What's wrong with the 7mm. Rem. Mag???

schoolcraft · 03-04-2009, 10:00 AM

Sounds like a stupid question...I know....but here's why I ask it.

I have another post in this forum about which caliber to go with on my "soon to be customized" .30-06 Remington XCR.

I've always been a fan of the .270, .280, and .30-06....but also have had an itch for a .300 Win. Mag.

I lean towards either keeping the gun a .30-06 or going to a .280.......but I kinda' wanted a tad more "punch"...even if it's not always needed.

My question is...why is the 7mm. Rem. Mag. seem to get so beat up for being "over rated"??????

From what I can tell, it looks like it's slinging the same .284 bullets as a .280 but about 150 FPS faster. Seems like it might handle the 160gr. and 175gr. bullets a little better than the .280 also....

So, again,......How is the 7mm. Rem. Mag "over rated". Looks to me like it would be an awsome deer, hog round with the "oomph" to handle bigger stuff well if the situation ever arose. I've used the "7 MAG" before with EXCELLENT results.......

Any input or opinions would be greatly appreciated

skb2706 · 03-04-2009, 10:36 AM

Most chamberings that are deemed "overrated" are named such by people who don't own them. Nothing wrong with the 7 mag at all...for me its alittle smaller than I like for the truly big stuff and a little big for the smaller stuff.

Ron Duval · 03-04-2009, 11:17 AM

removed by RD

schoolcraft · 03-04-2009, 11:36 AM

Thanks for the feedback! Please keep it coming!

If it helps any.....I will pretty much be a "one rifle" hunter. I don't have any plans on hunting elk or moose anytime in the future...although I would love to.

If I was ONLY hunting deer......this caliber quandry wouldn't be an issue.....I would go with the .270, .280. or 06'...

But around where I hunt, we not only have LOTS of hogs...but we have BIG ones. I chuckle when I readabout how "easy hogs are to kill". With a head shot sure...but when you have a 400 lb. boar trot past you and you only have time for a heart/lung/shoulder shot....the small calibers dont do so hot.

gmil6184 · 03-04-2009, 12:33 PM

I hunt with my father's 7 Mag and its killed absolute piles of deer over the years. I think the 7 Mag is a great round, for everything in North America (with the exception of the biggest coastal and arctic bears...although i'm sure it would kill them too). I think part of the reason it has recieved the "overrated" label is because it is somewhat of a romantic round, much like the .30-30, .30-06 and .270. Whenever anything gets particularly popular, rifles included, people who like it build it way up, until there becomes a backlash. Then it becomes trendy to talk about how something is "overrated" andpeople can snear with smug self-satisfaction about how their pet round is far superior haha(when in reality any difference between a .308, 270, 30-06, 7 mag or any other similar round is hardly noticable without fancy special equipment). I guess in a way talking about what makes the best round is like talking about what makes the prettiest girl. We can argue about it all day long but most of us are set in our ways and perhaps no one is right or wrong.So i guess my point is shoot whatever you like, the 7 mag is a great round despite what any naysayer may think.

Ron Duval · 03-04-2009, 01:12 PM

removed by RD

Pawildman · 03-04-2009, 01:16 PM

Don't know if you're a handloader or not, but I'm gonna throw the .280 Ackley Improved in here for the heck of it......Factory cases are available, and you've got something a little different from the rest of the crowd. Probably actually achieve actual 7 Mag velocities with a non-belted 40 deg. shoulder case. Load the full gamut of .284 bullets............
Should be able to re-chamber a .280 with no problem.

Folically Challenged · 03-04-2009, 01:18 PM

Quote:

ORIGINAL: schoolcraft

...

I've always been a fan of the .270, .280, and .30-06....but also have had an itch for a .300 Win. Mag.

I lean towards either keeping the gun a .30-06 or going to a .280.......but I kinda' wanted a tad more "punch"...even if it's not always needed.

My question is...why is the 7mm. Rem. Mag. seem to get so beat up for being "over rated"??????

From what I can tell, it looks like it's slinging the same .284 bullets as a .280 but about 150 FPS faster. Seems like it might handle the 160gr. and 175gr. bullets a little better than the .280 also....

...

Any input or opinions would be greatly appreciated

In identical rifles, I wouldn't be able to tell which cartridge I was shooting among the .270, .280, '06, or 7mm RM, unlesspossibly by muzzle blast. There maybe a slight difference in recoil, but it certainly wouldnt' be enormous. I also doubt thatthe vast majority of people could tell the difference in shooting those4 cartridges side-by-side. I think I might be able to start seeing a difference if I was shooting at 350+ yards, because of the drop. Then again, I can't see that far, so I don't shoot that far.

The numbers don't lie. The 7 mag will shoot flatter, & delivery more energy at every range over the other 2. However, I've never heard any credible sourcessay that the 7 mag offered any appreciable difference in actual killingability over the other3 cartridges. Most people seem to think that ameaningful upgrade in killing power would start at the .338 WM level, or maybe the .375 H&H level.

The real problem is that there are too many cartridges to choose from. A .243 will do what a .25-'06 will do. .25-'06 will do what a .260 will do. A .260 will do what a .270 will do. A .270 will do what a .280 will do. A .280 will do what a .30-'06 will do. And a.30-'06 will do what a 7mm Rem Mag will do. Does that mean that a .243 = a 7mm Rem Mag? Not at all.

FWIW, here's an interesting discussion about the amount of powder used in various 7mm cartridges, and the correspondingvelocity, drop, energy, and wind drift associated with each increase in powder: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BQY/is_12_47/ai_79586214

There aint no flies on the 7mm Rem Mag - it works, and works well. So do the others. The 7 Mag has, demonstrably, a little more "punch". The question is, will you notice that extra punch? Because the game likely won't.

FC

bronko22000 · 03-04-2009, 01:56 PM

Well friend there is nothing wrong with the 7mm Mag. But if you're wanting to be a one rifle guy (which is ok too) then you should either stick with your '06 or go with a 300 mag.
I'm not down playing the 7mm mag but your '06 can handle just about anything. And if you ever get enough $ to go for big nasty bear, then a few buck more for a bigger (338 and up) rifle will be no problem.

salukipv1 · 03-04-2009, 02:20 PM

I always thought the 7mm RM was just a .300 WM necked to .284, but I believe it's another case completely...

From what I know is that it doesn't offer much more than a .270 150 vs. 284 w/ 160, or so close that the magnum isn't worth it.

I do think the .280 can be handloaded pretty amazingly though.

May consider a.270wsm or .300wsm instead of a 7mm RM, or if you go with a magnum, think about a 7mm, 300 RUM, or .300wby.

But the 7mm RM can certainly get it done well.