Ele
Reprictronicall
y
nted
from
FeatureStory
September/October 2002
When
away
When a trophy buck was 374 yards away
and
closer,
and there was no hope of getting closer,
the
job
the high intensity Firebird got the job
done
done for
for the
the author.
author.
Hunting
with Lazzeroni’s
In the field with the
Firebird, the leader of
the pack in .28 caliber
performance.
Big 7
By Holt Bodinson
The author worked with three different sporters chambered for the Lazzeroni
7.21 Firebird and a pressure gun to assess the performance of the fastest
factory 7mm round. Left to right: Sako TRG-S nickel finish, Lazzeroni L2000 with
optional thumbhole stock, Sako TRG-S blue finish, Lazzeroni pressure rifle.
T
HE 7MM MAGNUM HAS BEEN AROUND FOR A LONG TIME. NINETY YEARS, TO BE EXACT.
When Holland & Holland introduced the .275 Belted Rimless Magnum Nitro cartridge in
1912 it was a hot number, pushing a 140-grain bullet at 3,190 fps. I imagine it turned the
head of more than a few Englishmen who were out sporting about with their .275 Rigbys.
When I was first getting into serious big game hunting,
Warren Page and Bob Hagel were extolling the merits of
the 7mm Mashburn Super Magnum. It was strictly a
wildcatter’s affair based on a shortened and fireformed
.300 H&H case. The old Speer Reloading Manual for
Wildcat Cartridges indicates the Mashburn was capable
of moving a 145-grain bullet along at 3,247 fps and a 160grain pill at 3,119—performance not to be sneezed at—
but Hagel claimed 3,375 fps and 3,238 fps respectfully
from his rifle. He went on to observe that Page’s velocities (and pressures) were even higher.
The other two 7mm contenders of the day were the
7mm Weatherby Magnum and the 7x61 Sharpe & Hart.
They were factory loaded cartridges but the rifles chambered for them were exotic, expensive and not exactly
common fare in the racks of your local gun stores.
It took the appearance of the 7mm Remington
Magnum in 1962, chambered in the affordable Model
Hunting with Lazzeroni’s
700, to forever place a 7mm magnum on the popularity
chart as one of the top 10 best big game cartridges of the
modern era. What the 7mm magnums offered then, and
still do, are high velocities and flat trajectories with bullets in a variety of grain weights having high sectional
densities and exceptional ballistic coefficients, ensuring
deep penetration and controlled expansion at any reasonable hunting distance.
To hunters and shooters, probably one of the most
endearing qualities of the 7mms in general is their moderate recoil when compared to their .30-caliber kin.
There’s an old rule-of-thumb that says if you want to
reduce recoil, drop down a bore size. It works, and I’ve
known quite a few experienced hunters who have
stepped down to a 7mm without giving up terminal performance in the field.
My first 7mm was a $9.95 Model 1902 Remington
Rolling Block in 7x57 Mauser. It was a great knockabout
rifle for a teenager and it piled up a few venison steaks.
When the 7mm Remington Magnum came along in 1962,
out went my Model 70 in .270 and in came the first BDL
seen in our community. I used it for years in the field on
everything from crows to deer.
When I went to work for Safari Club in the 1970s, I was
suddenly in Weatherby country. Out went the BDL and in
came a Mark V .300 Weatherby. I loved it. Loaded with
180-grain Nosler Partitions, it was the hammer of Thor
on big game all over the world.
Then Tucson riflemaker, Frank Wells, suggested that I
try the 7mm-300 Weatherby. His clients were getting
3,200 fps+ with 175-grain Nosler Partitions.
It was 7mm seduction all over again.
I tried the 7mm-300 Weatherby with a 273⁄8 -inch
Douglas barrel, 1:9 twist, on a Brno action and never
could reach 3,200 fps with a 175-grain bullet without
excessive pressure. Dropping down to the 160-grain
Nosler Partition, I was able to obtain 3,300+ fps at normal
pressures and that wildcat became my antelope/Coues
deer/elk rifle for about five years.
When John Lazzeroni hit the ground running in 1994,
his first super 7mm was the Firehawk. This was a minimum tapered case, with a 30-degree shoulder, a one-caliber long neck, an overall length of 2.80 inches and a
unique 0.548-inch head size. It was love at first sight, and
I ended up buying a Lazzeroni L2000ST rifle with a 27inch, 1:12-twist barrel.
The Firehawk turned out to be a barnburner in the
velocity and accuracy departments. Using Lazzeroni-
7MM MAGNUM COMPARISON
300 yd. zero
7.21 Firebird
7mm Rem. Ultra Mag.
7mm STW
7mm Weatherby Mag.
7mm Rem. Mag.
Muzzle Vel.
500 yd. drop
3,750
3,425
3,325
3,303
3,175
-16.0
-19.9
-22.4
-23.1
-24.3
fps
fps
fps
fps
fps
inches
inches
inches
inches
inches
Coues deer hunting is known for long range shooting, but it isn’t
always necessary. John Lazzeroni took this buck at 150 yards.
plated bullets, it could launch a 120-grain Barnes XBullet at 3,697 fps; a 140-grain Nosler Partition at 3,587;
and a 160-grain Swift A-Frame at 3,385. With the 140grain Noslers, my bullet of choice, the rifle would group
three shots within four to five inches at 500 yards, sometimes less. It was the finest 7mm I had ever used—that is
until Lazzeroni decided to push the envelope even further by necking down his big .30-caliber Warbird case
and creating the 7.21 Firebird.
With a water capacity of nearly 130 grains, the Firebird
is the largest, fastest, flattest shooting, commercially
available 7mm on the planet. Along with the Warbird, it
shares the same beltless case design with a 30-degree
shoulder, a 0.58-inch head, a 0.02-inch case taper, and a
long and useful 0.284-inch neck. The overall cartridge
length when loaded with a 140-grain Nosler Partition is
3.550 inches. Because of its head size and its overall
length, the Firebird requires a true magnum action.
Currently Lazzeroni offers two options: a Lazzeroni
L2000 rifle for $5,000 with a 6-groove, 27-inch barrel with
a 1:12 twist—or a $950 Lazzeroni/Sako TRG-S with a 4groove, 26-inch barrel having a 1:11 twist.
The factory offers three premium hunting loads featuring NP3-plated 140-grain Sierra Pro-Hunters and 140and 160-grain Nosler Partitions. The sterling qualities
about Lazzeroni factory ammunition is that each round
is handloaded and gauged several times during production, plus the ballistics quoted for each loading in the
company’s ads and literature are realistic. The outstanding powders for the Firebird have proved to be IMR-7828
and Reloader 25, and I’m itching to try Hodgdon’s new
The evolving 7mm hunting cartridge. (L-R) 7x57mm; 7mm Rem.
Mag; 7mm Weatherby; 7mm Firehawk; 7mm Firebird.
The key to long range shooting success is plenty of practice, so
you will know your bullet’s trajectory from 200 to 500 yards.
Retumbo magnum powder. The Firebird is an easy case
to reload. RCBS dies are available, and the tough, hard
brass seems to last forever.
The most accurate factory load features a plated 140grain Sierra Pro-Hunter teamed with IMR-7828. This is a
spectacular long distance load for antelope, deer, sheep,
and caribou and is quite capable of three-shot groups of
less than two inches at 300 yards.
Velocity from a 28-inch, 1:12 twist barrel is quoted as
being 3,671 fps. In a Model 2000 Lazzeroni rifle having a
27-inch barrel and 1:12 twist, I recorded an average
velocity of 3,615 fps over a Pact Professional
Chronograph. Firing the same load in the Lazzeroni/Sako
TRG-S with a 26-inch barrel and 1:11 twist, I averaged
3,415 fps. Why is there a 200-fps spread between two barrels that are only one inch apart in length? The fourgroove, 1:11 twist barrels just seem to be consistently
slower than the six-groove 1:12 twist barrels. Sako furnishes the four-groove barrel because the company feels
it will give a slighter longer barrel life than a six-groove
tube. Maybe so, but we’re dealing with a high-intensity
cartridge that will have an accurate barrel life of no more
than a 1,000 rounds in any case.
The second factory 140-grain loading is built for speed,
the flattest possible trajectory, and is based around a plated
140-grain Nosler Partition and Reloader 25. The concept is
to achieve the highest possible velocity with a premium
7mm bullet that will still hang together on tough big game.
Again, I tested this load in both the Model 2000
Lazzeroni and the Lazzeroni/Sako. In the Lazzeroni 2000,
it screamed across the chronograph screens at 3,759 fps.
The Lazzeroni/Sako averaged 3,604 fps and for a 7mm,
that’s screaming, too.
What can you expect for accuracy? Based on my work
with the Lazzeroni/Sako, I agree with Lazzeroni’s observation that you should be able to achieve groups of three
to five inches at 300 yards readily.
The third loading is for large, heavy-boned big game
animals—moose, elk and African plains game—and
places a premium on maximum penetration and down
range energy. It features a plated 160-grain Nosler
Partition, Reloader 25, and averages as high as 3,535 fps
in the Lazzeroni 2000 and 3,384 fps in the
Lazzeroni/Sako. Accuracy is on par with the 140-grain
Nosler loading.
When we compare the muzzle velocities and 500 yard
drop figures using a 300 yard zero of the large capacity
7mm magnums firing a 140-grain bullet, here’s how the
numbers roughly stack up:
In view of its affordability, I was intrigued with
Lazzeroni’s Sako TRG-S and acquired one for the 2001
Coues deer seasons in Arizona and Sonora, Mexico. The
TRG-S retains several of the traditional elements that
have made Sakos so popular including integral tapered
scope ring bases, a hammer-forged barrel, snappy lock
time, fully adjustable trigger, side safety, and sound stock
design. Some of the obvious improvements incorporated
in the TRG-S include a silky smooth, three-lugged bolt
with a short 60-degree bolt lift; a detachable, magazine
holding three rounds of the 7mm Firebird; and a reinforced, synthetic stock.
Lazzeroni further upgrades the TRG-S with a stainless
steel barrel, heavy duty ejector spring, recontoured loading port, Pachmayr Decelerator recoil pad and, if a scope
is provided, the company installs a set screw in the bottom
of the front scope ring. While the basic model is priced at
$950, there are two further upgrades: a model with all
metal parts treated with an electroless nickel finish priced
at $1,300. If supplied with a matching silver-finished
Burris 4-16x44 Signature scope with mil dot reticle and
Posi-lock, the cost is $2,100. This later upgrade was the
model I hunted with during the 2001 deer seasons.
When mated with a mil dot reticle scope, the Firebird
is an amazing performer at long range. Firing Lazzeroni’s
140-grain Sierra Pro-Hunter ammunition, I zeroed the
TRG-S at 300 yards with the scope cranked to 16X.
Velocity was reading 3,456 fps. With a 300-yard zero, the
first mil dot down proved to be an effective 500-yard
zero. At 400 yards one has to split the difference between
the center crosshair and the first mil dot. In short, here is
a rifle-scope-caliber combination that is dialed in for any
Hunting with Lazzeroni’s
shot from 50 to 500 yards. Combined
with a modern laser range finder, it’s
a terrific hunting package.
The Arizona Coues deer season
turned out to be anticlimactic. Here
I was toting a superb long range rifle,
and a little Coues buck strolled out
from under a mesquite tree no further than 75 yards away. Well, at
least, it was a one shot kill.
The Sonoran hunt proved more of
a challenge. Annually, John
Lazzeroni and I head below the border to hunt the wily Coues deer with
Pusch Ridge Outfitters. This past
season we were both shooting a
Firebird. I was carrying the TRG-S
and John was shooting a Lazzeroni
Model 2000 mounted with a Schmidt
& Bender 4-16x50 scope with a mil
dot reticle and a bullet drop compensating elevation dial. Arriving in
camp, I was greeted by Mark
Dobrenski from Montana, who had
just filled his tag. What was he
shooting? A 7mm Mashburn Super
Magnum! The serendipity of that
Any shot over 300 yards is a long one...one
that is to be taken only if everything is right.
meeting still makes me chuckle.
The area in northern Sonora
where we were hunting is marked by
an endless series of rolling hills separated by palm studded canyons.
The canyon bottoms are very brushy,
but the hillsides can be quite open
with a mixture of mesquite trees and
grass. The trick is to glass up a buck
on the far hillside and hope he is
within range because it’s impossible
to stalk any closer. This style of hunting naturally puts a premium on flat
shooting rifles, laser range finders,
and precise shot placement.
The morning after our arrival in
camp found me pinned down on an
open hillside looking at a trophy
quality buck across the canyon. It
was the early rut, and he was chasing and scattering does from treeto-tree without any hope of success.
I ranged him at 374 yards with a
Leica laser, noted the wind, set the
bipod in place, and practiced dry
firing at him whenever he made a
quick appearance from under a
mesquite tree.
An hour went by until he finally
quieted down and began feeding in
the openings. Personally, I think any
shot over 300 yards is a long one,
and one that is to be taken only if
everything is right. It did in this case,
and at the shot, the buck went down
and my Sonoran adventure was over.
After John scored on a buck not
more than 150 yards away, we had
lots of camp time to try some true
long range shooting with the Firebird.
Using the Model 2000 with the bullet
drop compensating Schmidt &
Bender, it was entirely possible to
make first round hits on deer size
rocks at distances up to 1,000 yards.
The Firebird simply flies.
RS
Posted with permission from the September/October 2002 issue of Rifle Shooter ®
Copyright 2002, PRIMEDIA Inc. All rights reserved.
For more information about reprints from Rifle Shooter, contact Wright’s Reprints at 877-652-5295
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