driftrider

I know what some who know me might be thinking; why is this guy, who's so often recommended against magnums, thinking about getting one of the biggest small-bore magnums of them all?

Well, that's what I'm trying to figure out, too. Either I've lost my d*mned mind, or I'm onto something. Maybe some of you folks can help me figure this out. Either way, I just can't get the 7mm RUM off my mind... I just WANT one even if I don't know if I'll ever really NEED one.

So here's the thinking so far. I've been seriously considering finally getting myself a real "legacy" rifle. By that I mean that I want a hunting rifle that I'll be happy and proud to own, that I'll want to keep for the rest of my days and pass on to one of my kids. So far, all of my rifles to date have been just Plain-Jane, no-frills utility rifles. They have been reasonably accurate and go boom when ordered to. Well, I want something a little nicer, maybe with some custom touches, that will be BOTH a good shooter and a nice looking rifle, topped off with some much nicer glass than I'm used to on a hunting rifle. The issue is that I'm not rich, so I can't afford to buy several rifles for different intents (ie deer or elk, woods or bean fields or mountain canyons) all to this standard. This will be my "poor-mans Cadillac." My thought behind the 7mm Ultra Mag is that I'll do all I will ever need a rifle to do. It'll efficiently kill everything from antelope and coyote to moose and black bears, it'll do fine from 50 yards to 500+, and with a detachable muzzle brake, the recoil will be between a .270 Win and a .30-06 (very manageable), with the option to remove it for hunting (I like the hearing I have left).

The rifle will be a Remington Model 700, not only because it's a fine platform, but it'll offer the greatest opportunity for aftermarket parts, and if I ever shoot out the barrel, the 700 is about the best factory action to rebarrel into a full-custom job. I haven't decided on the specific trim level that I'm going to get, and I'm planning on some level of customization (like the afformentioned muzzle brake, which is a definate add on). It's going to be stainless, so I'm deciding between the SPS Stainless, XCR and Sendero SF II.

I like the XCR pretty well, but I'm not sure if the special coating (Trinyte) and the Hogue stock, which I like OK, is worth the extra cost.

I really like the Sendero with the heavy fluted barrel and H&S Stock, but it's a somewhat heavy rifle (8.5lbs), so with a scope (which will be in the 4.5-14x44 to 4-16x50 range) it'll weigh between 9.5 and 10lbs. Not extremely heavy, but not an optimum all-day walking rifle either. I do most of my hunting stationary anyway, but I do walk often walk a good distance in and out. If the opportunity to go out west arises in the (distant) future there will be more walking (and mountains [:'(]), but it'd be a great platform for the longer shots common there.

The SPS stainless has the stainless barreled action I want, minus the Trinyte coating which may or may not be worth the cost, with a plain synthetic stock which I'd probably swap for a nice laminate stock. It doesn't have some of the higher end features out of the box like the XCR and Sendero, but it's much less expensive and, at least by my estimation, lends itself well as a platform for items like a custom stock.

So I would like to know what you guys think.

Thanks,

Mike