Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game 300 win mag or 7 rem mag

300 wm, cause that's what I've hunted with since I was 12. Ruger m77. Only 7 mag I ever shot hurt more. Must have been something about the fit of the stock. Either will get it done.

Nothing you shoot with either cartridge will know the difference.

Buy a stainless Tikka in either chambering.




P

Noslers will outrun everything mentioned without a belt... pick a diameter 28-30-33 and go to town!

I had the same question about 30 years ago. Had a 300 built on a pre 64, Shilen match SS barrel, brown pounder stock. It killed stuff. Never thought about a 7MM again.

I have and like both. The 300 and one of my 7mm's are 700 Remingtons. They both shoot very very accurately. I also have a Ruger Tang safety 77 7mm.

I wouldn't hesitate using any on those animals you have listed.

Got both, 338 Win mag too. They would all work just fine

I have 7 RM & 300 WM.

I'd take my Tikka T3X SS Lite 7 RM for anything in N A.

That ^^ based on 458 Win (Mr. Phil) telling us that the 30-06 is dependable for Brown Bear, so........

Jerry

You should know. That's where you are.


jwall said that !!

Including a trip to the gunsmith for a re barrel job.I’ve had both and enjoy the 7 mm with 180 s the most. My 7 RUM will be a 7 REM mag here shortly as the barrel is about gone.

Including a trip to the gunsmith for a re barrel job.I’ve had both and enjoy the 7 mm rem with 180 s the most. My 7 RUM will be a 7 REM mag here shortly as the barrel is about gone.

Not opposed to Nosler but need to get brass, so not sure if I would go with Nosler.

Esox357;
Good morning to you sir, I hope this second last Monday before Christmas is going okay for you thus far and those who matter in your world are well.

For rifles, I'd absolutely suggest handling as many as possible to see what feels best to you and what seems to fit you best.

On a Canuck forum I'm on we're in the midst of discussing rifle fitment and it's effects on felt recoil - short version it's a pretty big deal. I'd recommend a couple of John Barsness' books on the subject too as he's able to explain it better than I, but again the short version is he's right in my experience and it matters - a lot.

Everyone has a line in the sand which they'll do their best work with as far as perceived recoil goes. I used to shoot with a chap who was 14" taller than me and scaled out at more than 400lb while I was a towering 5'6" and 150lbs... We used to have spirited discussions on which of us got the worst of a featherweight .458 Win Mag a buddy had as he'd just sort of soak it all up and it would hurl me off the bench.

Over the years I've played with 3 different 7mm RemMags quite a bit, then 3 different .308 Norma's and a couple .300 Win Mags.

As a broad statement I'd say that with a 24" barrel we had an easier time making the .300/.308 Mags run up to "book" velocities with 165/168/180gr bullets than the 7mmRemMag achieved with 140-160gr bullets.

Please note that was a good long while ago and newer powders might change all that considerably - I don't know.

While there might be some small difference in perceived recoil, if one had two identical rifles in both cartridges and was shooting similar weight projectiles, it may or may not be a factor. My gut feel is it wouldn't be much difference however.

Having been there when a 7mmRemMag killed deer sized animals and then helping to process a few more for friends, I'd be shocked if anyone could tell any difference in animal reaction whatsoever when similarly constructed bullets and shot placement were involved.

The vast bulk of my experience is with deer/black bear sized animals, but I have shot a California Bighorn and we live in sheep country so get to talk to a fair few folks who also have shot sheep. While a sheep does have a blockier front end for sure, they're about like deer when it comes to reacting to being hit by a bullet.

Moose are a different thing in that they sometimes need to cogitate on life and death for a wee bit before falling over. I've talked to guys who hunted mountain goats who said they reacted a lot like moose when hit, which is to say sometimes not much at all.

Lastly, if you're leaning towards a .300WinMag, I'd just make sure that it works fine through the action of the rifle you're buying. While that may sound a bit odd, I've worked on Ruger 77's that were just a tad short for some .300WinMag factory ammo and in fact that's why my own tang model Ruger 77 is chambered for the .308 Norma.

Hopefully that was useful for you or someone out there sir. Good luck with your search for a new hunting arm whichever way you decide.

All the best to you this Christmas Season.

Dwayne

Good morning Dwayne,

Thank you for sharing your experience. I have an itch for a hunting rifle that can take big game. Just can't make up my mind which gives the most for least recoil. I also now realize it's a bad time to purchase components and don't want to be stuck with a rifle I can't shoot. I'm sure all cartridges mentioned would work fine. I wish you and yours a Happy Christmas season as well! Take care.

All good comments. Neither cartridge will let you down loaded with sturdy bullets. In my elk hunting circle, I have seen about equal numbers of deer and elk cleanly killed with both cartridges over the past 15 years or so. Recoil may be a little less with the 7mm with slightly lighter bullets assuming the rifles weigh about the same. Happy Trails

I’d go 7RM, for sure.

I have both plus a 338.
The 338 has just been safe ballast, so no experience on game.


Here's the thing,

You can get very similar trajectories from both.
The 300 will probably hit a bit harder.
But, the 7mm will hit plenty hard enough.

The 300 will hit you much harder.


Oversimplifying?

If you look at it critically, considering that once you get to the point you need to
correct for drop...

Well,
Now the 30-06, 280, 270....

start to crowd in. Cheaper, easier to get(usually), less recoil.

I would run a brake or can on a 300 if I go that route. The 7 mag makes sense but the factory barrels are twisted for 175 and down it appears. I do have about 200 162 amax sitting around

You can by a used 700 and rebarrel for what ever twist and length you want...

I've had multiple 7s and 300s. The 7s have less recoil > > in similar rifles.

Less bullet wt., Less powder.

ATST I like my Black Shadow 300 WM.

Jerry

If I was going to carrie all the extra weight of a belted mag... I would go with the 300 and would even lean more toward the 338

I hand load, and see no advantage to the 7 mag... A 280ai can do anything the 7mag can do.