New to 7mm Rem Mag & western whitetail

[webhak]

I've hunted upland and waterfowl for years. Small game here and there and have hunted javelina with a longbow.

However, I'm brand-spanking new to the world of western big game hunting.

I'm cutting my teeth with a 7mm Rem Mag and spot 'n stalk whitetail. I understand the 7mm may be a bit much for whitetail, but it's what I have.

Once I get the rifle zero'd and myself sorted out, I know the next step will be testing various loads and seeing what works best for my setup and proposed hunt.

I realize there are MANY options to work with but I'd love some insights on 2-3 ammo recommendations (bullet type, weight, and even specific cartridge) to get started with.


(I'm sure I'll eventually get into reloading but that's probably not going to happen until next year)

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

Here are a couple great ones to start with for your 7 mag. Both well designed and proven bullets with more than enough velocity and good BCs for any Western Big Game.

https://www.hornady.com/ammunition/rifle/7mm-rem-mag-162-gr-eld-x-precision-hunter#!/
https://www.federalpremium.com/rifle/fusion/11-F7RFS1.html

 

[TaperPin]

I never think of the 7 mag as being too big for anything. Many of us have used the 7 mag as a very capable do everything cartridge for antelope to bighorn sheep to deer to elk to bear and moose.

By far the most popular weight, at least in my circle of friends, is 160 gr. and our most popular bullet is a Nosler Accubond. For whitetail in a factory load it probably doesn’t matter what bullet is used, but something like the Accubond doesn’t ruin a lot of meat.

This bullet and cartridge combination has been like a F250 pickup - nothing fancy but it always works. I’m one of those guys that was super slow transitioning from a partition to the Accubond, because the partition also worked with boring regularity. Ask me again in ten years and I’ll still be happy with the Accubond.

It must be human nature for many people to have something that works reliably and then spend half the time trying something unproven. The 7 mag is as solid and proven as it gets.

 

[t_carlson]

Any factory load with a 150 gr Nosler Ballistic Tip, 160 gr Nosler Accubond, 150 gr. Swift Scirocco, or the Hornady 154 gr Interlock.

There's a lot of good loads out there that will work on deer.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

Agree on all points. Reloading for 7mm, regardless of cartridge, benefits from the tremendous versatility offered by a wide variety of bullets from 100-197 grains. Have fun!

 

[Djacker]

Use whatever shoots good in your rifle, don't over think it.

 

[DKennedy951]

Can't go wrong with the 7 Mag. Mine shoots the 150 grain Barnes VOR-TX factory ammo very well with the Hornady 154 SST being a close second. I settled on the 150 TTSX.

 

[Mr Drysdale]

All good options above. My Tikka T3SL shoots the Barnes TTSX 160 grain factory load into tiny groups. Has always been very good on Whitetails.

 

[7RemMag]

Can’t go wrong with anything loaded with a Barnes TTSX or TSX. My Dad and Grandad ran 160 gr Sierra Gamekings( a plain-Jane soft point bullet) in a load that my grandpa developed for decades and put up a pile of deer in my home state. It’s a bit pricey, but I just bought a couple boxes of Federal Terminal Ascent 150 gr. loaded with the trophy bonded tip bullet and it shot very well in my Dad’s model 70.

I wouldn’t necessarily consider the 7mm Mag overkill for Whitetails. So long as you’re comfortable with the rifle and cartridge and shoot it well, it will be an excellent performer on Whitetails. Particularly in the West, where shots might be a little bit farther, it is a great choice. Depending on the load and how picky you are , you could lose a little meat off the front quarters, but I’ve personally never sweated a little meat loss if it puts the critter down more efficiently-Particularly in the case of Whitetails, where there’s not a ton of meat there to begin with.

 

[webhak]

Thanks all! Like I mentioned in the original post, your recommendations are my starting point. They are helping me narrow down choices of what has the best chance of shooting well. As a newb to this cartridge and shooting anything beyond 100 yards, I could easily spend several hundred dollars testing a wide variety of ammo. You've given me, and my wallet, a leg up by narrowing that plethora of options to 3-4 choices...for my initial starting point.

Thank you.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

What type of rifle and barrel twist is it?

 

[webhak]

Tikka T3X Veil, 1:9"

 

[fishslap]

165 gr Norma bondstrike or 155 gr federal terminal ascent. I killed a Wyoming whitetail two years ago at close range still hunting with 168 gr Berger hybrid hunter. I prefer a bonded bullet though.

 

[KenLee]

Any factory load with a 150 gr Nosler Ballistic Tip, 160 gr Nosler Accubond, 150 gr. Swift Scirocco, or the Hornady 154 gr Interlock.

There's a lot of good loads out there that will work on deer.

I'd add the 162 gr Hornady SST to this fine list.

 

[TheWhitetailNut]

I never think of the 7 mag as being too big for anything. Many of us have used the 7 mag as a very capable do everything cartridge for antelope to bighorn sheep to deer to elk to bear and moose.

By far the most popular weight, at least in my circle of friends, is 160 gr. and our most popular bullet is a Nosler Accubond. For whitetail in a factory load it probably doesn’t matter what bullet is used, but something like the Accubond doesn’t ruin a lot of meat.

This bullet and cartridge combination has been like a F250 pickup - nothing fancy but it always works. I’m one of those guys that was super slow transitioning from a partition to the Accubond, because the partition also worked with boring regularity. Ask me again in ten years and I’ll still be happy with the Accubond.

It must be human nature for many people to have something that works reliably and then spend half the time trying something unproven. The 7 mag is as solid and proven as it gets.

My F-250 is a lot fancier than my wife's Mercedes, other than that silly tangent I completely agree.

 

[WCB]

Thanks all! Like I mentioned in the original post, your recommendations are my starting point. They are helping me narrow down choices of what has the best chance of shooting well. As a newb to this cartridge and shooting anything beyond 100 yards, I could easily spend several hundred dollars testing a wide variety of ammo. You've given me, and my wallet, a leg up by narrowing that plethora of options to 3-4 choices...for my initial starting point.

Thank you.

My list would be:
Federal Fusion 150gr
Federal Power Shok 150gr
Remington 150gr CoreLokt or CoreLokt Tipped

These are going to be easy on the wallet and have killed piles of deer.

What I shoot through one of my 7Rem is 160gr Federal Trophy Bonded Tip and the other is the 150gr Fusion.

Cost not as much of a factor:
Trophy Bonded Tip
Terminal Ascent
Nosler Accubond
Nosler Ballistic Tip
Berger Hybrids

These 5 tend to be accurate out of most rifles but are going to be at premium prices and for 99% of hunting situation, accuracy being equal to the loads at the top, I don't see a huge benefit for the cost increase. Assuming being new and how that vast majority of guys shoot, most your shots will be say 300 yards and in.

 

[Honyock]

For whitetails, save some money and get Federal Fusion. No need for high dollar ammo on whitetails, especially with a 7MM Mag.

 

[30338]

Last whitetail I shot with a 7mm mag was 650 yards with a 180 scenar. The one before that I belly crawled into 30 yards and shot him bedded with a 168 berger. Whatever shoots good in yours is fine.

 

[50fps]

I have been using Hornady Whitetail 139gr interlocks for years now with excellent results in the woods and fields of Wisconsin. Prior to that, I used PMC 139gr rounds. This is through a Weatherby Vanguard.

 

[Mr Drysdale]

All good options above. My Tikka T3SL shoots the Barnes TTSX 160 grain factory load into tiny groups. Has always been very good on Whitetails.

My mistake. The factory load in the Barnes is the TSX, not the TTSX.