I shoot it all. Hint. Twist,throat geometry and cOAL simply gotta align,to connect all dots. Hint. I'd much rather gun a 7mm Rem mag on a 700 with 180 ELD's,than a Lapooey or BMG...mainly because I've shot 'em all and then some. Re-hint..............
OK, so we've clearly established the fact that you are a big fan of the 7mm Remington Magnum in a Remington 700 with 180 ELDs. I am not discounting your experience as I am sure you have shot many more 7mms than I have; however, this was not my question.
I am interested to know, for those with experience, the relative merits of both the 7 SAUM and the .280/.280 AI. I have read all about the .280 and the AI and have read little about the 7 SAUM. Personally, I am looking for a 7mm that is an excellent performer out to about 400-500 effective yds. for hunting and possibly further for long range target practice. If bass availability and over the counter ammo availability is taken out of the equation would there be any reason to choose one over the other. I don't particularly care about long/short action and I am not looking for a cannon with loads of recoil.
Of course, I could probably choose a .270 and accomplish the same things as the .280/.280AI/7 SAUM, but that might be considered a little gay.
I like the idea of a 7mm-06.
