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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.....
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.Quote:
Originally Posted by AMac
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.
160tmkQuote:
Originally Posted by GWH
LOL - from your video I reckon you have your Saum very well set up and dialed in so that means by the time you run out of AMax's you have shot an absolute shit load of deer !!!Quote:
Originally Posted by GWH
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:)Quote:
Originally Posted by Micky Duck
Haha, i sacrificed two more Amaxs last weekend, but got two deer, both of them dropped on the spot. Both quite close thou at 320 and 345 yards.Quote:
Originally Posted by AMac
Greetings 257 Weatherby and Micky Duck,Quote:
Originally Posted by 257weatherby
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.Quote:
Originally Posted by grandpamac
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.
If your Sendero is a SF1 it will like 68g of ADI2217 and the 162 amaxQuote:
Originally Posted by grandpamac
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
Greetings GWH and7mmsaum,
Thanks to you both. GWH I was looking at single loading for the 162 AMax projectiles as they need a LOA of 74mm or so to get close to the rifling. this is a very long projectile so chews up a lot of powder space if loaded to mag length. Either the 145 grain Speer or 150 grain Remington would be loaded to mag length. 7mmsaum my Sendero is the early model and I have tried 66 grains of AR2217 which gave around 2,900 fps and shot low and left compared to the Remington. Will work up from there.
Regards Grandpamac.
Just a thought but Wyatt make a extended magazine kit that has a COAL of 3.2 inches its only for short action 700's so no help to model 7 owners .This requires abit of work but would solve you're length issues .
I know of 2 boxes of 150g eldx if that floats anyone's boat??
Greetings Wayno and Charliehorse,
Wayno my Sendero is original and don't, at this stage anyway, want to alter it. That might change if I can get the 162 grain AMax to shoot well out of it. Results to date have not given the same level of accuracy as the shorter projectiles. Charliehorse I had spotted the 150 grain ELDX which would be an option if the AMax don't work out. At my current rate of progress supply will likely have been restored by then. That is if I don't dawdle and the Biden re election panic buying starts. I still have some 139 grain SST's to try as well which would need to be seated beyond mag length as well. Lots of testing needed. Excellent.
Regards Grandpamac.
only thing id look at for more solid construction is a Accubond.....
edit to elaborate-
so i use the 162 eldx in the 7 Rem but i have not shot anything with it yet, which is quite surprising. normally one to make a load an go test it tomorow.. been waiting for the right moment an selective for now, a bit hesitant with the eldx at 3000fps? at close range on big sambar stags shoulders, placement is key, but even out yonder i prefer to roll a few hinds an test the eldx myself, im also only shooting game at 500m max.
if i am to change up it would be accubond-altho price stings- as they are acertain go-er in close an do open enough for 500m with insurance on the shoulders.
in sayin all of this those tipped game kings do look to have a little more to them than the eldx, but not bonded like the accubond.. may be a happy medium
I've taken a handful of deer with 162 ELD-X out of my rem mag, they're doing 3060 fps out if the 24 inch barrel.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rees
The closest was a mature fallow hind at about 60 yards, neck shot, nearly decapitated her. Wound was about the size of a softball. Furthest deer was another mature fallow hind at 400 yards, spine shot just above the shoulder start of the neck sort of area, about a golf ball sized wound and went straight through.
Shot a red hind at 320 yards just behind the shoulder, the crease I've heard it called, destroyed the lungs and pulled some out with it on exit, wound a bit larger than golf ball size.
Two more deer taken, both at about 150 yards, one a red spiker and the other a fallow hind, both shot front shoulder area, both dropped on the spot, found the bullet jacket under the skin of the off side shoulder, exactly the same performance for both animals.
I haven't shot a sambar stag, or any stag with them but I would also be cautious using them for normal shoulder shots at close range, they are pretty soft. Might be a neck shot only sort of deal or if you have the time and energy :D make a slower load, down somewhere around 2800fps for a bush load? A solid copper bullet could quite possibly suite your application, keep your ELD-X for longer shots and use a monolithic for the close stuff?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rated M for Magnum
hey bo, Cheers!
indeed, thanks for the info and that is what i would sorta expect! off topic regarding the 7 mag, but my 7-08 has the Woodleigh 140 ppsn in it, i shot it out 450m today with confidence... there is a 162 SST load i use that works with a similiar POI at 100m, and i might use the burris calculater to see what i can come up with although i think the 140 ppsn will still expand reasonable enough at 450 odd.
but that still doesnt do much the 162 eldx in close ha ha! if im going to sit on the cliff edges or steeo valley sides,i often take the 7 mag, its mostly only if ya were walking in or out that the close range comes about- im feeling like giving it a go about 2 inches behind the CREASE you speak of, giving it 10 minutes, an going to find the deer :)
shoulders, def not. it happens, but over the years i have used a 270 win with litle 130gr soft points for the biggest sambars ive shot actually, placement :) an since i movedup to better bonded stuff for the little cals as insurance.
the long range game though, wind drift an big shoulders.... can be a issue i spose!
in a long winded way- the 708 is set up now for the 0-400, an the 7 mag is that 300-500/600 m specialist i guess!
I do know where there is a heap of 150gr Accubonds and 180s too.
Deltamike has em whilst I was visiting on my travels.
Hope this helps someone out.