Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles The Big 7's: 7 STW v.s. 7 Mashburn v.s. 7mm RUM

what action size do you use for the 7mm 375 ruger?

Its really basically the 7mm Dakota. ...no real difference between the Dakota, 7mm/375 ruger,and Mashburn given equal barrel lengths.

Any of the three will give similar results and I will be surprised if the RUM beats them by more than 100 fps with the heaviest bullets and will give much shorter barrel life to boot.

The bullet seating latitude is superior to the 7 Rem Mag in rifles most of us use,across a broad range of bullets, especially in a M700 or M70.Neck is too short on the 7 RM.

I'd rather form brass from readily available 300 win mag than chase down Dakota or 375 ruger brass to form cases...both only available from one source.

Having owned a Dakota,I'd rather have a Mashburn or STW myself.I don't like being tied into one source of brass for a cartridge I can't form from anything else.

Hate to say it but the homework was done 50-60 years.....on a belted case you simply are not going to get anything better than a Mashburn in 7mm,and I am not seeing anything else any more impressive on a beltless case either.

Prejudiced

You bet.Everything else is just struggling to catch up
to a 60 year old design...

Your evangelism is infectious Bob. Thanks for sharing the benefit of your experience.

Shot this Mule Deer with 7mm RUM at the long range of 110 yds. Bloodshot meat where the bullet entered,which was where the barrel is. Used a 160 Nosler Partition.

My experience with the 7 RUM is that it is FINICKY ie it is very choosy as too the load it likes.

And no,I do not own it any more after my wife chewed my butt out for destroying so much meat.

At the end of the day I'd love to run them all over the crony..That would settle the 7 debate pretty easy

An ideal 7mm would be the 7mm-.338 Rum.
I had a 7mm Rum that was a real tack driver, but I sold it, and went to the 300 Win Mag, then 300 RUM as I am really a thirty caliber guy.

"Better" is a subjective term, my friend

Maybe for your criteria, the Mash is "best". But for the guy wanting to get within 100fps of the Mash, not form any brass, and use 6gr less powder, the 7RM is "best". To do all the same things as the 7RM, and fit into a short action, the 7WSM is "best". For a fella that wants all the velocity he can get, regardless of barrel life, recoil, or powder consumption, the RUM is where it's at.

Are we looking for a 500 yards and under hunting rifle? If so, maybe the Mash is a top contender. As are the 7RM and STW, sandwiching the Mash on either side. If we're talking about a precision, LR rifle, then the 7/375 Ruger, SAUM, and WSM have the case design and efficiency best suited to match-grade accuracy. If a guy wants to drive the 195gr Berger Hybrid (when it finally becomes available!) or the Matrix 190gr VLD as fast as possible, then the RUM is king.

"Best" obviously depends on what you want in a rifle, but in my mind there are a small handful of top contenders in large 7mm chamberings, and your criteria will simply determine which one is best for you and your needs/wants.

The best 7mm possible is a 30 caliber!

If by "best" you mean a downgrade, then yes.

If a 30" tube was in the recipe, 7mm MSM without a doubt. You are talking about a long range rig given your barrel length and bullet choice, and if that is the case you need excellent brass. Put 300 Win Mag Lapua brass through the sizing die and off to the races. 7828, H1000 and Retumbo are all likel candidates for over 3000fps with a 180gr VLD in 30" tubes.
Good luck!

Jordan, I did say I was prejudiced......




To those in doubt, I say.....get one........Then talk to me.

There may be some folks who have built one since I built mine who are not happy with it,even though I have lost count by now.......but I have not heard any complaints yet.

I think that most would agree a magnum 30 has more stomp than any 7mm for a negligible penalty in recoil.

Agreed. 180s at 3250fps doesn't suck out of my 300 RUM and it's just nasty on critters. DRT is a common theme. I do love my Kimber 7 wsm, though.

Although I think frangible bullets like the Berger an Hornady A-MAX may be better for very long range shots, I won't use them for hunting because areas where I have suspected shots to be "mainly as a long range" event have too often become shots at close range with high impact velocities.

I also doubt I'll ever tote or even own a rifle with a 30" barrel. 26" barrels on a bolt gun are longer than I want to carry in the woods or even when hunting open country. So I'm curious - why 30" - is it for the velocity?

To the contrary, most guys that I've seen comment on the issue that have any real experience with both, say that the killing effectiveness of the two seems to be about equal in the field, but the .30 Mag's have significantly more recoil than an equivalent 7 Mag, assuming equal rifle specs. Not to mention the ballistic efficiency of 7mm bullets vs. .308" bullets.

In any case, you may have some points to argue for the .30's, and I know I have some for the 7mm's, but this thread isn't about 7mm's vs .30's, nor is it even about .30's at all, so I'll just say that both kill with authority, having witnessed both a fair amount. Which one you choose depends on what you want to do with it, I suppose.

I shoot 180 around 3250 and 230s about the same velocity, maybe a tad less now. All things being about equal, the 7 has more of a thump while the 30 is more of a push. But I am a 7slut, love em.

I won't dispute that a .300 RUM flinging 180's tears up some flesh and kills stuff, but I also wouldn't discount what a 7 RUM will do with 195's at ~3000fps, when the day comes To be perfectly honest, I've seen a fair few critters die via a 7mm bullet of one sort or another, and DRT is a common theme here, too. DRT reactions are certainly not exclusive to the .300 RUM, nor .30's in general. It all depends on where you hit them, and what type of bullet you hit them with. Within reason, caliber and cartridge hasn't even played much into the "killing effectiveness" equation.

In any case, comparing a RUM launch platform to a WSM isn't exactly an apples to apples experiment

What would the average barrel life be on a 7 RUM?

Well to be fair now.... this didn't start out as a 30 cal vs 7mm thread. I suppose thats fair question but the topic for another day.

I am like EddyBo in that I recognize a 30 caliber magnum is a more potenet cartridge than a 7mm of equivilent capacity simply due to more bullet weight at roughly the same velocities.

But I do think, after using both quite a bit, that you are gonna get kicked harder for equivilent flight performance from the 30 simply because it takes more fuel to get those heavier 30 caliber bullets moving along fast enough.I think this makes sense,and for some of us,the added recoil is not worth it.

Especially since the heavier range of 7mm bullets from 150-160 gr and up through 180 nudge into the middle ground of 30 caliber bullets frequently used in many 300 magnums;yet can be driven fast enough for good performance without excessive recoil.

This balance between good ballistic performance and terminal effectivness,coupled with more moderate recoil and rifle weight has been why 7mm's have been wildcatted since who knows when, and used by many riflemen on lots of game.

7mm magnums may not be 300 magnums but I have never walked up to a dead animal killed with a 7 mag and thought....Damn, wish I had used a 300 magnum instead....

Lets say you still want to use a 30" barrel. The 7 Rem mag will push 180s to around 3050 fps. I know I shot one for a few years. Heck the 284 win with that length barrel will do 2900-2950 fps. http://www.accurateshooter.com/cartridge-guides/7mm/#284win

If there was ample magazine room the 7 Rum would show some interesting performance with a 180 if loaded up to its full potential with a 30" barrel.

A few years ago I chambered a 7 Rum and a 7 STW in 26" Rem takeoffs. Used same powder and same bullets. The Rum beat the 7 STW by a mere 50 fps. My conclusion was that the Rum truly needs a long barrel. IMO at least 28" but 32" would be even better.

I am currently working with a 375 Ruger necked down to 7mm with no other changes. It is pretty much the equal to the 7 STW. The barrel is 29 1/2" long and sends the 180 Berger hybrid out at 3175 fps. The advantage of this cartridge is that EVERY time I walk into Sportsman's there are several boxes of 375 Ruger on the shelves with ALL other bins empty. Sure it takes me six steps and some neck turning but it is fun and only has to be done once.

Have you looked for STW brass? It was rare before the shortage situation we are now enduring.


If you wanted a reasonable sized cartridge with excellent performance that is affordable and easy to form, I would consider the 7 mashburn. The dies are available and 300 win mag brass is easier to find.