Ive been hearing a lot of stuff about the 7mm mag.And every time i hear something about it i haft to disagree.Ive tried it and didnt like it because every time i shot a deer it ran50 yards or more.I even shot one in the head and it got back up with half of it head blown off.I didnt like this so i switched to a 30-06 with 180 grain sp core locks and every deer ive shot with itdrop in a heap and never moved.So basicly what im asking is this normal for a 7mm mag or is it the bullets im using?thanks

Nothing should run with half it's head blown off. .284 isn't that far from .308 diameter, I'm not sure why you had bad luck.

I've used the 7mm my entire hunting career and so have my brother and dad and we would never switch. Collectively we have used them on whitetails, black bears, mountain lion, mule deer, and elk with excellent success. All of the whitetails that I have shot have never taken a step. All of us shoot 175 grain Core-Lokt from Remington. I love my 7mm!!!

My theory issmaller faster bullets leave lots of damage but deer usually dont know what hit them for a few seconds. It seems deer feel the pain of slower moving bullets and drop more times than not.
of course this is just a theory.

This is a theory that I certainly don't share after having personally killed about 50 deer and seeing many others killed.The simple fact is that the more damage that is done,the faster the animal dies.My experiences have shown that the high velocity cartridges using rapid expanding bullets cause the largest wound channels and therefore the most rapid deaths.The biggest reason that deer run after being shot with a cartridge such as the 7mmremmag is that either the shot placement is not correct or because they use a heavy bullet such as a 175gr that is moving slower and expands less rapidly,therefore doing less damage.

Wow, darned tough deer. Where did you say you were hunting?

In the early days of the 7mm Rem Mag, bullets were a bit fragile for the speed at which they traveled, leading to some less than desirable results. That may still be the case if you insist on shooting the cheapest amo you can find (read Remington CoreLokts). Now then, about this deer running away with half a head. Not calling you a liar, but it does sound far fetched. I have seen them run after some jackass blows off a lower jaw or a nose by trying a headshot.

You must be doing something very very wrong...either it's the bullets or you!! I've shot a railroad car or more full of deer over the last 35years with my 7mm RM, all handloaded 140 Nosler Partitions at about 3100 fps and "NONE" has ever survived for more than a few seconds at best and most have never takin a single step after being hit and that's from any angle you can imagine ... great bullets and speed means instant death .. buy yourself some premium bullets "partitions or X-bullets"and drive them at 3000 fps plus and end the problem once and for all..don't blame the 7mm MAGS..they are about as good as it can get-period..I wouldn't be afraid to shoot any animal in North America with mine..even a 1500 Brownie..one well placed shot and a hit from a good bullet and that would be that.... 7mm MAGS....awesome to say the least !!

This is exactly why my father told me........ sun......iffin yer going to ta shoot a deer in the haid, make a shore ya take it compleetly off, that a ways sunny.....iffin tha deer runs oft yous still have da haid to show yer frends.


dead is dead, if the deer runs off say 50 yards it's still dead