To all the 7mm STW users out there.
 

Please sell me on this round. I'm interested in your pluses and minuses on the round as well as your overall thoughts.

Sorry as I am not a 7mm STW shooter but I would opt for the 28 nosler over the STW. its faster and non belted.


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I don't want faster and I want a H&H based round.

Then disregard my comment lol


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I used a 7 STW for years. It's a great cartridge for almost any hunting situation you might find. That said, it comes in to it's own at longer ranges with it's higher velocities, inherent accuracy, very flat trajectories and excellent bullet selection.

In the end, I found it to be unnecessary for my normal hunting ranges and bit overkill for many, depending on species. It is quite expensive to load for as well.
I can think of better ways to burn 70 -80 gr. of powder but there are few ways of improving on a 7 STW's overall performance. It will serve you well.

As my memory fades it seems I recall reading a Layne Simpson article (apologies if I have this wrong) he had second thoughts on developing this round....

:-)

I've had two sold both and kept my 7rem mag. Did that sell you on it? :)

Just about. Laughing.

. don't you have a 7-08 , 280 or 7RM already and what are you looking to gain .. distance ? or just a new gun ...lol.. you sure do hang around the .284

I know a guy in BC that has a 7mm Mashburn reamer..........:)

Laughing!

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Why did you sell Mashburn? I now know 3 guys shooting the 7 STW , the two I shot one a custom rem 700 and the other a new cooper, both shot well . One guys is using bergers and the other the 160 gr standard Accu bond. Both were routinely blowing up milk jugs at 600 + yrds. But so was my 300 WM!! If I were build one I would look to the 7 Practical just for the ability to find good brass.
Interested in what you will be building next?

I have been shooting the 7mmstw since 1990, having taken over fifty head of big game with it. Having owned six rifles, all were quite accurate, and the same powder and primer worked well for every rifle using 140 to 150 gr bullets. I could have probably killed every animal with a 7mmremmag, but I happen to like monometal bullets these days, and the extra velocity results in a little more expansion with them. Recoil is quite manageable, and for a hunting rifle, barrel life is adequate.

I love mine! Blaser R 93 140Gr barnes TSX. Fast and flat. The only other barrel I use in my Blaser is a 257 Weatherby mag when I feel like it or I am hunting antelope type species either in Africa or at home. I'm not sure what you need to persuade you to get one but will tell you I love mine. I have a friend who was a 7mm fan and went to a STW after many years.

I like the .284 family. Anything from 7x57/7-08 through 7 STW, Weatherby and RUM. I hunted with a 7 Rem mag for 20 years, while also owning and hunting with the bigger ones (RUM and Weatherby). I have shot about as many animals with the 7 Rem Mag as the RUM/Weatherby combined.

This you undoubtedly already know but:

Advantages to STW/RUM - STW is about as much or more powder as is usefui in a 7. RUM is overkill. Both are designed for 160 and 175 grain or heavier bullets. Both benefit greatly from 28" barrels and are much nicer to shoot in guns that weigh at lest 10 Lbs scoped. A Removable muzzle brake for load development and target shooting is very useful and allows one to drop to an 8 1/2 or 9 lb gun for hunting.

Disadvantages - Both have lousy barrel life (750-900 rounds) so not a great choice for ringing gongs or paper punching. Both use a lot of powder, kick hard for a 7 and have a lot of muzzle blast, even with a 28" barrel. With 140 grain bullets you gain 150 FPS (4% velocity gain) for an extra 20 grains (25%) of powder and 4 more inches of barrel, is a lousy trade over the Rem Mag. In the heavier 180 grain bullets you aren't even gaining 80 fps for the extra 20 grains of powder.

To me, once you get above the 7 Rem Mag powder capacity, it is time to move up to 30 calibre for more speed. A simple 300 Win Mag with a 24" barrel will throw a 140 grain bullet 200 fps faster than the STW and use 10 grains less powder doing it and will throw the 180 grain 200 fps faster also.

Be interested to hear what you decide.

My concern would be finding brass.

Dean, those thoughts on going to a 300 Win Mag are mine as well. And the 300 H&H is lingering in the back of my mind.

geez chuck, if you go the belted mag route, you will have to upgrade your measuring tool cabinet and hire a millwright and a physics professor to ever get fired cases sized properly to reload again! who needs all that hassle?!::scared :snapoutofit: :scared:

Laughing.

I don't think a 300 mag pushing the same weight bullet will fly fast than a 7 STW. That is new to me....

I have a 300 win shooting 150 gr bullet and do about 3150 roughly FPS
My 7 stw does 140 Gr at 3478 fps.

I know its not exact gr of bullet weight but the difference is noticable

I had one in a 7mm STW with a 26 inch barrel in a sako it was a good gun tell I read up on the 300 win a bit more,went into a store and there was a brand new sauer 202 in 300 win and I liked it,but that lasted 8 months and back to my 7mm rem mag as my go to gun.DEAN is dead on on his post ,no if what's or butt's,i know he's right cause I try it all out and if you want push a bullet at those speeds a 300 win can do it better or just as good.For and extra100 feet on the stw side till heavier bullets the 300is darn close and ammo is all over at half the price.

I don't know of an actual 140 for 30 cal but here is the load data that brackets it, 130 and 150 grain. Less powder, same speed and only 24" of barrel. Add another 2" and they will be moving faster than the STW with a 26" tube. I might add Nube that your speed for a 140 grain bullet is over 100 FPS FASTER than anything I can find published in the Hodgdon site.

Fastest published Hodgdon load, 24" tube 139 grain 7 STW

Hodgdon Retumbo .284" 3.585" 83.0 3,165 47,700 CUP 88.0C 3,347 54,300 CUP

Hodgdon Load site 130 grain bullets 300 Win Mag 24" Barrel

IMR IMR 4955 .308" 3.300" 76.5 3,247 52,800 PSI 81.4 3,471 62,900 PSI
Hodgdon H4831 .308" 3.300" 77.0 3,116 44,900 CUP 82.0C 3,383 51,300 CUP
IMR IMR 4350 .308" 3.300" 73.0 3,214 50,700 PSI 78.0 3,466 62,300 PSI
Winchester 760 .308" 3.300" 67.0 3,219 47,000 CUP 71.0 3,360 52,300 CUP
IMR IMR 4007 SSC .308" 3.300" 69.6 3,209 52,600 PSI 74.0 3,394 61,600 PSI
Hodgdon Varget .308" 3.300" 64.0 3,218 45,600 CUP 68.5 3,398 52,100 CUP
IMR IMR 4064 .308" 3.300" 64.0 3,217 51,600 PSI 68.3 3,427 62,900 PSI
IMR IMR 4166 .308" 3.300" 61.8 3,249 53,600 PSI 66.5 3,439 62,100 PSI

150 Grain Barnes TTSX 300 Win Mag

Hodgdon Hybrid 100V .308" 3.325" 68.0 3,140 50,700 PSI 73.0C 3,340 59,900 PSI
IMR IMR 7828 SSC .308" 3.325" 78.0 3,120 51,100 PSI 83.0C* 3,321 60,000 PSI

Why would anybody shoot 130 grain bullets out of a 300wm? I've pushed 208grain bullets
out of a 300wm at 3050fps and 190s at 3100 with a 26" barrel. As far as I remember an stw will spit a 180 out around that 3100 mark give or take (correct me if I am wrong)
Deuceman we can't all be welders.........

In the 300 win you can push a 140 grain to 3350 to 3400,150's 3300,168 up to 3200.The stw a 140 up to 3400 ,154 3200,162 grn 3150.

Where the 300 win takes over is around the 162 grain and up.but not buy much
So skip both and go to the 300 wsm then you have way milder recoil very close ballistics,less powder ,just neck size and good to go on and on.I shoot 150,in the wsm at 3250 and 180' with vith n560 to 3140,plus if want to burn my barrel 125' 3700ft per sec in the 300 wsm.It's a great cartridge and I will never look back.At a 750 yrds with 190's it's still going strong at around 1800 and 1400 ftper sec at 1150 that's a lot of punch for a smaller cartridge easy to handle by 25 percent.And no brake,it would be a cake walk with a good brake ,but you don't need it.

I typically push 140gr bullets 3500fps out of the 7mmstw, and when comparing the same style of bullet, the .284 bullet will have a higher B.C. than a .308 bullet of the same weight, so the .284 bullet does have an advantage down range. As for barrel life, I have only replaced one 7mmstw barrel, and the accuracy didn´t start to fade until around 1200 rounds, and I had it rebarreled at 1500 rounds.

Yes you are right about the bc is given you the edge down range,but in 308 in heavier bullets some 190's,have a bc of .670 and then the advantage is the other way,put a 190 in your stw and let me know how it goes or a good 180.Plus your guns are mostly custom made for you,i am talking right out of the box with no brake.

I don´t use brakes on any of my rifles. As for being custom rifles, it doesn´t have a significant effect on the ballistics.

Yup mine fly pretty fast lol I chronoed them myself is how I know so no guessing. RL22 is the powder. Not sure what Gr of powder but I think 81 or
83 they are hot but not to where i feel they are too much.
As for barrel life I have shot a pile out of it. Still shoots 3/4 inch at 100 yards. Blasers are made with a harder steel than most rifles and would think it will last longer. I'd still take a STW over a 300 anyday. Have had both rifles for a long time and shot a lot with them.
The 300 will do better at longer ranges with a heavier bullet but lets face it, most hunting will be done at under 400 yards. I pretty well right at any critter up till 400 yards. If you want to play the long distance game then that is a whole different ball game but for hunting purposes a STW works well for me.