Has the 7mm Rem Mag fallen out of favor or is it just my imagination?

Well...

The "magnum" crowd is migrating away from the old belted cartridge to the new wonder-7's.
The "long range" crowd is migrating over to the 6.5 CM.

...and the "adult hunter" crowd is still very happy with their ole .270 WIN.







GR

I think that's right. As bullets become more efficient, there just isn't as much reason for a belted mag. 7mm anymore. Plus they have been around for a few generations, so I suppose some consider them "old" technology at this point, especially with all the uber-hyped new calibers these days.

Personally, I'm not comfortable taking shots long enough to justify a 7mm Mag. What I mean by that is if you aren't routinely shooting beyond 500 yards, there just isn't that much need for one.

To be sure, it's not just new hyped cartridges for the sake of mere novelty. The older magnums like 7mm, .264, even .300 achieved their performance by brute force. But the market has come to realize that brute force has strongly diminishing returns. Garandimal's assessment is to the point. Precision shooters are looking for a lot more than just big energy. For long-range activities, the expanding options of VLD and ELD bullets are more attractive than just more powder capacity, and those longer bullets take considerations not just in case neck and cartridge length, but also in barrel twist rate.

I have a belted magnum rifle now, but my next one certainly won't be another. I don't have a very specific purpose for it like a certain competitive sport or a certain game species, so I have some considerable liberty in terms of what will work for my purposes. I will probably choose one of the higher-twist rate 6mm/.243 that will shoot ELD bullets because it is versatile enough to handle every chore but the biggest game, which is a luxury few of us will ever have. The bigger, belted-magnums add a lot of recoil and expense, are punished by drag in the long range, ill-suited to casual target shooting and varminting, and are unnecessary for any game outside exotic safaris.

The 7RM wasn’t getting much air time even 15-20yrs ago, but it enjoyed a resurgence when the 7 RUM was launched, since folks confused the 7RM with RUM. The “ridge to ridge” elk hunting fad wasn’t very long lived, however, because there’s just too much cost involved with long range shooting with a magnum, and not enough guys actually ever hunt anything larger than whitetails.

I don’t think the 7RM will ever go away, but it’s certainly losing popularity faster and faster again now.

I love the round, but I doubt my son or his future children will have much interest in it.

I think it's caused by the decline in hunting over the last generation as America sadly becomes more urbanized. Cartridges like the 7mm Mag are really only useful for one thing - chootin' critters - cause those guns aren't exactly plinkers and the long range crowd has more efficient ways to punch holes in paper.

"Gun culture 2.0" as some have dubbed it is mostly centered around CCW, home defense, and suburban/urban range shooting. Belted magnums are a horrible fit for all of those.

I'm seeing a slight resurgence in popularity. But it isn't nearly as popular as it was for a while. Part of the problem is that it while it really looks good on paper, the real world ballistics just don't match what the charts say. I've had a couple, but after buying a chronograph sold the last one. I was getting better speeds with the same bullet weights from my 30-06 with much better accuracy. Granted the better BC's of the 7mm bullets did offset that, but not enough for me to justify keeping the 7 mag over my 30-06.

I think all belted magnums smaller than 375 will eventually be dinosaurs.

It’s been near the top of the popularity heap for 50+ years, it’s bound to see a bit of a decline sooner or later.

I’ve never personally owned any .284 caliber rifle (though my dad gave me an unfired 700 in 7RM...but it’s a lefty!), someday I’ll get a 7 RM to fill that void.

Stay safe!

In general, 7mm has always been a harder sell than anything 30 caliber. 7RM is an excellent hunting caliber: flat trajectory, reasonable to great BC, and a wide range of bullet weights. Even the belted case and barrel life qualms don't matter much when a hunter is shooting a couple of boxes a year through it, and putting it away after the season is over. However, fewer and fewer people actually hunt anymore... and 7RM isn't a target cartridge... and has to be chambered in a magnum action... and doesn't have a cool name... and today's tacticool shooter considers 308Win recoil to be harsh ... and no one is advertising it as being a "1000 yard caliber" (that would be it's cousin the 284 Win - haha).

They are still popular out here, there are only a couple of the guys I hunt with that don't own one.
The cartridge is versitile, but you pay for it in shorter barrel life, increased cost, and more recoil than something smaller.

I kinda wonder if the long action cartridges in general are in decline. The belted mags faster than the rest.

I've noticed the same downward trend for the 7mm mag in the local buy sell trade Firearms circles ( Boise, Southwest Idaho) and over the last several years it seems to me that the majority of guys around here that are Hunter / reloader / hobby range shooters like myself have been dumping / selling off 7mm mags & letting them go cheap rather than letting them sit and collect dust and not be used. There are more efficient cartridges to take everything from Antelope to Deer to Elk and moose around here then a big high-capacity Magnum round that are also much cheaper to reload and punch holes in paper with.

I've never owned a 7mm or any other big magnum rifle as I just don't see the point of owning one for anything here here in Idaho. Other than 22's for plinking my primary cartridges are 22-250, 6.5 Swedish, 7.62x39, 30-30, 54r & 8x56r . If I had to choose one rifle and one rifle only from my gun cabinet that's capable of dropping anything on this continent even at some fairly long distances it would probably be one of my 6.5 swedes. Most times I think one of the only things keeping the big monster magnum rifles afloat are these so-called Weekend Warriors that I see every season at Cabela's and Sportsman's Warehouse buying something like a 300 win mag or some other big Magnum bolt-action and a tag just to go out and shoot a muley deerdeer . It's just absurd not to mention a big waste of good meat ...

Mosin Bubba said:

I think it's caused by the decline in hunting over the last generation as America sadly becomes more urbanized. Cartridges like the 7mm Mag are really only useful for one thing - chootin' critters - cause those guns aren't exactly plinkers and the long range crowd has more efficient ways to punch holes in paper.

"Gun culture 2.0" as some have dubbed it is mostly centered around CCW, home defense, and suburban/urban range shooting. Belted magnums are a horrible fit for all of those.

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I think that's a huge part of it. It was always a long range hunting round, and there are just plain fewer people doing that these days.

It's still a good option for long range target work, but as mentioned, the advances in bullet design have made it unnecessary to take the recoil of driving heavier, larger caliber bullets that fast. The .284 pills have benefitted from the advances same as .244" and .264", so the 7 RM would give added reach to those who want it, but it kind of lands between the utility of the short action stuff in <1,000 yard work and the capability of .338 Lapua, .408 Chey Tac, et al for really long range.

I've always really liked the cartridge, but never owned one. My primary hunting rifles are a .25-06 and an 8mm Rem Mag, which have overlap already, so never needed to split the difference with something in the 7 mag class.

While the 7mm RM is still a great cartridge it has fallen out of favor somewhat, along with other Mags like the various 300's. I think this is due to many of today's shooters and hunters being more concerned with recoil and higher levels of accuracy then they are with brute horse power and performance... Lots of shooters today are willing to admit that they actually shoot the non magnums better... Heck, today lots of guys complain about 270, 308 and 30/06 levels of recoil...

Many have traded brute horsepower for higher ballistic coefficients with heavier, more streamlined bullets and lighter recoil, at least that's been the current trend. That way they think they can have the best of both worlds to some extent. In practice though, and at practical hunting ranges, I think there is a big difference between making a lot of energy and saving the energy that you have.

Bushpilot said:

While the 7mm RM is still a great cartridge it has fallen out of favor somewhat, along with other Mags like the various 300's. I think this is do to today's shooter and hunter being more concerned with recoil and higher levels of accuracy then they are with brute horse power and performance... Lots of shooters today are willing to admit that they actually shoot the non magnums better... Heck, today lots of guys complain about 270, 308 and 30/06 levels of recoil...

Many have traded brute horsepower for higher ballistic coefficients with heavier, more streamlined bullets and lighter recoil. That way they think they can have the best of both worlds to some extent. In practice, and at practical hunting ranges, I think there is a big difference between making a lot of energy and saving the energy that you have.

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Right ?, just like those that complain about the .40 S&W's "harsh recoil" that run back to the 9mm , really ? . Then you have people like me that don't fall into that category that are gluttons for punishment and don't mind it which is why I have a Steyr Mannlicher M95 in 8x56r that kicks like a Missouri Mule, far harder than anything I've pulled the trigger on including a friends "hot" 7mm handloads & I like it ...

I have a single hunting rifle. It is 7mm Remington Magnum. I bought it new about twenty years ago and it has allowed me to take elk, mulies, and antelope without a hitch. It shoots flat and with a decent scope, does the job if I do. It's doggone heavy, very long and as I'm older now, a bear to carry while walking into the area in which we hunt; 1-1/2 miles each way. I think the caliber has done what I bought it for and I'm happy with it.

Recoil.........what recoil......I have a couple 30-06's I love dearly but the 7 mag still goes with me on desert hunts.
I guess I am old school.
Happy shootin' JD

Yes, keep this thread alive. Everyone should hate the 7RM!

The 7mmRM is a terrible round and should be replaced immediately in evrybody’s safe. As a gesture of altruism, please send those defective guns to me and I will protect you from them.

Also will need someone to send dies, brass, and powder...

Greg

Sure it's a great catridge . But maybe folks are finally coming to their senses and realize they really don't need a magnum to shoot a whitetail at 50 yards......yes some still think they need one, but seriously?....come on. At least around here you don't. If I wanted another 7mm,I'd take 7mm-08 over a 7mm mag any day for my usage.

Now if I were planning on a big game hunt for elk or moose and had to pickup a new rifle to cover my bases than I still wouldn't want a 7mm Rem mag. I'd barrow my fathers 300 WM or pick up a new 338WM . If I'm going magnum,id rather pickup a bigger magnum. But to be honest I don't think I even want a magnum anyways. With my level of skill id want to keep shots within 400 yards MAX. Even more likely keep it within 300yards. A 7mm-08 with a top notch nosler partition bullet and a proper ahot would still do the trick.

I have always liked the 7mm in general but would probably go with a 280 AI.

In north America, if you can't do it with a 30-06 or a .270, do you need to do it at all ??
kwg

kwg020 said:

In north America, if you can't do it with a 30-06 or a .270, do you need to do it at all ??
kwg

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Only if you want to brag about the distance...

Hi...
The 7mm Mag is still popular around here.
I am nearly 64 years old and live and hunt in Pennsylvania.
My primary hunting rifle for whitetail and black bear has been the 7mm Mag for nearly 30 years.
Previously I used a .30/06.

I own several other rifles that could be utilized for deer and bear but I continue to rely on the 7mm Mag.

Why???
Well...even at my age and after three bouts with cancer and some serious ongoing physical issues, I still am not sensitive to the recoil.
Secondly...my primary hunting area has very large bluberry flats that are up to 1000 yds across, so I need an accurate flat shooting rifle just in case the opportunity happens to arise. I wouldn't want to pass on a black bear just because my rifle wasn't capable of humanely killing at extended ranges.

ExAgoradzo said:

Yes, keep this thread alive. Everyone should hate the 7RM!

The 7mmRM is a terrible round and should be replaced immediately in evrybody’s safe. As a gesture of altruism, please send those defective guns to me and I will protect you from them.

Also will need someone to send dies, brass, and powder...

Greg

Click to expand...

LOTS of powder....

Everyone knows that the only viable cartridge in current production is the 6.5 Creedmore. Also, according to local gunshop tire kickers, Vortex is the only company that makes scopes. As for handgun cartridges, the anemic .40 is worse in every way than the 9mm and the .380 is so impotent, that it cant penetrate human skin. Welcome to marketing. The 7mm's are just as great now as they were when they were introduced. Same goes for the 30-30, which people continually scoff at, like its incapable of killing deer past 50 yards.