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Old March 7, 2005, 08:59 PM   #1
trigger45
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reloading the 7mm Rem Mag

whats the hardest thing about reloading the 7mm mag? how long does the brass last? sould i get the $100 dies or will the $20 -$40 ones work? any other info willl be wonderful. does the belt cause problems?
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Old March 7, 2005, 09:15 PM   #2
HSMITH
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What kind of rifle is it? How accurate is the rifle with factory loads it likes? How accurate do you want it to be? What is the intended purpose of the loads you want to build?

If you are building ammo for a target rifle or expect target grade accuracy a nice set of dies like the Redding competition series are well worth the money. If you want to make good hunting ammunition then you can use the lower cost die sets with good results.

Brass will last differently depending on pressures. If you are running hot top end loads you will start getting loose primer pockets and/or split necks as early as 5 loadings, cases will also stretch much faster and need trimming every couple loadings when loading hot. If loads are more along the lines of factory ammo then cases might last 10 loadings, and possibly a lot more if you anneal necks every 3 or 4 loadings.
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Old March 8, 2005, 06:16 PM   #3
Ruger # 1
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The cheaper dies work just as well as the higher dollar ones. Loading for the 7 Mag. is really no harder than any other cartridge. I have had no problems with brass life so far. As long as you're not loading for the Browning BAR, your best bet is to set your dies to partially size your case. If you set up this way, you are headspacing off of the shoulder instead of the belt. This will greatly increase brass life.

Hope this helps!
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Old March 8, 2005, 09:28 PM   #4
Mike Irwin
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One of the biggest PIAs about loading belted magnums is that you can sometimes get a pressure ring right at the top of the belt that resists resizing, and it can cause chambering problems.

The solution to that is, of course, Ruger's neck sizing only.

I really like the 7mm Mag., but I REALLY wish someone would make a version, identical in every way, save for the belt.

Same with the .338. I'd love one without the belt.
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Old March 8, 2005, 10:19 PM   #5
Robert M Boren Sr
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Quote:
I really like the 7mm Mag., but I REALLY wish someone would make a version, identical in every way, save for the belt.
Check out the RUM's.
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Old March 8, 2005, 10:43 PM   #6
Mike Irwin
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The 7mm Ultra Mag is nearly 2/5ths of an inch longer than the 7mm Mag.

Why?

I want a standard 7mm Remington Magnum sans belt.

The 7mm Remington Mag. is just fine as it is, other than the belt.
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Old March 8, 2005, 11:25 PM   #7
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I agree. I've wanted a standard length beltless magnum for years. If such a thing as a beltless Holland and Holland exists, that would be great, but I have always thought it would be more practical to base it such a line of cartridges off of the modernized .404 Jeffery case, which seems to be all the rage these days. Such a cartridge line would be very similar to the Dakota Magnums save for the more common .532 inch bolt face made possible by a rebated rim as well as cheaper and more available rifles and brass. At first I was hoping that Remington would shorten their Ultra Mag line. Well, they did, but it was too short and they completely skipped the standard length action. My hope now is that Winchester, having taken the WSM case as short as it can practically be (and then some), nearly to the point of absurdity, will jump up an action length and create a line of standard length beltless magnums based on the same case. Such a line wouldn't do much that hasn't been done before, but a good case could be presented that no cartridge introduced in at least the last fifty years has really done anything too new and exciting. Ballistic performance might be on par with the Weatherbys, or exceeding the standards of their comparable standard length belted kin by 100 to 200 fps depending on barrel length, bullet weight, ect. But there would be no belt.

That said, I have a 7mm Rem Mag and have experienced little or no difficulty in loading for it once the dies are set up to headspace off the shoulder. My loads have always been at or near max and brass life appears very good. I don't do as much shooting as I'd like but most of my brass are on their 3rd or 4th load and once they are shined up, look and function pretty much good as new. I load Remington brass and am currently loading 160 gr Noslers and a max listed charge of RL22. I don't have a whole lot of experience loading for this cartridge or any other but I would say it is pretty much common sense--keep things sane and your equipment will last you longer.
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Old March 9, 2005, 01:13 AM   #8
Mike Irwin
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Probably the closest British cartridge, sans belt, to the 7mm Rem. Mag. is the .280 Ross. According to Cartridges of the World, using a 140-gr. bullet and IMR 4895, you can get 3170 fps out of it. Unfortunately, it's been obsolete for decades in this country.

The .275 H&H is very similar in performance, but you guessed it... it's belted. Of course, you could have an unbelted version, but it has a nice, fat, rim.

From Germany you've got the 7x64 Brenneke, which I believe is actually being chambered in a few guns these days.

There's also the thoroughly obsolete 7x66 Vom Hofe, which COTW claims beats the 7mm Rem. Mag. by 300 fps. with the 170-gr. bullet. Toasty.
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Old March 9, 2005, 01:53 PM   #9
MLC
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Mike, the 280 Ackely improved is the closest I think you can get to a beltless 7mag that is similar in dimension and performance.
It's darn close to the 7mag in all velocities.
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Old March 9, 2005, 04:37 PM   #10
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Quote:
whats the hardest thing about reloading the 7mm mag? how long does the brass last?
Paying for powder when you're getting only about 100rds per pound.
My brass doesn't last very long due to the ring problem Mike mentions above. This usually happens after about 5 firings. I don't like shooting or reloading my 7mm Rem Magnum much. It's not a very economical or efficient cartridge.
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Old March 25, 2005, 11:45 PM   #11
bobelk99
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Loading 7MM

I have shot a Remington 700 7Mag some 4,000 times (not a typo) with various loads using 'cheap' RCBS dies and Remington brass. Get 5 to 8 reloads per case depending on pressure.
I realize every gun is different. I settled on 175 Nosler partition semi-spitzer for hunting elk. 5 shot groups bench were around .75 inches with 60.0 grains of IMR 4831.
Most accurate load was 162 grain Nosler solid base, with best 5 shot bench group of .372. This was with 61 grains of IMR4831
Keep primer pockets clean, and check length before every reload. Watch the belt bulge. This has not been a problem for me. I did suffer one partial case separation due to not checking brass closely enough, and loading once too many. I now discard brass after 8 reloads regardless of appearance.
IMR 4350 proved to be 2nd most desirable powder.
Belted mags are finicky. I suggest starting 10% below max, and testing upward a half grain at a time to find the accurate load for your gun. Using this process I have shot belted mags over 10k times with no mishaps.
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