Caliber Help....7mm Rem mag, 300 Win Mag & 6.5 Cred

[BKhunter]

Hey All,

I am looking to buy a rifle that can be used as my dedicated hunting rifle. Because this will a lifetime rifle I'm allowing myself a fairly large budget. Thinking of going custom or if not high end factory. My hang up is the caliber size. I plan on using this rifle for all North American big game hopefully one day up to Brown Bear. Out of the three calibers listed (7mm Rem Mag, 300 Win Mag & 6.5 Creed) I'm leaning more towards the 7mm rem mag, but each time I speak to someone I get people arguing and making points for either of the other two; 300 carries more energy or it's easier to place a 6.5 round. Looking for some advise form the Rokslide crowd as I have alway had good feedback from you all. Thanks for any advise you all can provide.

BK

 

[Outlaw99]

I just went through the same decision. In the end, I went with a Cooper m92 in 7mm, and I’m happy with. If I was a betting man, I’d wager most will vote for something .30 cal

 

[wannakillabigbull]

For use on all American game up to brown bear you shouldn’t even be considering the 6.5 creedmoor.

I’m in the market for a new all arounder and it’s definitely tough deciding between a 7 mag and a 300 win mag. The conclusion I’ve come to is that if you want to go lightish weight, which I do, it might just come down to whether you’re comfortable using a muzzle brake. If you aren’t then go 7 mag, if you are then go 300 win mag. 7 mag recoil is much more manageable in a lighter weight rifle. Either will get the job done but the 300 definitely has advantages ballistically and in bullet weight choices if you can negate the recoil with a muzzle brake.

Outlaw is right, most on this forum likely are going to recommend 30 caliber or up.

 

[Brendan]

BK,

What are the maximum ranges you'll shoot? Will you be reloading or shooting factory ammo? It might sound boring, but unless you really need the extended range of a 300WM, you might be able to consider .308 or .30-06.

I notice you're an easterner too - 300WM would be overkill for most of the hunting out east if you're intending to use the rifle out here too.

 

[BKhunter]

BK,

What are the maximum ranges you'll shoot? Will you be reloading or shooting factory ammo? It might sound boring, but unless you really need the extended range of a 300WM, you might be able to consider .308 or .30-06.

I notice you're an easterner too - 300WM would be overkill for most of the hunting out east if you're intending to use the rifle out here too.

Brendan: I plan on using this as a dedicated western rifle. For NY I have a 30-06 and a 270. I plan on reloading and hoping to practice out to 600 but hopefully my shots are between 200-350 yards when hunting. I like to practice a lot farther then I will shot when hunting. I do this with my bow as well, as I will practice out to 75-100 yards but only shoot out to 50 usually when hunting.

BK

 

[FlyGuy]

If you are committed to the One Rifle route, then I would say go with the 7mm. Its not perfect for the smallest and the largest critters, but it will work on any of them.


However, If you hang around here, then I seriously doubt you are only going to have ONE hunting rifle. You may even fully believe that, But Rokslide is going to wear you down eventually. If you go ahead and embrace that now, then the decision starts to become less troublesome. I would advise you to go with the 6.5 for everything up to cow elk And the 300wm or wsm for bull elk and up. (There is a lot of debate around 6.5 for elk and its probably fine, but if you have both calibers then it's a convenient place to draw the line). Purchase the one now that will give you the most use, and in a few years grab the other one.

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[BKhunter]

If you are committed to the One Rifle route, then I would say go with the 7mm. Its not perfect for the smallest and the largest critters, but it will work on any of them.


However, If you hang around here, then I seriously doubt you are only going to have ONE hunting rifle. You may even fully believe that, But Rokslide is going to wear you down eventually. If you go ahead and embrace that now, then the decision starts to become less troublesome. I would advise you to go with the 6.5 for everything up to cow elk And the 300wm or wsm for bull elk and up. (There is a lot of debate around 6.5 for elk and its probably fine, but if you have both calibers then it's a convenient place to draw the line). Purchase the one now that will give you the most use, and in a few years grab the other one.

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Thanks FlyGuy......I know I say one rifle now, but to your point I do see myself winding up buying another later on. I just can't seem to get that whole will power discipline down when it comes to purchasing hunting gear. That was the reason I was leaning towards the 300 Win Mag, because if I picked up the 6.5 after on I have everything covered.

 

[LightFoot]

Because you say brown bear, of the those three, 300 Win for sure. No shortage of ammo and 150gr to over 200gr to taylor your load to your need. Fits the bill for "long range" shooting (whatever reasonable distance you consider that to be).

If brown bear weren't on the menu, the 7mm would be equally as good of a choice if not better for similar reasons and due to bullet selection with higher sectional density.

I am a big fan of the 6.5 CM, and I would trust it for elk and black bear, but I tend to lean on a "little more" gun. For any deer, pronghorn, and sheep/goat, the 6.5 may ne nearly perfect. Great sectional density and availabilty, load recoil, inherent accuracy...

For you... 300 Win.

Good luck.

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[Fitzwho]

Pretty much have the setup you are talking about.

I built two customs this last year. A 6.5 Creed, 7lb scoped, Carbon barreled rifle for light big game. As well as a 300 Win Mag in the same basic setup as the Creed except it’s 9lbs with a Leupold VX-6 on it.

 

[BKhunter]

Pretty much have the setup you are talking about.

I built two customs this last year. A 6.5 Creed, 7lb scoped, Carbon barreled rifle for light big game. As well as a 300 Win Mag in the same basic setup as the Creed except it’s 9lbs with a Leupold VX-6 on it.

Fitzwho: would you min listing your setups for each caliber?

 

[Muledeerfanatic]

6.5 is a deer gun. Not saying it won't work but it just is. 300 Win Mag all the way!

 

[FURMAN]

If looking for only one rifle I would strongly suggest the 300 win mag in a rifle not restricted in the magazine length.

 

[muddydogs]

The 6.5 isn't really in the same class as your other 2 choices but in reality a 308 or 30-06 will do all that you want, might be a little light for Brown Bear, so don't overthink this. In fact I would think your choice would come down to recoil over anything, want to get pounded or shoot a muzzle break then get a 300, want to get a little less pounding with no muzzle break then go 7mm, put a muzzle brake on a 7mm and really soften it up. Personally I don't have anything with a muzzle break on it, figure if I need a break then I'm shooting to much caliber anyway. I hunt with a 7mm and have for 30 years mainly because that's what I have but anything from 308 up will handle anything in the lower 48.

 

[Fitzwho]

Creedmoor:
Christensen Arms barrel. Light Target contour, 20”
Rem 700 stainless action, trued and fluted and barrel installed at Northwest Action Works
Stocky’s Carbon fiber stock
HS Precision detachable bottom metal
Talley UL rings
Vortex Razor HD LH 3-15x42
Shooting 143 ELD-X loaded to match velocity on the box of the Precision Hunter

300WM:
Rem 700 Stainless Action trued and fluted at Northwest Action Works
Carbon Six 23” Full Bull profile barrel, installed at their in house GS
Bell & Carlson 21oz half aluminum bedded stock
HS Precision detachable bottom metal
Talley Rings
Leupold VX-6 3-18
200 ELD-X running around 2870fps

Ran with the heavier profiles for (hopefully) less POI shift when my Dead air Sandman-TI gets out of NFA jail.

 

[Fitzwho]

View attachment 66505 only picture of the Creedmoor that I have handy, with my 2017 Coues deer.

View attachment 66506 300WM

 

[Fitzwho]

View attachment 66548
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Sorry, did not realize those attachments weren't working.

 

[gbflyer]

Get one of each

 

[Mtslackcountry]

I have a rbros 7 mag that shoots 180 bergers at 3050 FPS. 26” barrel. If your reloading then 7 mag all the way.

 

[Scottyboy]

Not meaning to sound like an ass, but assuming you are a non resident to places that have brown bears and you can afford the hunt..you can surely afford to buy a dedicated rifle for that trip. (Or something you would use on moose, brown bears etc) Something like a big 30.. 338, 375H&H etc.. any off the shelf would do for distances you engage bears at. I have a CZ 375H&H that is a joy to shoot and plenty accurate

Not trying to argue a 300WM isn’t sufficient for brown bears, as I’m sure it is.. but I’m willing to bet many will say that a 300 is marginal for big brown bears just the same as a 6.5 is marginal for elk.

 

[marshland_max]

Hey All,

I am looking to buy a rifle that can be used as my dedicated hunting rifle. Because this will a lifetime rifle I'm allowing myself a fairly large budget. Thinking of going custom or if not high end factory. My hang up is the caliber size. I plan on using this rifle for all North American big game hopefully one day up to Brown Bear. Out of the three calibers listed (7mm Rem Mag, 300 Win Mag & 6.5 Creed) I'm leaning more towards the 7mm rem mag, but each time I speak to someone I get people arguing and making points for either of the other two; 300 carries more energy or it's easier to place a 6.5 round. Looking for some advise form the Rokslide crowd as I have alway had good feedback from you all. Thanks for any advise you all can provide.

BK

Hey another person for NY! I'll make it short. A LOT of good advise has already been given , but i'll add my 2 cents. I have had all 3 of your cartridges mentioned. I own two of them still. The 7 mm Rem Mag and The 6.5 Creed. I have had both the 300 and 338 neither are with me anymore. Just simply for no better reason than I couldn't justify the rifles and additional cost of reloading for them. I also found loading a 30-06 with a 200 gr bullets did just about anything I could think of.

Okay, back to it. The 6.5 is my competition TARGET rifle. It is anemic when it comes to power. Yes, Yes, I know all the Fan Boys will come out of the wood work and state this or that. Its fine for the small stuff up to Deer sized critters. I m all done talking about it now lol. I simply own one because it is cheap to shoot the local competitions with.

Now my 7 mm Rem mag is my go to rifle for my western hunts. It a semi- custom rem 700 that I have kept quite light and it does the job a long ways out there! I have found the 7 mm to be the ideal all around cartridge. It has a lot of power with the 160-180 bullets. It has High BC bullets that will retain energy. Its very easy to load down or up. 120 - 140 gr bullets moving fast wreak havoc on the small stuff.

A 7 mm loaded with 160 accubond or 175 partitions will do anything in NA with aplomb. Is it the perfect groundhog rifle? No. Is it the best rifle to stop a grizzly charge? No, but it's a hell of a lot better than a big boomer that you can't shoot well at all. I find the 7 mm to recoil about the same a warm loaded 30-06. No big deal. The 7 mm offers a very good balance.

Just my 2 cents for a single rifle I would choose the 7 mm Rem Mag and go hunt!

Cheers