Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters So is the 7mm Remington mag fading in popularity?

"Used 7mm Rem mags are fairly easy to find, so if that, "nice rifle at a good price" happens to be a 7mm Rem mag, should I jump in with both feet, or should I buy a new reamer for something else, at the same time? "

Jump.
You'll get a free 7mm-08 and 7x57 as well. Hodgdon lists "Youth Loads" (hey, we're all Young at Heart, right?)
Both my Ruger No. 1 and Rem 700 ADL like the 120gr Hornadys or Sierra Pro Hunters. Minute of groundhog at 300.

Brass lasts forever at these pressures, neck sized in Lee Collet die.

(http://www.hodgdon.com/PDF/Youth%20Loads.pdf)

Enjoy

So of the folks who have loaded for it, and chronographed their 7mm mags, does it seem any more touchy/inconsistent than similar rounds?

And yes I like the idea of a 7mm #1, too

The 7 mm Rem magnum with a 175 gr. bullet at 3000 FPS when pushed to max is an ideal elk rifle under about any conditions. I like the 7 Rem Mag. but in reality I have found a handloaded 06 or .270 to be every bit as good. In fact most calibers from the 7x57 thru the 300 Win are about equal in the field on deer and elk IMO..bullet placement and bullet construction is the key to successful kills, not caliber..

The exception might be the use of big bores in thick timber on big animals departing the country, and probably a few other circumstances..

I guess I have never been particularly caliber conscious, but am avid on a well constructed bullet at any reasonable velocity from 2400 FPS to 3000 FPS....

I think most folks would prefer a 300 magnum over a 7 mag. is the reason the 7 mag has gone down a bit in sales. Just an educated guess however and about the only answer I can think of to your question as to why it has dwindled, and it certainly has..

Ray - "well constructed bullet placed well" says it all. I know you've seen more actual field performance than most of us will in a lifetime.

Attribute it to my Scots heritage <G> but many cup and core old-school bullets still do well at those velocities, and don't cost a ton.

"So of the folks who have loaded for it, and chronographed their 7mm mags, does it seem any more touchy/inconsistent than similar rounds?"

Not for me with H4831. But - I never load within 3-5% of max listed loads.

Ruger No. 1 (ca. 1971) is retired from hunting. Too purty <G> and heavy. It really liked the Hornady #2815 120hp with H4831, 60gr. Pre-chrony days. Maybe 2850? The 26" bbl is nice.

Why H4831? It was the only powder I had on hand.

I'm a 7mm Rem mag nut case. For some reason I shied away from it until about 10 years ago, then discovered that treasure of a cartridge! Within a few months of buying my first 7mm Rem mag I sent a single 175 gr Nosler Partition through a nice size 6x6 Wyoming bull.


Although I traded off that rifle, I stayed fond of the cartridge and now shoot a 7mm Rem mag Number One. Have a bunch of 160 gr Noslers loaded over Reloader 22 for about 3050 fps, and am looking forward to deer & bear season here in Washington!


I don't find it at all finicky to load - and do find that it responds well to near max loads of medium to slow burning powders. 140's to 3200+, 160's up to 3100 fps and 175's in the 2900's are all reachable w/o problem. Accuracy depends on the rifle, loader and shooter, but in general is quite good. I find it's about the most rifle I can handle well from prone.

Regards, Guy

Never shot a 7mmRm one time, but how can 140gr to 175gr bullets going 3000fps or more not be good? Who cares if it's fading or gaining, we will all be gone and it will still be here.

Yes

I'll also say yes.

Yes.

I personally wouldn't say hands down.

It's the biggest cartridge that I can shoot comfortably in the prone position.(not that I,ve had the opportunity to shoot many game in that position).Never owned a 300win or weatherby but do own a 338.The big 7 was way easier to shoot accurately and kills everything just as dead as the 338 did which is why the 338 gets used very little.

No.The biggest problem you will have today with a 7RM is deciding which bullet to use;there are so many good one's and the cartridge gives them all,from 120's to 175's fast velocities,flat trajectories,and good terminal effect, without kicking you into next week.....this has always been its appeal,and I can't understand what there is not to "like".

I've had a few 300 WSMs;they were good, but bored me silly,which they will if you grew up with 300 Weatherby's....the 300 WSM still,to me,kicks more than a 7RM and I seriously doubt it kills any better.I think any difference between them is in the noodle of the shooter,largely imaginary IMHO. There is utterly nothing you can do with a 300WSM that you can't do with the 7RM.

I still carry it, has killed everything from elk to antelope for me.

I think cartridge overlap is so bad these days that several could fade out and die and most shooters would never notice. The short mag hype is taking alot of the magnum glory these days. IMO I dont care if all the magnums go south, never owned one.

Red: Not many cartridges do that stuff any better....notwithstanding many delusions....people change cartridges like underwear,looking for miracles.There aren't any....there are only good bullets and good placement.


You may or may not agree with the concept of LR shooting but the boys on Best of the West use only 3 cartridges for their LR work.....the 7 RM is one of them...

I dont mean to take anything away from it as a cartridge. It just doesnt suit any of my needs out of a rifle. Actually Ive said before that if ever I built a dedicated long range hunting rig that it would probably be a 7RM. Just not necessary in Florida IMHO.

3,000 FPS with the 175 is a bit optimistic IMO....but it's a helluva good elk and mule deer round......and among the best plains game rifles agoing.

I believe the 7mag has taken a dip in popularity, at least with younger generation. There will always be a big group of guys that buy .270s & .30-06s. There's also a type that buys magnums either to start because they don't know any better or because they want to step up for some reason. For a long time, the 7mag was popular with the guys looking for a magnum. It seems all of the RUMs & WSMs introduced in the last decade plus the muzzle break becoming much more common has more guys jumping over the 7mag to a .30 magnum or something even bigger. Most of my friends Dad's who wanted more jumped up to 7mm mags, most of their kids to either a RUM or WSM. In reality, the thing the 7 Rem Mag probably suffers from most is it is too popular and reached common status such as the .270 or .30-06. Common is just not exciting and doesn't fit in with trendy today (beltless, tactical, short fat, etc...).

Lou

Thank god Im not worried about being trendy, good point though.

My dad always called them a "loud .270"....laffin. I've always liked the round and have had several over the years. My favorite was a Sako classic that I bought back in 1980 brand new for $400. I put a fixed 8X Leupold on it and killed quite a few bucks and bulls with it....it liked 160gr partitions and IMR 4350. That cartridge will still hold its own against anything out there..