No doubt about it, Hera Arms is considered a specialist for modern semi-automatic rifles based on the AR platform. We already presented the new AR-10-inspired model 7SIX2 in .308 Winchester on all4shooters.com. But in Germany, they are more broadly positioned: the brand-new Hera H7 bolt-action rifle in .308 Winchester is based on a Remington 700 SPS Tactical AAC-SD action, is compatible with AICS box magazines, and is completed by the new chassis, an optics mounting rail, and an in-house made compensator.
How is the Hera Arms H7 system finished?
The rifle disassembled in the workshop revealed a modular "Made in Germany" Hera H7 stock, which also knows how to impress with its inner values. The Remington 700 round action is bedded on an aluminum V-block with no play. Many stock manufacturers usually only overmold a machined aluminum block with the stock polymer for the action bedding, whereby rough machining marks are often visible. Hera, on the contrary, even anodizes the light alloy bedding in the stock, which is manufactured as clean as a whistle, and has also perfected the absorption of recoil and torsional forces. The action sits evenly and its centering is always guaranteed.
The very light aluminum forestock is also screwed onto the extension of the red aluminum block. After removing the forestock, we could see how Hera tames recoil and torsional forces. The aluminum insert has a fork in the front section that was designed in such a way that the recoil lug sits in it without play. A smart solution!
The forestock was also developed with extreme practicality in mind. With its M-LOK slots, it offers the possibility of mounting additional equipment. Moreover, it has a very generously dimensioned bearing surface on its underside. This means that a rifle with an H7 chassis can be ideally shot with a bipod or mounted on a rifle rest. Through the opening in the buttstock, the rifle can be well controlled with the support hand when aiming. The buttstock length can be adjusted using two included spacers. On the stock is a polymer cheek piece, which is fixed with only two screws and can thus be removed quickly and easily.
Sports shooters prefer steep angles on the rifle stocks pistol grips, but with the H7 chassis the original grip angle of the Remington 700 was adopted, making a rifle with an H7 stock equally suitable for the range and the hunting ground. The modular design of the H7 chassis suggests that it will be further developed for the Remington 700 platform or may soon be available for other makes/models.
Hera Arms H7 specs and price
| Modell: | HERA Arms H7 Repetierer |
| Price (MSRP): | 1898 euro |
| Action: | Bolt-action
with two-lug bolt |
| Barrel: | 22"/560
mm long with 1-10" twist and a muzzle diameter of 0.84”/21.5 mm; 5/8
"x24 UNEF
muzzle thread and Hera CC compensator |
| Stock: | Hera H7
stock made of polymer-aluminum combination with light alloy bedding, light
alloy forestock with M-LOK attachment options for additional equipment,
buttstock length adjustment by means of spacers, removable cheek piece |
| Magazine: | AICS-compatible
synthetic material box magazine with a capacity of 5 cartridges |
| Trigger: | Single
stage; measured trigger pull weight: 4 lb 3.5 oz/1914 g |
| Safety: | Two-position,
acting on the trigger |
| Overall Length: | 112 centimeters |
| Weight: | 9 lb/4100
g |
The Hera H7 system on the shooting range
To see how the Hera H7 stock or the complete rifle performs in practice, we equipped our test rifle with an UTG bipod and the new Sightron SV 10-50x60 riflescope. The optic was kindly provided by Heinz Henke from Werlte. Designed for long-range use, the scope has interesting features. One of these features is the double parallax compensation with a quick and fine adjustment, which allows for optimal target image adjustment. The parallax compensation is also best suited for specialized disciplines such as small caliber benchrest shooting. In practice, the scope impressed with top mechanical and optical quality, with the 50x magnification making hole-in-hole shooting easier. Of course, the Sightron SV 10-50x60 has a mighty 82.6”/210 cm overall adjustment range.
On the 100-meter line, our top result was 0.315”/8 millimeters (42.0 grains Vihtavuori N140 with RWS 168 grains Scorion match bullet, see also our Scorion test). But the barrel with 1-10" twist also harmonized perfectly with even heavier bullets, as evidenced by 0.354”/9 mm with Sellier & Bellot factory ammunition with 175 Grains Sierra MatchKing projectile. The calculated average accuracy of the dozen ammunition loads was 0.521”/13.25 mm. Even hot loads can be fired very comfortably due to the mounted Hera CC compensator, which is as effective as it is shapely and is also used in semi-automatic rifles.
Hera H7 bolt-action rifle and H7 stock system: test conclusion
A lot of aftermarket stocks exist for the classic Remington 700, from alloy chassis to synthetic to laminated wood stocks. In terms of price, the new Hera H7 stock also compares well with the Magpul 700 Hunter stock that has been on the market since 2015. In a direct comparison, however, the action bedding on the "Made in Germany" H7 stock was solved far better. The Hera H7 complete rifle presented here costs 1898 euros. The Hera H7 stock is priced at 398 euros. In addition to the black version shown here, the stock is also available in olive green or Flat Dark Earth (FDE). Because the light alloy forestock is always in black, this then creates a striking "bi-color" hue to the complete gun. The overall finish of the stock is excellent, so in our opinion, the prices for the complete rifle and the aftermarket stock are fully reasonable. The Hera H7 rifle comes with two spacers for adjusting the buttstock length, a polymer cheek piece, and an in-house magazine with a capacity of five cartridges, in a lockable Hera hard case.
Learn more about H7 bolt action and H7 stock system on Hera Arms website.
Read more about current models and the new Hera Arms website in this article.
Here you get an exclusive insight into the gun production at Hera Arms.
