7 mm Thoughts

I'm looking for stores, scenarios or thoughts on the particular cartridge in question?

Ammo costs?
Damage inflected on game?
Funness?

Funny I think the gun will be in my safe soon, or hope.

Would you buy a 7 mag why or why not?

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Ammo available is a magnum cost,

Drops them dead, and depending on type of ammo some gets it done better than others.
Fun? depending on type of stock some will let you know you have it in your hands and the heavier the round the more feeling. Let be known it not a plinking rife and to reload it depending on type of powder 70grn each round .

Yes, it is a great addition to the collection but what is your intended use?

Elk or smaller, again depending on your ability of aim I would suggest to use a friends 7mm try it if you find your self to get pulled shots off target its not for you. Hopes this helps,

So what are your plans for the rifle? Also what 7 mag are you looking at, lots of them out and about.

I'm a 7 mag fanatic, I love them. But I also love my .270's a bunch too.

I can obtain nice tight groups just as easily with the 7 mag as I can with the .270's, and even though recoil is a bit more with the 7 mag., it's not terrible, and I'm a very small man, 125 lbs..

As far as effectiveness of game, I've found little difference in effectiveness between the two, never had an elk or deer walk off after a hit from either.

But one advantage the 7 mag. has over the .270 is you can still obtain 3000 fps with 160 gr, and even 170 gr. projectile with the right powder choice, where as .270 just doesn't hold enough powder to get that level of performance with heavier bullets, 130's, and maybe 140's are about the limit for 3K fps, or better, not that heavier is necessarily necessary in my experience, I killed elk just as dead with both.

GS

The 7mag is an excellent round for western hunting. Works good from antelope to elk.
As said above, stock shape matters, I've found the Remington produces more felt recoil.

It would depend on what you already have. On paper the 7 mag looks good, but in the real world is only slightly better than 30-06, 270, or 280. If I already owned one of those I'd not bother.

Recoil is almost identical to 30-06 with similar bullet weights although some see the word "magnum" on the head stamp and convince themselves it kicks harder.

In my experience the stated ballistics are 'optimistic". Actually getting 3000 fps from a 7 mag with 160's is pushing things and may need a 26" or 28" barrel to do so. Around 2900-2950 is more realistic from common 24" barrels

A 270 will shoot 150's and a 30-06 will shoot 165's at the same speed, and do so with 22" barrels. A hand loader wishing to push the envelope can break 3000 fps with either 270/150 or 30-06/165 loads, especially with 24" or longer barrels. The 7mm bullets better BC's result in slightly better performance and trajectory down range, but the advantage is more on paper than real.

If you are looking at 7 mag, pay particular attention to the stock it's in. I have a Savage and it has more drop at heel and comb of stock and felt recoil is noticeably more harsh than in rifles where the comb height is more in line with the bore.

It's a long range hammer on deer and up to elk. I took a mulie out in New Mexico at right at 350 yards across a canyon with mine, longest shot I've made. It packs the goods at that range. I'm not a long range guy, though, but the gun with the right bullets can shoot a lot farther. I ain't in to portable ballistics computers, though.

When I bought mine, a Savage 110, I was just wanting a larger caliber rifle than my only deer rifle, my old .257 Roberts. I thought I might get to hunt elk some day, which never happened, likely never will. So, I hunted mulies and west Texas whitetail with it.

At the time I was thinkin' about getting another rifle, I was really enamored with the .280 Remington. I had an old 7x57 Spanish Mauser that was less than fantastic. I liked 7mm BCs and down range ballistics. But, I thought to myself, why get a .280 when I can have a 7 mag and if I decide it's too much, I can always download it to .280 or even 7x57 ballistics? I've yet to do that since I now have a .308 I acquired, but the option is still there. I don't hunt open country much, but if and when I get to, I still have the 7. My .308 gets most of my hunting duties now days, though, for game of deer and hog size.

I like the big 7, no worse recoil than your average .30-06 with better down range energy numbers doe to better BCs. It does have some muzzle blast, though. When I first got it, I set up my chronograph at it's normal 25 feet and sat down with some test loads to shoot at 100 yards. First shot blew the chrony over on the tripod. I had to back it off another 15 feet and still had to straighten out the little cardboard screens that chronies had back then every few shots. LOL! Yeah, it's a bit of a cannon for 100 yards and in in the thick woods I hunt now days. I usually use my .50 caliber front stuffer anymore. It's a cannon, too, but you can eat right up to the hole. One sub 100 yard doe I shot with that 7, I ruined both shoulders. The off side was hanging by threads. Mostly, that's the 150 Game King I was usiing. The gun likes 1160 partitions and they're not as explosive. Still, it's not the gun for up close hunting. My .308 or my .257 Roberts or my CVA Wolf do a better job there. But, I wouldn't be lost if it were all I had. I'd just load it down to 2600-2800 fps with that 150 Game King and call it a 7x57.

Just my $.02

In my experience the stated ballistics are 'optimistic". Actually getting 3000 fps from a 7 mag with 160's is pushing things and may need a 26" or 28" barrel to do so. Around 2900-2950 is more realistic from common 24" barrels

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I'm pushing a 150 to 3200 fps from a 24" Savage 110. 3000 fps or a little over is easy enough with the right powder. I've found RL22 works about optimum.

I like 7mm, but I would be asking myself if you really need more than 7mm 08. I don't.

Hey, the big 7 can do 7-08, just down load it. Yet, it can do so much more. Of course, there are differences in rifles. My 7 is a big, heavy beast for carrying or maneuvering in a blind or stand. My M7 can be had in 7-08, though mine's a .308, and it's a much handier hunting rifle and lighter to tote. I wouldn't want a 7 mag with a 20" barrel in at barely over 6 lbs. Seems to me this should be another consideration of a guy looking at big magnum rifles.

I'm looking for stores, scenarios or thoughts on the particular cartridge in question?

Ammo costs?
Damage inflected on game?
Funness?

Click to expand...

Factory ammo starts at about $1.25/round

Damage inflicted (bullets cannot inflect ) is going to be more a function of the specific bullet and shot placement, but with those two right, the 7mm RM is plenty for any game in North America.

Fun? I guess that depends on what you consider fun. The 7 mag in a sporting weight rifle ain't a cartridge most people would considerable pleasant (or cost effective) to fire dozens and dozens of rounds from on the range. Recoil is a little brisk in a ~8lb gun, a tad more than .30-06 on account of the slightly larger powder charge and higher velocity.

In summary, it is an excellent medium to long-range big game cartridge, well suited to hunting in the Western states, Canada and Alaska. It was the second/third most popular big game round in this country for a long time, for a good reason. I'm sure it is still top 5 today, a half century after it's debut.

The 7 mag in a sporting weight rifle ain't a cartridge most people would considerable pleasant (or cost effective)

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As long as you're correcting spelling......

No magnums for me. Not one of 'em does anything a 7mm Mauser, .30-06 or .308 or any other non-magnum won't do at less money, felt recoil and muzzle blast. Isn't a beastie in North America that needs any kind of magnum to kill either.
Try one just one anyway though. That's the fun of shooting.

Only thing really against it is difficulty in resale. I personally tend to skip from 6.5mm straight to 8mm.

With the right powder, it will comfortably push 160's at 3000 fps, I've done it, and with a 24" barrel. Although, my favorite weight bullets are 139's to 150's, which as stated above will get into the 3200 fps range, again with the right powders.

As for long range capability, ya, if the rifle is properly sighted in, got good glass, and skill level is present, 500+ yd. shots are very doable.

GS

I have shot deer up to 1/4 mile with mine. Basically it is lethal and accurate to over 1000 yards but I would never again take that long a shot on game with it due to bullet performance. You need to pay attention to what bullets you are using at long range. I consider it the best long range cartridge that I would ever use. That said, for the ranges I shot a 30-06 is just as good. Due to a bad shoulder I gave the gun to my son, he loves it.
I replaced it with a 7-08 that I really like. Shoots like a dream. .280 Remington is a great round too. The 7x57 is very close to the 7-08 in performance. Recoil of a 7 MM RM is sharp in a light rifle. If the recoil doesn't bother you it is a great round.

As far as cost, it is higher than 30-06 by a good margin, but it is widely available. The cheapest and most widely available will probably 30-06 and 308 in that class round. Fun depend on if you like a big blast. I did when I was younger. I like the 7-08 better now because it is so accurate and mild to shoot. And it will do the job for my ranges, 400 max and unlikely, 50-300 most likely.

As long as you're correcting spelling......

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Yeah...........teach me to proof read when using the phone to post! At least it didn't insert "thong" for "thing" or "think". I believe I finally got all of the sexual auto corrects that seem to come pre-programmed eliminated................

I've owned two rifles that were magnums, a 700 Classic in .300 H&H Mag and a nice 70 in 7mm RM. After 5 years I sold the 7mm. Not that I didn't like it, but the H&H didn't kick as bad and seemed more versatile with it's ability to handle heavier bullets.

But, I did indeed like the 7mm RM.

Get a 7X57 best caliber there is. There are some new
model 70 Winchesters out there on a special run.
If the 7 MM mauser was a girl she would be a 10.
Ask anyone.

Zeke

7mm's are Great

Having owned a couple 7's, and shot a bunch. I truly believe that regardless of the brass they are driven from 7mm bullets are magical (almost) in their performance.
I still currently own two 7x57's and used to own a 280 Remington which was the most accurate rifle I ever owned.
with a host of calibers to choose from; 7-08, 7x57, 280 Rem, and 7 Rem mag to name a few, I don't think there is a bad choice. Good Luck !!

7mm Rem Mag, (not to be confused with short mag) packs a little more wallop than a 30.06, and tends to shoot a little flatter. Bullet weight used to be limited to 175gr, may be different now. My model 70 likes 175gr Speer Grand Slam, which is pretty suitable for anything in North America.

Originally posted by: Covelo-NdN
I'm looking for stores, scenarios or thoughts on the particular cartridge in question?

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What IS the particular cartridge in question?

"7mm Magnum" covers a LOT of different chamberings.

I gave my Voere 7mm mag to my son in Oregon to use on deer , bear and elk at long ranges. I use a .270 WSM on game up to deer, all though I used it very successfully on all African planes game under Eland and Wildebeast (where I used a .375 H&H) . I reload .264 Win Mag for many years and love it for antelope at any range along with sheep and goats and caribou when I was younger. For going down to the store and getting a box of ammo and going for anything up thru elk at any ranges it is hard to beat a 7mm Rem mag IMHO.