7mm mag

MIKEV311 · Dec 10, 2011

I just want some opinions on this cartridge i just acquired a Remington 700 chambered in this round and not sure if i want to keep it. I already have a .30-06 and a .308 and im not sure i have a need for it just wanted to get some opinions from the experts.

mjbskwim · Dec 10, 2011

I believe it will give you another 100yards of flat shooting over the other two. Smaller caliber but longer range.
Really I would swap it for a 300mag or RUM/Weatherby mag

giddyupgo55 · Dec 11, 2011

I have hunted for 30 years with a Ruger 7mm Mag, and in my opinon it has been a great gun for me. For some folks the recoil my be more then they want, but as always, it comes down to what works for you. Didn't use it this year, only because I cracked the stock, and have yet to fix or replace it.

iusmc2002 · Dec 11, 2011

7 mag is a great round. I love mine. Keep it in your stable, if for no other reason, you can say you have a "belted magnum" and play the "Mine's bigger than yours" game lol

orygun · Dec 11, 2011

I'll start the argument here. If I already had a 30-06 (and I do) I would sell the 7mm and never, ever look back. There is nothing the 7mm can do that the 30-06 can't. The 7mm may drop less at a distance, but it's not nearly the difference that some would try to make you believe. Just think how much ammo (or other things) you can buy with the money from the gun.
I would use the money to buy a high quality scope for the rifle I already have.
Oh, there's either no experts here, or there are many. Depends on who you ask! :s0114:

RVTECH · Dec 11, 2011

Purely from a ballistics position it is an excellent performing round and that was the reason I acquired one several years ago - until I started loading and bench shooting it. The recoil was more than I wanted in a rifle I might want to take out and shoot a lot. Mine was a Remington 700 Classic and it was probably the most accurate rifle I have owned - especially when loaded with Nosler Ballistic Tip bullets. Even with toned down loads it still had more recoil than I wanted. I traded it for a new Colt 1911. If I was looking for a rifle in that caliber category again I would probably go with a .270 Winchester. The .270 gives up little to the 7MM and with good bullets and carefully loaded ammo will probably perform similarly - and with less recoil.

MIKEV311 · Dec 11, 2011

Well there are good arguments why i should keep it or not im still kinda on the fence about it. I do have a soft spot for the .30-06 probably because that is the round i grew up shooting with my dad and grandpa. But i have this sickness that im sure many of you suffer from as well im addicted to firearms of all kinds but im just trying not to get to many calibers in my closet. Is there any treatment for this sickness other than to give away my worldly possessions and join a convent?

mjbskwim · Dec 11, 2011

Yes,get another job to feed it.

Sabertooth · Dec 11, 2011

I grew up hunting with a 30-06 Winchester Model 70. My Dad's. Now have a 30-06 Winchester Model 70 or my own and a Target rifle in 30-06. I also have a 7mm Remington Mag in a Wichester Model 70. Recoil is about the same.
Sell the 7mm? Never.
No cure for gun fever. Same as Gold fever. Ya got it your stuck with it.

RVTECH · Dec 11, 2011

Is there any treatment for this sickness other than to give away my worldly possessions and join a convent?

I agree with Saber's gun fever theory but at the same time you may want to evaluate your real needs and (as opposed to just wants) and 'Thin the herd'. I am working on that now, not with just guns & accessories but with everything I own getting prepared to move. You may have read my thread about needing help with my slight 'hoarding' problem. If you didn't you might want to read it. Many of the responses helped out!

mjbskwim · Dec 11, 2011

My depression era parents weren't quite horders but something had to have no recycle value to get thrown away.

As far as guns,if you have the room and money,it's not a big problem.As for me,being a full time RVer,I don't have the room or want the weight of all the guns that I would like to shoot. (then think of the ammo weight!)

I always figure if there is a question like this,I sell or trade the gun. Although,not the best time to sell a hunting rifle.

doubletap007 · Dec 11, 2011

i have a savage 7mm mag and it's a tack driver at 600 yards(never tested any further)way more accurate than my brothers 30-06 savage
but the recoil will punish your shoulder after 10-20 rounds so i put a limb saver on it and it is so much better now.($35)
i also want to put a muzzle break on it.i was going to sell mine but it's just too accurate to get rid of.
like fishing poles you need different sizes for different ranges,i wouldn't want to steelhead fish with my salmon rod but when salmon comes around i want the backbone of a good salmon rod.likewise if i am just blacktail hunting i want a smaller caliber but with an elk i want knockdown power.
see the youtube video of this old boy shooting his savage 7mm mag at 1000 yards with a muzzle break added and you may want to keep your 7 mag a little more.love how you can see the trajectory of the bullets zoomed.
http://youtu.be/NWd1YYouuNQ

hermannr · Dec 11, 2011

I have a Rem 700 in 264 Win Mag (same cartridge necked down 6.5mm bullet). IMHO: I would keep the 7mm and get rid of the 30-06 if I was going to slim down the herd, but then I never sell any guns, only buy. I don't know that it kicks any worse than my FIL's 30-06.

With my .264 I found that it was a bit easier to handle if you downloaded it a couple grains. Either the .264 or 7mm would be my weapon of choice for Big Horn, Antelope, Mountain Goat or something that usually ends up normally being a really long shot or a really long hard stalk. I purchased my .264 specifically for Antelope back in 1964.

Downside of any belted magnum is the cost of ammo (if you do not reload)

mjbskwim · Dec 11, 2011

That's a great video.And that is fast at 750 yards

Buano · Dec 13, 2011

Decades ago I bought my first "big game" rifle, a Browning in 7 MM Rem magnum. I chose that round after lots of research into the most versatile round available for anything up to elk. I now have more rifles than I can squeeze in our safe, rifles from .22-.375 H&H, and many common calibers in between. On my first elk trip, guess what I carried the 7 MM Rem mag.

If I had it to do over again I probably would never have bought a 7 MM Rem mag simply because I don't think in terms on "one rifle" any longer. Now I shop for the right rifle for what I want to do. I would have started with a .25-06, .257 Weatherby, .264 Win mag for deer, added a .243 for medium game, a .22-250 or .204 Ruger for varmints, a .300 Weatherby or .338 RUM for elk & moose, with the .375 for coastal brown bears.

That said, I don't anticipate selling the 7 mag any time soon but I might swap it for the "right" rifle!

I can also say I would never shop for a .30-06 for the same reason I wouldn't shop for a 7 MM Rem mag. Although it's a great "all-round" cartridge, there are better cartridges for each application it's used for.

The 7 mag doesn't allow you to hunt any animal you can't hunt with the 30-06 but it does increase the velocity and flatten the trajectory to make judging bullet drop less critical inside 400 yards. Recoil is generally about the same as a 30-06 with a slightly lighter bullet launched a little faster. Felt recoil depends on the individual rifle. (I've a friend with a super-light .308 that's brutal to shoot while my Sako .375 H&H isn't at all abusive.)

DieselScout · Dec 13, 2011

Buano said:
The 7 mag doesn't allow you to hunt any animal you can't hunt with the 30-06 but it does increase the velocity and flatten the trajectory to make judging bullet drop less critical inside 400 yards. Recoil is generally about the same as a 30-06 with a slightly lighter bullet launched a little faster. Felt recoil depends on the individual rifle. (I've a friend with a super-light .308 that's brutal to shoot while my Sako .375 H&H isn't at all abusive.)

This statement puts it very well.

I've hunted with both the 7mm Rem Mag and the .30-06. I first starting hunting when I was in college and borrowed a friends spare 7mm rem mag. It was a Husquvaran featherweight, and great to carry, but hell to shoot. When it came time to buy my own rifle I went with the .30-06 simply because I don't feel like I am giving anything up by going with it. I have encountered 0 400 yard shots while hunting and frankly if I did, I don't know if I would take it, but if I did I'd have the confidence to do it with whatever rifle I had in my hands at the time.

If I was in your situation I would keep both, but I've always wanted a 7mm STW, and it's what the Rem mag would be come, or I'd change the .30-06 into a .25-06 or a .338-06, just to give me something different that opens what I can do with the rifles I have on hand.