Thread: Pet Loads for the 7 mm SAUM Please.

Greetings All,
I have just started some more load development for my 7 mm SAUM that has been a safe queen for rather too long.

The rifle is a Remington 700 Sendero aquired in 2004. Remington 150 grain factory loads shoot really well and deliver around 3,070 feet per second. Handloads to date using the 150 grain Remington Core-lokt projectiles have produced equal accuracy but slightly less velocity with AR 2217 and Hodgdon max load of 68 grains. Hornady 162 grain Amax projectiles were also tried but did not produce the same level of accuracy.
In the time the rifle has been confined to barracks a whole bunch off sexy new projectiles including the 150 grain Hornady ELDX so I am keen to try some of these. The 150 grain Core-lokt projectiles required some compression of the powder so longer projectiles will likely require more compression that I would be comfortable with so a faster or denser powder might be needed. Lower than those listed in the Hodgdon data for my initial loads with AR2213SC may have been due to the use of Winchester WLR primers, now changed to Federal 215 GM.

I am still rounding up all the data I can, mostly on line data from powder and projectile companies and thought I would ask if those 7 mm SAUM users on the Forum if they would be prepared to share their Pet Loads.

Any thoughts please,
Regards Grandpamac.

162 grain Hornady ELDM and Hybrid100V powder (R26 too if you can get it). I couldn't get decent velocity with 2217 or 2213.
Another very good game projectile(s) is the 160grn Federal Fusion and TBT. TBT is pretty outstanding on deer and Tahr.

I guess it depends if you are shooting paper or animals.

What’s the twist rate of bbl? And have you measured max COAL ? For bigger pills (160 and up) you’ll probably need to seat them long and that will help with the compressed loads. I was running 160 TMKs and 162 AMAX with 2217, but speed for sweet spot was around 2880 - 3000 fps. Have been playing around with RL23 recently with 160TMKs yet to confirm optimal load but getting up to 2970 fps (61.5 gn) without hitting pressure signs. Have just rebarrelled my SAUM so will need to start again with load dev. As @Tahr says RL26 should be a good choice, but if you can’t get it then try RL23.

Greetings Tahr and Chainsaw,
Thanks for your suggestions Tahr. I will certainly look at Hybrid 100V and RL26 or RL23 if I can't, as seems likely, get up to a reasonable velocity with AR2217 and AR2213SC. I'm not looking for that last erosive foot per second, just a sound load at approaching factory velocity.
While I have not measured the twist I suspect it is the standard 1:9 or 1:9.25 used in the .280 and 7 mm Rem mag. I was a little leery of going to the 160 plus grains as I had found the 162 grain Amax less accurate than the lighter pills. This model Sendero is on the short 700 action and the max COAL is about 71 mm. I am not hard and fast on having the loads fit in the mag as long as I can some understudy loads that do. I think I will start with some 150 grain ELDX and pair them with some 150 grain Core-lokt projectiles. Long term arthritis and advancing are has limited my mobility and flexibility so my long range capability won't be limited by a lower B.C. of the projectile.
Many thanks,
Grandpamac.

Originally Posted by grandpamac

Greetings Tahr and Chainsaw,
Thanks for your suggestions Tahr. I will certainly look at Hybrid 100V and RL26 or RL23 if I can't, as seems likely, get up to a reasonable velocity with AR2217 and AR2213SC. I'm not looking for that last erosive foot per second, just a sound load at approaching factory velocity.
While I have not measured the twist I suspect it is the standard 1:9 or 1:9.25 used in the .280 and 7 mm Rem mag. I was a little leery of going to the 160 plus grains as I had found the 162 grain Amax less accurate than the lighter pills. This model Sendero is on the short 700 action and the max COAL is about 71 mm. I am not hard and fast on having the loads fit in the mag as long as I can some understudy loads that do. I think I will start with some 150 grain ELDX and pair them with some 150 grain Core-lokt projectiles. Long term arthritis and advancing are has limited my mobility and flexibility so my long range capability won't be limited by a lower B.C. of the projectile.
Many thanks,
Grandpamac.

@GWH is in the Bay and he has a lot of experience with this caliber.

I should add the RL23 load mentioned above is probably getting close to pressure max (within 0.5 - 1 gn). So start a grain or 2 lower. The 160 TMKs are easy to get shooting accurately in my experience and work very well on deer. A 1:9 twist or there about is fine for 160 gn pills

Originally Posted by Tahr

@GWH is in the Bay and he has a lot of experience with this caliber.

Sorry missed this thread, havnt been on the forum as much of late.
@grandpamac I'll send you a pm, I've always used 2217 in my 7mm SAUM with good results, but have recently started testing with Re26.

Will look forward to it GWH.
Grandpamac