7mm-08 .500S&W question

[Cracker]

Hi guys
I just traded some toys for an Encore that came with a ProHunter .500S&W, ProHunter 7mm-08 and a 12ga. My intention was to trade the 7mm and .500S&W for .308 and a 209x.50 barrels but the more I play with them the more I am thinking I may keep them.

It seems the 7mm is alot more popular than the .308. I went to MallWart to get a couple boxes of 7mm to play at the range and they were $25 compaired to $16 for the .308. I wanted to cast for the .308 and was wondering if I could cast for the 7mm but can't find a lot of info for it vs the .308.

As far as the .500 goes I am not finding very much on that being shot from a 20" barrel. I do not see why this would be any different that any other straight walled pistol case, just bigger and more powder. I am loading from the 46th Lyman and it doesn't even have the .500S&W listed.

In the trade I also got about 10 boxes of various factory .500, 1 box of loaded 7mm-08 and 4 boxes of once fired 7mm-08. I currently use 2400 and Unique I have seen a few .500 loads with Unique but how about for the 7mm? what kind of performance could I expect with these two powders? Brass is covered I would need to get molds and dies for both.

Any input would be appriciated
Thanks

[NickSS]

I have losded cast boolets in a 7X57 as the 708 is only slightly smaller in case volume the starting loads in the Lyman 48 manual for the 7X57 should work. As I recall I used about 12 gr of Unique and a 140 gr cast lyman boolit. In my rifle this gave MOA accuracy. This is not a hunting load but a fine target load. As for the 50 S&W I have shot it in a hand gun but not in a rifle. Try the Hoddgons web sight for loads.

[lathesmith]

I have an Encore in 7mm-08, it's a 24", SS barrel, and I cut a rim recess so I could use the rimmed 307 Winchester brass OR the rimless 7mm-08. I prefer a rimmed cartridge for my single shots. Is your 7mm-08 the 28" length, and is it stainless? Mine seems to like IMR 4350 and a 120-130 grain spitzer, with a less than max load it has plenty of punch and seems decently accurate. I haven't tried to work up a cast load for it as I haven't had the need for one yet. It should work fine though.

I also have an Encore rifle-length SS 209x50, but I really haven't gotten to try it out yet.
lathesmith

[TG70]

Lyman's 47th Reloading Handbook has load data for three cast bullets. I don't see any data for 2400; data for Unique is only for the 160 grain bullet (287641): 12.0 starting to 15.5 grains max, 1497 fps and 1769 fps respectively. with gas check and using Remington 9 1/2 primers.

I don't own a 7mm and have not tried the loads.

Tom

[shotman]

lathesmith what are you calling decent I have a 7mm 08 in the 24in and i borrowed a 26in ss both shot about the same . I tried 5 different loads all were about the same . I have never been able to do better than 1 1/2 groups at 100yds. A buddy has a rem 788 and it will clover the bullets at 100 rick

[lathesmith]

shotman, I'd say my Encore is shooting pretty close to yours, although I haven't actually bench tested it. Around here, 1 1/2@100 is good enough as a long shot at a deer would be 200 yards. I would like to bench check this thing, and do some load experimentation. I did have a T/C in 7-30 that would stay under an inch @100, but I no longer have that barrel, darn it.
lathesmith

[nekshot]

Personally I grab ever 7-08 I can afford. For me this cartridge has been the easiest to find that sweet load for at some point. It also is devastating on deer. Most of my children shoot these. My one daughter and I were shooting her rem 7 in 7-08 and she put three shots in one hole at 100 yards. She looked at me and said "thats not too bad is it dad?" Kinda made me proud. I never did that. Last year she hammered a buck running across the hay field with it. This year the kids are shooting reduced loads. 139 hornady, 41 gr imr4350. rem primer. In a few days we will see how they work. These lite guns shoot great with reduced loads.

[NHlever]

NEF is selling the Handi Rifle in .500 S&W, and there was an article a couple of years ago about it in "Guns" magazine along with quite a bit of different loading info. If I can find my copy, I'll try scanning that page........ I guess you'll have to save this, and enlarge it, but hopefully it will be of some help.

[C A Plater]

I have a custom 20" Encore barrel in .500 S&W and my favorite load to date is 40.0 grain of AA1680 under a 440 grain with gas check and touched off with CCI-200 primers. It is compressed slightly and chronographs at a rock stead 1650 fps. AA1680 is too slow for pistols but I think it is just right in the rifle.

[Harnic]

I have no experience with the 500 S&W, but I put a Hart 1-9" stainless barrel in 7mm-08 on one of my Ruger #1 actions & shot over 5000 rounds through it over 10 years. The 7mm-08 is an amazingly accurate cartridge! 5 shots in .2" center to center was common from mine. I never shot cast from it, but the Hornady 154 gr SP & 48 gr of IMR 4350 in Rem brass with a Rem 9½ primers was impossible to beat. That was a max load so don't start there! I see no reason why cast wouldn't shoot well in the 7mm too. 2400 would be my powder of choice with poly buffer filling the case. Have fun!

[SCIBUL]

Hello. I am actually playing with 7-08 Rem and cast bullet. The one I choosed is the Lyman 287641 (160grs Silhouette) sized at .285. I loaded it in LAPUA brass with CCI 200 primers and 23grs of VIHTAVUORI N130 with Dacron filler. That load Gave me 1636fps with light recoil and no leading. Accuracy was very good (near 1 MOA at 100 meters and a little under 3 inches at 200 meters). The boolits weren't weighted [smilie=1: ... but I made it now !! And I will test that load again !

[Seafarer12]

I have a bergara 7mm-08 barrel for my Encore and like it so much I sold my 308. It makes clover leaf 3 shot groups at 100 yards. They do cost more for store bought but if you reload they cost the same as 308. I am shooting 140 grain BTSP bulk stuff I got from Midway. As far as using pistol powders and cast bullets I dont know. I load cast bullets in my 7-30 Waters Contender for fire forming. I use 5744 and 130gr GC's for that. I use the 5744 because I can get full pressure and keep them below 2000 fps. In Lyman 49 they have info on a 160 grain cast with unique. 12 grains to 15.5 grains max at 1770 fps.

[Blammer]

that 500 S&W is a good un!

If you don't want it I know someone who may.

I think I remember 22gr of Bluedot and a 350gr GC boolit in the 500 as being a mid range load with lots of ooomph yet. Double check the powder charge.

The 500 SW is a thumper for sure!

[Wayne Smith]

I have the Encore Katadin 16" barrel in 500 S&W. I'm at work, so I can't give you any loads. I'm shooting two cast boolits I got from someone on the board, he had them made by Mountain Molds and are both very nice. One comes in around 465gr, the other around 525gr. Right now I've got the 45-70 barrel scoped and on it. I can give you some loads, but not results yet because I haven't shot the 500 since I tightened the stock bolt!

[rockrat]

Thanks NHlever, I never saw that article on the 500 S&W, with the load data.

[Cracker]

Thanks for all the replies, I have been away from the computer for the most part.

I have traded the .500S&W for a 209x50 setup and a bunch of other stuff and have gotten to the range with the 08, with the 1/2 box of GA Precision loaded with a Hornady Balistic tip bullet it was punching ragged hole groups@100 yrds.

Week before last I went to a buddies lease and took a 165# buck. It wasn't the biggest but he had scented the doe in heat I put out and was zigzaging in at a pretty good trot, I touched the trigger about 60yrds out, DRT(Dead Right There) busted his shoulder and took 1/2 a step before falling over.

I saw in the 47th Lyman the cast load with Unique. I do not know how well it will perform but I will play with it after season ends next month.

I will have to look into the 7x57 data. I would really like to find a hunting load with a cast boolit. I have read a couple articles where the base was poured with a hard alloy and the nose(front 1/3) was a softer alloy to allow for expansion. BTB also has a 140grFNGC that is heat treated that could be anealed too. For the time being while experiencing the learning curve for bottle neck cartriges(only cast/doaded for pistol so far) I am going stick with Sierra 140 GameKings and was reccommended to use Varget to start.

Again thanks for the input, Bottleneck cartridges are new so any pointer are appriciated. I am ordering dies tonight

[Seafarer12]

It is up to you but I would go with Redding dies. I have owned a few sets of 7mm-08 dies and like them the best. Reloader 19 also works well for full power jacketed loads. I need to work up a load for my 135 GC's for plinking.