Here is where the 7 mag and other flat shooters have the advantage, being able to kill a trophy that comes out on the opposing side of the valley floor or on the opposing side of a large park, when you have only a few minutes of daylight left, and don’t have the time to close the gap.
And when they come out across a valley from you on the valley floor, with nothing but valley floor separating the two of you, no matter how much daylight is left, sometimes you can close the gap, and sometimes not depending on the terrain.
Lastly, you never know where your future hunting will be as far as being invited, getting a group together, etc, so why limit yourself in a future unknown hunting terrain with a cartridge.
A few comments...
1. The .270 Win load I developed for Daughter #1 beats the snot out of the 7mm RM load I used for 20+ years, which was very effective for killing elk. It isn't the headstamp that counts but the performance of individual loads.
2. Most hunters are in no way prepared for shots much past 300 yards, regardless of the terrain or the cartridge they are using.
3. A hunter is not limiting themselves if they are not prepared to shoot past the capability of the cartridge they are using. Given the ability of commonly used cartridges and average hunters, most are not are limiting themselves regardless of their cartridge choice.
Case in point, we spotted elk at 1100 yards this year. Neither Daughter #1 or her hubby had ever taken an elk and none of use were prepared for a shot that long. We closed to 476 yards, at an altitude (~8500 feet) and wind conditions (essentially none) where Daughter's .308 Win/130g TTSX @ 3045fps MV would have been adequate. While would have been quite happy to take the shot, Daughter #1 was not comfortable shooting at that range. By the time we closed to her comfort range the elk were gone.
Granted, I used this event as an excuse to get her a .270 Win and develop a 150g LRAB load that delivers elk-killing velocity and energy (2000fps and 1500fpe is my rule of thumb) to 700 yards. In future situations, neither a 7mm RM with a 150g LRAB or a .300 WM / 190g LRAB would offer any advantage, although they would extend the 2000fps/1500fpe range to 850 yards and over 1000 yards respectively. The limiting factor will be our level of preparedness, which is in large part determined by a) the longest range at my local club - 600 yards, b) our choice of scopes and c) time spent practicing.
There is one other thing to consider - recoil. The .270 Win/150g LRAB load I developed for my daughter has a calculated recoil of 17.7 ft-lbs. The 7mm RM/150g LRAB has a calculated recoil of 23.4 ft-lbs and the .300 WM/190g LRAB recoils at 36.8 ft-lbs. Although the .270 load will drop about 8" more than the others, the difference in drift is only 2.5". I'll take the 8" and 2.5", you can have the recoil.
