What's wrong with the 7mm. Rem. Mag???
 

Sounds like a stupid question...I know....but here's why I ask it.

I have another post in this forum about which caliber to go with on my "soon to be customized" .30-06 Remington XCR.

I've always been a fan of the .270, .280, and .30-06....but also have had an itch for a .300 Win. Mag.

I lean towards either keeping the gun a .30-06 or going to a .280.......but I kinda' wanted a tad more "punch"...even if it's not always needed.

My question is...why is the 7mm. Rem. Mag. seem to get so beat up for being "over rated"??????

From what I can tell, it looks like it's slinging the same .284 bullets as a .280 but about 150 FPS faster. Seems like it might handle the 160gr. and 175gr. bullets a little better than the .280 also....

So, again,......How is the 7mm. Rem. Mag "over rated". Looks to me like it would be an awsome deer, hog round with the "oomph" to handle bigger stuff well if the situation ever arose. I've used the "7 MAG" before with EXCELLENT results.......

Any input or opinions would be greatly appreciated

RE: What's wrong with the 7mm. Rem. Mag???
 

Most chamberings that are deemed "overrated" are named such by people who don't own them. Nothing wrong with the 7 mag at all...for me its alittle smaller than I like for the truly big stuff and a little big for the smaller stuff.

old
 

removed by RD

RE: What's wrong with the 7mm. Rem. Mag???
 

Thanks for the feedback! Please keep it coming!

If it helps any.....I will pretty much be a "one rifle" hunter. I don't have any plans on hunting elk or moose anytime in the future...although I would love to.

If I was ONLY hunting deer......this caliber quandry wouldn't be an issue.....I would go with the .270, .280. or 06'...

But around where I hunt, we not only have LOTS of hogs...but we have BIG ones. I chuckle when I readabout how "easy hogs are to kill". With a head shot sure...but when you have a 400 lb. boar trot past you and you only have time for a heart/lung/shoulder shot....the small calibers dont do so hot.

RE: What's wrong with the 7mm. Rem. Mag???
 

I hunt with my father's 7 Mag and its killed absolute piles of deer over the years. I think the 7 Mag is a great round, for everything in North America (with the exception of the biggest coastal and arctic bears...although i'm sure it would kill them too). I think part of the reason it has recieved the "overrated" label is because it is somewhat of a romantic round, much like the .30-30, .30-06 and .270. Whenever anything gets particularly popular, rifles included, people who like it build it way up, until there becomes a backlash. Then it becomes trendy to talk about how something is "overrated" andpeople can snear with smug self-satisfaction about how their pet round is far superior haha(when in reality any difference between a .308, 270, 30-06, 7 mag or any other similar round is hardly noticable without fancy special equipment). I guess in a way talking about what makes the best round is like talking about what makes the prettiest girl. We can argue about it all day long but most of us are set in our ways and perhaps no one is right or wrong.So i guess my point is shoot whatever you like, the 7 mag is a great round despite what any naysayer may think.

old
 

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RE: What's wrong with the 7mm. Rem. Mag???
 

Don't know if you're a handloader or not, but I'm gonna throw the .280 Ackley Improved in here for the heck of it......Factory cases are available, and you've got something a little different from the rest of the crowd. Probably actually achieve actual 7 Mag velocities with a non-belted 40 deg. shoulder case. Load the full gamut of .284 bullets............
Should be able to re-chamber a .280 with no problem.

RE: What's wrong with the 7mm. Rem. Mag???
 

In identical rifles, I wouldn't be able to tell which cartridge I was shooting among the .270, .280, '06, or 7mm RM, unlesspossibly by muzzle blast. There maybe a slight difference in recoil, but it certainly wouldnt' be enormous. I also doubt thatthe vast majority of people could tell the difference in shooting those4 cartridges side-by-side. I think I might be able to start seeing a difference if I was shooting at 350+ yards, because of the drop. Then again, I can't see that far, so I don't shoot that far.

The numbers don't lie. The 7 mag will shoot flatter, & delivery more energy at every range over the other 2. However, I've never heard any credible sourcessay that the 7 mag offered any appreciable difference in actual killingability over the other3 cartridges. Most people seem to think that ameaningful upgrade in killing power would start at the .338 WM level, or maybe the .375 H&H level.

The real problem is that there are too many cartridges to choose from. A .243 will do what a .25-'06 will do. .25-'06 will do what a .260 will do. A .260 will do what a .270 will do. A .270 will do what a .280 will do. A .280 will do what a .30-'06 will do. And a.30-'06 will do what a 7mm Rem Mag will do. Does that mean that a .243 = a 7mm Rem Mag? Not at all.

FWIW, here's an interesting discussion about the amount of powder used in various 7mm cartridges, and the correspondingvelocity, drop, energy, and wind drift associated with each increase in powder: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BQY/is_12_47/ai_79586214

There aint no flies on the 7mm Rem Mag - it works, and works well. So do the others. The 7 Mag has, demonstrably, a little more "punch". The question is, will you notice that extra punch? Because the game likely won't.

FC

RE: What's wrong with the 7mm. Rem. Mag???
 

Well friend there is nothing wrong with the 7mm Mag. But if you're wanting to be a one rifle guy (which is ok too) then you should either stick with your '06 or go with a 300 mag.
I'm not down playing the 7mm mag but your '06 can handle just about anything. And if you ever get enough $ to go for big nasty bear, then a few buck more for a bigger (338 and up) rifle will be no problem.

RE: What's wrong with the 7mm. Rem. Mag???
 

I always thought the 7mm RM was just a .300 WM necked to .284, but I believe it's another case completely...

From what I know is that it doesn't offer much more than a .270 150 vs. 284 w/ 160, or so close that the magnum isn't worth it.

I do think the .280 can be handloaded pretty amazingly though.

May consider a.270wsm or .300wsm instead of a 7mm RM, or if you go with a magnum, think about a 7mm, 300 RUM, or .300wby.

But the 7mm RM can certainly get it done well.

RE: What's wrong with the 7mm. Rem. Mag???
 

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.

RE: What's wrong with the 7mm. Rem. Mag???
 

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.

RE: What's wrong with the 7mm. Rem. Mag???
 

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....

RE: What's wrong with the 7mm. Rem. Mag???
 

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.

RE: What's wrong with the 7mm. Rem. Mag???
 

Nothing

160 np
 

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RE: 160 NP
 

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

RE: 160 NP
 

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!

RE: What's wrong with the 7mm. Rem. Mag???
 

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.

old
 

removed by RD

RE: What's wrong with the 7mm. Rem. Mag???
 

"I think the 7 Mag is a great round, for everything in North America "

My guess is because it's got that metric word in it "millimeter".....

RE: What's wrong with the 7mm. Rem. Mag???
 

Mostly because of that reason right there, the 300 Win Mag. But I don't see any reason why a 7mm Rem Mag can't be a happy median between the 30 O6' and the 300 Win Mag..... JMO

I had a 30 O6' and liked it. I had a 7mm Rem Mag and loved it. I have a 300 Win Mag and love it.

RE: What's wrong with the 7mm. Rem. Mag???
 

I've been using a 7mm Mag on a regular basis for the last few years and always gotten excellent results from that cartridge. I have a few of the 7 mags. I've killed a bunch of deer with my Ruger M-77 in 7 mag.This year I used Winchester Supreme Ballistic Silvertips 150 grin it.It was apoor season compared to other years. Of the three deer I took not one of them even took a step,they dropped right in their tracks.There's nothing wrong with a 7 mag.It will do what it's supposed to do if the shooter does their part.
I also like a 270 Win and for deer size game a 7mm08.

RE: What's wrong with the 7mm. Rem. Mag???
 

I have had no complaint withthe 7mmremmag,from antelope to moose it's performed well.