7-30 Waters: good, bad, ugly?

[Kraschenbirn]

The 7-30 in a TC is a pretty flexible 'all-around' cartridge. Once upon a time (early 1980s), I shot a Super 14 in the old IHMSA '7R Intn'l'....30-30 necked down to 7mm with an Ackley shoulder...for metallic silhouettes. A few years later, acquired a 7-30 Waters barrel and found that it shot quite well with the same loads I'd developed for the 7R.

Bill

[buckweet]

I've been shooting my 23" 7-30 carbine.
Love it.
Extremely accurate.
Everyone should have a 7-30 waters.

[marshall623]

My super 14 7-30 is a shooter . I have done 4 shots in 1 1/2" @ 200 yd. with 120 sierra ' s . It shoots cast great as well . If it was me I would be on the way there.

A good load in my 14" is the NOE 150 Hunter over 25.5 gr of H4895 .

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

[Texas by God]

I’ve never been much of a Contender fan but a hermit friend on the river let me shoot his once from the top of my pickup using a Wrangler jacket for a rest. Three shots at 100 yards landed in the center of the Ace of Clubs playing card that he taped to a cardboard box. This was with Federal factory ammo. So I’m a nostalgic fan of the 7-30 Waters.

[cwlongshot]

I have had a 14" since early '90's bought a carbine barrel late 90's. Sold all 2000 bought a carbine back couple years ago. Watching for another 14".

130g SSP and 4895 has produced somemone hole groups last week!!

I just picked up a soup can and got a 132g NOE couple weeks back. I havent shot a cast bullet yet. Waiting on a sizer.

CW

[Jedman]

I’m in the process of making a handi barrel in 7-30 as I speak. I have 3 - 7mm takeoff barrels and when I get them all turned I will rent a reamer and get them chambered but it isn’t going to be for this deer season as I have a few projects that will get finished first. They will all be liners to fit 20 ga. barrels.

Jedman

[P Flados]

I have a 10" 7 TCU and shoot it a lot. I load my powder coated and gas checked Lee 128s real close to 100% fill with WC 844 (milsurp H335) and get sub 2 MOA groups. For offhand practice shooting, I go through a lot of ammo with a mouse fart load I worked up with a 70 gr boolit.

I have a number of 14" barrels (7 TCU, 30 Herrett, 30-30, 357 Max) that I rarely shoot. These might get more action if more of my shooting was at longer distances off a of bench. However, most of my shooting is at a nearby indoor range with 40 yards max.

For actual hunting, the 7-30 will provide a good bit of additional effective range when shooting J words if you can find an accurate load.

However, a 14" 7-30 probably has more case capacity than optimum for cast bullets. You will probably not be able to maintain accuracy all the way to full power unless you either get lucky, or you have a lot of skill in the "high power cast" game.


EDIT: After posting, I saw that this is a 7 year old zombie thread ....

[Rapier]

The TCs achieve best accuracy when headspacing on the shoulder not the rim. So the close on a die formed case should be tight and should fire form with one shot, using a stout load. It is not a bolt gun. If you treat the TC like a bolt gun you will get misfires and not so good accuracy.
I prefer the 145 RCBS cast silhouette bullet and in J bullets 130 grain Speer flat base spire point or the 140 grain Hornady Interloc flat base.
For cast, 4227 or RL-7 and in Js bullets 4895, 4198 or 3031 or 2015.

[MT Gianni]

I love my 23" bbl. My friend has one his kids have used as their elk rifle. He shoots only factory ammo and they have 3-4 cow elk and a couple of raghorns from it.

[BK7saum]

I have a 16" T/C barrel in carbine configuration. It is a shooter. I don't use it much anymore, but it has been a first hunters rifle for several friends and family for years.

[cwlongshot]

Shut mine again yesterday, 4095's working really good with jacket but I haven't been able to find a good cast load yet. I've got an NOE 288–132 and 7mm Lee soup can.

CW

[MT Gianni]

Try the soup can and about 7 gr-10 gr Unique. I use 9 for my fire form load and it is accurate.

[wallacem]

I shot 7-30 waters for years, then realized my 30-30 will do everything the 7-30 will, and with a wider choice of bullets and weights. Dumped the 7-30 and love the 30-30, especially in my MGM bull bbl on my Encore.

[oscarflytyer]

14" Contender in 7-30. Puts three Federal Sierra 120s into an inch at 100 yds. The 94 in 7-30 Waters is going to the woods this weekend. It is really too pretty to drag up and down a stand, but screw it. Getting too old to just let it sit. And I LOVE Levers. Same ammo/same results

[Cheap Trick]

I knocked a buck down last weekend with a 21" 7-30 Waters, Contender Carbine. Three point western count, eight point eastern count. I used Speer's 130 grain boat tailed with AA2520, this combo will generate over a thousand foot pounds of energy out to 450 yards! Killed him like a bolt of lightning. I had bought this barrel for my wife and kids to use for deer hunting, The kids grew up and my wife is uninterested in hunting, so I thought that I should kill a buck with it before selling the barrel. The truth is that it is such a sweet, accurate, light, powerful rifle that I should keep it.