My Ruger M77 in 7mm RM was my only bog game bolt gun for 20+ years. Didn't know until I got on the 'fire that the rifle and ("Hit 'em again") cartridge both sucked.
Once the girls were out of college I started acquiring other rifles chambered for other cartridges. The number of elk I killed skyrocketed compared to the years before when I was using the 7mm RM.
That, of course, had a lot to do with the way I hunted and additional time I spent in the field and nothing whatsoever to do with the choice of rifle or cartridge. Nonetheless, the 7mm RM has languished in the safe, going after deer but not elk for over a decade now.
Yesterday I took the M77 in 7mm RM and Ruger MKII's in .30-06, .300WM and .338WM to the range. While all shot well, the 7mm RM shot the best, with both 140g and 160g North Fork bullets turning in sub-MOA groups.
Today I'm headed back to the range with my hunting buddy, who won't be able to make the trip this year. We'll spend a little time at 100 yards before heading to the 600-yard range. Still haven't decided which two rifles to take but am leaning heavily toward the 7mm RM as primary with backup still a toss-up. The long range shooting will help make that determination.
The 7mm RM is such a bad cartridge I don't know why it is still offered.
