7mm vs. 30-06
 

which caliber is better for all around big game hunting i will be hunting everything from deer, elk, sheep, moose, and bear

RE: 7mm vs. 30-06
 

i'd go with the 7mm mag jmo. I like the 30-06 but I think the little extra would be to your benefit

RE: 7mm vs. 30-06
 

id go with the 06, u know something has to be good about it considering everybody compares other calibers to it all the time, its like the worldwide standard caliber people compare to lol. It would be more then capable of handling anything here in the U.S.

RE: 7mm vs. 30-06
 

I prefer the 7mmremmag since it offers a slightly flatter trajectory.

RE: 7mm vs. 30-06
 

I prefer the 7 mag. It is a little flatter. If you reload, you can taylor your own loads with either caliber.You would have more bullet choices with the 30-06. Both are very good choices. Good luck.

RE: 7mm vs. 30-06
 

Well, both will are very capable...unless you meant brown/grizzly when you said "bear". In that case I wouldn't want either to be at my side. I also think that "flatter" is a highly glorified concept that shouldn't play much role at all in choosing a round. I mean, if you want to choose a 7mm over a 45-70 because it shoots flatter thats one thing, but in calibers that are as close at the 7mm and -06 its a non-issue. Learn the drops and learn to shoot the gun. Now that I've said all that, I would choose the 30-06 for the larger (and heavier) bullets.

RE: 7mm vs. 30-06
 

Without hesitation, the 7mm MAGNUM. I can always load downor can load a heavy bullet if needed.

RE: 7mm vs. 30-06
 

I own rifles chambered in both of those cartridges. Over the years, going back to the mid 70's,I've owned more rifles chambered for the 7mm RM than any other single cartridge and no doubt have fired off more of these rounds than the others I've owned combined. So, I'm pretty familiar with it.

I thinksome folks tend to overestimate the potency of the 7mm Rem Mag.In the real world there's not a nickle's worth ofdifference between these two cartridges. They'll both get the job done real well.If it were me I'd probably choose the .30-06 becauseof the bullet weights available for it.

RE: 7mm vs. 30-06
 

When the 7 Mag was first introduced, there was an article in Field and Stream describing it as "shoots as flat as a .270 and hits as hard as a 30-06". I'm sure this is no less true today. But if you hunt in heavily wooded areas where 200 yards is a long shot, the extra bullet weight of the 30-06 could be a good thing. No contest when you start getting out there a distances approaching 400 yards, though.

RE: 7mm vs. 30-06
 

Unless you are shooting at animals past 300 yards you will never notice the differance in trajectory.

Giving them both a maximum of plus or minus a 3" trajectory and using Federals published velocities........

The 7mm Rem mag firing a 150 grain NBT at 3110 fps will have a zero range of 260 yards and be three inches low at 305 yards.

The 30-05 firing a 165 grains NBT at 2800 fps will have a zero range of 235 yards and be three inches low at 275 yards. At 305 yards it drops to 5.7 inches low.

So to 300 yards you basically gain 30 yards or 2.7 inches of flatter trajectory by choosing a 7mm Rem mag over the 30-06. Past this the 7mm Rem mag begins to shine.

The 30-06 is roughly the same distance low at 350 yards as the 7mm is at 400 yards.


AS far as terminal performance goes neither you nor the animals would be able to know the differance between the two.

RE: 7mm vs. 30-06
 

Nobody ever mentions penetration, the 30-06 will go deeper, always.

RE: 7mm vs. 30-06
 

I do think we alluded to this when "heavier bullets" where mentioned...but to say "the 30-06 will go deeper, always" is pretty risky statement. BULLET SELECTION is the first and second factor that will affect penetration, not cartridge.

RE: 7mm vs. 30-06
 

I'm going to vote for the 7mag. I owned a 30-06 for a number of years, and I killed some nice trophys with it. But for some reason I hate the recoil on an '06. They really jar me bad, on the other hand I can shoot my 7mag all day an be just fine or my old mans 338.

RE: 7mm vs. 30-06
 

I disagree, smaller faster bullets will always offer less penetration.
To me the 7 mag is not a big game gun as it is a long range deer and mulie gun.
I have seen penetration tests and the 7 mag does not penetrate as well as the -06.

RE: 7mm vs. 30-06
 

My favorite is the 7mm Rem. Mag.

RE: 7mm vs. 30-06
 

It's not a risky statement,it's a foolish statement that shows a total lack of understanding of bullet performance.

RE: 7mm vs. 30-06
 

In this era of specialized bullet technology, a lot of the old "rules"about things like bullet weight and sectional density don't necessarily apply any more. I would suspect a 175 gr. Swift A-Frame in the 7 Rem Mag would out penetrate a traditional 500 grain soft nose coming out of a .458 Winchester.

RE: 7mm vs. 30-06
 

:DI wasn't going to say it. ;)

RE: 7mm vs. 30-06
 

Dude your a smart guy I know, but this statement about sectional density not applying is crazy.

Of course bullet construction matters but you wont find one in a 7 mag thats capable of mating a 30-06 in penetration. You think I'm foolish huh?
Well heres some penetration tests.

RE: 7mm vs. 30-06
 

Talk about a dumb debate. There isnt a dime's worth of difference in the potential between a 7mm Remington Magnum and the 30-06. Both will kill any creature that walks this little ball of dirt we like to call Earth.

RE: 7mm vs. 30-06
 

One would have to be clueless tojudge the penetration capabilitiesof thetwo cartridgesbased on the chart posted.Look at the bullets that offered the best penetration for the 30-06,namely the failsafe and barnes x.Now look at the bullets tested in the 7mm remmag.Do you see those same bullets tested in ther 7mmremmag?No you don't although they are available.Since the same bullets were not used the comparison is useless.

RE: 7mm vs. 30-06
 

Wrong. The 150 swift scirocco was used in the 7-08 and 7 mag. The 7-08 had more penetration. Its nothing new, slower impact velocity's usually result in deeper penetration.
The 7 mag will never get 26" of penetration as did the -06 I dont care what bullet you pick. You could handload a 7 mag to lower velocity's to get more penetration.
Most people here judge a caliber by the size of the case. which is funny.
Its a known fact, bullets at higher velocity's equall less penetration.
The 6.5 is known for penetration, Its a High SD bullet, coupled with slower velocity's equall deeeeeep penetration. the 7 mag is a long range deer gun, in my opinion. Will it kill a moose ? Of course it will, and the moose wouldnt know the difference if it was an -06 or a 7 mag. will it penetrate a moose from end to end, not hardly.
Thats all i'm saying. the 7 mag is a small bore magnum, it's not a big bore, just because it has a big shell doesnt make it a big and dangerous game rifle. It's not a deep penetrater. Its high velocity makes it that way.

RE: 7mm vs. 30-06
 

Again your lack of knowledge shows itself.Are you aware that when driven at high velocity,the petals of the barns x and failsafe are sometimes broken off which results in a smaller frontal area and evenmore penetration.Then again one could simply use a solid that does not expand to greatly increase the penetration.You read a couple of charts and think that you are an expert on the subject,but reading alone does not teach all that you need to know.Actual experience teaches one a lot more.