Let’s talk magnums for my build.

[Iamero]

Well here’s the layout for my gear:
- Tuebor Raider SS Action DLC coated
- Timney CE two-stage
- JAE or AIAX post-2014 chassis (I have both sitting here)
- Fat Bastard brake
- barrel will depend on caliber but I do have a 26” heavy varmint x-cal barrel in my possession already if I go 30 cal.

Optics and bipods and the works will be chosen as the build is going.

Anyways, here’s the predicament I am in:

I sold my 50 BMG, so my ELR gun is no mas. As a result, I got the itch to do another magnum build but as nature has it someone had to post a 7mm Rem barreled action nice and cheap. So I bought it.

So the debate...:

Am I going to see enough of a performance boost out of a 300 Norma, 30 Nosler, or 338 Lapua to make a build like that worth the money? With bullet companies making these heavy match 7mm bullets, I’m wondering if I should scrap the build and shoot the 7mm, or sell the 7mm and do the build.

I shoot under 1 mile and have never had the chance to go to a mile or beyond yet. With that in mind, is it worth going with a big boomer like the 300 Norma or 338 Lapua, or just being happy with the 7mm until I hit that mile mark?

Talk me down from the ledge, guys. I definitely don’t need two magnums. I already ran into that problem with my mid-long range guns (257 Roberts, 6.5-284 and a 280 Rem all sitting in the safe).

 

[SkyScrapin]

My vote: stick with the 7mm. Doesn't seem like you will be gaining much except energy on target moving from 7mm to a .30+ bore. I'm also making an assumption that you will be shooting the heavies as well as find the space to reach your mile mark. I'm not sure theres really an itch to scratch unless you are looking for more felt recoil...coming from a guy who has a 338L sitting in the safe that hasn't been stretched beyond 1400 yards..but watching impacts on steel is a real treat.

SS

 

[matleez]

I agree. I have a 7-300 win mag and 180 elds can do 3100 easy with reloaded 33. Super to about 2200.

 

[Iamero]

Yea that’s what I was kind of leaning towards. There’s a lot of power in the 7mm and my last 338 hardly got touched because most distances we shot my 280 is just fine.

At what distance do you think the heavier 30 cal bullets would make a significant difference in performance?

 

[spaniel]

If you already have the barreled action and dies, I'd probably shoot the barrel out before doing anything else.

I've been on the lines and in the pits at competitions out to 2000 yards. I'd say out to ~1200 yards there was not a huge difference 338-30-7, though generally the bigger rounds were bucking wind better and scores followed...but not massively.

Past 1200 yards things changed to the advantage of the bigger guns. By 1600 yards the 7s couldn't stay on target consistently. By 1800 the 300s couldn't. The 338s were still going at 2000. From the pits, the difference was substantial. So the 300s got about 200 yards extra. Note the 7s were all RMs and the 300s WM. Nobody had a Norma or RUM or a 7-300WM. The 7 guys were shooting 180s but the 30 guys only had 200s - the separation would have been bigger with more ideal 30 bullets in use. The 338s were in a whole other class. YMMV.

If I were building a long range rig, didn't have a 338, and had a brake on it, I'd go with a big 30 in some flavor. The 30 bullets have come a long way in recent years.

 

[Iamero]

Good info Spaniel. That’s what I was looking for. I’ve only shot one match, and it was a 223 only haha. I need to get down to some bigger matches at longer range and meet some of you guys. I think I’ve traded with 50% if you but never met anyone haha.