SAUM help choosing.

Dildobaggins · Wednesday at 12:05 AM

I posted this on another forum but didn't get many replies. I've always wanted a SAUM. The purpose would be for a lite weight hunting rig for whitetail, and perhaps a black bear if one presented itself in my area. Also, the occasional bench session with no rapid firing. Max shots would be around 5-600 yards.
I realize there are a truckload of cartridges that can accomplish this that are more efficient, but like I said I always wanted a SAUM, and I have a new short action kelbly that I was going to use with UM bottom metal and XL mags.

i'm up in the air between a 25, 6.5 or 7 SAUM . I don't really want to go super heavy in a 7 Saum with the 180. I was thinking more like 140-168 with a 7, but that go me thinking that a 140gr in a 6.5 would be better due to the higher BC. Also, shooting a 25 with the 130 class bergers would be the flattest shooting from just punching in numbers.

What cal. do you think would have the best brass life and barrel life of these. Id like to get over 3,000fps with whatever I choose with a 22-24 inch barrel.

Budrichard · Wednesday at 2:36 AM

I have a rem 300 SAUM Custom Shop AWR rifle.
It is bulit on the Rem Model 7 action.
It wears a Leupold 2-7 scope.
It is literally brutal to shoot.
Sighting the rig in took about 7 shots.
At that time my right arm was very bruised.
It was purchased for Black Bear hunts.
It is overkill for whitetail.
I use a Rem Model 7 SS in 7mm-08 with the same scope for whitetail.
Much better rifle but not enough for Black Bear where I did not put one down but found it 12 hours later with a Nosler imbedded in the off side shoulder without breaking the shoulder.
-Richard

264win · Wednesday at 3:18 AM

If lightweight is the focus go for the 6.5 and add a can or brake.

SupersonicJ · Wednesday at 3:19 AM

I recently sold my 7 SAUM and I love the cartridge. It was my first magnum and was a bit worried about the recoil, but turns out it was a sweetheart to shoot. I have shot 50rds in a range session and recoil was super manageable. I have shot 180 hybrids at 2950fps and 162 ELDM at 3030fps. Rifle weighed a total of 14lbs and had a 26” barrel. Sold it because I’m building a 30 Sherman.

waveslayer · Wednesday at 8:48 AM

If you want that velocity you should look at the 6.5 using 130-140 grain VLD's. I'm getting 3310 out of my 130's in a 24" barrel. I get over 3000 with another barrel using the 153.5 grain Bergers. I haven't shot the 7 SAUM but love my 6.5 SAUM. Brass life will depend on brass and how hot you run them. I was getting 6-8 firings, I reduced my loads to around 3170 and get 2-3 more firings.

M260 · Wednesday at 10:39 AM

The 6.5 is a delight especially with a can or brake. I have a carbon fiber barrel that with the right brake and chassis setup has almost negative recoil, also a 26" steel barrel that easily runs over 3000fps it amazes me every time I shoot it.

Dildobaggins · Wednesday at 10:55 AM

M260 said:
The 6.5 is a delight especially with a can or brake. I have a carbon fiber barrel that with the right brake and chassis setup has almost negative recoil, also a 26" steel barrel that easily runs over 3000fps it amazes me every time I shoot it.

Nice! I plan on using a brake. Probably have the whole set up scoped at around 9lbs. Used a recoil calculator, but don't know how much a brake would shave off.

psharon78 · Wednesday at 10:59 AM

I'm looking at eventually building a 7mm sherman short mag

cooper_257 · Wednesday at 12:36 PM

I have a couple 6.5 SAUM's wit 24" barrels and run the 143 eldx for hunting at 3075fps. I have killed multiple deer and elk with this setup. the furthest was a cow elk at 987 yards. she went 25 yards and was dead. I have also killed a couple bucks with a 135gr JLK going 3140fps. I love the 6.5 SAUM for hunting. it kills great, low recoil and my kids can hunt with it no problem. I run H1000 and the barrel lif is great with that powder at those velocities. Even on a match rifle with longer strings I still got over 2400 round of barrel life before I set the barrel back. The buck in the picture he shot with a 143 eldx at 597 yards.

jbuck88 · Wednesday at 5:53 PM

Budrichard said:
I have a rem 300 SAUM Custom Shop AWR rifle.
It is bulit on the Rem Model 7 action.
It wears a Leupold 2-7 scope.
It is literally brutal to shoot.
Sighting the rig in took about 7 shots.
At that time my right arm was very bruised.
It was purchased for Black Bear hunts.
It is overkill for whitetail.
I use a Rem Model 7 SS in 7mm-08 with the same scope for whitetail.
Much better rifle but not enough for Black Bear where I did not put one down but found it 12 hours later with a Nosler imbedded in the off side shoulder without breaking the shoulder.
-Richard

Nonsense. All you need is a 223 for anything. Just go over to rokslide and read about all the people who swear by it. (Heavy sarcasm font)

Completely agree with you and poking fun at the roksliders.

Dildobaggins · Wednesday at 5:55 PM

cooper_257 said:
I have a couple 6.5 SAUM's wit 24" barrels and run the 143 eldx for hunting at 3075fps. I have killed multiple deer and elk with this setup. the furthest was a cow elk at 987 yards. she went 25 yards and was dead. I have also killed a couple bucks with a 135gr JLK going 3140fps. I love the 6.5 SAUM for hunting. it kills great, low recoil and my kids can hunt with it no problem. I run H1000 and the barrel lif is great with that powder at those velocities. Even on a match rifle with longer strings I still got over 2400 round of barrel life before I set the barrel back. The buck in the picture he shot with a 143 eldx at 597 yards.

Wow that's a beauty! Are you looking for anymore children to hunt where you are? Haha

LRRPF52 · Thursday at 2:09 PM

I did a private Long Range course for a guy who drew a limited bull elk tag, spent several days with him at my favorite range complex working out zero, effective range, and shooting with his hit % on 12” plates from field positions commonly encountered here in the mountains.

He brought a 6.5 PRC custom rig with Ti action and CF stock, as well as a Fierce 300 PRC.

The 6.5 PRC was shockingly-recoilless for how light it was. He had very large, high magnification glass on both rifles, and the 6.5 was still very light and super-pleasant to shoot. It had a Q Cherry Bomb on it, which I didn’t think was that effective, but it just didn’t move.

That rifle had less recoil than any .260 or 6.5CM I’ve ever shot, and I’ve been shooting various types of them since the 2000s. Most of them have weighed twice as much as that rifle or more.

Anyway, he used the 300 PRC to fill his tag on Day 1 at around 800yds, under extreme pressure from the guides, who just wanted him to tag-out so they could move to the next client. We had determined that his maximum ethical engagement distance in full value wind at 7-10mph was 600yds, and he told the guides this, but they didn’t care. They were practically yelling at him to shoot.

stratton2885 · Thursday at 5:07 PM

It's a great deer round.
6.5 SAUM
Kelblys short action Atlas tactical
GRS stock
Proof Carbon barrel
Piercision Brake
Kelbly DBM

JR1200W3 · Friday at 6:26 AM

If you're wanting a SAUM for hunting....and you're not looking for super long range shots, I'd make the choice based on bullet construction and the bullet you want to shoot.

Shooting deer doesn't require that much cartridge but bigger animals sometimes do. I have owned a 7WSM for the last 13 years. I shot a cow elk at 300yds with a 175gr ELDX and the bullet blew up on a rib. I switched over to the Barnes 168gr LRX after that. And I feel like this is a hole in the heavy for caliber, high BC 7mm bullet market. I don't think a lot of them make good hunting bullets for heavier game. But there are some good copper bullets if you want to shoot lighter and tougher bullets, faster. I shoot 147gr ELDMs at around 2980fps for antelope and they just hammer them. But it's a light skinned, small boned animal and those bullets do well in those uses. I would not shoot the ELDX and ELDMs in a 7mm at elk tho.

So maybe your choice for this rifle becomes less redundant to other hunting rifles you may have by shooting a particularly tough bullet for example and that makes the decision of which caliber for you.

JR1200W3 · Friday at 6:32 AM

Dildobaggins said:
What cal. do you think would have the best ~~brass life and~~ barrel life of these.

If the case is the same, then it would be the one with the largest caliber.

Brass life would be more dependent on how much you try to push velocity and who makes the brass. ADG brass is pretty good but which caliber version of the SAUM comes in Lapua or Alpha brass?

st1650 · Friday at 6:54 AM

7 Saum, 145 LRX.

Chickentoast · Friday at 7:25 AM

I have 2 6.5 Max (SAUM improved) - one in a chassis and one as a light carbon hunter. The light hunting rifle recoil is on par with a similar weight 308 running 155's. In fact, I have a 308 barrel for the same rifle, and with 208's @ 2640, it kicks more than the 6.5 with 153.5's, running 3170. However, the only reason to go 6.5 is for the extended range - with Badlands 135 solids, it's supersonic out to ~2K. For only 600 yards in a SAUM hunter, I'd do a 300 or even a 338. But a 308 would be more than adequate for your intended purpose.

Simonsza1 · Friday at 7:59 AM

I was the same as you. I wanted to build a sweet 7mm so bad and was dead set on a saum. Then I found out about the Sherman, did lots of comparative research and went with the 7ss instead of the saum. Very happy I did. My Sherman is an amazing rifle. Very little recoil and sending 175eldx at 2,950 and I’m not loading even close to hot. Runs like butter in a short action with room to spare. One of my main deciding factors was if I was going to reload anyway why not go for the better cartridge especially in an SA. Enjoy whatever you build though and I look forward to hearing what you settle on.

Scotch_egg · Friday at 7:44 PM

The SAUM is so underrated. Although with 180’s at 2950 from my 26” barrel I feel the recoil. It’s silenced as well before anyone questions it. Whether I’m just recoil shy from shooting 6mmbr and 6.5’s for so long is anyone’s guess! But put a 162 through the 7mm SAUM and it’s a pussycat. The 180gr ElD-M ballistics are hard to beat and the reason I don’t run 162’s all day long. I’ve got both 6.5 and 7mm carbon bartlein carbon blanks ready for the rebarrel. I just can’t decide which so I’ll get both done. Brass was the issue for the 7mm SAUM but Adg seem to have sorted that. However if I was just shooting 600 yards I would stick with the 6.5 either a PRC or SAUM. Even black bear aren’t armour plated and the right bullet will punch through the vitals.

st1650 · Friday at 8:27 PM

Scotch_egg said:
The SAUM is so underrated. Although with 180’s at 2950 from my 26” barrel I feel the recoil. It’s silenced as well before anyone questions it. Whether I’m just recoil shy from shooting 6mmbr and 6.5’s for so long is anyone’s guess! But put a 162 through the 7mm SAUM and it’s a pussycat. The 180gr ElD-M ballistics are hard to beat and the reason I don’t run 162’s all day long. I’ve got both 6.5 and 7mm carbon bartlein carbon blanks ready for the rebarrel. I just can’t decide which so I’ll get both done. Brass was the issue for the 7mm SAUM but Adg seem to have sorted that. However if I was just shooting 600 yards I would stick with the 6.5 either a PRC or SAUM. Even black bear aren’t armour plated and the right bullet will punch through the vitals.

Black bears are way easier to kill than what most people think. My last one this fall was with a 145 LRX
I also love the 162 eldm and 166 atips. They're 1/4 moa loads at 2.95in

steve123 · 2024-12-22T12:32:15-0500

I did 30-375R, 7mmRM, and then 6.5 Saum. Mine is a 23 pound Surgeon XL with a 29" Bartlein barrel of 9 twist. A medium load of 140 hybrids at 3340 fps is amazing for long range. A 19x21 plate at 1143Y is easy and I got at least two hits, maybe 3(one might of bounced in), out of four shots at 1987Y on a 18" square plate.
Felt recoil in my gun is only slightly more than my 16 pound 6mmBR.
I'll do another when this barrel goes.

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