Thoughts On 7 WSM

[pjohnson8168]

Hey guys, I may have a chance at a good deal on a new 7wsm, it was not a cartridge i was considering only because it seems to becoming more rare everyday, the ballistics look great though. I do handload and I do prefer a short action but looks like brass would be difficult to find if I ever needed more and difficult to sell in the future if I ended up going another direction.

Anyone have any thoughts, looks like even Winchester stopped chambering this..

Any thoughts or insights would be appreciated.

 

[Shrek]

I'm having one barreled in 7mm wsm as we speak and I think this will make the fith one I've owned. It's close the perfect balance of power to recoil and makes a handy carry rifle. I think it's perfect for most all western game to 800ish yards. Brass is a major problem at the moment and I'll be buying enough to see me through many years the next time it becomes available but the Winchester brass I currently have has been tough and has held the primer pocket through five hard loadings. The loaded ammo has been available so if I get desperate enough I'll buy some and pull it down but that is the last resort. Which rifle is the one you are looking at ? The Winchester wsm short actions are made with a 3.05" magazine which is pretty good but the Remington has the standard 2.82" magazine which is too short for the wsm imo.

 

[GKPrice]

I'm sure that both you guys know about the WSM brass but I'll mention it anyway - the shoulder on 7mm WSM is farther forward (I think it's "forward") than the others to avoid accidental chambering of a 270 WSM, 300 WSM - 325 WSM I suppose - does Nosler do 7mm WSM brass ? the Winchester WSM brass IS tough and I believe I was told by a Winchester rep that it is intentional because of how badly Winchester/Browning wanted these WSM's to sell well - On paper it appears to be an excellent round

 

[Shrek]

GKPrice , I'm well aware and debated long and hard with myself if I wanted to do a 7mm-300 WSM this time but since I have all the dies and a few cases I stayed with the straight 7mm WSM . Winchester is the only maker of 7mm wsm brass for the handloading market.

 

[pjohnson8168]

Thanks guys - this is good info, sounds like I should just plan on buying the factory loaded stuff and loading the brass which I am fine with. Doesnt look like the 7wsm will ever be as popular as the 270wsm or the 300wsm but do you see it sticking around over the next decade...?

 

[Shrek]

As a new factory chambering no but as factory ammo yes and as a handloaders favorite yes. It has a pretty stong following in long range competition and Winchester made a pile of rifles in them that sold in Walmart so there is a factory load demand.

 

[LazyV]

I love my 7mm WSM but I don't reload and ammo can be a pain to find at times. Great round but go in with eyes open that it takes a little more work than most to keep it fed.

 

[345 kv]

I built one a few years ago for long range. It is a good shooter with 162 gr Amaxs and 160gr Accubonds. As far as brass goes I bought enough to last as long as the barrel will when built it. When you find some brass stack up.

 

[AXEL]

This, is the only WSM that has ever appealed to me, I seriously considered building one, but, have three custom .270 Wins, three custom .280Rems, two custom 7x57s and a custom UL 7/08 plus a custom .30-06.......at my age, now limited in my mountain ability due to a long ago, major injury, I cannot justify the $$$$$ to do it to my standards.......damn it!

However, this is my pick as probably THE finest sub-.308 hunting round and I would have one if I were younger, probably on a short STS Classic 70 with a light 23" tube, Edge stock, Talley QD-SLs and a Swaro Z3-3.5x10x42mm.

I would run 160s, NPs or NForks, as hot as I safely could and never look back, this and a .338 on the .375 Ruger case are, IMHO, THE best rounds available to we handloaders and rifle whackos.

 

[Walker6]

Johnson, if you don't mind the headstamp issue, you can use 300 wsm brass using the neck down/false shoulder/fire form method. 300wsm seems to have caught on and I don't think 7mm bullets are going away anytime soon.

 

[Rowdy]

Johnson, if you don't mind the headstamp issue, you can use 300 wsm brass using the neck down/false shoulder/fire form method. 300wsm seems to have caught on and I don't think 7mm bullets are going away anytime soon.

This is what I do, I look at the shelves to see if there is Winchester loaded 7mm WSM, not Federal their brass is junk, if there isn't any I look to see what they have for Winchester 300 WSM brass and buy it. I grab as many boxes as I think I'm going to need, then I pull bullets, dump powder, neck size creating a false shoulder while also dropping factory primer, load up my favorite fireform loads and make brass. It's a great way to do it if you don't mind the headstamp being wrong.

 

[IChaseCoues]

The 7 WSM rocks for a short action round. As said earlier its a very capable cartridge way out there. The 160 accubond seems to be a great match even in lengths that will fit in a Rem model 7. I've got a heavy rifle built on a Win CRPF action that will send 180 Bergers fast enough for great ballistics with 1/2moa accuracy. My other 7 WSM is a light weight custom model 7 that has quite a few miles and kills under its belt. After looking at a bunch of cartridges both wildcat and standard, the 7 WSM stood above the rest for superior ballistics in a short action. After shooting this round for a few years it has shown great results on several elk from within 50 yards to over 500 yards. Besides the short brass supply it has few downfalls for the person who hand loads.