7MM TCU for/with CAST BULLETS

[Olevern]

Find an old 7mm mauser and have the barrel turned off, cut off, rethreaded and chambered for your 7mm TCU.

A more moderrn rifle action in .223 would work better, don't know how you would get a 7mm Mauser bolt extractor to work extracting a .223 casing (which the tcu is based on)

for what it's worth

[Junior1942]

A more moderrn rifle action in .223 would work better, don't know how you would get a 7mm Mauser bolt extractor to work extracting a .223 casing (which the tcu is based on)

for what it's worth

Hummmmm. . . . That sounds like a switch barrel Savage originally in 223 would work. Wonder if the long nosed 168 RCBS in 7mmTCU would feed from the magazine???? The COAL of mine = 2.500".

[lbaize3]

Junior1942, you are right on the money with the Savage. The same action is used for the 223 and 308. All you have to do is cut the ejector back so that the 7tcu with a long boolit will come back far enough to eject the loaded cartridge. Easy as pie.... If memory serves me right, the COL for the 308 is 2.800, there should be plenty of room. Also, the throat of the chamber needs to be cut longer to allow for the longer boolits. This was done in both my Ruger rifle and my XP100 pistol.

[Ben_51004]

Gary,
I think you have a great idea there. I've shot 7 TCU in both 10" and 14" Contender only, and started with the Lee C285-130-R bullet with promising results. That bullet may be an inexpensive starting place for ya. And yes, they're a lot easier to handle then those .22 lead pills! A single shot is a great idea IMHO, a Ruger would be super! I also agree that any bolt with a small bolt face would be a great platform to work with. Since "plinking" is your goal, magazine feed is not critical I assume. I do understand that there are sometimes feed issues with the 7 TCU working through .223 magazines because of the difference in body taper between the two cartridges. Still, I'd be glad to work with a Rem 700, for instance.
I like your idea about doing your own stock work, but I've been there and done that, so I'd likely pick up one of the Hogue pillar bedded stocks if I was working with a Rem 700. Choices are much more limited for most single shots, however.
Good luck, and keep us informed on how the project progresses. ~Ben~

[357maximum]

Ran some loads over the beta today here are the highlights.

Lee/Miidsouth Soupcan Boolit 139 Grains lubed/checked and ready to fly in my dead stock 10" contender bull barrel wearing a bushnell 2X6 scope.

It was a bit gusty but the wind was at my back for the most part. The rest was rock solid so I do not see these loads doing much better without another nut behind the bolt.

10 shot groups:

9.0 Grains HERCO
Rem 7.5 Primer
(my fireform load)(very pleasant load to shoot)(this is a lower velocity but not a lower pressure load as my contender says it is very near max for this particular gun)
avg fps @ 1505 FPS
E.S of 28fps
Just a tick over 2inch @ 100 yards


26.0 Grains H322
rem 7.5 sparkplug
(possibly my deer hunting load this year?)
avg fps @ 1954
E.S of 51fps
Right at 1.25inches @ 100 yards

[Shuz]

The 7mmTCU, also known as the 7mm Ugalde, is an excellent cartridge for IHMSA competition.
For many years it was THE winningist chambering in the Production Class in the Thompson Center as well as other guns. My wife and I had TC's and XP-100 bolt guns chambered for this cartridge and found the Saeco 070 and H-322 to be a wonderful combo. Our IHMSA days are long gone now, but I still hold on to my 7mmTCU chambered TC that now wears a 4X EER Leupold. That combo has kilt lotsa deer.

[runnin lead]

I used the SAECO 071 out of my Contender 7TCU & XP 7-08
It's been a long time,closest match is over 4 hour drive now.
Last spring on one of many rainey days I cast about 15 # of 071's
I am just now finaly working on some test loads with those for my 7-08 rifle
With a Savage action the bolt face can be changed.
You could have Shilen make you a drop in barrel for a Savage with your choice of
chambering ,contour & twist.
You would need a barrel nut wrench,barrelvise & a set of go-nogo gauges & would not need a gunsmith.
I am starting to dream aout a 358 Win barrel ,I think it woud be a fun one with cast.

[canyon-ghost]

7mmTCU is one of my 'always on the shelf' calibers. I bought a used barrel for Contender, a 10", at a gunshow. The guys have loaded it with j-words way on out past 300 yards! It usually calls for a scope. In cast, it has a very tight group at 100 yards, even if you are only loading it casually as I am. Brass is easy to make, I use a Redding set.

The 135 grain Lyman is the one I've shot to 200 yards. A 200 yard handgun is an awesome thing.

[DrB]

Guys, I'm seeing a lot of mention of the soupcan but not the 7mm hunter.

Have folks tried both and found the hunter wanting in comparison?

I ask because I did try both and had superior results with the hunter... However, I had a sufficient supply of the hunters and a mold for same, whereas my supply of soup cans for my trial was donated and limited.

I am wondering if I should reevaluate the soupcan?

[canyon-ghost]

I used the 7mm Lyman, 135 grain gas checked. I water quenched them. My 145 grain RCBS didn't work out, too much bore ride for the short barrel.

Lyman 135 grain gas checked
15.8 grains of SR 4759

[Alan in Vermont]

When the TCU was barely a toddler I was campaigning a 10" Contender chambered for it in production class. This is a long time back, we're talking late 70s/early 80s so my memory isn't dredging up many details other than that it was a winning combination. There was a while when IHMSA was very active here in VT with three ranges holding sactioned matches.

I was using the fruit of a Lyman 287405LX (anybody know what the "LX" stands for?) for all but the rams, where I went to a 150 Hornady J-bullet. Common thought back then was that cast wouldn't hold up to full house loads in high pressure cartridges.

I can't remember, or find any notes, but whatever I was loading had both the accuracy top stay on the steel out to 200 M and the horsepower to take the steel down with any reasonable hit.