Mossie

Im from PA and long shots here are not the normal shot so I go for 20-22" barreled short actions in 7-08/.308 and they work great for me. Easy to carry, balance well, very accurate, fast handleing and plenty of power out to 300 yards. I used to use bigger and more powerfull rifles but never needed them. I say go with the short actions and take a good rested shot at the longer ranges and you will not need the 7 mag. for deer. I feel kind of sick during the centerfire season when I see and hear 5-7 rapid shots fired off at deer on opening morning; it's just not right. I believe a more modest caliber would be a much better choice for most people.

TerryM

I own both rounds. The fact is that under 300 yds which is where probably 95% of deer get shot there is no need for a 7mm rem mag, the .308 will do just fine. Hell, many many moose get killed up here every year with the .308. And a moose weighs about 5 times what a deer does so the .308 is not lacking in power. Inside 300 yds trajectory also means nothing as virtually all sensible deer rounds basically shoot almost the same inside 300 yds.

whitetaildreamer

I don't believe that one is better than the other. They are both effective on deer so I believe that it all comes down to personal preference. It is more about shot placement that the cal. you use. With whatever cal. and gun you buy just make sure it shoulders well for you then lots of practise. I prefer bolt action but then again that's what I'm used to. If you know your abilities as well as your rifle's abilities then for the most part you will only be pulling the trigger once.

cal516

Yes we do. Sometimes we can get our hands on 168-175 grain ammo that is a lot more accurate than the standard 118LR that is usually available to us. Some of our top shooters can drill tack holes at about 400m with either their M-24 or 40XB

keylargo

I personally use a 7mm-08,but it seems to me that the over destruction of meet could call for a different bullet and not a different caliber.

JagMagMan

I see by the posts that I am not alone! There seem to be many people that are torn between their .308 and 7MM RM!
If I had to give one of them up, I'd probably keep the .308 but hopefully, I'll never part with either one!
I did have a couple of bad experiences with the 7MM RM that have puzzled me and soured me on the 7MM RM. Two bucks that luckily I found, had exit holes that showed no expansion at all! Both were shot with 150 gr. Core-Locts at 50-70 yards. One buck ran about 15 yards with no blood at all, the second ran about 100 yards, there were a couple of drops of blood where he was standing, just enough to tell me I did not miss! I was just about to give up the search for the night, when I stumbled onto him. I am considered a good tracker, but you've got to have something to work with! I have heard of others with similar experiences.
I will try the 7MM again, but with lighter bullets. My theory is that most of the heavier 7MM bullets are designed for bigger game and possibly longer ranges, so unless you hit major bones, the Whitetail body is not enough resistance to cause the bullet to expand.

Cobra7

Get a 300 Win. Mag. and be done with it. I have killed Whitetails with all of them and It is the most devastating of all the guns I have hunted with!!!

SevenMag

i've shot many different rounds thru many different guns, i have a preference for the 7mag since i have for many many years only been able to afford a single rifle in the cabinet, it is just a great all-around caliber than can take whitey's no problem as well as many larger... 308 is also a great all-around chamber as well, but its a round i wouldn't want to have as an "only" gun... if i had the money to have multiple guns in the stable i'd have a .223, .260, 7mag, 308, 338, and maybe a couple wildcat rounds as well... but that's all wishful thinking since i haven't won the powerball yet... speaking of which....... if i ever DO win that i want one of those big nasty cheytac's as well...

#40Fan

Sierra 160 grain SPBT in 7mm Rem Mag for all hunting purposes.

bowhunter747

i have had 2 .308's and have a 7mm rem. mag. i still have the rem. mag., but dont own the .308's any more. i like the way my 7mag shoots and performs on the bench at 500 yards. i am shooting 150 gr. seirra game king spbt. hope this helps.......