Thread: 7mm ELD-X in a SAUM, what's another projectile option?

Hey team,

I'm currently using 162 ELD-X in my 7mm saum, 2960FPS with RL26. Been happy with these, no reason to change at this stage.

I'm often targeting bull tahr, don't care for any meat recovery, just absolute bone breaking killing effectiveness if you catch my drift. These animals are tough to put down.
I'm curious if there's another projectile to consider?

Animals I take are typically between 150m - 500m. Haven't been in the position to shoot further.

Cheers

Im still using 162 Amaxs in my 7Saum at 3,050. They absolutely smash big bodied Reds. Huge damage at your max range and beyond.

I shot two reds over the weekend at around 350 yards, both high shoulder shots, neither of them took a step. The bullet expands rapidly and imparts huge damage and shock up into the spine and CNS, resulting in instant drops in their tracks. If i do my bit right and hit my aiming point, nearly all the deer I've shot recently just poleaxe on the spot.

The 162 Eldm would be closer in construction to my old Amaxs, where as the eldx is slightly heavier in construction i believe.

168gr Berger hunting would also work well.

ELDX are great if mainly Bull Thar especially as you are pushing them quite quick. Worth looking around but I’d stick with them

I have heard great things about Berger Classic hunters but have not tried them myself.

160 TMK are very good.

above options all good in my experience or reds, for bull tahr, given you want to anchor them with shot thru both shoulders then a bonded projectile like 160 Accubond or 150 Swift Scirrocco or 150 IB would all work well at ranges you've mentioned.

140accubond? 160fusion?
Not great at range but am sure if you stoked the shit out of them they would be savage at 500m.

The saum often has mag length restrictions which restrict velocity

The 150g Nosler Ballistic Tip with its stubby ogive and reasonable BC can restore previously lost powder capacity when loaded long.

The extra velocity gained and it’s solid copper boat tail is very useful on stubborn heavy game animals.

Don’t forget Nosler are listing a 160g Ballistic Tip -which would suit NZ game animals.

160 tmk is ment to be the closest thing to the original amax so iv read of late . Iv had the eldx fail on me lots iv no love left for them . The amax was an amazing pill for me killed absolutely everything . I find bergers gold for wrecking big tough animals 168 classic hunter or the vld with the better bc

interesting reading replies...no one has yet suggested old school projectiles...something bog standard like hornady interlocts....or partitions....pretty sure both have been knocking big hairy goaty things off their perches in lofty heights since long before SAUMs were invented and will probably still be doing so long after the shine has faded.....

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

interesting reading replies...no one has yet suggested old school projectiles...something bog standard like hornady interlocts....or partitions....pretty sure both have been knocking big hairy goaty things off their perches in lofty heights since long before SAUMs were invented and will probably still be doing so long after the shine has faded.....

I might be doing something wrong here, am mostly using ordinary old Speer Hotcors and similar, out of ordinary old geriatric .243 and .308 and stuff just keeps on falling over, oh well, in my day we walked to school barefoot through the snow and ate barbed wire for lunch, why change now

Originally Posted by 257weatherby

I might be doing something wrong here, am mostly using ordinary old Speer Hotcors and similar, out of ordinary old geriatric .243 and .308 and stuff just keeps on falling over, oh well, in my day we walked to school barefoot through the snow and ate barbed wire for lunch, why change now

Greetings 257 Weatherby and Micky Duck,
I don't remember snow falling in Taradale in the late 50's and early 60's and if barbed wire was ever on the menu I must have been away that day. Regardless of that I have been procrastinating over loads for my 7mm SAUM Sendero for most of the time since I bought it in 2004. The rifle has the usual short mag that requires a max OAL of 71mm or there about. Long projectiles need to be seated quite deep and only the Remington 150 grain can be seated close to the lands. For a little used rifle and only 7mm I seem to have an assortment of projectiles in stock ranging from the Hornady 139 grain spire point to the Hornady 162 grain AMax. I was faffing about with projectiles on the bench the other day and found that the Speer 145 grain FB did not chew up too much powder space. BC is nothing flash by todays standards but I won't be taking any real long shots anyway. Some test loads, with this projectile, have been in the blocks for a little over 4 years so I really must take them along to the next range day and fire them. Thanks for jogging my memory.
Regards Grandpamac.

Originally Posted by grandpamac

Greetings 257 Weatherby and Micky Duck,
I don't remember snow falling in Taradale in the late 50's and early 60's and if barbed wire was ever on the menu I must have been away that day. Regardless of that I have been procrastinating over loads for my 7mm SAUM Sendero for most of the time since I bought it in 2004. The rifle has the usual short mag that requires a max OAL of 71mm or there about. Long projectiles need to be seated quite deep and only the Remington 150 grain can be seated close to the lands. For a little used rifle and only 7mm I seem to have an assortment of projectiles in stock ranging from the Hornady 139 grain spire point to the Hornady 162 grain AMax. I was faffing about with projectiles on the bench the other day and found that the Speer 145 grain FB did not chew up too much powder space. BC is nothing flash by todays standards but I won't be taking any real long shots anyway. Some test loads, with this projectile, have been in the blocks for a little over 4 years so I really must take them along to the next range day and fire them. Thanks for jogging my memory.
Regards Grandpamac.

My 7Saum being a Rem model 7 has a very short mag too, i run the 162s seated long not far off the lands, and single feed them. Which is no drama when taking a long shot.

I run a couple of 150gr SGKs in the mag when walking in, stalking with it etc.

I do all my zeroing and LR validation with the 162s then just test with the 150s to know there point of impact, which is close enough out to 200 yards.

Originally Posted by grandpamac

Greetings 257 Weatherby and Micky Duck,
I don't remember snow falling in Taradale in the late 50's and early 60's and if barbed wire was ever on the menu I must have been away that day. Regardless of that I have been procrastinating over loads for my 7mm SAUM Sendero for most of the time since I bought it in 2004. The rifle has the usual short mag that requires a max OAL of 71mm or there about. Long projectiles need to be seated quite deep and only the Remington 150 grain can be seated close to the lands. For a little used rifle and only 7mm I seem to have an assortment of projectiles in stock ranging from the Hornady 139 grain spire point to the Hornady 162 grain AMax. I was faffing about with projectiles on the bench the other day and found that the Speer 145 grain FB did not chew up too much powder space. BC is nothing flash by todays standards but I won't be taking any real long shots anyway. Some test loads, with this projectile, have been in the blocks for a little over 4 years so I really must take them along to the next range day and fire them. Thanks for jogging my memory.
Regards Grandpamac.

If your Sendero is a SF1 it will like 68g of ADI2217 and the 162 amax

If it’s a SF2 with the thicker palm swell, twin front sling swivel studs and dark coloured barrel flutes then add half a grain of powder

Velocity will hang around 3040 FPS

I have just started loading 165gr Sierra Game changers in my Saum and very pleased with accuracy. They have a much heavier jacket than the original game king or a match bullet. Have not used them on game yet but a search of the forum finds some good discussion and comments from people who have got out and actually shot game with them.

Originally Posted by AMac

I have just started loading 165gr Sierra Game changers in my Saum and very pleased with accuracy. They have a much heavier jacket than the original game king or a match bullet. Have not used them on game yet but a search of the forum finds some good discussion and comments from people who have got out and actually shot game with them.

Let us know how you get on with them as far as terminal performance goes at distance, sounds like theyre a pretty tough projectile, i know guys that have stopped using the 6.5mm Game Changer in 6.5 PRC's for this reason, they just werent frangible enough. Hopefully, the 7mm version is different.

Im down to my last 325 162gr Amax's so will have to find a new freedom seed to use at some point. It'll be a sad day as the Amax's just work so so well.