7mm SAUM Rifles

[ACLakey]

I am interested in a 7mm SAUM and can't seem to find any body chambering a rifle in that caliber. My buddy found a Ruger the other day and it is a good shooter. Anybody have any info or am I up for another build?

[Rick in Oregon]

Andrew: I saw this on another forum, and agree with those posters, in that the 7mmSAUM caliber is about dead. No good reason, but I believe the 270 and the 7mm WSM stole the show due to slightly better case capacity/velocities. Remington still chambers their Model Seven in the caliber, but I don't know of anyone else.

If you really have to have a seven short mag, sounds like you need to look at the 7mm WSM, or just build a nice 7mm-08 Ackley, which is what I did. Same excellent bullet selection, shorter, lighter (true short action), less muzzle blast, better handling, shorter barrel, more magazine capacity, no belt so headspaces on the shoulder properly, very accurate, plentiful brass supply (even Lapua), probably more accurate being based on the .308 Win case, etc, etc. You get the idea. Any game animal inside of 600 yards is in deep trouble with this caliber. My good friend Darrell Holland, the Riflesmith has taken coyotes, antelope, mulies, and large bull elk with his, many in excess of 400 yards, some past 600. I know him, I know this to be true. You don't need a magnum to take any game animal in the lower 48, and your shoulder will thank you, as well as your ears.....

Here's a 120gr Nosler BT WS2 coated in the mag well of my PGW Model 15Ti in 7mm-08 Ackley to give you an idea of scale:



Compared to a .270 Win with 130gr Nosler BT/7mm 120gr Nosler BT:



There has been much written on this caliber by some very experienced writers/hunters/shooters. You may want to look into this prior to any 7mm build.... Just something to consider in the Grand Scheme of Things.......

[ACLakey]

Thanks for the reply, the 7mm-08AI is defiantly on my short list! I am actually thinking very seriously about picking up a 7mm-08 for my daughter, she will be old enough to pack it in two years and it should serve her for anything she hunts around here. What kind of velocities are you getting with the 120gr BT? How is the performance on game? After talking with Steve Timm about that bullet I think it would be a perfect combo for her. If it works out I see a 7mm-08AI for myself in the next few years.

[Critter]

Several years back I bought a Winchester M70 CFA in .300 WSM and ripped the stock and barrel off it.

Then I had the accomplished Riflesmith Mr. Freudenberg of Everett fit a 26" 7mm 3 groove Lilja and McMillan A-5 stock, along with a Jewel match trigger set at 1#.



Why did I do that you say? Well, the single most important thing in picking a rifle caliber is the available bullets. (.30 caliber has the biggest variety by the way.)

Note last two bullets on right in picture below. Berger 7mm 180 grain VLD (Very Low Drag) and .30 175 Sierra Match bullets. Ballistics coefficient on long thin 7mm bullets mean enhanced performance at very long range, because of better velocity retention. Also better wind bucking capability.



So these bullets in my view are best launched with short fat 7mm WSM cartridge into best barrel I could find. 3 groove barrel reportedly favored by bench rest shooters has been adopted by this plinker and varmint shooter.