deserthntr Report post Posted September 20, 2011 ok, well with what sjvcon said i guess it just comes down to what i want between a 270wsm, 300wsm, or 7wsm. i dont think i want to go with a long action unless i am doing RUM or STW. i like the short actions alot. i like the 7 and 300 because i have seen them make it to 1000yds easily. i have a 257 i shoot at 700+ so i want something that will touch out farther. plus something i can trust to have knockdown power at those ranges. i like the 270wsm because the lighter recoil, but how hard will it hit at farther ranges? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
youngbuck Report post Posted September 20, 2011 i like the 270wsm because the lighter recoil, but how hard will it hit at farther ranges? It depends on how far farther is. There isn't too many choices of high BC bullets for a 270. I suppose 150gr Berger are pretty good, wildcats are better of you can get a hold of some. I'm not sure if JLK or Cutting Edge makes any, might be worth a look. Don't get me wrong 270 is a great caliber. It isn't the best choice for LR work. A 7mm has a ton of bullets choice; different BCs, bonded, non bonded, solids, varmint up to 180gr. If I was going to build a gun on a SA it would be a 6.5WSM or a 7WSM. I eventually want to build a really light mountain rifle. If you are going to go to Africa, you'll have enough money to get what ever you want. I'm a big fan of the regular 7rem mag, but also understand your want for a SA. If you are wanting to do LR work, I think you'd be shooting yourself in the foot, limiting the "cover everything" factor if you go for a 270. That may change in the future with more bullets. There are a ton of hunting bullets for a 270, but there are better otions for LR stuff. Millions have critters have fallen to the 270. Read some on Jack O'Connor or ask Lark. I would just go with a 7mm or a 30 cal if I was going to stretch it past 5/600yds. If you were going to go with a 30 cal, I would prefer a 300WM. You may run into seating depth issues with heavy bullets on a shorter action in the WSM. I think any of the chamberings mentioned here would work fine in AZ, or most of North America. There are some better choices though, if you figure in cost, available components, recoil, and LR stuff. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
deserthntr Report post Posted September 20, 2011 What do you think those better choices? Im all ears still so let me know what you think Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
luvdemcoues Report post Posted September 20, 2011 Dang it! After reading this thread, I may have to give my 270 WSM to my son. I put a muzzle break on it so he should be able to handle that just fine. I think I was just converted to the 7mm WSM. Crap... the good news is that it's not gonna be for a few years. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sjvcon Report post Posted September 20, 2011 What do you think those better choices? Im all ears still so let me know what you think Man is that a can of worms. There are a TON ... I mean a TON of great rounds, all for different reasons. There are also a TON of factors that makes one "better" than another. Example ... not too many guys talk about the 7MM Weatherby, but it is a GREAT 7MM. Only reason to not go with it over the 7MM RM is the cost of the brass. Put Weatherby/Norma on anything and the price just went up ... CHA-CHING. But it's performance is OUTSTANDING. Quarter Bores are flat if they are the right ones ... .257 Weatherby or STW. AND WHEN I SAY FLAT I MEAN FLAT. But they are small for long distance retained energy (RE). Use them for Coues ... Mulies to a point. But you can't get below a certain RE (1,000 ft/lbs for deer, or so "THEY" say) and expect a clean kill. 7MM/.284 offer a high BC, as do many 6.5's, but they are also more affected by a cross wind than an heavier bullet like a .308 or .338. That and RE are two of the reasons why you see those larger diameters used more commonly in the sniper world (.308 Win/.300WM/.338 Lapua). .338 may not be as flat as some guys would like, and may be too much RE (for some sized game at closer ranges, but at long range with the right case ... wow what a whallop. See ... there are just a TON of options, and all good for different reasons. Of course, someone smarter than me is going to come along and say half of what I said is rubbish ... and that's okay ... I know a little when it comes to this ... lots of guys know more. Get one of everything ... that is my motto!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
youngbuck Report post Posted September 20, 2011 Some how I missed DB's link. It is a good one. I posted a little on the other forum about the WSM. The qualities people are looking for in LR rig performance is, velocity at target, energy at target, wind bucking ability, flat shooting, and recoil. The cost figues to add in are cost of brass, cost of bullets, overall weight, and barrel life. To get some of these, you have to sacrafice something else. You can't have it all. If you want velocity, dont expect good barrel life. If you want energy, you can't have light recoil. For a 1 gun to cover everything, I would split all the criteria evenly. If you want something specific for a specific task, you'll have to sacrafice even more. Most of the time that means barrel life, brass and bullet cost, and heavy recoil if you want a "performer". I've always thought the 7 rem mag and 300WM are great "cover everything" guns. I also like 7STWs and 300RUMs, but they sacrafice some things. I shoot a few different cartridges my LR stuff. They all do different things better. I don't expect my 7mm to have enough energy at 1k for an elk, but brass isn't $3 a piece for that. My RUM packs a punch with the 208gr bullets, but it is a barrel burner and I can't use it for killing rocks every weekend. The more time you spend shooting, the more you will realize what qualities you like. I always like hot-rod calibers, but I shoot a lot more than I used to now. I value barrel life a little more now than I used to. The 7RM and 300WM aren't going anywhere. They have been performers for years, and will continue to do so. They might not seem as cool as a lot of other newer cartridges, but they are popular for a reason. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
scoutm Report post Posted September 20, 2011 Here's 2 cents from a novice reloader... When I was evaluating the same decision the one thing that kept coming up was when you start getting to the longer and/or heavier bullets in the 7mm and 300 WSM you start to impact the volume of powder you can load with and therefore start to negatively impact performance. With the short action these calibers are offered in you will also have limits on the COAL which may have an impact on developing an accurate load with some of the better longer bullets like berger VLD. So I would recommend that if you decide on the 7mm I would go with Rem 7mm mag. If you decide on .308 I would go with the 300 Win Mag but if you must have the short action then I would go with the 270 and plan on purchasing a second rifle at a later date. I went with the 270 WSM. I later purchased a 300 wsm and I've had issues with developing a load that's accurate and feeds well due to COAL issues. Hope this helps and again I am a novice reloader so someone with more experience may have solutions to the issues I've described. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
deserthntr Report post Posted September 21, 2011 ok, im very willing to sacrafice bullet/brass price, and barrel life, because i work almost everyweekend so if im lucky i get to shoot a couple rounds in the desert before school on some days. i plan to shoot a 162 or 168gr bullet, so are those gunna affect my powder in those WSM cartirdges? if it is, and i wont be able to be shooting at 1k, then i will go with a RUM and throw a brake on it. i have shot houston's RUM and the recoil didnt bother me. i know the RUM's have alot more energy, but i kinda want the WSM's because i can put a brake on it and make them pretty lightweight. i also read the article about Ric Horst's wsm and thats kinda what converted me to the 7mm wsm at very first. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
roninflag Report post Posted September 21, 2011 http://www.6mmbr.com/gunweek064.html DESERTbull- i like that rifle. get a rifle like that -the caliber is secondary. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
deserthntr Report post Posted September 22, 2011 well i decided on the 7mm WSM. i found some bullets called matrix bullets and they have a .284 bullet that has a BC of .8.... sounds really good, def gunna give them a try. probably gunna get a kreiger barrel, mcmillan stock, and timney trigger. probably vortex viper for the glass. 20 MOA EGW rail. rem 700 action. Get the bolt fluted, and a big tactical nob on it. with a tan duracoat on everything. picturing it in my mind i think it will look real nice. but this will be a work in progress so things can always change... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
youngbuck Report post Posted September 22, 2011 Scoutm brought up a good point about seating depth. If you seat them deep enough to fit in the magazine, it takes up some case capicity. Those 180s and 190s are real long so this will happen. Some guys run LA for the WSMs, so they can seat the bullets way out there. and use the box mag. Another thing is the velocity drops off when you shoot those ultra heavy bullets. I wouldn't count out 160gr pills; 162 A-max, 160 accubonds, Bergers. The heavies are definately worth a try, but can get real finiky when you want it to be a repeater. They also "need" a faster barrel twists. YOu could get lucky though and have a slower twist barrel that likes bullets that are heavier. You can crunch numbers and ballistics a bunch and those 180+ bullets may not be any benefit. There may be some benefits, but those ultra heavy 284s are better suited in a STW/RUM/7-300WM, IMO. It sounds like you have a plan though. I build rifles in my head all the time, I just have a hard time making my wallet agree with me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
deserthntr Report post Posted September 22, 2011 I plan on shooting 160 or so gr. Bullets. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeffro Report post Posted September 23, 2011 The 7WSM really shines with the 180s. Get a 1-8.75T and you will be good to go with the 180s. As youngbuck said some use the LAs. I just speced out a custom build for a friend with a LA and a 8.75T. That is the only way I would go with a 7WSM, but thats my opinion. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
deserthntr Report post Posted September 23, 2011 Who makes a barrel that is a 8.75 twist? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeffro Report post Posted September 23, 2011 Rock It may be 8.7 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
