1) I have been reading many posts on Elk hunting calibers, but don' t read much on the 7mmRUM. Is this a good caliber for Elk & Mule Deer hunting? I would like to use one gun for all my big game hunting and thought the 7mmRUM would be a good choice for Deer up through Moose. My thought on this idea was if I use the same rifle for hunting all the game mentioned above, I could get really proficient with it.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

thanks in advance.........

latts,

I don' t shoot an ultra mag but I do shoot and love my Winchester 70 model 7mm rem mag. I dont' think there' s a lot of difference though. Either will take down anything in North America, that is if you can shoot it straight!

The gun shoots fast, flat, holds a lot of energy down field and the recoil isn' t that bad. If I' m hunting elk I use 175 grain Trophy bonded Federal premium and when whitetail hunting I drop down to 150 grain Ballistic tip in Winchester. Those two bullets seem to shoot best out of my rifle.

That' s my opinion for what it' s worth.

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Like they have said, any of the 7mm mags will work perfectly for what you intend. The RUM is the biggest and has the most recoil, but it will certainly get the job done.

If you really want to get proficient with one gun, I personally would select something that kicks a little less. I' d go with the 7mm Rem Mag because I know I can shoot it off a bench without discomfort and the ammo is quite a bit cheaper than the other 7mm mags.

Regardless of what you get, 160gr bullets should be all you would ever need.

I bought a 7RUM recently because I was thinking the same thing as you. I have a Pachmyr Decelerator pad on mine and the recoil is very managable. In fact, the recoil is less than what I expected. Factory 160 partitions are available and that' s what I plan to use on elk this fall.

IMINRUT,

I am planning to install the LimbSaver pad on my 7RUM. Have you taken an Elk with you 7RUM? If so, what was your experience? I plan to use for the time being Factory 160gr Nosler Partition for White Tail, Mule Deer, and Elk. I am plannig an Mule Deer/Elk hunt this fall in Colorado' s third season. This will be my first Western hunt.

thanks to all for your replies....
latts

The 7mm ultramag is a great cartridge as is the 7mmstw however there are two problems that seem to be very common with both.One is that the factory loads are pathetically mild and come nowhere close to the cartridges potential.The second problem is that many people that buy them seem to think that the use of this cartridge suddenly makes them a long range sharpshooter.The truth is that unless you have shooting skills much greater than average you are not capable of taking advantage of the superior ballistics this cartridge offers.In order to develop such skills one must spend hours and a great deal of ammunition practising at various distances out to yardages in the 400 to 500 yard range. If you are not willing to make this commitment you would do just as well with the 7mmrem mag or some other smaller cased cartridge that offers longer barrel life and less recoil and will work equally well at the shorter distances.I myself have put a lot of rounds through my 7mm ultramag and a great deal more through my stw' s and I have taken several elk with 140gr partitions with great results.I have also taken over a dozen head of deer a couple of pronghorns and a bighorn with 140 gr ballistic tips again with excellent results.

I got it after hunting season so I haven' t shot anything but targets. I' m heading for Colorado also, but for the second season. 180 days...The countdown has started!

Latts:

If that is what you want get it, it will serve you well. Good luck.

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