4 Attachment(s)
A quick 7mm - scratching an itch.
Got to confess to being a big fan of the 7mm’s. While I have a few 30cals, 6.5 and 6mm, for me 7mms are the sweet spot in terms of a hunting rifle for NZ conditions & game. I have developed a particular interest in “quick 7mms”. I should explain, my frame of reference for “quick” is the venerable 7mmRemMag, where you can expect 3000fps (give or take) with 2217 or 2225 driving 160-168gn high BC pills out of a 24in barrel. What intrigues me is the potential for non magnum calibres that might approach or match the 3000 fps RM performance criteria, smaller lighter rifles and ideally shorter barrels. This is the kind of itch you have to keep scratching. Lugging big,heavy rifles with long barrels is not much fun especially getting thru bush & scrub to reach the open tops.
I’ve spent a fair bit of time playing around with 284’s, SAUMs and 280ai over a few years now. And yes, I know the SAUM is magnum bolt face but case capacity is pretty much same as the 280. So far the 280ai has come closest to the 3000fps mark with N560 pushing 162 AMAX at 2980 fps from 24in bbl, and a very light rifle (6lbs bare). To date 284 and SAUM running 22in barrels get me around 2950 and 2930 fps or there abouts respectively . Plenty fast enough, but not quite the “quick” Rem mag performance level.
Most of my experience with 284s has been using 2209, Superformance or RL17 powders- the latter 2 yielding best performance. Had been playing around RL26 and 180 ELDMS in the 284 a while back, getting some very accurate groups but lopping along at ~ 2700 fps. Recently got to discussing the new Norma bonded projectiles with some hunting mates and did some homework on the 165gn 7mm BondStrike pills which boasts a very impressive BC 0.631.
Now how would they go with RL26 in the 284 ?
Not something you’ll find in any reloading manual. But had gathered some good info from a few GCs on here (@GWH especially) who had played with RL26 in 284s and I triangulated to a safe start point for the 165 BondStrikes and ran a ladder starting at 57gns up to 61.0. Norma brass, Fed LR primers and COL 3.150 (about 40 thou jump).
Results were very encouraging to say the least, with speed starting at 2770 and topping out at 2997fps …. out of a 22in bbl. No pressure signs at any stage including at top end - bolt lift normal, no ejector or swipe marks. Probably could go a bit higher in load but felt I was getting close to pressure. All 8 shots in the ladder forming a nice tidy cluster showing plenty of potential. See pic below.
Attachment 212744
So loaded up 3 BondStrikes at 60.7gn and 3 @ 61.0, plus 3 AMAX @ 60.5. Turns out these are running at ~3020fps but group not great so the AMAX load will need some further tweaking. Really impressed with the with consistent velocities of both loads of the BondStrikes , ES 6fps. Probably settle on the 61.0gn load for the BondStrikes & fine tune seating depth to see if I can shrink group size a bit further. A bit of operator error with a couple of pulled shots, bloody stupidly long grass around the farm after all this rain and with the bipod up high it was not optimal shooting position. Temperatures were pretty warm & humid around 25C compared to 17-18C when I ran the ladder. The 3rd shot at both 60.7 & 61.0 gave a very slightly stiff bolt lift and faint swipe mark. Which confirms my thoughts on getting close to max pressure.
Attachment 212745
Yeee-hah!! Pretty much REM mag performance out of the 284, in a 22in bbl burning 12-15% less powder (60-61 gn vs 71-73gn) & pushing 165gn pills at 3000fps. This should hold 1800fps out at 1000yds & it’s around 1100yds before dropping to 1000ft/lbs energy…. way further then I’d attempt a shot on game. I continue to be super impressed by the potential and capabilities of the 284, it truly punches well above its weight. And equally the ability of RL26 to extract extra potential from the 284, as well as a number of other cartridges especially running heavy for caliber pills. Hope there’s some more of this fairy dust coming into the country in 2023 !
My 22in 284 is built on a Tikka T3 which started off life as a 270. As you can see from photo mag length fit with the 165gn BondStrikes is no problem. The other rounds in pic are the mag are 7mmRemMag, followed by two 284s then a 7mm08 at top for comparison.
Attachment 212746
Attachment 212747
Have to try this combo in my 20in 284, should get to around 2930-2950fps which is +100fps from what I’m getting with current RL17 load.
