any 7 tcu people here?

[argie1891]

i have had a contender in 7tcu for years. got it right after it came out. the following loads showed no high pressure signs in my contender... as a cast bullet shooter i mostly have data for cast but do have some for jacketed bullets. one load that i really thought would be a great deer load was the rcbs 145gr. cast with 28.5 gr. of h335. the average velocity from my 10 inch barrel was 2158fps with a s.d. of 8.4 and an extream spread of 30 fps. i know that sounds hot but like i said it showed no signs of excessive pressure cases fell out and primers looked normal. 22 gr. of rl7 gave 1812 fps but es was 108 with the same bullet..  well i need to find my older record book as i don't have any jacket bullet data in the one that is handy. when i find it i will post more. for years i have been considering re barreling a m-700 in 222 Remington to 7tcu. it should make a real neat little rifle a medium heavy barrel and nice piece of walnut darn now i am thinking again. argie1891

[HighlandLofts]

Here's what my son uses in his 7mmTCU,

For fire forming the brass I use 19 grains of Accurate 1680 with 175 grain speer bullets.  You want to use a heavy bullet for forming the cases. I use Hornady 139gr SST for hunting seated at .003 off the lands with excellent results. As always start low and work your way up. what shoots best in mine may not be what is best in yours.

 All loads are using the 139gr SSTs. I have used 26 grains or Accurate 2460 with CCI 400 primers averaged 1.2" groups at 100 yards.

 I have also used 26.1 grains of Hodgon H322 with Remington 71/2 Benchrest primers.  These shot under 1" groups and had a velocity pushing 2000 FPS.

I bought this reloading book for the TCs
http://www.ebay.com/itm/The-Complete-Reloading-Manual-for-the-Thompson-Center-Contender-/140972542802?pt=US_Nonfiction_Book&hash=item20d29e4b52

[argie1891]

you cant go wrong buying books the only way it is wasted money is if you dont read it. a gun library should have every loading book you can lay your hands on. argie1891

[JohnVH]

I have books, and the net, but prefer real world loads still as books dont always tell all, nor are 100% accurate.  In my reloading experience anyway.

Thanks

[headshot5]

The best thing I can recommend to you would be to pick up a .22 rimfire barrel.  They are awesome for practicing shooting positions and trigger control.  It is a stellar way to get good at shooting in the field.  I use one for starlings and other pests and you can get fairly accurate shooting offhand.  It all helps to make you much steadier, and confident if you decide to hunt with your larger caliber barrels.  I know .22 ammo is hard to find, however with a single shot pistol 50, .22 cartridges last you quite a while.

[JohnVH]

thanks, I have too many .22's as it is, the 223 is very easy to shoot and probably my favorite barrel so far. Have not had a chance to try the 7TCU yet.

[JohnVH]

finally got the 7tcu out today,  Three loads, 120gr bullet, IMR 4227 powder

18gr averages 1730-1746fps with almost a 2" group at 40yds

19gr 1835-1865fps and all bullet holes touching at 40yds

20gr 1984-2007fps and pattern opened up quite a bit to string them 2"

So I guess I must settle on 19gr

[argie1891]

i always got a bit better accuracy with a bit slower powders like h335 blc2 and rl7. i shot up a lot of 4198 in mine when i first got it but soon discovered other powder that worked better. i also shot mostly heaver bullets and a lot of cast bullets in the 145 gr. range. argie1891