7mm... Which one?

[Highbrass]

So I have this thing for wanting to build all the coolest rifles in all the calibers of the shooting spectrum. That said I have had the itch for a 7mm with several parameters (1)Short action caliber (2) 7mm (3) ability to launch 160~175 gr projectiles at 2800 Fps. I have looked at 6.5 offerings and they are very enticing, However, I want to carry a bit more energy & weight to the target and get a bit better barrel life. The 7PRC is VERY tempting but I would still like to keep the short action and a bit less recoil. I also feel that 7PRC just about duplicates 7 Rem...Yes I know the PRC is a better case more efficient and all still wanna do a short cal.
284 Win almost checks all the boxes but would still need a long action in order to work from a magazine ?
7-08 / AI and 7mm SAW get most of what I want without going off the end of the spectrum of wildcats.
I have a nice 7-08 and I can get 2700 FPS with 162 ELD bullets. I'm not unhappy with the performance but would like to get a bit more speed. I have not been able to get any 150 ELDs to play with and that might be something to look at.
So I feel like the 7-08 AI might be the way to go. The barrel currently on my 7-08 is a 1-9 and I think it may need to be a bit more to get the most out of the heavier bullets. The Saw looks really good but i'm not sure its performance is significantly better than the AI ?
So should I just suck it up and enjoy my regular 7-08 or is it worth the trouble to build a new rifle??

 

[Supersubes]

100 fps is going to change very little from your current rifle. If youre going to buy/build a second rifle, why not open up your parameters a bit and get a meaningful performance upgrade?

If short action is a must, the 7 saum is really your only good option.

 

[Jigstick]

7wsm in an intermediate length action.

 

[SmileMaker]

Here's one you might want to consider:
TVP 7mm Hulk Long Range Hunter
Night Force 5.5-22x56
McMillan A3/5
33" SS barrel fluted 9 twist
Radial brake
Jewel trigger
AI 5 round 338 mag
.300 Norma Brass necked down, turned and fire formed
Berger 180 gr. Hybrid @ 3534 fps
81 gr. H-1000
Fed215GM

 

[The D]

1) Is there a reason you’re limiting yourself with a short action? Even a medium length action will open up your options significantly but a long action will give you orders of magnitude more options

2) Do you reload? If no, then you can actually sort of disregard #1 and probably go with trying to find 7 saum factory ammo or resign yourself to buying boutique 7 SS or SST ammo. If yes but still want a short action, 7 SST maybe? If yes but using a M or L action, pffft just pick something. 280ai or .284 Win tick your boxes. 7 saum provides a bit more horsepower. Or 7 PRC/RM give you all the power you need for the long shots at steel or meat

 

[ma smith]

I have a nice 7-08 and I can get 2700 FPS with 162 ELD bullets. I'm not unhappy with the performance but would like to get a bit more speed.

7PRC is design-spec to shoot 2900+ with 175/180 out of 24in barrel.

7mm PRC -- Published load data from Hornady

New published for 7mm PRC data showing 175-180 gr. projectiles at 2950 to 3000 fps https://www.hornady.com/assets/site/hornady/files/load-data/7mm-prc.pdf

www.snipershide.com

 

[30cal user]

Brass availability is limiting factor in 7’s today, 6.5 PRC does appear available and I would neck it up to 7 or I would try to get saum brass from ADG, but it’s hard to get sometimes ….bbl length can help with smaller case

 

[Highbrass]

Yeah I know just a couple of hundred FPS may not be worth the exercise...
And that 7PRC would do what I want plus a bunch...
Ok you talked me into it 7PRC ... Now I need a barrel and brass and powder .....

 

[30cal user]

Wasting your time if you reload, shit brass now and can do the same with Saum or wsm or Sherman

 

[FuhQ]

So I have this thing for wanting to build all the coolest rifles in all the calibers of the shooting spectrum. That said I have had the itch for a 7mm with several parameters (1)Short action caliber (2) 7mm (3) ability to launch 160~175 gr projectiles at 2800 Fps. I have looked at 6.5 offerings and they are very enticing, However, I want to carry a bit more energy & weight to the target and get a bit better barrel life. The 7PRC is VERY tempting but I would still like to keep the short action and a bit less recoil. I also feel that 7PRC just about duplicates 7 Rem...Yes I know the PRC is a better case more efficient and all still wanna do a short cal.
284 Win almost checks all the boxes but would still need a long action in order to work from a magazine ?
7-08 / AI and 7mm SAW get most of what I want without going off the end of the spectrum of wildcats.
I have a nice 7-08 and I can get 2700 FPS with 162 ELD bullets. I'm not unhappy with the performance but would like to get a bit more speed. I have not been able to get any 150 ELDs to play with and that might be something to look at.
So I feel like the 7-08 AI might be the way to go. The barrel currently on my 7-08 is a 1-9 and I think it may need to be a bit more to get the most out of the heavier bullets. The Saw looks really good but i'm not sure its performance is significantly better than the AI ?
So should I just suck it up and enjoy my regular 7-08 or is it worth the trouble to build a new rifle??

Christensen Arms Ridgeline FFT 20” 7mm-08… Has a 1:9 twist, which is fine up to Berger 175 Elite Hunters…Which is what I am working up loads for mine.

Even with the can, and the big scope, this rig is ridiculously lightweight.

 

[wpeach1912]

7 Sherman short or 7 SST will do what you’re looking for

 

[Mr. F]

Wasting your time if you reload, shit brass now and can do the same with Saum or wsm or Sherman

Exactly where im at. Good on powder to get 180/190s out to 3Kfps but i dont think we'll get quality brass or ever garbage brass available for it any time soon.

 

[Highbrass]

I had never looked at the Sherman 7
Interesting !

 

[Danrobberg]

I am in the process of building a 7 Sherman mega. It’s a medium action round but if I were going to stick to a short action I would do the 7 Sherman short. He has quality adg brass usually in stock and reamers to buy or rent and dies in stock. He is also great to talk to and will answer any questions you have.

 

[tthomp302]

7 SAW would be a good choice for your parameters.

 

[Ronws]

I personally like .308 W. However, I have seen someone else liken 7 mm - 08 to 308 lite. Slightly more manageable recoil.

Someone else already mentioned Hornady's new 7 mm PRC. Because of the SAAMI specs, any rifle made for that is a factory built precision rifle because it requires such a minimal free bore. And it pushes heavy for caliber pills. 175 gr, even 180 gr at a smidge under 3k for a long way and retains a sizable amount of energy. It answers a lot of requests for a readily made long range back country rifle that can also be built up for precision rifle competitions.

On the other hand, one could fall back to a 7 mm Rem Mag. Gunwerks brought down an elk at 1,378 yards with a 7 RM.

Depends on your state public hunting requirements, too. I hunt public land in Texas and for centerfire rifle, they spec no smaller than .243 W, which roughly translates to a 7 mm. Some may technically get better performance out of a 6.8 Western.

And my .308 rifles, a few are barrel stamped 7.62 X 51 mm NATO. So, yeah, technically a 7 mm plus round. The down fall of the .308 W is that, in being a short action, you are limited in powder and range of effective energy. My arbitrary number for energy at penetration for effective damage to bring down a beast is 1,000 ft-lbs. The rifle I use does great with Federal Fusion 165 grain. The box shows it dropping to below 1k at about 500 yards. Which is fine for most whitetail deer hunting. Yes, I could shoot a 1,000 yards but it may not have as much energy.

And it is not like a deer saucily turns to you and says, "That was only 999 foot pounds. See ya, wouldn't want to be ya!" he saunters off with a smirk.

Then again, what is the intention? For long distance and great BC, I could be tempted to prefer 7 PRC over 6.5 CM.

 

[tthomp302]

I personally like .308 W. However, I have seen someone else liken 7 mm - 08 to 308 lite. Slightly more manageable recoil.

Someone else already mentioned Hornady's new 7 mm PRC. Because of the SAAMI specs, any rifle made for that is a factory built precision rifle because it requires such a minimal free bore. And it pushes heavy for caliber pills. 175 gr, even 180 gr at a smidge under 3k for a long way and retains a sizable amount of energy. It answers a lot of requests for a readily made long range back country rifle that can also be built up for precision rifle competitions.

On the other hand, one could fall back to a 7 mm Rem Mag. Gunwerks brought down an elk at 1,378 yards with a 7 RM.

Depends on your state public hunting requirements, too. I hunt public land in Texas and for centerfire rifle, they spec no smaller than .270 W, which roughly translates to a 7 mm. Some may technically get better performance out of a 6.8 Western but in the end, it needs to be something approaching a 270. This has gone up. Smallest caliber used to be .243 W.
(edited to add, sorry, that is awkward wording. Basically, they want to ensure enough energy and damage in a shot to bring about an ethical kill.)

And my .308 rifles, a few are barrel stamped 7.62 X 51 mm NATO. So, yeah, technically a 7 mm plus round. The down fall of the .308 W is that, in being a short action, you are limited in powder and range of effective energy. My arbitrary number for energy at penetration for effective damage to bring down a beast is 1,000 ft-lbs. The rifle I use does great with Federal Fusion 165 grain. The box shows it dropping to below 1k at about 500 yards. Which is fine for most whitetail deer hunting. Yes, I could shoot a 1,000 yards but it may not have as much energy.

And it is not like a deer saucily turns to you and says, "That was only 999 foot pounds. See ya, wouldn't want to be ya!" he saunters off with a smirk.

Then again, what is the intention? For long distance and great BC, I could be tempted to prefer 7 PRC over 6.5 CM.

What do you mean by the caliber requirements? I live in Texas as well and the only type of ammunition that's restricted is that you cant use rimfire cartridges. There's no restriction on caliber size. 22 creedmoor is becoming very popular in Texas as a hunting caliber.

 

[Ronws]

What do you mean by the caliber requirements? I live in Texas as well and the only type of ammunition that's restricted is that you cant use rimfire cartridges. There's no restriction on caliber size. 22 creedmoor is becoming very popular in Texas as a hunting caliber.

Let me check my sources, I know I read it somewhere.

 

[18Echo]

I have to concur, if you reload a 7SS is what you want.

 

[b6graham]

7-08 to 7SAW probably isn't worth the few extra FPS even though i really really like my SAW

7SS would be the logical step and what i will do on the same short action for hunting when i need to hike and don't want to carry a 15pound gun

 

[Ronws]

What do you mean by the caliber requirements? I live in Texas as well and the only type of ammunition that's restricted is that you cant use rimfire cartridges. There's no restriction on caliber size. 22 creedmoor is becoming very popular in Texas as a hunting caliber.

I checked the app and site for TPWD and it only says that, on the drawn hunts, like mule deer in Cap Rock Canyons SP or Cooper WMA deer management, they require .243 Win, right now, just reading off the drawn hunt requirements. Usually, Cooper WMA is archery only for deer but they have drawn hunts on certain weekends that allow the rifles.

Granted, any centerfire is good and yes, technically, you can hunt deer with a .223 Rem. So, while I can find the fine differences between public land drawn management or mule deer hunts, I cannot now figure out where I had read the .270 W minimum.

Oh well, I was wrong. So, then, maybe one could get away with a 6.8 Western and hunt anything.

 

[Ronws]

What do you mean by the caliber requirements? I live in Texas as well and the only type of ammunition that's restricted is that you cant use rimfire cartridges. There's no restriction on caliber size. 22 creedmoor is becoming very popular in Texas as a hunting caliber.

I have edited my original post to show the correct information. Thanks for helping me out by pointing that out.