K rounds

Essentially you have a theory, but it is a completely untested theory. An untested theory is worthless.

You sound like a shooter with buyers remorse...

As for evidence Ive burnt the barrel outta my favorite 243, coyote hunting buddy burnt the barrel outa his 22-250 with about 1k rounds of 4k fps handloads.

As for theory, every time you use a balistics app, or ballistics calculator in your scope your trusting a theory, someone else's theory at that.

As for 7bc, never said it wouldn't kill, it's probably a great round for what it's was designed for. It's just that it's not designed for me.

It's designed for people who are into fad cartridges, trust gun writers more than experience, and have extra money.

The avg buyer of a 7bc will not shoot 250 rounds thru the rifle while they own it, barrel wear isn't an issue. It's just something I look at with how I shoot.

 

[TradLife406]

Personally I think it's gonna be a short lived fad for the reasons above, plus a 3 digit barrel life.

Give me a 7-08 or even 7x57 if I must shoot a 7mm

Dudes shooting 6 UM's entered the chat... nah wait we too busy rebarreling after 800 rounds

It's a sports car. Drive it a lot and hard it'll need tires.

Fire form brass. Zero, verify. Don't touch it. Pull out the 22 trainer and have fun for cheap. Or a 223.

Even if you shoot 200 rounds a year that's four years. A new pipe is a grand. Through $250 in a cookie jar every year.

 

[Sundodger]

I am hopeful these new high pressure rounds don't stay as a fad, but transition into becoming standard offerings.

With Manners offering a folding stock again, a short barreled 7BC with a small suppressor sounds like a nice setup.

 

[Air Bear]

Im going to give it (7bc) a try. Started ordering some parts. Everybody hating on it is making it sound like a poor life choice. If it doesn’t work out then the worst thing is i could have to fit a new barrel for a different cartridge. Im not married to it.

 

[UnckleBob]

You sound like a shooter with buyers remorse...

As for evidence Ive burnt the barrel outta my favorite 243, coyote hunting buddy burnt the barrel outa his 22-250 with about 1k rounds of 4k fps handloads.

As for theory, every time you use a balistics app, or ballistics calculator in your scope your trusting a theory, someone else's theory at that.

As for 7bc, never said it wouldn't kill, it's probably a great round for what it's was designed for. It's just that it's not designed for me.

It's designed for people who are into fad cartridges, trust gun writers more than experience, and have extra money.

The avg buyer of a 7bc will not shoot 250 rounds thru the rifle while they own it, barrel wear isn't an issue. It's just something I look at with how I shoot.

I don't shoot or own a 7 BC. I might talk myself into it, but I doubt it.

What I really want is a 6mm BC based around a 6 CM case. Such a cartridge would give me the opportunity to shoot at 6CM velocities out a 16-18” barrel. I would definitely like that.

I certainly don't trust gun writers or guntubers much (imo - Scout rifles are stupid, the 8.6 Blackout is stupid, the 338ARC is probably stupid, and Elmer Keith was a windbag).

I have guns in a few different cartridges because I enjoy experimenting with handloading. If I didn't handload or like experimenting, I would have 3 rifles. 223, (6 CM or 243), and (270, 30-06 or 7RM).