ORIGINAL: Pro-LineOf those of you who shoot a 7mm mag, do any of you have complaints of its knockdown ability?The reason I am asking is that I know of 2 guys that USED to shoot this caliber and hated it. They both reloaded and couldn't find a bullet/powder combo that worked well with the speed of the 7mm. I hunted with one guy several times and did notice that we had to trail a few deer. I believe he was shooting a 164 or 168gr BTSP.I've never hunted with one...just wondering if anybody else noticed this. Don't mean to offend any 7mm lovers.
Every DEER I've shot with my 7 Mag. was shot with a Nosler Partition 140-grain bullet, and every one hit the ground immediately, so hard they bounced!! The thing is so destructive, I bought a 7X57mm for deer instead, and relegated the Maggie to elk & larger critters only. I now use the 175-grain Nosler Partition in it, at a MV of 3050 FPS, and it performs on elk about like the 140-grain load did on deer. I would not hesitate to use it with this 175-grain load on all N. American game except for Polar Bears and Coastal Brownies in AK!! The people I know who don't like the 7 Mag. had trouble with it due to incorrect bullet selection, poor shooting, or both! (Deer don't always drop on the spot from a good hit with powerful weapons, either!!)