7mm rem mag- is it worth it to cast for?

[superior]

I bought a remington 700bdl in 7mm rem mag back in 1988 and it has only had maybe 2 boxes of ammo shot through it. It's topped with a leupold 3x9 scope. I have everything I need to reload for it and have several boxes of j-words loaded up. I never shoot the darn thing as it's not exactly a target rifle and I use a stainless savage .338 win mag for everything from mice to moose( I also have a bunch of j's loaded up for it). Would it be worth it to cast for either one of these powder-hungry belted mags or would I be better off getting a new toy to play with? I own those two rifles, plus a heavy barreled savage varmint rig in .223 rem,
an sks paratrooper, and a colt ar-15. I wanna cast some rifle boolits and I'm kinda stuck on where to start. I'd like to have a good "walk around" general purpose rifle that I wont have to use fillers with and be able to shoot economically. By the way, I dont shoot the 7mm much because I always thought it was too fancy and nice to drag through the woods. Here in western Oregon with the rain and all, I dont have a problem with taking my .338 out in the weather. The .338 has a leupold 1.5x5 dangerous game scope on it. Any advice?:???:

[Heavy lead]

If it were mine, I'd rebarrel to 375,416, or one of the 458's and make a dedicated cast shooter. I've got a Rigby I never was shooting and I started casting for it and wow, what fun. If it were me as long as you already have a 338, I'd go with a one of the bigger ones (not the 375) and have some fun.

[runfiverun]

out of all the ones you mentioned the 7 is probably the easiest to make shoot.
i would opt for something else though [wouldn't have bought anything that big to begin with.]

[44mag1]

I have a 264 mag that shoots cast bullets just fine without any filler

[superior]

Is the 264 economical to operate? Does it make a good walk around gun? I'm thinking the sks might be the way to go but I dont like the idea of chasing after brass. What's a good load for the 7 that wont eat up much powder?

[44mag1]

The 264 is just a 7mm mag necked down to 6.5mm,so the rifles should be similar as far as a walking around gun. Im sure someone here who loads cast in a 7mm will chime in and give up some good loads. I like my .358 winchester for cast bullet walk around type gun. A lever action 30-30 is preferd by many and has similar ballistic to the 7.62x39.

[OLPDon]

I for one don't have a gun that doesn't shoot cast and I have 2 large gun valts full of them. Don't have a 7mm mag. but if I got my hands on one it would shoot cast. Does your bdl shoot J's well I know you mentioned it is not a target rifle if it won't shoot J's to your likeing it might not do well with cast. I would see if some one here could send you some cast's and give it a go with the Lead. After you know it don't shoot cast and you are not happy with its performance with the J's, rebarreling might be the answer or sell and get your next dream.
Don

[Boerrancher]

Here is my 2 cents worth. If I had the rifles that you do, I would take the SKS to my local gun store and trade it for either a Marlin or Winchester 30-30. If you think you will want to use a scope buy the Marlin. If you don't ever plan to use a scope and just want a light general purpose rifle then the 94 winnie in the 30-30 is you best bet.

I have heard it said that the 30-30 is a ballistic twin to the 7.62X39 round. On the surface comparing velocities it my seem that way, but when you look a bit closer and see the 7.62x39 with a 150 gr bullet averages around 1800 to 1900 fps. The old out dated 30-30 is capable of 2100+ fps with just about any reasonable powder. If you take the time to calculate the ft lbs of energy delivered on target the 30-30 is a winner by a mile.

Best Wishes from the Boer Ranch,

Joe

P.S. with the prices I have seen a good many SKS's and other Military Semi Autos selling for, you can probably work out a straight out trade, and maybe even get some reloading dies to boot.

[superior]

The big 7 shoots j's just fine @1 moa with 140 gr partitions. I bought it thinking it would be my long range pronghorn rifle to use in EASTERN Oregon. I say it's not a target rifle because it would be pretty hard on barrels. I dont do much target shooting with the .338 either because it kicks like a donkey but I can get 1.5 moa with that now that I put a decelerator on it. I use 200gr ballistic tips with the .338. The thing is, I want the satisfaction of shooting cast boolits from now on when I go into the woods. I've never made it over to the eastern part of the state to take advantage of the 7's intended purpose and it just sits in the safe. I'm seriously thinking of selling it to someone who will get some use out of it. I'm thinking a lever action in 45-70 will make me very happy for all my needs.

[superior]

I missed your reply boerrancher. But now that I see it, I would rather trade the 7mm. Any idea what it would bring? (remington 700bdl with leupold varyx2 3x9 in as new condition)

[Boerrancher]

Superior,

It ought to be worth no less than $550 to $600. I haven't priced New Remington Rifles in a while but I know that in 1993 I paid wholesale for a Remington 700 BDL in a 300 win mag and by the time I got the scope on it, even at wholesale(worked in a gunshop) I had a bit over $600 in it. I am sure they have went up in price over the last few years.

If you had its original box you could sell it for like new.

Best wishes from the Boer Ranch,

Joe

[superior]

Thanks, Boerrancher. I think I'll have my gun shop appraise it before I pick out a new rifle. That way I'll know the actual cash value to them before I agree to trade it.

[BOOM BOOM]

HI,
Have 7mm mag & 7mm/06 like both.
Have shot many 1000's of j bullets through both. Don't worry you are not going to wear out the barrel of a bolt gun unless you shoot a lot!
Have shot many 1,000s of cast in both.
Dep. Al was going to do some Mid. range & High vel. research with The 7mm mag. a while back.
I have had good luck with squib (low vel.) loads of 700X, green dot, & unique in the 7mm mag.
But a couple of years ago decided it was better as an elk gun. The /06 is more fun.
Your 338 ought to do great w/ cast & heavy bullets. With squib loads it would be fun to shoot & for rabbits and such. W/ loads near 2,000'/s or more it would do for big game.

[superior]

Thx BOOMBOOM. I was hoping somebody would recommend the .338 as a candidate. I love the Savage 166FSS and as long as I can come up with an economical load for it, I think I'd be happy carrying it around. The last time I checked Midway and Midsouth, I didnt see any gas checks available for it. Where can I get some?

[superior]

Correction: Savage 116Fss, not a 166 lol

[shotman]

I load some 7mm mag cast the brass/nickeled dont last too long. They tend to split when you expand for cast. Mine shot good I dont have load here but it was unique and a Lyman287346
The 338 Lee boolit is great in a 338-06. Dont know if you would have same splitting as the 7mm or not. I like 5477 in the 338

[Hardcast416taylor]

Shotman, would you have any loads for the 338/06 using the LEE boolit. I have shot enough J-word stuff thru it and now want to shot cast. :confused: Robert