7mm RM was "my" first rifle. Dad let use his rifles to work up to heavier recoilers through our first few years of hunting. I found my 700ADL at the local, small-town shop - $300 in pristine condition in 1993. I only had $150 cash - dad fronted the rest, and I worked for him all summer to pay my debt.
It was my one and only from 1993 through 2002, and HIGHLY effective on our Texas WTs and hogs. In 2002, I picked up a M7 7mm-08 that took the lead role in my hunting, then others to follow. I have resurrected the 7mm RM since 2002. Once on a West Texas WT hunt in 2006. I finished off a big, old buck at around 280 yards that my wife had hit a little low/back. The second time was a Rolling Plains hunt in 2014.
For most, I have probably not taken full advantage of the 7mm RM. I don't recall ever shooting anything other than the 140gr NBTs in front of a book max of IMR4350. The last time I chronoed them, I believe they were around 3250 FPS out of the 24" barrel. The flat-shooting combo (at normal hunting distances) gave a bit of a cheat factor in the pre-rangefinder days. The other positive for the combo was the relatively mild recoil.
Even though it stays in the back corner of the safe these days, it would be my last gun to go.
