Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 7 Rem mag as good as it gets

If one thinks its as good as it gets, then it is. Pretty simple.

For deer, fact of the matter is I could have killed probably 90% of the deer I've taken with a a 22lr if legal. Just doesn't take all that much. Just like pigs.

More never hurts and since the biggest I've shot a deer with is my 50 bmg I've no room to talk.

Any more its 308 if I feel the need to have a big round. 300/221 and 10mm for most work. If long range is in the mix I would step to something different too. But honestly 243 with the right bullet would do as much as the 308 does, I just have a nice 308 and a really accurate gun and like shooting that gun and so does Carolyn if she isn't using her 10mm.

Trying to use one gun for all, you end up being big, bigger than needed most times. IE my big gun for our place in AK is 458 win mag. I don' really want to use it for everything, but I have shot stuff as small as javelina with it.

Pick and choose for the intended use and quarry seems to fit the best for us. I"d hate to have to hunt dove with my 10 ga. LOL.

And with all that said and a couple of years hunting and a few deer taken I've learned that there is no lightning bolt round for game. And bullet choice and how the bullet works on each shot, IE it does what you intend it to, and placement, are the supreme issues. Heck even if the bullet doesn't work right, with correct placement you still have a pretty good chance at killing and harvesting.

Never owned a 7 Rem mag. Have loaded and shot plenty. Seems just fine to me for lots of things. Still own a 7x300 wtby that I wish shot as well as every 7 Rem Mag I've messed with

It's a solid choice for anything not in the "will Jolly Stomp you" category. The newer, high BC bullets in the 175-180 gr range show the cartridge at its best. If it's something a body wants to try for themselves, rifles and ammo are easy to come by.

That said, were I to pick a good as it gets big game cartridge, it'd be the boring old '06.

The 7 Mag has a stat line that’s very hard to duplicate by cartridges of both larger and smaller caliber.....

160+ grain bullet, with a .600+ BC, at 3000+ FPS.....

Nothing smaller can do it.....

and, it takes a big f’n .30 to get there (RUMish).... then there’s a substantial increase in recoil.

I have a Sendero 7mm ultra mag. It was a gift from kids for doing the plumbing on a house they built. Son in law called me up asking what caliber his friend should buy? I knew the ultra cartridges were expensive so I told him his friend should buy a 7 ultra. They were fishing to see what to get me.

Next thing I know I have a 7 ultra mag. It has more horsepower than a 7 Remington mag, but you have to burn a hell of a lot more powder to get it. A 7 Rem mag is about perfect for me. I have my eye on another early L-61 Sako. Everyone needs five 7 mags.

yup
Five is a good number,that's how many I have.I have to agree with you about the extra powder the larger 7 magnums have to burn to beat the 7mag.I have a 7STW.I usually burn around ten more grains or so powder then what I'd load in my 7mags.Recoil is also increased and very similar to the 300 Win Mag.The other thing I found interesting was what powder charge I used for the 7STW with a 160gr bullet was also the same powder charge I would. use in my 300 Win Mag with 180gr bullets.I also saw this same comparison with the 7mag loading 140gr bullets and the 300WSM loading 165gr bullets.And like the 7mag and 7STW,I usually find I load about ten more grains of powder in the 300 Win Mag than I do in the 300WSM with like bullet weights.Performance wise,the 7mag is close in comparison to the 300WSM and the 7STW is close to the 300 Win Mag.

That's a good one.

Old Capstick was apparently pretty much full of crap, but I like his crack about when an elephant gets you, they can send you home in an ice cream carton.

You have got to stop posting this picture!

I wonder if he could even be civil after that........?

He had the experience with various 7 Mags to know the truth.


Jerry

Maybe ? at insane pressures !


Jerry

I load 89 gr of Reloader 25 in my 7mm ultra mag, 64 grains of IMR 4350 in my 7 mags, both with 140 grain bullets. That’s 25 more, lots more for 200 fps

Some here know what they're talking about.

Jerry

What brand rifle is this?

Are you serious....?

I'm not BSA but that is a Win 70 Classic FTWT in 7-08.

Jerry

Well, I didn’t know. I’ve never seen one in person. I couldn’t see the bolt very good. I have a pre 64 Winchester in 264 Win mag that I like. It hangs out in the gun safe. I have three 264’s. One of the Sakos has a three digit serial number.

Big fan of the 7RM even though I now realize it is not that much superior to the 270,280, esp. 280AI and 30-06 and many others but that is pretty good company. I doubt I will ever equal my string of 33 consecutive one shot kills on game with any other rifle or cartridge combo. #34 I got cocky and it took two shots.

Did some test loads last week with a couple of powders I haven't tried before.Here's what I got.
150gr Nosler Ballistic Tip:
65.0grs Accurate-4350 - 3220fps




69.0grs Reloader-26 - 3187fps




70.0grs Reloader-26 - 3220fps



160gr Nosler Accubond
63.5gr Accurate-4350 - 3044fps

23” Rem. 700 in 7 Mag, SS 3-9, running 160 ABs at 3000... shade over 550

Good call Jerry. The picture isn't real good, but you are correct. Took it with my cell phone.. I've had 7mm rem mag's, but this 7mm08 is a sweetheart in all aspects. Shoots great, and has good enough ballistics to take NA game at any sane distance. I should be partial to the 7mm Rem magnum, as I took my longest shot with one. However, it does nothing for me. I actually prefer the 7WSM over the Rem mag. To each their own though.

Beautiful rifle, makes me want one!

Owned several semi custom 7 RM’s. Only thing I really didn’t like about them was barrel life. Have to rebarrel every year or two was really a pain in the butt.