Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 7mm Remington Magnum?

Mule Deer,
What about polling a thread on age for the 'fire in general? Might be interesting to see how it stacks up against the 7mm RM age stats? Wonder if we are not all well above the millenials as a whole, on average?

There are 2 in the safe. 38

I have 1 in my safe. Will use it, depending on what I draw.
59 !

I'm 74. I bought my first 7 mm RM about 20 years ago. It was my first magnum rifle and is my smallest magnum rifle (behind my .300 Wby and .375 RUM). I've taken it on two African hunts and three Canadian caribou hunts. It's stainless in a plastic stock and is my primary foul weather rifle.

I mostly hunt the thick, NorthEastern USA woods, so a Savage 99 in .250-3000, ,300 Sav, or 358 Win, are my go to cartridges. That said, IF i'm hunting a gas line, power line, or large field, my Browning A-bolt in 7mm Rem Mag is my go to firearm. I'm 52 btw. -TomT

Blair,
Dunno if Jerry ever told you this, but he told it when Melvin Forbes and I visited Jerry's shop a long time ago.

His Model 70 was originally a 7x57, but when the 7mm RM came out (along with all the hoopla) Jerry decided to rechamber and otherwise convert his rifle. He said he kind of regretted it, because "all it did was kick harder, but didn't kill any better." That said, I don't believe Jerry is a long-range hunter.

He also told a story about how he took the rifle to New Zealand on a red stag hunt. The outfitter assured Jerry that he had plenty of 7mm RM ammo on hand, so not to bother bringing any--and Jerry didn't. However, when he got to the lodge (like many in NZ, pretty remote) the outfitter looked in his ammo stash and found exactly ONE round of 7mm Remington Magnum ammo. As Jerry said, "So much for the scope-checking shot."

Jerry didn't know what the bullet was, and I can't remember if he even told me the brand. They decided to go hunting anyway, due to the nearest ammo shop being a day's drive away--and Jerry wouldn't shoot unless the shot was 200 yards or less. He killed the stag neatly, then headed home to Montana.

Maybe someone already mentioned this, but a guy who was middle aged when the initial hype was happening (maybe the most likely buyers) is likely to be dead by now.

A 7RM was the first new big game rifle I purchased, and I've had a number of them since.

I like most any 7, and I think the 7RM is a great round.

I'm 66 now.

I am 63, and have mostly hunted in my home province of Saskatchewan. I know the 7mm Rem. magnum is a popular round in Western Canada, but oddly, not among my family and friends. I regularly hunted with only one companion who used one, and that was only for a period of 5 years or so back in the 80's. None of my family shoots a 7mm Mag. I have a few casual friends who hunt with 7mm rifles, and a very few of them have joined me on hunts. In my circle of close friends and family, the .300 Win mag. is also rare. My family and friends shoot a lot of .270's, .308's, 30-06, and 7mm08 rifles. Or jump up to .35 Whelen, 9.3x62, and .375. If I want to shoot a 7mm bullet faster than my 7x57 or 7mm08 rifles can produce, I use one of my 7x64s.

Thanks John, he did not tell this one; I’ll hit him up about it. I have no trouble believing it though.

Blair

Switch - As I mentioned I have a T3 X in 7mm RM and it is pleasant to shoot....to me.

Don't know where you live but I'd be glad to donate some rounds for you to shoot mine. For real.
The T3 X Lite 7 RM weighs just 3 oz more than my T3 Lite 270 Both carrying the same scope.

I live in SW Ark. PM if you're interested.
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Thanks Jerry, wish I lived closer, but I live in Nevada. I think I can handle the recoil, but we'll see. Pretty much decide to go that way Monday when I con order though a local dealer.I've got a bad left shoulder so light weight is important.


**I think I've seen pictures of your rifles.

**Do you the Light Weight Talley mounts? If so what height? I've used the Talley steel mounts on my Mod 70's in the low height, but I got a set of the low light Talley's and they seem to be too low on a 700 Rem
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I went back and my rifle isn't in this thread but in another.






Don't have any Talleys. These are Warne bases and Weaver Med. rings.

I like Med or Hi rings and I don't have to lean my head over too much.
On heavy kickers, I prefer HI rings. My head is more upright and recoil is more natural. Here's my 300 WM w/ Hi rings.



I know, I know, breaking the PC rules... Works for me.

Good Luck, btw I have a T3 Lite SS in 270 also. I like em.

Jerry

Jerry, other than being a pain in the ass to get scope leveled, I really like Weaver mounts, stong and really light. They've work for manu people for many years.

John, I'll be 59 in June.

When my older brother and I were kids, we drooled through the pages of the the yearly Remington catalog. Using the ballistic charts in the back, we were both convinced the 7-em-em Rem Mag was the answer to all hunting questions.

Having (hopefully) moved past childhood I can say I've only owned one 7mm RM... and I never shot it! I bought the M70 for its action. The way I see it, it's a harder kicking 270/30-06. If I want something more than either of those two, I'll get something substantially more.

And I can't fathom using the 7mm RM on Midwestern deer from a treestand...

Thanks, Brad.

Actually, it doesn't kick noticeably more than a .30-06--and just about identically, when .30-06 handloads are heated up a little, as many handloading hunters do.

John,

I am 68 and own only one 7mm Magnum. I purchased a Remington BDL Stainless Synthetic around 2002 to take on my first elk hunt in 2003. My only other centerfire rifle at that time was a .270 and I thought I needed more, now with more experience I would have hunted with the .270. I hunted northwest Colorado below Graig in the White River National Forest with four other guys, they each carried 300 mags of some type. I was the only one to get a elk, a 5x5 bull that I shot at approximately 75 yards.

I still own that rifle and have since put it in a Mcmillan Hunter stock with edge fill and replaced the Leupold scope with a Schmidt and Bender. It has sit in the gun safe unhunted to this day, so I guess I would be [u]classified as an owner that is a non-user,[/u] if you have such a classification in your survey.

My next elk hunt I took and Weatherby 338-06, that I found a great deal on, and since we would be hunting Wyoming grizzly country I thought it a better option than the 7mag.

I would take a 30-06 over the 7mm mag today if elk were the prey.

[quote=Mule Deer]Thanks, Brad.

Actually, it doesn't kick noticeably more than a .30-06--and just about identically, when .30-06 handloads are heated up a little, as many handloading hunters do.
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That's my perception as well.
I have been surprised that some complain of recoil with the 7 RM.

Jerry

Re: recoil, never liked the recoil of either the '06 or 7RM...the 270 was fine running handloads with 150s. I ran 160/162s or faster 150s in the 7 and typically 165s in one '06 I used long enough to free float it, do a trigger job and do some range testing. Latter a 77 Laminate SS, the former 2 were the 700 ADL and BDL SS I spoke about.

Synthetic stocks dampen recoil I can tell you. Also, recoil pads matter......now about the comment Brad - YES, I agree if I want more than standard 270, 280, or 06, I too want more rifle....as in a 338 or 9.3, but the 338/06 is preferred over the WM, again, recoil and they will fly MUCH Flatter than many know. A 200 BT at 2900+ or a 225 at 2670 is plenty reach and power for much hunting, No doubt a 180 or 200 in an '06 has a lot of potential to offer, but not my cup of tea.

But back to recoil - many variables as many of you know that affects the perceived recoil....

Now back to the 270, another Fine round, Ed Matunas did an extensive write up long ago. He found MANY 270s he tested fell far short of expected speeds, whether due to weak loaded factory ammo, but even in reloads. He said it may have been chamber specs, bore tolerances, etc. So for that reason he liked the 06 which tended to be more consistently close to published speeds. Odds are now, modern rifles and ammo, are perhaps more to 'Spec' in quality guns and ammo. I must say I have had some 'Fast' 7/08s that nip on the heels of 270s.........using 21" - as in 2960 with 139/140s and reloads safe in my guns. Accurate too. So like a poster above, I found the 7/08 better for my use......now that round is likely getting less play with the 6.5 CM out, and common 308.

I don't need anymore verification than those.

He has the experience many don't.....including myself.


Jerry

John,
I have never owned a 7mm Rem Mag. but considered it many times over the years. Never thought I needed the extra velocity where I hunt in the eastern states. When I started hunting in the west I purchased a 300 win mag. because I wanted the ability to use heavier bullets than available in a 7mm. It’s nice to have so many good choices. I’m 50 yrs old.