7mm TCU project

[GARD72977]

I'm wanting a new cast bullet rifle. I'm think in about a 7mm TCU. It seems like a good choice for a mid-range target gun. I don't hunt anything but steel.

I'm not looking to load hot rounds so most actions should work. I have been looking at BSA, Ruger , and 1885 style actions. I'm thinking about just buying a gun and having it re barrelled.

I have seen a few Rem 40x on gun broker. 222' S seem reasonable.

This gun has no real purpose. Just good cheap shooting. And I want something different.

Lee Iaccoca hit the nail on the head. "America wants economy and will pay anything to get it" that sums up my idea for this rifle.

Any ideas on this gun?

[Loudenboomer]

I liked the TCU I had. Great for what it does. The neck is short. Not that big of a deal. The 300 Black out is all the rage now. Sounds like it may also work for you.

[GARD72977]

I have a 300/221 from fox ridge custom shop. It is a great cast bullet shooter. I have not really thought about the short neck. That may be an issue. Is the 7mm TCU cast bullet friendly?

[GARD72977]

I was thinking the TCU would be a good choice because brass is easy to form and it's stingy with powder. I don't want another 300 blackout/whisper. I don't want to get brass mixed up. Mine is the older style.

Just looking for a unique gun to add this year.

[Loudenboomer]

I must confess. My 7 TCU only fired Jaxtited bullets. Action length and boolit design may be a deciding factor to keep from to much bullet intrusion into the case.

[jhalcott]

I have 10, 14 & 21" 7tcu barrels for my Contender. It is a dandy deer gun within its limitations. I have used a lot of boolits and bullets to take deer andother critters. A friend had a remington rebarreled to 7 tcu. He hastaken several deer with it.

[jhalcott]

Since you are talking custom work, you cann specify the chamber fit for a heavy boolit. Also the twist of the rifling.

[rockrat]

How about the 30/223 then?

[kbstenberg]

I have a 7tcu barrel off of a Sav. Axis action. I am going to put up for re adoption soon.

[quilbilly]

I have both a T/C Contender carbine 18" in 7mm TCU and a Contender 10" also in that caliber. The carbine has always been my most accurate CB shooter with groups as small as .6 at 100 but usually at about .9 when I am having a normal day with the 4x scope I am using. I don't load mine hot either preferring to keep the MV at about 1850 fps with 4198 powder. The boolit is the Lee 120 gr RNGC.

[Nrut]

I have both a T/C Contender carbine 18" in 7mm TCU and a Contender 10" also in that caliber. The carbine has always been my most accurate CB shooter with groups as small as .6 at 100 but usually at about .9 when I am having a normal day with the 4x scope I am using. I don't load mine hot either preferring to keep the MV at about 1850 fps with 4198 powder. The boolit is the Lee 120 gr RNGC.
quilbilly,
Do you know the twist rate of your 7mm TCU carbine barrel?
Thanks

[TCLouis]

Don't know if Jeff still has WC 820 (M), but using it with the Junior1942 load data and the Lee Soupcan boolit it would make a cheap accurate plinker/steel plugger.

If you follow his load development post, he had venison in mind when he worked up the load.

[quilbilly]

quilbilly,
Do you know the twist rate of your 7mm TCU carbine barrel?
Thanks It is 1/9 in both the carbine and pistol. I use both the Lee RNGC and the Lee soup can boolits and have found the RNGC to be more accurate but the soup can boolit to be preferable for hunting and adequately accurate.

[Nrut]

Thanks quilbilly..
Like you I have heard others say the that the LEE RNGC outshoots the "soupcan"..

[TCLouis]

I have both molds so after Christmas I will cast boolits out of both molds from the same pot of metal and do a comparison shoot off.

I use them in 10" 7mm TCU and a Husky 7mm Mag rifle.

I have never shot a jacketed bullet thru the Husky, in fact I owned it for 10-15 years before I ever even shot it.

Fun and decent accuracy to a hundred . . . as far as I can shoot here at the house.

[saleen322]

I used to compete in Silhouette with 7 TCU. My cast bullet was the RCBS 145 GC that I sized to 0.285. I competed against guys using jacketed and I won my class a lot. I still have my 10" production barrel and the bullet mold. I don't know if that mold is still sold but it would be my starting point.

[JSH]

Having played with a 7TCU in a factory barrel, first thing I suggest is a custom. It will save a lot of time and frustration in the long run. Throats in factory barrels are all over the place. Custom gives you the ability to set that for a given bullet from the start.
It is a dandy chambering and easy to work with. 4895 and 748 were my go to powders, these were all jacketed but speeds should be in line for what you seek for accuracy.
Jeff

[jem102]

Shot a fair amount of IHMSA years ago with a 10" Contender using the RCBS 145 on chickens, pigs and turkey. Used the Lyman 160 on rams. Worked vey well using H-322 and Fed 205's.

[GARD72977]

For the moment this is on the back burner. I decided on a CPA Stevens 44 1/2 . That's a whole new problem on caliber.

After this one is paid for I may try a 7mm TCU in a rolling block. Seems like the little brother to the 7x57

[upnorthwis]

I had a Ruger #1 rebarreled and I supplied the barrel. Will never do it again. When the gunsmith handed me the bill for $700 my first thought was I could have bought a new rifle and had money left over.