7 mm 162 grain Hornady A-MAX

[Uncle Jack]

I recently came into possesion of two boxes of 7 mm 162 grain Hornady A-MAXs. I notice on the box it states the need for a 1 in 8 twist. Has anyone used these in a Savage 7mm Rem Mag with the factory standard 1 in 9.5 twist? I've always shot 140 grainers in the past and never paid much attention to twist in the 7mm.

uj

[319]

If you shoot some let us know how it goes! I just came into possession of a Factory 7mm Mag barrel with a 1:9.5 twist. I would like to get some info on the 162s also.

[ande7824]

I have a stock remington sendero (i know... its not a savage.. ::)) in a 7mm Rem Mag, and shoot 168 grain berger vld's. On a normal day it will do .5-0.4's with the occasional bug hole. I believe that the factory 7mm RM barrels came in 1-9.25". So i would imagine you would be OK with the 162's. Some one please correct me if I am wrong. Good luck, post results!

[Netz]

I have the same thing, Rem Sendero, I shoot the 162's with 55gr of 4350, that might be a light load, but it is accurate in my gun.
Curt

[hunter2]

About all I shoot now in my mag that is a 1 in 9. But I use the powder form hornady's heavy mag. and get 3200 fps out of a 30".

[kweeks10045]

I shoot 162's from my 110PL. I get very good accuracy from them. I use 71 gr of IMR4831, CCI LR primer, and get 3050 fps from my 24" barrel.

[dcloco]

I shoot 162's from my 110PL. I get very good accuracy from them. I use 71 gr of IMR4831, CCI LR primer, and get 3050 fps from my 24" barrel.


Ditto for me. I am using H4831 of about the same weight and with a touch more velocity (not much though).

[Uncle Jack]

I just got an email back from Hornady's Tech Section. They told me that with the velocity of the 7mm Rem Mag the 162 A-MAX should stabilize out to at least 600 yards. At 1000 yards all bets are off.

Nice response...less that 24 hours.

uj

[dcloco]

I had no issues with my 7 mag at 1000 yards.

[wbm]

I have shot the 162 A-Max in a 110 Savage 7mm mag. H4350 gave me the best accuracy. However, once I began to load the 180 Berger VLD there was no going back to the 162. For me the 180 is the way to go in the 7mm magnum. Very impressive ballistics at 1000 and more accurate than the 162 in my rifle.

[tondar15]

I'm a bit confused....

I know people have had good success with the 180 Berger's in 1:9 twist barrels. The amount of twist you need is a function of the width and length of the bullet. In this case the width is of course the same. Is the 162 Amax longer than the 180 Berger?? I wouldn't think so unless they are completely different materials

[wbm]

Just measured a few of the 162 A-Max's and 180 Berger's I have. Came up with the following approximations.

The Berger 180 VLD Target has a BC of .659. The overall length is 1.525" the bearing surface is approximately .75"

The Hornady 162 A-Max has a BC of .625. The overall length is 1.415" and the bearing surface is approximately .70".

I shot the 162 A-Max in my 7mm Magnum and developed a load that was adequate for 1000 yard shooting. (The barrel I used is an E.R. Shaw with a 1-9 twist.) But when I began to work with the 180g Berger I soon found that it was much easier to load for and more accurate with a broader range of powders than the A-Max. The 180 also offered a significant ballistic advantage over the 162 A-Max. Give the Bergers try. I don't think you will be disappointed. I also think you will not go back to the A-Max. ;D

[tondar15]

based on your results and using the greenhill formula (T=150(D/R))

D = .284
R = L/.284 = 1.525/.284 = 5.37
1.415/.284 = 4.98

T(berger) = 150(.284/5.37) = 7.93

T(Amax) = 150(.284/4.98) = 8.55

So take this for what it's worth.. just a formula but makes me think about the next barrel I order.. Seems 1:9 may not be the best for these high BC bullets

[DGD6MM]

I shoot 162 amax and 180 jlk's out of a 7rsaum with a 1-9 twist to 1000 yards. Both are extremely accurate and I have not had a bullet failure. A friend of mine had a 1-9 7RUM and the 162 amax would blow up. I've shot against others that shot the amax in 1-9 twist barrels without a problem, they were all short mags.