Thread: 7mm mag and 180gr ELDM

Anyone shooting the Hornady 180eldm in 7mm?
If so id be interested to know the details of your setup -

Barrel length & Twist rate
What rifle/action are you using and what is your COAL?
Single feed or mag fed?

What powder / components are you running, and what velocities are you seeing?

Im in the process of putting something together with the intention of shooting these projectiles at 3000+ fps, magazine fed, so am interested to know if anyone else is running these projectiles, what sort of performance are you seeing, and what setup you are running.

cheers

7mm blaser mag 180 eldm's at 3075. Will measure COAL and let you know

Originally Posted by Gkp

7mm blaser mag 180 eldm's at 3075. Will measure COAL and let you know

Nice. Whats the go with brass for it?

I had 2850fps from a 7mm rem mag. I didn't try for more speed but feel I was getting close. 2225,215fed, norma cases. Rifle had a long mag so could seat out with no compression. Was floating around 71gns of powder. Would think 2900fps might be doable but to get to 3000fps you'll most likely need a fractionally bigger case or runs at a higher pressure or longer barrel. Every rifle is different some will some won't of the same caliber. Best to go with one that is proven for that weight bullet and speed. Rl33 might be worth a try as it's often 100fps up on other powders. Unless you're consistently shooting over 1000yrds 2800-2900 is plenty

Originally Posted by r87mm

I had 2850fps from a 7mm rem mag. I didn't try for more speed but feel I was getting close. 2225,215fed, norma cases. Rifle had a long mag so could seat out with no compression. Was floating around 71gns of powder. Would think 2900fps might be doable but to get to 3000fps you'll most likely need a fractionally bigger case or runs at a higher pressure or longer barrel. Every rifle is different some will some won't of the same caliber. Best to go with one that is proven for that weight bullet and speed. Rl33 might be worth a try as it's often 100fps up on other powders. Unless you're consistently shooting over 1000yrds 2800-2900 is plenty

Plan is to run a 30" long, 8 twist barrel. The mag will allow for a COAL of 3.5" / 89mm so should allow for a reasonable length? How big was your old mag and/ or COAL?

if you're planning on a custom build then definitely check out the 7mmBM option. Brass is no issue - Norma have it, and its way cheaper than Nosler28. As per post above from @Gkp the 7mmBM will get you 100 - 150 fps over a 7mm rem mag and burn less powder doing it. I'm getting 3050 - 3060 fps with 180 VLD's & RL26 in 26in bbl. It's a super efficient cartridge. Its half way between rem mag and N28. Only expense on the BM is cost of dies. Buy once cry once.

Originally Posted by chainsaw

if you're planning on a custom build then definitely check out the 7mmBM option. Brass is no issue - Norma have it, and its way cheaper than Nosler28. As per post above from @Gkp the 7mmBM will get you 100 - 150 fps over a 7mm rem mag and burn less powder doing it. I'm getting 3050 - 3060 fps with 180 VLD's & RL26 in 26in bbl. It's a super efficient cartridge. Its half way between rem mag and N28. Only expense on the BM is cost of dies. Buy once cry once.

Thanks for the info. The reason im considering running a 7RM as opposed to something more exotic is due to the overall cost to play, & availability of brass.

I already have a .338lm which has expensive brass (and projectiles). A quick look online places the 7mm blaser mag brass right up there with the .338LM, or maybe even more expensive - which is just not what im trying to achieve.
Im trying to have similar ballistic performance to my .338 with less hassle involved. Less component costs, less recoil, less fuss, and similar or better ballistics.

I think the two big selling points for me on the basic RM are -
A - the brass is comparatively cheap and available
B - the action for my rifle is very large so I should be able to seat the projectiles fairly far out as not to dig into case capacity (if I choose to run a mag). I think more modern cartridge designs alleviate that issue in a "normal" sized action, but I don't think its an issue for me as the action is massive (TRG M10). If I run a ,300wm mag its can take a COAL of 3.5", or if I bent the feed lips on a .338 mag a little bit I might be able to run a .338 m10 mag which allows for a 4" COAL.

If 7mmBM had comparably priced brass id consider it, but due to above reasons I don't think its the best option for me.

7mm wsm could be another choice.... 162 eld doing 3005 (was going to go rem mag and then this came up)

Originally Posted by 223nut

7mm wsm could be another choice.... 162 eld doing 3005 (was going to go rem mag and then this came up)

Problem with going with WSM is none of the TRG M10 mags are setup for a short magnum. There are basically 3 mag sizes and all of them will all fit in the action.
One for .308 cal which allows for 74.5mm COAL
one for .300wm which allows for 89mm COAL
and one for .338lm which allows about 102mm COAL.

So ideally, I want to use something that would fit and feed from mags designed for those calibers and that I can fit within those dimensions if I want to mag feed.
The WSM might feed from the WM magazine but I don't really want to find out the hard way.

Technically I could easily run the Nosler cartridges or almost anything else up to a .338LM bolt face size, but I really want to balance performance with barrel life and the cost/availability of brass which is why most of the more exotic stuff is off the table.
I could gain a little with a fancier cartridge, but I think what ill end up with will be cost effective and still very capable. Especially with the long barrel.

Plan is to have it throated so a 180ELDM is close to the lands when seated to the 89mm that the 300WM M10 mag allows. That allows about an inch of the projectile to be sticking out in front of the case and still fit in the mag.

Don't have coal. I load using a comparator so i was 10 thou off the lands based on ogive. It was in a blaser which have a long mag and action as they accommodate bigger cartridges. 30 inch barrel probably would do it. Talk to Greg at terminator as he's a wealth of knowledge on such things and would probably know straight up whether a 7rem with 30 inch barrel would do it. I seem to remember guys getting these sort of speeds with similar length barrels and smaller case capacity cases for bench rest shooting. They use barrel length rather than lots of powder to get the speeds they want. I would imagine it helps with case life and barrel? Have a look on 7mm Cartridge Guide - 6mmBR.comhttps://www.6mmbr.com › ...
they got close or better with 7saum and wsm using long barrels.
Sorry about link not that great with computers

Thanks. Hopefully he will chime in. I actually asked Greg first off if he'd like to take on this job, though it wasn't to be

What im most interested in is -

7mm RM with 180gr ELDM. COAL, Powder charge, Velocity, and barrel length.
The achilles heel of the 7RM (that I can see) is that with most actions/mags (SAAMI 7mm RM spec in general) you need to seat the projectile really deep into the case in order to fit it, which takes up capacity thus reducing velocity. (not to mention factory twist rates generally not suited to the heavies)

So im interested in COAL as that dictates how much powder you can cram in the case, then velocity & barrel length in relation to this.

My thinking is ill have more capacity to play with than most people would, as I can seat projectiles out further than most due to the large action thus less reduction in case capacity for powder. Combined with the long barrel I think ill be close. (quick load predicts ill get above 3000fps with relative ease)
I would prefer 3000fps and the ease of dealing with the run of the mill 7RM cartridge, than I would 3150fps and have to deal with expensive & hard to find brass etc.

I appreciate everyone's input. Its most interesting

I've got some 7rem brass somewhere and some 180eld's and should have my load specs. I'll throw a dummy one together and give you a coal when I get home The powder did rattle so I knew I had plenty of space left for the load. Which gives the option of a slower powderqnd more if it

Originally Posted by ChrisW

Thanks for the info. The reason im considering running a 7RM as opposed to something more exotic is due to the overall cost to play, & availability of brass.

I already have a .338lm which has expensive brass (and projectiles). A quick look online places the 7mm blaser mag brass right up there with the .338LM, or maybe even more expensive - which is just not what im trying to achieve.
Im trying to have similar ballistic performance to my .338 with less hassle involved. Less component costs, less recoil, less fuss, and similar or better ballistics.

I think the two big selling points for me on the basic RM are -
A - the brass is comparatively cheap and available
B - the action for my rifle is very large so I should be able to seat the projectiles fairly far out as not to dig into case capacity (if I choose to run a mag). I think more modern cartridge designs alleviate that issue in a "normal" sized action, but I don't think its an issue for me as the action is massive (TRG M10). If I run a ,300wm mag its can take a COAL of 3.5", or if I bent the feed lips on a .338 mag a little bit I might be able to run a .338 m10 mag which allows for a 4" COAL.

If 7mmBM had comparably priced brass id consider it, but due to above reasons I don't think its the best option for me.

What about a 7mm Practical (7mm-300WM)

It should do what you want easy. Cheap and easily available brass.

It'll put you much closer to the ballistics of your 338LM
Without the expense of 28 Nosler brass

Originally Posted by GWH

What about a 7mm Practical (7mm-300WM)

It should do what you want easy. Cheap and easily available brass.

It'll put you much closer to the ballistics of your 338LM
Without the expense of 28 Nosler brass

Now we’re talking. How does one make the brass?
If made by die sizing it could suit me, if it needs fire forming then it’s not for me.

Originally Posted by ChrisW

Now we’re talking. How does one make the brass?
If made by die sizing it could suit me, if it needs fire forming then it’s not for me.

A straight neck down on 300wm

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