Regarding recoil:
I have several 7mm RM's, two are fine as far as recoil goes (both well stocked 700's), but one actually hurts when I shoot it a few times when I'm in shirt sleeves. Taking into consideration that my 338 WM and my 300 WM don't hurt and I'm getting old... The 7mm RM that hurts is a Ruger red pad 77. I know if I replaced the pad with a limbsaver it would be a much more pleasant gun to shoot. Perhaps that is a problem with others.
Why use the magnum over a 7x57?
The only reason I can think of why I'd take the magnums out before the 7x57 is if I thought I might get an open country shot. Because when I think of prarie winds and my proven lack of ability to guess the windage correction every time, I think maybe the magnum would reduce the error.
Example: This year shooting at antelope got to be a little crazy. I didn't get a shot under 300 yards. The wind would be 30+ mph and then it would stop.
Friends shooting prairie dogs after they got their antelope said that their bullets were being blown all over. They were using 22-250's for the dogs. One shot would hit the dog. The next would be 3 feet to the right or left. Agreed, the 7's would not be blown as far as the 22's, for sure. But faster bullets are better than slower bullets in the wind. To go fast, use a bigger case and select the bullet that is a good game bullet.
The other option, is to be a better hunter and get closer. But this time out I wasn't the better hunter.
