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