Mojotex

I don't own nor have ever owned a rifle in 7mm RM. But several of my buddies do and how can anything be "wrong" with such a cartridge? On the other hand if you are looking for more punch than a 30.06 Spr. you are going to be hunting critters I don't want to be around! If you are, then skip all the 30 cal. stuff and go to a .577 T-Rex. That'll be some punch alright.

Seriously, a 7 mm RM would give you a pretty fair increase in muzzle velocity with something comparative to typical 30.06 Spr. bullets, like a 150 gr. +/- gr. bullet weights. But I'd think a minimal upgrade in "punch" would be a 300 WM, 300 RUM, 300 STW, or 300 WSM. Something like that. Or maybe one of the 338 magnums. I do have a 300 WM and had a 300 WSM. I sighted in a 300 STW. I love my 300 Win. Mag. for 180 gr. bullets shooting at long range - 500 yards +/-. But I don't hunt anything big. Probably never will, so I'll never need anything with truly magnum punch.

gregrn43

My 7 mag has dorned my rack for 21 years. Its a Remington 700 BDL, it has been on fanstatic rifle, extremely accurate and dependable. It has taken over 30 deer and tons of coyotes. From ranges of 10 yards to over 400 yards. IMO its one of the best cartridges ever made. There is nothing WRONG with the 7 mag. I have never been a one rifle man, Ienjoy shooting to much for that. There are several cartridges out there that will do what you want very well. I have never really had a need for a 300 win mag, but 5 years ago I had the chance to pick one up from a friend for 250 bucks, so now there is a Ruger M77 in my rack. Its a great shooting rifle as well, to date I have shot 9 deer with it. Im glad that I dont have to pick just one rifle to do all my deer hunting with, but there are many cartridges out there that will easily do the job.

wolverine72

Schoolcraft:

That's a great question. I think you'll find a ton of information to answer your question by reading Jack O'Connor's books (1) The Rifle Book, and (2) The Hunting Rifle.

There aresections of both books that will give you a ton of information on the capability and history of all the calibers you refer to. He really does not give you an answer, but gives you lots of real world examples and experiences.

They are great books and can be found on E-Bay for $20 or less all the time. It's also fun to read the old books to get an idea for how much things have changed (like today's bullet construction and capabilities), and how much they have not (like the importance of shot placement). Maybe your public library has a copy....

stubblejumper

Of course you can simply load the 7mmremmag with a 160gr bullet that has more muzzle velocity,and a greater sectional density than the 180gr out of a 30-06.The result is an extra 200fps or so,flatter trajectory,and as good or better penetration with similar bullets.

Vapodog

Nothing

Ron Duval

removed by RD

schoolcraft

Thanks again for all the responses!!!

I'm thinking I'm either going to keep the gun a .30-06 or go to the 7mm. Rem. Mag.

I currently dont reload, although I have in the past, and a quick trip to Gander Mountain showed my how FEW commercial loads are out there for the .280 I was considering.

And as a couple have stated.......It might be a great excuse to get back into handloading!

DM

Back when i had magnum-idus i hunted with the 7 Rem. Mag. (along with many other magnums) and it worked well for me... At some point i got sick of all the "magnums" muzzle blast/recoil and pretty much gave up on magnums.

I just don't need a magnum to kill a deer or anything else for that matter... I've hunted and taken huge amounts of big game withmy 30-06, 8x57 and a few other non magnum cartridges. And that's frommoose on down, not just whitetails. They were just as dead as any magnum would have made them.

Having said that... Of all the magnums i've hunted with, i liked the 7 Rem. Mag, best. Loaded with 175NP's it's easily enough gun for the biggest brown bears, and there isn't anything bigger to hunt innorth americathat i know of, and all with less recoil than the 300 Win. Mag... Yes it needs a 24" bbl., and yes it's biggest advantage is with heavy bullets, and yes it uses more powder ect... But once you get past all of that, it does work well on big game, even if it's a lot more than you need to kill a deer...

BTW, even the 30-06 loaded with 200 NP's is "enough" gun for the big bears of Alaska. Been there done that...

DM

stalkingbear

The 7mm Remington mag and the .300 Winchester mag are exactly the same case, belted and based on blowed out, shortened version of the old .375 H&H case. The ONLY 2 differences are neck diameter and length of case. In fact, the 7mm mag & .338 mag are exactly same case except for neck diameter of course. There's NOTHING wrong with the 7mm mag, and is an EXCELLENT canidate for an all-round rifle-especially if you reload. Naturally when you reload once fired cases, you headspace on shoulder instead of the belt. The 7mm mag offers great killing ability for it's mild recoil.

Ron Duval

removed by RD