7mm Rem. Mag as a First Rifle Calibre?

[BoilerUP]

How long will it take a hunter to "shoot out" a barrel though, even one that is a teenager?

 

[Cranky CJ]

GreatCanada; a 7mag is a very sound choice. My 50 yr old brother started with one when he was your age and uses it every year up to and including this past year. Go for it. The X Bolt is also a very fine choice, I have an A bolt in 300WSM.

If you are into researching ballistics, look at all the mag calibers, 270WSM, 7mag and 7WSM, and 300mag and 300WSM. Study the ballistics and choose the one you think suits you the best. Ballistic calculators can be found online.

So far your choice, X bolt in 7mag would be a great choice, IMO. I just suggest you do a little more study then get the gun that you really want, not the one somebody else tells you to get. In the end, you would get it, but only several years later.

 

[unwise11]

I'm 14, 5-10" and 157 lbs, I guarantee size doesn't help alot when it comes to accurate rifle shooting, but assuming you aren't as experienced with a rifle, don't take it personally the blast from that cannon of a rifle will cause you to forget about squeezing the trigger, and flinch and jerk the trigger and pull the rifle off target..
I'd start with a .223, I started with a .308 and found flinch was slightly difficult to get over, now I have zero flinch or little if any, usually only with pistols, which I don't shoot nearly as often as the .308 and .223 rifles that are more fun to shoot to me..
But I'd stay away from the magnums until you get all the fundamentals down, maybe a 7-08, .260 or 6.5x55 swede would be a better choice for a flat shooting caliber..
Now I'll admit you might be able to handle the recoil a bit better but it will make you stop shooting first because you'll be shaking a bit and flinching like heck..
Trust me... I was a trap shooter, used to pumping through 12 guage nitro loads that kicked like buckshot in doubles and sitting on a bench it's alot harder to put 3 shots in one hole than to shoot a clay with a scattergun.

 

[wsm]

First rifle

GreatCanada22.

Your choice of both rifle and round are excellent. Don't worry about barrel burn-out. Unless you do an awful lot of paper punching you will never burn one out. But if you do burn one out you will find that it is harder to find someone to change the barrel on the Browning that on a Remington 700 or a Winchester Model 70. At your size and weight you won't have any flinch problems. Good hunting.

 

[unwise11]

Size and weight has little to do with flinching, it doesn't matter how big you are, most flinching is related to muzzle blast.

 

[christcorp]

I just read barrel life on a 7mm mag is about 800 rounds. That just plain sucks, especially for a kid looking for a life-long hunting rifle. A new barrel will be slightly different even on the same action... so as soon as you can say you really "know" that rifle it'll be time to basically start all over again.
If you are relying on the few extra yards a 7mm shoots flat for, my advice would be to work on becoming a better hunter and able to get closer to game.
Also consider the resale value if you ever want to sell the rifle. A .30-06 has a much wider market than a 7mm. There are guys that won't even consider buying a 7mm mag BECAUSE of the short barrel life and because it is completely unnecessary on North American game.
I wouldn't give even a great deal a second look- you might be able to GIVE me one, but I wouldn't offer you 1/10th of what it is probably worth.
No matter where you go you can find ammo for a .30-06 and you can find a better selection of bullets as well.
As far as kick goes, give me a break please... 100 pound girls I shoot with can shoulder our .300 mags, Weatherbys, etc. without complaint.
But WHY is the question? Believe me, a .30-06 will kill anything under 100 yards which is where you should be anyway.

Motega; I don't know where you "Just Read" this information, but that is so wrong it's pathetic. First; every manufacturer of rifles is different. It's not possible to say that a particular CALIBER BARREL will last a certain number of rounds. That's totally ridiculous. And for what it's worth; I've had my Savage 110E 7mm Remington Magnum for just over 20 years now. I don't shoot it that often except right before hunting season to sight in and have a little fun; but at the BARE MINIMUM; I shoot at least 100 rounds a year. So at the very least, I have about 2000 rounds through it. And the barrel isn't anywhere near "Worn Out". What you read is simply wrong.

Which obviously makes the rest of you analysis (Based on what you read); also wrong. The whole resale issue (Because the barrel is worn out) is simply untrue. And what do you mean by the 30-06 will kill anything under 100 yards, "WHICH IS WHERE YOU SHOULD BE ANYWAY". Do you even hunt??? If you do, it must be the brush of New Jersey or some other place similar in terrain. I promise you; if you come out to Wyoming, Colorado, Montana, Idaho, the rest of the Rockies or even the plains of the dakotas and such; you'd think God himself came down and blessed you if you can get within 100 yards of most animals. Don't get me wrong; we definitely try it. Especially in bow season. But if you're going rifle hunting for our game out here, or similar places, getting under 100 yards as the place we're suppose to be at; is simply naive. You've obviously never hunted real mountains or plains.

 

[snake284]

Man 800 rounds takes a long time in a rifle used primarily for hunting. And I would say even a 7mag if you handload it sensibly will last more than that. I would think if you didn't shoot too many hot strings and let the barrel cool between groups it may surprise you. I wouldn't be surprised if one would last a couple of thousand rounds. But even 800 rounds will take a lot longer than you think. That could possibly take you 20 years. Lets face it, you're not going to sit at a bench too long with a 7 mag. You might take a hunting rifle to the range two-three times a year and shoot it 20 times each trip. And that might be a lot. I've had a .270 for nearly 45 years and the barrel isn't gone yet, and I've shot it probably more than most people would have because I've done a lot of handload development. I did recently remove a bunch of copper from the bore that I had neglected through the years and it helped my accuracy. But for a 7 mag to go south in 8 years would take a lot of abusive shooting.

 

[KzoneAL]

[So, to have a summary of this page, a 7mm will do me fine, and will do fine for the hunting i will be doing as well, but the 30-06 will also be a great caliber? /QUOTE]

YES..!

 

[wsm]

size and weight

JD; he has 5 inches in height on you and 73 pounds in weight. That DOES make a difference. Why do you think that the Lead Sled is so effective? Weight!

 

[nastynatesfish]

first. the 7 mag was my first big rifle and im about the same size. its not overkill one bit. not sure about up north but here in az the 7mag rem core locks are about 27 a box so the price is not any different. second ive got wayyyy more than 800 rounds through the two 7s that ive owned. ive had my remmy that i built since august of last year and am pushing 1000 rounds now. im finally having brass come apart at the belt from to many reloads. i went to the range yesterday and put 65 rounds through it with 162gr amaxs running at 3100fps, fyi. its a great all around round. recoil is not bad unless you reload and load hot. itll do anything you want it to do. good luck

 

[Liberty1776]

GC22 - believe me, at your size you won't notice any difference between the rifle in 7mm Remington mag, or 30-06. I have and shoot both frequently. I love my 7mm Mag - it's a great round and in the heavier bullet ranges will work great for moose.

 

[LoonWulf]

I also think the 7mm is a good choice, still the one i go for mostly. Recoil isnt oppressive by any means, power is more then adequate, and trajectory is flatter then anything in its recoil range. I shot over 1k rounds from my first 7mm barrel before changing it to 300 (just cause i wanted something different), and i had no loss in accuracy. My new 7mm is about 300rnds in and i think im sticking with 168grn bergers powered by retumbo.

 

[Old Shooter]

Buy the 7mm you are interested in and give it a try. If it turns out you like your fathers 30-06 better, then trade your 7mm for an '06. Either one will do what you want to do with the correct choice of bullets.

 

[cal74]

Most 7mm mags or most any strictly big game rifles will last many generation on the original barrels.

Usually more harm comes to barrels by improper cleaning than shooting too much.


In this class of cartridges the stock fit makes all the difference in perceived felt recoil. I have a Winchester .243 that bothers me more to shoot than my Ruger 7mm mag.

I also have a .223 Handi Rifle with a youth stock that obviously doesn't kick enough to hurt, but with the short stock it does get tiresome to shoot it 15-20 times.


As for muzzle blast, personally I don't think the 7mm mags are that much worse than either of the '06's I have. I do have a .257 Weatherby and even with it's 26" barrel that thing really barks.

 

[Art Eatman]

Therre have been many good answers. Unfortunately, there also have been answers from some who failed to read that the OP is a BIG GUY, and has experience with the '06.

Enough.