So logically, I should get 2 7mms; It'll be 15 years at the end of July for me.
I've fired a stock 700 ADL in 7mm Rem. Mag, and I wouldn't advise even my worst enemy to do so. The recoil was worse than
any other caliber rifle I've shot- this includes .300 Win. Mag, .300 H&H Mag., .338 Win. Mag., and .416 Remington Mag.!
A lot of the problem was stock design. It was in a standard Remington ADL factory stock.
The rifles I fired above were:
Ruger M77 .300 Win. Mag., in a McMillan M40 Stock. Very managable recoil, even with 200 gr. Partition moose loads.
Sako Hunter in .300 Win. Mag. in Sako factory stock with Pachmyr Decelerator added. Also manageable, the Sako palm swell in both these stocks is a big plus!
Mauser action in .300 H&H Mag., in a Fajen 1960's Monte Carlo stock. Sighted this in for a customer; recoil was on par with the two .300 WIn. Mags.
Winchester M70 in .338 Win. Mag. this was the least pleasant of the group, but still way more comfortable than the 700 in 7mm Rem. Mag.
Ruger 77 Safari in .416 Remington Mag. Yes it had a Decelerator on it, too, but felt recoil was on par with the .338.
I'll close with a story from working at the gun shop:
A customer came in, cash in hand Jonesing for a 7mm Weatherby Mag. His hunting buddy had one and dropped his deer instantly with it every year. The customer had been hunting with a borrowed .30-30, and hadn't got a decent shot at one yet. He liked the action, and the recoil was OK, and he was a decent shot with it. I asked him a couple questions.
Q: What type of environment do you hunt in?
A: mostly woods; average shot is 75 yards.
Q: Do you plan on going out west Elk hunting?
A: No, my buddy with the 7 Mag. does, though.
Q: Why do you think a 7 Mag. is a good choice for you?
A: Because my buddy drops his deer with one shot with his every time; other guys we hunt with use .30-30s and .30-06's and we have had to track them down.
Q: Is your buddy with the 7mm Mag. a good shot?
A: Very.
Q: Have you ever shot his 7mm Mag?
A; No.
So, I did something that pissed my boss off, and won that guy as a customer for the shop for life-
Yes, we had exactly what he wanted sitting in back. A really beautiful Weatherby MkV in 7mm Weatherby Mag., and it had been sitting there for many years. But that's
not what I sold him.
I sold him a Winchester 94 AE, with a Leupold 2-7 VX-II on it, and 10 boxes of Federal 150 gr. Premium Partition ammo, (Well, he left with 11, I threw one in free.), a decent case, and a good cleaning setup. I mounted and boresighted it for him while he waited, explained how to sight a scoped rifle in, (He'd been shooting iron sights on the borrwoed .30-30) and pointed him towards a good range.
He walked out with his new rifle and all the accoutrements, and $500 left that he expected to leave with us for that Weatherby 7mm and a cheap scope. (All he would have had left after the gun and a box of ammo...)
Made his day, made his wife happy, (He took her out to dinner that night on some of the savings) and got his deer that season. Dropped it with one shot, just like his buddy. He came in with pics and told me all about it. Askd for me from then on when he came in.....
After he left with his setup, the boss reamed me for not selling him that MkV. I asked him- Which would you rather have; Sold one rifle to a guy who thought that's what he wanted, and would go out and try to sight it in, and give up in disgust after developing a flinch, and never come back-not to mention badmouthing the shop to any one who'd listen-or sell him what he
needed, and make him a customer for life?
He was still pissed....
