Talk me out of 7mm Rem Mag

[Michael54]

Not gonna talk you out of it because its the only game rifle i use. I bought a .300 win mag and it never leaves the safe. Ive shot everything on my wall with that gun and im sure everything that goes on my wall in the future as well.

 

[Crowmangler]

Don't let anyone talk you out of getting one. It's all you'll ever need on any N American game. Hard hitting and the ballistics for the 5-600 yard range are awesome. The recoil is only slightly more than its smaller cousins. You don't have to make a perfect shot on deer sized game to bring it down. Lots of ammo options and availability are a plus also.

 

[Muley Buck]

For instance, 280 AI gets the same performance w same bullets as 7 rem mag, w less recoil. Even a plain ol' 270 is within 100 FPS of the 7rm for the same bullet weights.

Maybe, but the 7's are far and away a better choice when it comes to bc.

 

[Elk2008]

I’d lean 7mag. Great caliber

 

[elkguide]

Guess that I'm going to be the outlier here. I've owned a lot of different 7RM's and have over the years let all of them go. For me, with if I'm going to take that much recoil, I'm going to use a .30 caliber rifle and have more oomph when my bullet lands.
If you're only going to limit your shots to 600 yards, there are so many calibers that will do the job just fine. The .270 - .280 class calibers are great. I've watched elk fall with .243's, .25-06's and many different 6.5's but for me, once you mention elk as a target, it's going to be a .30 caliber rifle.
Over caliber, I find that is way more important to have a rifle that fits you, a custom trigger, high quality optics and it's a rifle that you can shoot well.

 

[Jarhead]

Thanks for all of the input! I've been shooting an out of the box 7RM for the last 25 years or so and have zero complaints....but since I've decided to make the jump to a custom firearm I wanted to revisit my choice of caliber. I probably should have added that availability of factory ammunition is a plus for me, so I would most likely exclude the 280 ai & 28 nosler for that reason alone.
Aiming for around 9 lbs overall (without bipod), so it won't be crazy light. I hunt mostly with a bow now, so I can't see using this for anything other than the game I mentioned, although I do have an over the counter 338 WM that I'd use if something should change there.

 

[Hill Difficulty]

See post #28 for response to OP's #1 post. My original submission of #27 mistakenly appeared as Jarhead quoting.

 

[Hill Difficulty]

I own one 7mm. It's a 7.5 pound 7RM built just the way I want it, shoots dyno, I shoot it a ton...very fond of it. Also worth noting that I'm not a gun hoarder so having a stable full of everything isn't in the cards.

If I had to start all over in favor of a mountain build 7mm, I'd go in order of 7WSM or 7mm08 without hesitation...with any of the above having a barrel twist fast enough to spin 175-195 gr bullets.

Being objective, the short action 7s meet specs better than a 7RM, though all three mentioned are excellent.

Merry Christmas!

 

[fwafwow]

Have you seen this article? https://www.outdoorlife.com/story/hunting/7mm-magnum-showdown/

I'm somewhat in the same boat and am subscribed to this thread. Not sure I will build a custom, but I'm looking to add a more powerful 3rd centerfire to my two Coopers (25-06 and 30-06), so I've toyed with 7RM, 300WM and the Noslers. Since I have such a love for the Coopers, I waste lots of time watching the used classifieds and get carried away when one shows up with a beautiful wood stock, even though I think a fiberglass stock would be a good alternative for me.

Good luck and keep us posted on what you choose!

 

[SDHNTR]

Wait, you already have a .338 wm? That changes things. If I wanted a mountain gun, and I owned a .338 for the big stuff, I’d instead build a 7mm-08 or .308.

 

[LaHunter]

For instance, 280 AI gets the same performance w same bullets as 7 rem mag, w less recoil. Even a plain ol' 270 is within 100 FPS of the 7rm for the same bullet weights.

This statement is not true. My 7mm mag pushes the 160 grain Nosler Accubonds at 3100 fps mv. It pushed 150 grain ballistic tips a tad over 3200 fps. I am not very knowledgeable on the 280 AI, but the 270 will not stay within 100 fps of this, safely.

 

[elkduds]

This statement is not true. My 7mm mag pushes the 160 grain Nosler Accubonds at 3100 fps mv. It pushed 150 grain ballistic tips a tad over 3200 fps. I am not very knowledgeable on the 280 AI, but the 270 will not stay within 100 fps of this, safely.

Please see post #8.

 

[TTurboEE]

7mm RM will always be my one caliber do all rifle and if you can take the recoil in a light weight rifle then that's the route I would go. But for me I prefer a short action in a mountain rifle I ended up going with the 7mm-08 Rem JMO.

 

[bluetick78]

7mm mag is a near perfect caliber, especially for Western hunting. I've owned, shot, and loaded for a lot of 7's. They just perform. They beat 30's in BC all day, beat .277 and 6.5 in frontal diameter and usually retained energy. I've killed lots of critters with 7mm08, 280, and 7mm mag. It's hard to beat the confidence a 7mm mag allows you to have on a long cross-canyon shot on elk. The satisfying report of a 160-175 bullet hitting home is hard to beat. There's always gonna be the under-informed fanboy spouting anecdotal trash about a .270 or something similar being "equal" to a 7 mag, but ballistics and physics don't lie. The 7 mag is a solid choice for big game hunting, and more effective than most other calibers minus the big 30's.

 

[Terrapin]

I have a Kimber Mountain Ascent in 7mm Rem with a Leupold 4.5-14 VX3i with CDS. I use only commonly found factory ammo to keep life simple. It shoots 1/2” 3 shot groups, and I am very comfortable shooting it out to 600 yards. I am confident in that rifle for hunting anything in Idaho (using good judgment on shot angle and distance on elk or moose sized game). Great all around combo.


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[Muley Buck]

7mm mag is a near perfect caliber, especially for Western hunting. I've owned, shot, and loaded for a lot of 7's. They just perform. They beat 30's in BC all day, beat .277 and 6.5 in frontal diameter and usually retained energy. I've killed lots of critters with 7mm08, 280, and 7mm mag. It's hard to beat the confidence a 7mm mag allows you to have on a long cross-canyon shot on elk. The satisfying report of a 160-175 bullet hitting home is hard to beat. There's always gonna be the under-informed fanboy spouting anecdotal trash about a .270 or something similar being "equal" to a 7 mag, but ballistics and physics don't lie. The 7 mag is a solid choice for big game hunting, and more effective than most other calibers minus the big 30's.

Well said sir. I like it.

 

[Jesse Jaymes]

You're never drawing one of five Ibex tags....lol. So call it a deer rifle

 

[agardner00]

+one for the 280AI. Good for anything at 600.

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[Matt3479]

Lots of great choices out there and the 7mm mag is just so standard!! Personally I’m one for the .277 underdog so I’m trying to figure out a nice 270 wsm build for that exact same ranges. Basically 600 and less, light weight yet solid, pushing the 165 matrix and 170 Bergers around 2900-3050 FPS is the goal!

 

[Corvus Corax]

Get a 7mm Rem. It doesn’t have to be the last rifle you ever buy, but I doubt you’ll be kicking yourself for buying one.