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

I did that one time unwittingly to myself. I was practicing with my .375 Wby at an outdoor range for an upcoming Alaskan hunt. I was shooting it pretty well, but I couldn’t tell for sure if I was flinching at all or not. I loaded it with four down and an empty chamber to practice with the action that way because most AK guides make you hunt that way. The friendly guy in the next booth started talking to me about what anti-tank weapon I was shooting for a bit. When we were done talking, I returned to continue shooting--forgetting that I hadn’t chambered a round. When it went click, I was still staring motionless with my cross-hairs still on the bullseye. So. then I knew.

I think a lot of it comes down to minutia. Sure a 7mm mag might beat a 300 mag after a certain distance.....sure a 300 mag can be loaded closer with say a 215 berger....and on and on...

Really that ONLY MATTERS if you are going to try and shoot something to those distances. If you are going to be more the norm...then 400 yards and in is all you need to be concerned about. Then choices also get harder because cartridges get even closer. If you really just want to be prepared then say a max of 500 yards.....so still close for a-lot of cals....

I do put some credibility on some information I think is relevant. A poster here by JJHACK found after shooting many animals and seeing many animals shot that a .30 cal just did better over a wide range of animals and circumstances (He was/is a PH in africa - 30-06), RBROS has culled more elk than most of us will be able to kill in many lifetimes - many at extreme ranges....he also finds the .30 cal to just kill better over a wide range of circumstances.(300 win, 215 berger). Scenarshooter has used a 308 to good effect as well....

I don't know how to prove anything of course. Obviously almost every cal can work just fine. My wife uses a 243 with my handloaded 95 gr ballistic tips....deer and elk have all been a non event. She won't use anything else. She can shoot it really well of course......

Personally I lean towards a 308 or a 30-06 for myself. I have a personal limit of 500 yards max on game. So both cartridges will work fine, however having an extra round in the mag is nice, lower cost of ammo / components is nice, availability of loaded ammo is nice - just picked up some .06 at Wally yesterday, weight of the rifles is nice, less recoil is nice, more practice is nice........YMMV

It’s a matter of taste I know but I’ve never had anything for either of these cartridges at all.

If choosing between them I’d go 7RM because of high BC bullet selection that isn’t going to have the recoil of the .300. Seems easier to place a bullet where it belongs with 7RM.

There isn’t an animal in NA that would be able to tell the difference between hits from these cartridges assuming similar bullet construction and placement.

Take yer pick you have only to please yourself!

Not much difference between a 175 in the 7mm and the 180 in the 300 win. Hasbeen

Only about 20 grains more powder in the .300

In an M70, I go with the 7mm because the shorter case gives me more room in the box to play with OAL. A full length action like a 700, and I’d consider the 300.

I have never had a model 70 that I left the mag box spacer in.

Doesn’t that require having to modify the ejector and bolt stop? Seems like a lot of effort vs buying a 7mm Rem Mag or an M700.

Yes, a bolt stop, H&H length mag and a H&H, RUM, etc ejector. It’s usually about 50 bucks worth of parts to get 3.6” out of the magazine.

20 grains matter

Answer to the question is packaged up right here boys!

.223 Rem
257 Roberts
270 Win
7-08 Rem
280 Rem
7 Rem Mag
308 Win
30-06 Sprg
300 Win
50 cal muzzlesmoker

Prob left out a few chamberings
I couldn’t tell any difference.
They weren’t able to tell me any difference.
They were all dead when I got to them.
All boxes are full of some kinda wild steak.
*NOTE* All animals were harmed in production.

Of the two choices, today I’d pick the 7 Rem Mag.

Meat and Covfefe! That’s a man’s freezer right there!

Nice stash, just curious why you freeze the coffee? Long term storage?

Pete’s box is full of steaks. It’s what was handy that fits up there.

Thats cool!

Agreed.

In my 7mm RM I've used 140g North Fork HP (prototypes, still have a couple hundred of these).160g Speer Grand Slam and 160g North Fork SS. I've also developed loads for the 140g Barnes TTSX and Federal's ne 155g Terminal Ascent.

In the .300WM I've used 180g Barnes MRX and TTSX, 180g North Fork SS and now primarily use Barnes 175g LRX.


They all seem to work about the same.

I haven't fooled around with the 7mm rem mag much, but have fooled around with then 7mm weatherby quit a bit. To me the difference in recoil between a 7mm mag and a 300 win isn't much. Both kick pretty good for someone recoil sensitive neither are ideal IMO.
I like the 300 win mag because I prefer 30 cals, but either will do anything in North America which needs doing provided you select bullets responsibly.
I have a stash of 300 weatherby followers. I remove the spacer and tighten weld the mag box vertical seam. Alter the bolt stop and follower to match. I then add a Brownells magnum magazine box spring, which I also have a stash of.

Having killed a number of big game with both the 7mm mag, and the 300 WM I would go with the 300. I have had mine since 1970 and have hunted extensively with it. I believe that I can see a difference in the reaction animals have to both these cartridges. Based on field experience , the animals I have killed with the 7mm seem to wander around more, and take a second shot more often. This is what I have seen, others will undoubtedly see differently, but my sample is on over 100 head of big game.

That looks exactly like one of my freezers. Im sure the door pockets are stuffed too. The bad thing about me is I still have to collect 4 turkeys from a local turkey shoot. I had to give away 2 turkeys from last year, that i won. Running out of freezer room.

That was my point