Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 7mm Rem Mag Vs the 270 Wby

I have been considering pulling the tube on my 7mm rem mag and putting a new barrel in 270 wby mag on it. In looking at the reloading data, the 7mm is pretty anemic for a mag. velocity is typically 100 fps faster than the 270 win (which is not bad) but the 7mm rm uses lots more power to get there. my only ? is recoil as the 7mm is a real pussy cat to shoot. I am currently shooting 162 gr pills and is appears that recoil in the 270 wby with 130 pills would be similar.

I am only using it on deer so heavier bullets is not a real concern.

Any user feedback would be appreciated.

Nothing wrong with either but I "feel" the recoil in the 270 is less enough to notice. I really like mine I built on a 700 with a Douglas #2 in a McM Classic. 130's at 3400, what's not to like.
Dave

Daveh, I read this to suggest that the 270 wby has less recoil, in your experience, than the 7mm rem mag. Is that correct?

130s at 3400 fps, that's cookin!

I would be happy with 130s at 3250 (200 fps faster than the 270 win).

How about 257 wby.Mine will do anything a 270win can.But looking at your name you probably have one already.I just sent my 7mm rem. away to have a 8mm rem barrel installed. 7mm was never my favorite and after 2 missed moose and a 3rd that needed to be finished by a friend,I lost all confidence in the rifle.My 300 wby never let me down but I no longer have that rifle so I now want one that shoots heavier bullets.The only reason I got a 7mm is the gun shop gave me a good deal on a ruger that sat on the shelf for 9 yrs. My vote is for the 270 wby,it is a great round.

257stew. I have a newly-built 257 wby (my second, sold the first for no good reason). I have used it all year but I hunt with at least one of my sons at most times and have not fired a shot yet.

daveh, what is the bbl length on your 270 wby? my guess, with that velocity, is 26".

Brl is 25", I like odd numbers........ I haven't chron'd this rifle but have two others and factory ammo also. 3375 for factory and 3400 for 130 Hornady's and 73-74grs of R22.

Dave

For whatever set of reasons (and there are many), any number of 7mm Rem. Mag. rifles can vary greatly in terms of acceptable pressures, and because of that (amoung other factors), they can also vary widely in terms of realized velocities. This fact didn't get lost on any of the reloading/componenets companies, and that's why the listed loads for the 7mm Rem. Mag. have been greatly reduced over the last 20 years or so. If you look up early 1970s data in any of the loading manuals from that era and compare it to today's data, you'll quickly see the disparity for yourself.

This doesn't mean that the older data is uniformly unsafe in every rifle, but it does mean that it's by no means really and truly safe in every rifle with today's powders, etc. Pressure testing is a lot more precise today as well.

I started loading the 7mm Rem. Mag. over 30 years ago, and I've owned a great many 7-Mags. Some of them accepted some of the older listed loads (including some of Jack O'Connor's and Bob Hagel's hot loads) without any sings of high pressure, and those rifles also delivered high velocities, the kind that you'd expect out of this cartridge.

Other rifles were real headaches in terms of pressures, and would show sticking cases and ejector marks with loads that weren't even close to what other 7mm Rem. Mag. rifles would accept as maximum. That's the nature of this particular beast, I'm afraid.

John Wooters, who was and is an extremely experienced user of the 7mm Rem. Mag. voiced the need to be extra-cautious as you work up loads for this cartridge, and he was absolutely right on with everything he had to say, especially in that "careless handloading practices will catch up with you more quickly with this cartridge than with most others." Every word of that statement weighs a pound, at least...........

That's one of the reasons that I went with the 300 Win. Mag. in lieu of the 7mm Rem. Mag. many years ago. It's fuss-free, trouble-free, predictable, accurate, and it'll do all that the 7-Mag will do, and then some. You can also load 150 and 165 gr. loads if you don't want to deal with the recoil of 180 and 200 gr. loads and still shoot the works, especially with today's bullets.

AD

I have been shooting the 140gr TSX out of my 270Wby(A markV) at 3300fps using RL22 with no problems whatsoever...
I have only so far killed a Mule deer with it, but performance was satisfactory.
I would think 3400 from a 26" barrel with a 130gr bullet would be obtainable.

allenday, thanks for the info. I have read about the 7mm and pressure swings, high and low. I do handload but I don't really have the time or desire to experiment much with loads so I typically stick with a proven load and just fill inventory when running low.

I really have nothing against the 7mm rem mag and I currently shoot factory 162s. Performance is fine but generally ho-hum.

On a personal observation, two of my finest trophies (deer) were taken with the 7mm rem mag and both required multiple shots (no, it was not shooter error but that's a different story). typically, one shot does the trick. the 7mm has never let me down but has sometimes required more than one bullet. no valid reason for this, just weird in my case.

my experience with the 270 win has been excellent and I am looking to build on that success.

most of my hunting is from elevated stands with ranges out to 300 yards. seems the 270 wby would be good for that and the 7mm rem mag would be an easy conversion.

I know it's not the cartridge you asked about but I'd throw the 270 WSM right in the mix. 130's at 3300 is no worse than a 270 Weatherby. The advantage to me is a 24" pipe and a short action - this alone would prevent me from doing the Weatherby. And balistically the 7mm is really no better.

cfran, I had a 270 wsm and sold it, unfired. it does make a lot of sense but I have one wsm (a 300) and that's enough. since I already have a long action win 70 in 7mm rm, the conversion should be quite simple.

Sure, didn't read your original post close enough and would concur with your thoughts. Good luck, should be a nice gun when you are done!

Keep the 7mm R.M. and load it with 140 grain Nosler Partitions at about 3300 fps in the most accurate load (Nosler Internet Site). Lower recoil than the 162 grain, with a ballistic coefficient of .434, gives the round a long distance, azz-kicking performance with high retained momentum and energy with great expansion and penetration. Best of both worlds.

Wayne

According to the Nosler site, with 65.5 grains of RL 19 and a 140 gr bullet, they got 3318 fps. my 270 runs 3050 with 130s so even 3250 with 140s in the 7mm would be a big improvement.

something to consider!

Honestly I'd just save the coin and load 120 TSX's with R22 and go forth and beat up on the deer.

If you want to change it to a 270 Wby for giggles I can understand but there is no intelligent reason to do so (not that we need one when it comes to gun gack...grins).

I've worked with both and like em both, what one will do the other will do.

Do it cause you want to but you couldn't convince there is a good reason to do it.

How far are you shooting those deer to anyway?

Thx

Dober

Forgive the threadjack, but if things are as bad as AD states, why haven't handloaders moved on to the 7MM Wby? I realize loaded ammo and brass are hideously expensive, and factory rifles aren't out there, but the rifle is just a reamer away, and if the market was there for brass Remington and maybe Nosler and/or Norma would join the club and help drop the price.

Remington has made 7mm Wby brass, I guess when they chambered that cartridge for a limited time. Nosler and Norma aren't usually thought of as lowering brass prices.

IMO and IME things aren't bad at all and that's why people haven't moved on.

I've heard these things for years, and yet I've never know anyone who even remotely experienced anything of the sort.

Personally I feel the concept is an old wives tale.

I'm not taking a shot at AD here these are just my beliefs that I've come to from years of big 7 experience.

IMO and IME it is just as fuss free and trouble free to work with as a 300 Winnie. And yet it will do all it will do as well and yet is generally more user friendly and is jsut as accurate.

What you can do with one you can do with the other.

Dober

My very first big game rifle was chambered to 270Wby and it proved to be a great cartridge. However, after using and loading for a few 7mm Rem rifles over the years I think I'd prefer the Remington if the choice was between those two. Much cheaper brass and a bigger choice of brands, plus if sale day had to come I'm sure it would sell much easier.

I agree.

IMO, if you have a 7mm rem mag then why would you need a 270 WM?