Caliber Q: 7mm Remington Magnum?

[Col. Plink]

There's a nice (new) laminated stock Mossberg 4x4 in 7mmRemMag near my house for $250. Seems like a good deal but I know nothing of the round.

Characteristics? Availability? Uses? Cheers/jeers? (about the round; I already know this rifle is a good buy for the price).

Thanks in advance!

 

[akodo]

it is a common round, a flat shooter, a step up in performance and recoil from the 30-06, the common bullet weights of 7mm bullets tend to have higher BCs than 30 caliber bullets, so you generally get better in-flight performance (less loss of velocity) and good penetration on animals.

In my mind it is a great elk cartridge for those who need a bit more reach, AND it is just below the 'too much recoil' for most people. (And no, just because you didn't drop the rifle doesn't mean you are handling the recoil. When your shooting ability degrades due to recoil, it is too much)

But it is a heck of a lot more than is needed for whitetails.

 

[dakotasin]

i like the 7 rem mag quite a bit. a very versatile cartridge capable of fine accuracy and incredible on-game performance. in fact, i just picked up a 7 rem mag barrel for my next rifle build...

there aren't many limitations of the chambering, mostly on the shooter. recoil is moderate and you will never have to wonder if the gun went off while you are shooting it. i am a big fan of 162 grain hornady btsp bullets in the 7 rem mag. it does produce enough velocity that light-for-caliber cup-and-core bullets sometimes do not penetrate on close shots on big game. as long as you run bullets of 139+ grains it kills big game well.

 

[bobelk99]

Akodo's post is a very good summary.

I use 175 grain Nosler Partitions in my 7 for elk.

Comment: Never buy a caliber or gun based only on price. If you are not familiar with 7mag and don't have a plan for it's use, maybe you would be better served in waiting and buying something that fits your 'plans'.

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

Your primary question is rifle - here's food for thought on that:

http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/2797707/1

(100 ATR and 4x4 being the same basic rifle). How much do you value your face without an extraneous hole in it?


As for caliber, it's a good one. Get a T/C Venture, Marlin XL7, or Stevens 200 on a budget, IMO.

 

[MichaelK]

A Savage 110 in 7mm mag was my very first centerfire rifle and it's still my "baby" today. Yes, it is very powerful, very accurate, very flat, and has lots of recoil (for me). But, if you reload like I do, you can make a starting load with a light bullet to hunt whitetails. My very first deer was taken with Speer's 130 grain soft point with 48 grains of IMR4320, which gives you about 7mm Mauser performance. Speer's bullet still punched right through my first deer, which took just two steps before falling over dead.

I'd suggest you buy it immediately!
Michael

 

[Col. Plink]

Dr. Tad, I have seen all that (not sure I believe it) and have owned a Mossberg 100ATR in 30'06 that was a steal at $250 from WallyWorld. It was hit-the-crosshairs-on-the-bullseye accurate shooting from a cool barrel at 100yds. Hence the mention of input on the round, not the rifle.

After reading the input on the 7mmRemMag, I just may have to pick that bad boy up...

 

[MTMilitiaman]

First post pretty much covered it. A very versatile cartridge capable of taking pretty much any non-dangerous game animal on the planet. Bullets tend to be aerodynamically efficient giving them good downrange performance. I have one in a Remington. With 160 gr Noslers, there is pretty much no herbivore under 1500 pounds I wouldn't feel confident pursuing in any terrain. To achieve any noticeable performance on larger or more dangerous game, I wouldn't even consider anything under .338 caliber, and that comes with a considerable increase in recoil as well. In that regard, the 7mm has always seemed like a slightly sharper 06 in a similar weight rifle.

 

[dakotasin]

A Savage 110 in 7mm mag was my very first centerfire rifle and it's still my "baby" today. Yes, it is very powerful, very accurate, very flat, and has lots of recoil (for me).

this also raises a point for consideration... first time i ever shot a 7 rem mag was in a savage 110. it was an extremely painful experience. now, i shoot a lot of 7 rem mag (remington 700) and barely notice the recoil... what i have found is that savage 110 series rifles, especially wood stocked versions, have an incredible ability to amplify my felt recoil. thus, underscoring the importance of rifle fit.

i think a lot of rifles get an uneccesarily bad rep for recoil because the shooters are using an ill-fitting rifle...

 

[JShirley]

If I could only have one rifle for N America, a 7mm Rem Mag would be it. Antelope to bear, pick your bullets and practice.

 

[MCgunner]

I have one, bought for the possibility of an elk hunt that never happened. It's a little much for most of what I hunt. It's a bit more performance for not much extra recoil than the .30-06. It's flat shooting and carries a lot of energy way out there for long range mule deer. Out to 400 yards, good elk gun IMHO. On heavier game, my gun is quite accurate with 160 partitions, but I just load it with 150 game kings which it likes, too. I'd use the partitions on big stuff if I had the chance to hunt anything bigger than hogs, which probably won't happen. I keep it, but I don't ever use it anymore. I am thinkin' maybe using it for night hunting hogs, though, because the scope I have on it is very bright and, heck, I'm not using it for anything else.

 

[Justin Holder]

The 7mm remington mag is a better choice than the over rated 30-06 for a all around caliber. It shoots flater, and hits just as hard with heavyer 160gr - 175gr bullets.

Both are more than is needed for whitetail. Think 270 winchester or smaller

 

[Arkansas Paul]

The .30-06 is overrated? :banghead:


I love the '06, but I agree with JShirley. If I could only pick one, 7 Rem Mag is it.

 

[Col. Plink]

so is the 7mmRemMag the modern-day 30'06?

 

[rangerruck]

You know, I am no particular fan of the round, and like others better. But when I go to actually critque the round, You have to say it has no probs or downsides. The only gripe about it may be a personal one, that it has to much recoil; but for what? I like to shoot a lot, and benchrest , and all kinds of shooting, so naturally a lighter kick I like. For hunting, and long distance shooting, about the only thing that i could think to be better would be the 7wsm.

 

[Maverick223]

I agree with Doc Tad. the rifle has a bad reputation for disassembling itself, the 7mmRM OTOH is a decent LR hunting cartridge, but is not suitable for taking big bears and not particularly great for large game such as moose either. I wouldn't step up to any magnum unless I needed more range than your .30-06 affords or were planning to hunt large game (in which case the .375H&H or .338WM would be the ticket).