To Mr. Deer Hunter,
A man posts for the very first time to multiple forums, looking for honest feedback and advice, and you belittle him, suggest that he's high on dope, and accuse him of shilling...
Yep, a real ambassador for our sport, you are.
I shouldn't even dignify your post with a reply, but some of your assumptions and assertions are so stupefying that I just have to set you straight.
There's a "dope" involved in this discussion, all right. But it isn't in any pipe of mine. To briefly clarify for you:
1) What optic I have mounted (Nikon Monarch 3-12SF in Leupold 2-piece bases) on the gun is completely irrelevant to the problem, since it was the very first thing I ruled out. I swapped out the scope with a Leupold VX-III I had on another gun, a fine shooter. No difference in groups. And the Nikon sighted in and shot "the square" perfectly on my other gun...
2) The specifics of the variety of high-end factory loads I shot from the gun are similarly irrelevant to my problem, since my post clearly said that I'd already decided to try custom load development -- I was simply looking for feedback from others who have tried these kinds of services for their rifles (not that I've gotten any of this from ANYONE yet)...
3) In the parlance (that means "lingo," Mr. Deer Hunter) of our sport, "7MM Magnum," lacking other qualifiers like "ultra" or "Weatherby," means the venerable 7MM Remington Magnum.
4) As for "smoking dope" for not spending my $395 on a complete reloading setup instead of custom load development, I'd suggest you review your own smoking habits -- because clearly they're affecting your ability to read and retain information. I clearly wrote in my post that I'd rather NOT reload. And that even if I did want to reload, going from 0-60 -- getting set up with equipment, doing the reading, putting together dozens of experimental loads, and testing them all -- between now and opening day was a low-percentage proposition. I have this thing called a "job," you see. For me, reloading time right now would come at the expense of bowhunting time...
5) Your statement that "The goal of the reloader is not always to produce a cheap round, but to produce a round that works best in your rifle," is a complete non-sequitur (that means a statement with no relevance or context to the discussion at hand). Who said anything about shooting cheap? My post clearly states that I've been shooting premium factory loads, and that I wouldn't hesitate to plunk down $395 for customized ammunition development. What part of that expresses or implies a desire to find accuracy on the cheap?
Beyond this, if you have anything meaningful to contribute to my original request for opinions and feedback about customized load development, I welcome it...
But your insulting, uninformed reply to an employed, sincere hunter who has put his hard-earned money into pursuing wild game on both sides of the equator wastes the time of this entire community.
J