This is common knowledge among the older guys on here,but the younger guys may not be aware of it....
The 7 Rem Mag was cobbled together as a wildcat on the 338 case by Les Bowman when the 338 was introduced in the late 50's.Bowman ran an elk hunting camp in Wyoming that featured above-timberline elk country that offered pretty long range shooting at elk;the area also held mule deer,sheep,black bear,moose, and grizzlies.
Bowman and his guides noted that many clients shot better,and wounded less game with 270's and 30/06's than they did with the 300 Weatherbys so popular at the time,due to excessive recoil.Bowman and his guides understood that BG animals at any distance are killed by putting good bullets in the right place;not by theoretical mumbo jumbo.Moderate recoil helps people do this.
He wanted a cartridge that shot as flat as a 300 Weatherby,out performed the 30/06 and 270,but kicked less and was more shootable than the 300's,but was flat shooting and accurate.
He necked down the 338 case to 7MM and Fred Huntington of RCBS helped him put a rifle together for the round.The 7 Rem Mag was then used by Bowman,by his clients,and by Remington representatives(Mike Walker and Wayne Leek?)while it was still a wildcat,on elk,grizzlies black bear,mule deer, etc.Early on they relied on 160 gr Sierra's,and the later 160 Partitions for this work at a velocity of about 3050 fps.
At the same time this was going on,Warren Page ,gun editor at Field and Stream was unning around the world killing all manner of big game with the 7 Mashburn, a wildcat similar to the 7RM.Page also hunted elk at Bowman's ranch with the Mashburn;Remington had the chronograph data on Page's wildcat Mashburn.The 7 Weatherby was around,but rifles for it were expensive,proprietary,and the twist for the 7mm Weatherby early on was a 1-12;it would not stabilize 160 gr bullets.
Remington brought the 7 RM out in 1962,and it was very popular.So,its' pedigree is as a long range cartridge at recoil levels that most people can manage nicely,tested and designed for long range use on elk sized game since the late 50's.It continues to do the same work now as it did then,except that with todays bullets and powders,it is likely better than it ever was.
History lesson over....test in the morning.....
haha!
