Swift Scirocco II 7mm Rem Mag 150gr – Superb Long Range Ammo

Description

The 7mm Remington Magnum has spent half a century as the cartridge hunters reach for when the country opens up, and the Swift Scirocco II 7mm Rem Mag 150gr is about the best expression of what it does. A 0.515 ballistic coefficient bullet leaving at 3036 feet per second is flat, wind resistant and bonded, which is a combination the cartridge deserved long before it got it.

• Why 7mm bullets punch above their weight
• Full specifications
• Open country hunting at real distance
• Honest notes before you buy
• Barrel life and the belted case
• The bottom line

Why 7mm bullets punch above their weight

Seven millimeter bullets have unusually good sectional density and unusually good form factors for their weight. A 150 grain 7mm bullet is longer and sleeker than a 150 grain 30 caliber bullet, which is why the Swift Scirocco II 7mm Rem Mag 150gr carries a 0.515 coefficient while a 30 caliber bullet of the same weight struggles to reach 0.430.

In practice that means less drop and much less wind drift at distance. The Swift Scirocco II 7mm Rem Mag 150gr holds velocity noticeably better than a comparable 30 caliber load, and since wind is what actually causes missed shots at long range, that is where the advantage shows up. Bonding then ensures the bullet still performs when it lands.

Full specifications

• Caliber: 7mm Remington Magnum
• Bullet weight: 150 grain
• Bullet: Scirocco II bonded polymer tip boat tail
• Muzzle velocity: 3036 fps
• Muzzle energy: 3070 ft-lbs
• Ballistic coefficient (G1): 0.515
• Case: reloadable boxer primed brass
• Quantity: 20 rounds per box
• Part number: SB10038

Note that 150 grains is the light end for a 7mm magnum, which usually runs 160 to 175. Swift makes the lighter weight work by bonding the core, so the Swift Scirocco II 7mm Rem Mag 150gr expands in a controlled way instead of coming apart at the higher impact velocities a light fast bullet generates up close.

Open country hunting at real distance

Mule deer across a basin, pronghorn on the flats, elk at the edge of a meadow, sheep and goats in the high country. These are the hunts the 7mm Remington Magnum was built around and where the Swift Scirocco II 7mm Rem Mag 150gr earns its price. Zero at 250 yards and you can hold on hair to roughly 325 without a dial.

Past that the high coefficient keeps your ballistic solution honest. A bullet that sheds velocity slowly is a bullet whose drop chart still matches reality at 500 yards, and that predictability is worth more in the field than a hundred feet per second at the muzzle. The Swift Scirocco II 7mm Rem Mag 150gr is built for exactly that kind of shooting.

Honest notes before you buy

Recoil sits between a 30-06 and a 300 Winchester Magnum, which most shooters handle fine from field positions with a decent pad. It is enough to build a flinch from a bench though. Shoot the Swift Scirocco II 7mm Rem Mag 150gr in short strings and from realistic positions rather than grinding through a box at a rest.

If your hunting is close and thick, this is not the load. A tipped bonded bullet at 3036 fps opens fast, which is what you want at distance and not what you want on a bull elk at forty yards through the shoulder. For that, the heavier A-Frame in the same cartridge is the better answer. Match the Swift Scirocco II 7mm Rem Mag 150gr to open country and it is superb.

Barrel life and the belted case

The 7mm Remington Magnum is hard on throats. It burns a lot of powder through a small bore and a hard shooting rifle may show throat erosion after fifteen hundred to two thousand rounds. Hunting use will never approach that, but if you intend to shoot the Swift Scirocco II 7mm Rem Mag 150gr at volume for practice, budget for a barrel eventually.

The belted case is a historical artifact rather than a functional necessity, and it headspaces on the belt rather than the shoulder. For a reloader that means watching case head separation on repeatedly fired brass. The brass from the Swift Scirocco II 7mm Rem Mag 150gr is good quality and reloadable, but inspect it and retire it sooner than you would 308 brass.

The bottom line

For a 7mm Remington Magnum hunter who takes long shots in big country, the Swift Scirocco II 7mm Rem Mag 150gr is among the most capable factory loads available. You can read more about the bullet design at swiftbullets.com, or browse the rest of our stock on the MAG5 Firearms ammunition page.

MAG5 Firearms keeps the Swift Scirocco II 7mm Rem Mag 150gr in stock and moving, and we are glad to talk through bullet choice before you order. If you are working up a load for a new rifle, a single box of the Swift Scirocco II 7mm Rem Mag 150gr is a sensible place to start.