Novice rifle reloader- Should I reload for my new 7WSM .

[mathewsconquest2]

My brother just gave me all of his rifle reloading equiptment because he doesn't have the time to load anymore. He is going to walk me through the entire loading process.

I plan on loading for my 7m-08 ,but should I load for my new 7WSM ? I was going to buy factory loads this year for the 7 WSM. I guess I'm concerned that the 7WSM is such a new caliber. Does anyone have a load recommendation for both the 7m-08 and/or the 7WSM ? I will be using these loads for whitetail deer in Wisconsin. My longest shot may be 100 yards.

-Mathewsconquest2

[Carpmaster]

I would personally reload for the WSM, most of the newer, if not all reloading manuals contain data on it. If your shots are limited to 100 yards you'd be hard pressed to beat your 7 -08 with a good 150 grain bullet.

[marty1028]

I would reload for all your guns. If you learn how to do it rught your guns will shoot better than any factory load. It takes a long time to get a great load worked up but in the end it is worht all the time.

[driftrider]

I absolutely would handload for it.

Not only will you get a lot more trigger time (more rounds for the same amount of cash), you'll also be able to work up a "pet load" specifically suited to your rifle.), it also allows you to have a couple different loads for different purposes (range/plinking, a deer load and perhaps an elk/moose load as well.

My next rifle will be either a 7mm or .300 WSM, but I haven't decided which. It's a tough call because both have performance plusses I like. The .300WSM has better bullet selection and has a slight downrange advantage, but the 7mm isn't far behind and can shoot lighter bullets with awesome BC's with a little less recoil. It's a tough choice. Fortunately I'm not in a big hurry to make it.

As for handloading, I handload for all my centerfire calibers and wouldn't have it any other way. The only factory loads I use now are for my shotguns and my .22LR. A set of dies costs $30-75 unless you go ultra-premium (which isn't really necessary), and with a little care will last a lifetime and load countless thousand rounds for half or less the cost of store bought ammo.

If the situation were a little different and you didn't have the gear already, and you didn't shoot much except a few shots before and during deer season, I'd say dont bother handloading. But if you have the reloading equipment already there's no good reason NOT to handload.

Good luck,

Mike

You should do yourself a favor and reload for that WSM. You will be so happy with the ease of reloading these WSM. I haven't seen an easier caliber to reload for since the 308win.

[Wolf killer]

I think you should reload for your 7mm-WSM. The only reason I would tell you not to reload would be if you are strapped for cash or time? Finding a "pet load" can burn up time & money. I have only found pet loads for my 223 & 22-250 on the first day. Most rifles take me several days if not weeks of range/reloading bench time to find what I like. I get picky about my groups. I figure if I am going to take the time to reload, I want to be 100% happy with the end result.

[oldelkhunter]

Since you have all the reloading equipment already you should reload the 7WSM. It will enable you to shoot more and try out different components to see which you like better. I will say that the factories load this ammo full tilt so it will usually match advertised velocities and it is very accurate. There is a good selection from Winchester with bullets that will do the trick on any sort of game short of varmints and Federal has a particularly good assortment of bullets for that caliber including the accubond and the old solid base nosler which is a great medium game bullet. You can buy the Hornady #6 manual and there will be good info on the 7 wsm in there as well. Most powders work well in the WSM's and SAUM's and you'll find these cartridges not real finnicky when it comes to handloading. For the length of shots your talking about I would use a premium bullet to avoid fragmentation at close range. I would not use Winchester 150 grain powerpoints in the 7wsm on any game ever again after the way it performed on 3 out of 4 deer I killed this year.