If you have followed GRS for a while, you have probably seen us using the 7mm Blaser Magnum. This will be our hunting caliber of choice for the 2019 season with a GRS Bifrost adjustable rifle stock.
The 7mm bullets are a fine choice for hunting. In the US, this is a very popular caliber, in Scandinavia; however, it is not that common. The dominant calibers here is the 6.5 (Swedish Mauser) and 7.62 (308 and 30.06) more, and more hunters also use the 9.3x62.
So why do we like the 7mm?
The simple answer is High BC (low drag), good speed's and penetration, other than that I like the bullet case.
I remember the first time I held a 416 Rigby cartridge in my hand, the attraction was instant, and it became the cartridge of choice when hunting the dark continent. The same happened with the 7mm Blaser Magnum, It just looks great, you can see the potential, and you want to go to the range and shoot!
What are we feeding this beast?
Published reloading data is limited on this caliber; I was pleased to find Norma has some in their Reloading guide. Not the best selection of bullets in there but a starting point for powder charge and bullet weight. The loads we developed are shown below.
The standard for all loads is Norma MRP powder, WLRM primers, and Norma Brass
Standard for all loads is Norma MRP powder, WLRM primers and Norma Brass
- Barnes 171 grain Match @890m/s
- Lapua OTM 180 grain @860m/s
- Nosler Partition 175 grain @868m/s
- Norma Oryx, 156 grain @ 925m/s
They all shot well, but we like the Lapua load for target shooting, especially! The accuracy is great, even with the errors from the shooter. The targets we use at 100 meters is the same ones competitive shooters use indoors in the winter at 15 meters.
The setup for this hunting season
- Blaser R8 match barrel rifle 7mm Blaser magnum
- GRS Bifrost stock (I love these synthetic rifle stocks)
- Zeiss V8 2,8-20x56
- A Tec H2 silencer
- 7mm BM hand loads, Nosler and Norma.
- Harris 6-9" tactical bipod
- Hog saddle SS Loophole sling
The rifle will be used for red deer in Norway then reindeer and Musk Ox in Greenland, there will be a separate Blog post about that adventure. Now we are just counting the days to the season opens so we can test our products thoroughly in the field once again.
What GRS stocked rifle and caliber will you be using this year?
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All the best!
Oscar Haugen
CEO GRS Riflestocks AS