Is a 7mm magnum suitable for elk
 

Hi , i just bought a 7mm express magnum, i already had several firearms, but i feel in love with this cartridge after shooting my buddies, im graduating from high school this may, and my dads gonna pay for a hunting trip for me , and i wanna go to wyoming and elk hunt i got my rife dead own at 300yards is this an effective killing cartridge own an elk, i seen where an man shoot a elk 470yards away in the neck and rolled it, im just wondering if this would be good cartridged and also wondering about bullet types, right know im shooting nosler partiton premium 150gr , what would you experts suggest, i hunt with factory ammo but soon im have money and gonna start reloading. thanks for yall help!

RE: Is a 7mm magnum suitable for elk
 

Surely you aren't graduating with such "gramatically superior" abilities??? ;)

I've heard of a 7mm Express but that was a former name for the 280 Rem. I will assume if this post isn'ta troll, that you then mean the 7mm REMINGTON Magnum???

If I am so correctly astute of your fine interrogative technique, then yes the 7Rem IS a decent elk rifle. I however would NOT recommend trying 470yd neckshots with it. That is a looooooooong way with ANY caliber to kill something as large as an elk. If you MUST shoot them over a 1/4 mile away with a 7Rem then try holding well over the front shoulder and going for the boiler room. While your doing that you might wanna pray for NO wind (in which case it would be a FIRST EVER IN HISTORY in Wyoming!!!).

Sorry, just couldn't resist!
RA

ps
BTW you aren't going too WY with "Turkeyreaper" are you??? ;)

RE: Is a 7mm magnum suitable for elk
 

The 7mm Rem Mag is an excellent round for elk. It shoots flat and hits pretty hard. I have harvested several elk using it here in Wyoming in locations ranging from the open desert to the heavy timber. I put an elk down from about 325 yards away in the desert (with a little wind of course) no problem so it is definately effective to use for farther shots as well. Don't listen to all the guys who will post after me telling you that the 7mm is okay but a 300 mag or 338 would be a lot better. The fact of the matter is the 7mm is a lot more gun than most locals who kill elk every year use.

RE: Is a 7mm magnum suitable for elk
 

It is a great elk caliber. I have used the 160 and 175 grain nosler partitions. 175 gris better if you can handle the recoil and it shoots accurately. However, if I was shooting 1 inch groups at 100 yardswith the 160's and 3 inches with the 175", I would go with the 160's.

RE: Is a 7mm magnum suitable for elk
 

Deer hunter, the 270 win. has been suitable for hunter to take deer in the past, so your 7mm is plenty suitable. The bullet diameter is larger, its very flat shooting, plus it can be very powerfull. Loaded with the right bullets you can easily take an elk at good ranges and do it effectively.

GOOD LUCK, I HOPE THAT YOU ARE ABLE TO TEST YOUR 7MM SUCCESSFULLY ON SOME WILD GAME....:):).....TELL US HOW IT GOES.

RE: Is a 7mm magnum suitable for elk
 

The 7mmremmag makes a great moose and elk cartridge.Premium bullets like the tsx,partition or failsafe in weights from 140gr on up,do an excellent job.

RE: Is a 7mm magnum suitable for elk
 

I agree the 7mm is a good round for moose and elk and caribou. I would go with the failsafe myself.

RE: Is a 7mm magnum suitable for elk
 

Like red touches on your post is a little confusing to which cartridge you will actually be using. However I'll assume with your description of "7mm express" and using a bullet of "Nosler Partiton Premium 150gr in factory ammo", that indeed you have a 280 rem or 7mm express vs the 7mm rem mag(with their is no such factory offering for 150gr NP's, at leastthat I am aware of).

In any regard the 150NP in 280rem will work fine on elk. I agree shooting at such distance you mentioned is not widely advised unless you are extremely proficent with your rifle and know how to adjust for differing conditions. So I would plan on keeping it in the 300 range. I also can not advocate neck or head shots on any animal, regardless of the distance the "VITAL"target area is much smaller than the Heart/Lung region so even the slightest of miscalculations can lead to an ugly situation for both hunter but more importantly animal. So I concur keep it the boiler room! If your looking for something elsefor comparisontry theWinchester Supreme line in the CT Failsafe bullet for the 280 rem.

If you are actually using a 7mm rem mag, then you have a greater choice of over the counter ammo to select from 140-175gr as already mentioned. I have had good results with 160gr for Nosler products and 140 gr Barnes TSX and CT Failsafe on elk and moose from my 7mm rem mag.

RE: Is a 7mm magnum suitable for elk
 

Two of my buddys have a 7mm remington mag and the one shots 150 high energy rounds and it dropped 2 moose and an elk this year and my other buddy uses 180 grain bullets and it has dropped many elk in the past so it is a more than ideal gun for elk.

RE: Is a 7mm magnum suitable for elk
 

What 180gr bullets is he usingin the 7mmremmag?

RE: Is a 7mm magnum suitable for elk
 

Umm i believe he is using Federal but im not sure

RE: Is a 7mm magnum suitable for elk
 

I ask because I have never heard of a 180gr 7mm bullet.

RE: Is a 7mm magnum suitable for elk
 

FWIW, I have seenonly one offeringfor180gr in 7mm bullet - Norma Ammo line- 180gr Vulcan.

PS, forgot for a 7mm rem mag.

RE: Is a 7mm magnum suitable for elk
 

If you are shooting factory ammo,look at the box and tell us what you are shooting.I don't know of any factory 7mm express being offered.Thats where the 280 Rem comes in,they are the same cartrige.

Now if you have A 7mm Remington Magnum,thats a diffrent story.

Both are good elk rounds and have killed tons of elk.I would go with 150 Noslers in the 280 Rem. and 140 gr Barnes TSX in the 7mm Magnum.
Leave you gun dead on at 300 and practice,practice all ranges 25-yds to 400.
Aim for behind the shoulder and leave the 400 yd trick shots to someone else.
BBJ

RE: Is a 7mm magnum suitable for elk
 

What, are you kidding me? No responsible human being would dream of going after an elk without a rifle that can take your shoulder off with the recoil. You've got to have at least a 338, okay maybe a 300 magnum if you're kind of a wuss.

(This entry is satirical, for those of you who read everything literally. My satirical gun is aimed at the crew on here who have '300' or '338' incorporated into their screen handles.)

RE: Is a 7mm magnum suitable for elk
 

You need to be certain which cartridge you speak of. Though, either the 7mag or 280 rem (7mm express) are more than adequate to hunt any of North America's big game short of the big bears.

Check out this article: http://www.chuckhawks.com/7mm_musings.htm

The 280 is one of my all time favorite cartridges. A little history via chuck hawks:

Designed in the 1950's, and also known at various times in its history as the 7mm-06 (a wildcat) and the 7mm Express, the .280 is Remington's answer to the .270 Winchester. Like the .270, the .280 is based on a necked down .30-06 case.


In 1979, in an attempt to revive their dying cartridge, Remington changed its name to 7mm Remington Express. The name change accomplished little except to confuse shooters. A few years later the cartridge became known as the .280 Remington.

RE: Is a 7mm magnum suitable for elk
 

This post is confusing.....to my knowledge nobody offers a 150 gr Nosler Partition in afactory load for a 7mm rem mag. I do however handload 150 gr partitions and they work great on elk. Sutbble I've never heard of the 180 gr bullet you speak of, I'm sure it exists but other than that I've never seen a 180 gr bulletfor a 7mmrem mag either.

7mm rem mag is a great elk cartridgeIMO. Flat shooting and lots of energydown range.

RE: Is a 7mm magnum suitable for elk
 

Skeeter mentioned the 180gr load for the 7mmremmag.I have never heard of one myself.

RE: Is a 7mm magnum suitable for elk
 

I saw this ammo at a newer shop in sask, I never knew such a thing existed myself. I tried to check normas website but for whatever reason it does notopen the sub-sections for me. Any regards I will try pastingthe infofrom theshops website.

Not sure it is of any use but more of an FYI.

7mm Rem Mag 180 Gr Vulcan
$49.99

Vulcan 17024



Click to enlarge

Click to enlarge
Since Norma introduced the Vulkan in 1980, it has been there most popular hunting bullet. The unique aspect of the Vulkan round is its inverted jacket tip that protects it and prevents tip deformation. The very rapid expansion of the Vulkan round leads in the majority of cases to a rapid kill when shot in the heart/lung area.

• Thick rear jacket section
• Pure lead core
• Thin forward jacket section
• Crimping increases dependability

RE: Is a 7mm magnum suitable for elk
 

It was Skeeter that mentioned it, sorry about that Stubble. I don't know if I'd ever try em, especially at $50 a box but it is good to know what's out there.