[Lennyjoe]

So tell me the difference betweent the two. I have seen the ballistics and there isnt much difference. I know the action is shorter in the WSM than the 7MM Mag. Also know that most bolts will only hold 2 WSM rounds.

Other than that, looking for experienced 7mm shooters to give me the true advantages or disadvantages between the two.

Think I have all but given up on buying a .300 mag for hunting. Just like the flavor of a 7MM better.

[dakotasin]

advantage of the 7 wsm is that it can go into a s.a. rifle.

advantages of the 7 rem mag is that it is tried and true, will be around next year, offers a touch more power than the sawed off mags, and because of its age, there are tons of data available for it.

the data thing is important to me... i just picked up a 300 wsm a little bit ago just to try it out. nice rifle, nice shooting. go to handload it, and there is so little data available that it is real hard to check, cross-check, etc everything. time consuming.

all that said, this fall i'll be carrying one of my 7 rem mags. the 300 wsm will sit this year out.

i really like the concept of the short mags. unfortunately, with so many of them out there, some are bound to fail (do we really need a 7 wsm/rsaum to go w/ the tons of other 7 mm's?) - will the one you choose (or the 300 like i chose) be the next cartridge to go into obsolesence?

[Mannlicher]

The true reason for this spat of short mags, is the need to sell new rifles, bullets, powder, primers.........................etc. There is NO real need for them.

[Lennyjoe]

The true reason for this spat of short mags, is the need to sell new rifles, bullets, powder, primers.........................etc. There is NO real need for them

Exactly what I was thinking. Just wanted to get inputs from folks who have tried them out.

Im 95% convinced in getting a 7MM Mag. Will make my final decision payday. Thats when Im gonna order one.

[Art Eatman]

From reading: For a given weight and/or length of rifle, you can have a longer barrel. Or, for a given barrel length, less weight with the SM.

It won't matter for hunters, particularly, but the short/fat cases seem to lend themselves to a bit better accuracy. The short action, being a bit stiffer, also helps the accuracy. This is more important to a benchrest/target shooter than to a hunter.

I wouldn't replace a standard cartridge with a short magnum, but if I was needing to fill a gap in bore size, I'd probably go with the shortie.

They appear to me to be more desirable for a handloader than for one who only uses factory ammo, if much plinking or practice is to be done. It's easy to load down and save the pounding on a shoulder.

The smaller magazine capacity might appear to be a drawback, but I've rarely seen a need for more than one or two shots when hunting...

Art

[russlate]

Add to that, if you reload them to their potential in a modern action, the century old 7x57 isn't hardly distinguishable between the 308, 270, and 30-06, and the octogenarian 300 H&H can beat out the 300 Win Mag but not the 300 Weatherby.