Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska 7mm Rem Magnum in Alaska

What factory ammo would you recommend for moose, understanding you might run into a brown bear?

Trophy Bonded or Nosler Partitions

Thanks 175g ?

Thanks 175g ?

Yes, 175s work great.

Nice I'll have to reload. Perfect. I still reload for my 500 Jeffery and my two sons 270s, guess I'll have to buy some dies

Have 30 some once-fired, nickel plated pieces of brass if you want them, colorado. Let me know via pm and I'll ship them to you.

I second the Swift a-frames Kaboku suggested. Use them with confidence...

Thanks all!

175 gr, your choice of flavors. Whatever shoots most goodestly would be my choice. Your choice premium or not - likely make little difference on a bear in the unlikely event (unless hunting them anyway) but I hear tell the Barnes product has less blood-shot" meat, if that is a consideration for moose. And is usually accurate, users brag.

Me, I tried some 120 TSX factory in my 260 for the worst group (6" or so) of any factory ammo tried. Seems it likes the 140 gr , most anything the best. I use C&C in most everything and never felt the difference.

$3.00+ per round, for you, looks like, for Barnes factory rolled. Spendy.


I've some brass,( and maybe dies), but no 7 mag rifle.

I'll check in a few and get back to you via pm.

As a guide for both and knowing more than a few others... Barnes bullets matter.

That said use what you want but PLEASE if I never see another ELD or Berger I'd be happy. Partitions work, but not nearly as good at penetration. 308 with ttsx has killed quicker with similar shots than 338 with partitions. Partitions never made it to the ribs on the other side.

Yup I'm biased. And there are cases of people not making old X bullets shoot but if you can't get a tsx or ttsx to shoot something else is really wrong IMHO. Dont have a gun other than the 458 thats not sub moa at 100 with barnes with very little work. Have a Buddys 338 win mag that puts 3 in the same large hole at 100 rather often... those that say barnes don't shoot... all wet.

FWIW seeing more than a few moose and bears tip over every year is where I form opinions from. Not from what I personally like.

And if you are worrying about the cost of ammo, you have other issues. Again my opinion. Have you priced a bear or moose hunt lately? Even DIY.

I just got back from a hunt where I had to crawl on my hands and knees and put a few more rounds in a bear at close range in a thicket. First and only round in the bear was an ELD.....

I shoot 150g Partitions out of my 270 Win at 3000 fps, 300g A-Frames out of my 375 Weatherby and 570g TSX's out of my 500 Jeffery. All great bullets. I'm leaning towards either 160g or 175g A-Frames out of my 7mm Rem Magnum if I win the bid

Nothing like getting the cart ahead of the horse

I am well into my 5th decade of guiding in Alaska and any of the previously mentioned bullets, from 160 to 175 gr bullets will work perfectly.
So long as the shooter can

Any premium bullet 140 grain and up will do the trick (barnes, swift a frame, Nosler partition, etc.) I'd give the nod to a 175 grain swift a-frame if it shot well, but I'd choose accuracy over gaining another 35 grains of bullet weight if it came down to it.

I should know if I win this rifle by Sunday. If so, I plan to buy 4 boxes of Remington 175g Corelokts. I'll make sure they are accurate (no tumbling, keyholing etc). If so I'll buy a hundred 175g Swift A-Frames and 7mm Rem Mag reloading dies, then ask your advice on powders.


Thanks again,

Chuck

corelokts have been known to jacket core separate over the years. FWIW.

If you ignore the mono bullet comments vs cup and core then stick to 160 to 175 for sure. Anything less would bother me from years and years of watching things get shot by others.

I don't plan to hunt with the corelokts just use them to test out how the rifle likes 175g spitzers. After that I plan to shoot A-Frames. I prefer them to the Barnes TSX's in general on North American game. They always expand, they always penetrate and they always retain 90% or more of their weight. Here's a 300g A-Frame fired from a 375 H&H that impacted a 900 lb brown bear at 13 yards. Still weighs 299.5g after penetrating the bear diagonally from just behind the right shoulder, bullet found in the hide of his left thigh.

[img]https://i.imgur.com/5NwQ1PZ.jpg?3[/img]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/c5FiRIO.jpg?1[/img]

Have had similar results with 275's out of the .338, on both moose and coastal browns. Have been confident in them since the mid 1990's.

You have (perhaps) seen this by Terry W already... From 5 years ago.
https://www.handloadermagazine.com/swift-a-frame

Now, win the rifle! Sounds like you have good plan.

I don't have the experience that RST and Phil have, but I've always been partial to bullets (in any caliber) in the upper half of the weight range. Just seem to work better than the lighter, hair-on-fire stuff for my hunting purposes.

Your rational is flawed 2 diameter cup and cores should not be used to compare accuracy based on their weight.

Thats better. Your results almost totally mirror all the tsx/ttsx I've seen. Never failure to expand. almost always retain upper 90s if not 100 percent weight. 2 just pulled from brown bears after traversing length were perfect expansion. And both were 100 percent weight. ITs one reason I'm so sold on them because I've never personally seen any type of failure.

Aframes I have not shot much, we did try to get them to shoot in a 30-06 of a friend and they were accurate enough and seemed to do just what you say. I"d be comfortable with that.

What I recommend is due to what I"ve seen. Had I seen frames in use I maybe could comment. Switched to barnes about the time tsx came out to improve over the X. I've never seen a need to look any further.

Best of luck!

Thanks! I've only shot a cow elk at 225 yards and 450 lb feral hog at 8 feet with my 500 Jeffery using a 570g TSX. The TSX opened up well on the cow elk who died instantly not too much meat damage. The hog the bullet entered between the eyes, leaving the right ham with a desert plate sized exit wound. Shattered his spine and his insides were liquified, not much meat left. If I could figure out how to post pictures here with imgur i would.

I killed my first moose in ak with a tang ruger in 7mmremmag using 175gr factory corelokts. One shot at about 50 yards. Bear were also in the area. If I were hunting moose today I'd use partitions or one of the mono bullets available in factory ammo.
.

Just gonna say that Big Green makes the "Core-Lokt Ultra Bonded" bullet nowadays. Don't think it will exhibit core/jacket separations. I'm sitting on a pile of .30 cal / 180 gr bullets. Have not tried any yet in my .30-06. In 7mm they make a 140 gr. bonded bullet which IMHO is on the light side of things.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1010518699?pid=695844

Without a serious runner-up, the core-lokt bullets I have run over the Juenke have proved to be the least concentric of all and by a HUGE margin. I have also shot a number of critters with them and would never consider them for anything beyond plinking.

I love the 150 BT at 280 speeds. I’m sure it be fine with another 150 or whatever FPS.

Other factory loads I’d want to try,
160 Trophy bonded tip
160 Accubond
140TTSX

Lots of choices!

Dober used to rave about the 150 BT at Mashburn speeds FWIW.

I consider Mark a friend. But I’ve seen those bullets come completely unglued out of the Mashburn. The results were dramatic however.

Those three should work.

I know more about the 160 NAB out of the 7RM per my bud’s Africa experience. He’s a fan.

DF

The 160 gr Accubond is my go to bullet for my 7mm Rem mag. I have used it on multiple elk hunts in grizzly country in my home state of Montana, on caribou hunts in several Canadian provinces, and on hunts in Africa.

If I would specifically hunt a grizzly, brown bear, or moose in Alaska I would use my .300 Wby or .375 RUM, but I would not hesitate to use my 7mm RM for any other hunts in Alaska.

Reply thanks! If i use factory ammunition I think I will go with the Swift 160g A-Frames. My plan is to reload 175g A-Frames at around 2900 fps.

Don't overlook the Federal Terminal Ascent. The 7mm Rem Mag offering from Federal Premium only comes in 155 gr however.

P76
I used a 7RM on three fairly long trips for plains game. The most wicked wounds were produced by the 175 NP semi spitzers which Dober supplied. They created more havoc than anything I have used or seen used. Only at 375 H&H level is there a discernible difference.

Nothing new because George Hoffman had written about his experience with that load at least 20 years before I tried it. For those who didn’t know, Hoffman was a PH in Africa for many years and developed what became the 416 Rem. He used a 7 RM with the 175’s to the base of the case neck.

I prefer really light rifles, like 6.5#, and after many days and shots I found my shooting ability headed the wrong direction. It gradually wore me down. No big deal on a western NA hunt where a couple of shots is all I have ever needed. But firing three or four boxes over the course of a trip was too much for me.

I “settled” on a 270/280.

I volunteer to shoot a brown bear in heavy cover with a 7 RM loaded with 175 NP semi spitzers if someone will sponsor/finance my trip.
I will continue to do so until I get eaten by a bear.

I just happen to know a guide

LOL I'll bet you do!

Sounds good to me RinB hell I'd even donate a part box of 175 gr trophy bonded Bear Claws if you think they would work better..mb

I’ll start a go fund me. :-)

Thanks for the support. I am all in!

I’d lend you my rifle, but the bolt is on the port side. That would get you killed for sure.

rifle came in, waiting on a Leupold 3.5-10x50mm gloss black scope I ordered.

Sharp.

gloss rifle. gloss scope. nothing should miss that dang mirror shining in the light. Not sure the reason folks desire to give themselves away. Often while wearing useless camo.

probably correct. I've not shot factory in years so no clue. but bonded has to be better than the old ones. that said with the advent of Barnes and other mono bullets I'm not sure why mono would not be the choice. I"ve yet to see a bad result from mono. the reverse is not able to be said.

I don't wear camo. Watch the wind, hunt slowly and quietly, everything else will work itself out.

That’s a nice rifle!

i would agree 100 % about Core - Lokts when i was working at a wild game processing plant at Gillete ,Wyoming that took care of 700 -750 animals a year i seen how bad Core-Lokts worked on wild game animals and i would not wanna face a big bear with them in my rifle.

Yup, fantastic bullet !

The Federal TA ammo has saved me a ton of time by not having to reload ammo for my Rem 700 BDL rifles in 7mm Rem, 300 Win, 308 Win & the kids Tikka T3 Lite rifles in 300 WSM, got a bunch of ammo and the whole fam damily is set up for moose for a while, and anything else out here if the need arises, 10 boxes of good hunting ammo on hand is my requirement and I have way more than that with other factory ammo and reloads

I've loaded the 30 cal 175 gr and 200 gr Terminal Ascent bullets in my 300 RUM & stuck them into moose at screaming velocities, bullets held up and wiped the moose outta their tracks

Prefer a fast 30 cal but wouldn't hesitate to plug a brownie with the 7mm Rem and 155 gr TA bullets if it's all I had on me

Nice looking do it all rifle

Watch that glare and you will be fine. Thats a pretty rifle. Just be aware.

Nice flammable firewood when you get lost and cold, save a piece to signal passing aircraft

I once hunted with a man toting a 700 BDL. You could see the reflections from it several hundred yards away. I'm sure the deer could, too.

I have hunted with the for over 60 years. Excellent success! Shoot hunt enjoy.

Really nice rifle!

Watched a fellow stalk and shoot a beautiful interior grizzly with a 7mm Rem Mag, 140 gr Barnes. One shot, bear ran only a few yards after the shot then collapsed. Very quick kill. I was impressed.

So impressed that I've loaded up a bunch of 140 gr Barnes TTSX's for my own 7mm Rem Mag. Just need to try them out on something other than targets.

Biggest game I took with my own 7mm Rem Mag was a nice size bull elk. A single 175 gr Nosler Partition penetrated from one side to the other, taking the bull down in just a few steps. Bullet exited.

There's a lot of great 7mm hunting bullets.

Regards, Guy

A 140 gr Corelokt from my 260 did the same thing. SURPRISE! And not a single step....

OK- I totally destroyed her spine just behind the head at @150 yards...... and the recoil was mild enough I could see her flop!

I took the same rifle/load moose hunting (without getting a shot) this year with total confidence. Although I admit, that gallon of cranberry bear poop in the trail, that hadn't been there the day before, made me miss a step.

That's what a 250 gr. .338WM or bigger is for.

Rem 725SA .260, from where I called the bull.



The only moose I saw - too big/too little for legal.



i haven't decided on my rifles for next season yet. 7X57 W70fwt, the .260, Ruger 77 in .338 (took that caribou hunting this year - so maybe not), or the '98 in 30-06.

Decisions, decisions.... depends on what's shooting and my feelers at the time.

Nice old Kelty!

Shoot them right in the pump-station.

Most of all, have fun while hunting in the wilds of your choice.

Some alder swimming will take the gloss off the stock and blueing

Alders like this?

Alders like this? BTW wearin camo, cause Helly Hanson didn't come in designer colors lol.

Looks like you are rolling in some "Frog-Togs"

Nice bear.
A bear like that will put a smile on your face.

Thanks! First and only shot at 13 yards, took him 5 minutes to quit roarin went in after him, exciting, glad he was dead when I found him.

Hey Colorado, did you shoot that bear with the 7mm RM you just bought? What bullet did you use?

I hear Tia's a good one!

It is a a matter of perspective and shot placement. One of my greatest mentors was an old Sourdough who was born in Gold Rush days named Al Taylor. He shot a lot of brown bears and Grizzlies in his sixty years in the brush. He generally used a Winchester 1894 carbine in 30wcf which he would get about 30ft facing the bear and shoot them perfectly under the chin. We traded him a Savage 340 in 7 REM with a 4x scope. He used it at 25yards to kill a good 9ft bear who was attempting to kill his daughter’s dogs. He told us, “Boys that magnum rifle hit that bear hard enough in the boiler room to knock part of its lungs out!” He was a fan of the 7 REM mag for the rest of his life.

Awesome, lots of B&C record elk were killed with 30-30s

Great info. It's good to hear from people with experience. I had never read anything but glowing reviews for Partitions. I still think they are good bullets but I shot a buck broadside through the liver with one out of a 6.5 Creedmoor (140 grain at 25 yards) and it didn't exit. That really surprised me.

I shoot 150g Partitions in my 270, 300g A-Frames in my 375 H&H / Weatherby, and 570g TSX's in my 500 Jeffery. All great bullets. Killed over a dozen elk with the 150g Partitions from 15 yards to 500 every animal died within 30 yards. Placement matters! I plan to shoot 175g A-Frame handloads in my new to me 7mm Rem Mag, hope to work up a safe accurate load that approaches 3000 fps.

I've killed a couple moose and bears with nosler accubond. One shot kills on all of them.

Also like the nosler partition, but the accubond has a better bc.

If I ever picked up another 7mm RM for my use, I would have it throated so I could seat the 175s way out there. My goal would be at least 175/3000-3050 fps and 160s/3100-3200 fps. But my Original Texan heinie is way too timid to tackle a Brown Bear with less than a 375 Weatherby/270 Barnes or similar, lol.

Jim, when I was a young man in the60's long throating was popular. A lot of guys throated them out for a 160 Nosler seated flush with the bottom of the neck. 700s they were able to easily get 3400 fps for 140s for lighter game. My current 7mag, is about 1200 rds old and the throat is starting to lenghten. Great round, right now my favorite long range deer rifle. MY definition of long range is different from the 1000 yard boys. It was also my late wife's favorite rifle. She took a pile of stuff with it.

That's my goal too, 175g A-Frame at 3000 fps. I usually seat my bullets to 1/8" back from hitting the lands. I only neck size (been doing that for decades) probably use a Lee Factory Crimp die as well. We'll see how fast my barrel is. For all of my loads (270 Win , 500 Jeffery) I get good case life (10 reloads then toss the cases) no signs of pressure. Any advice on powders would be appreciated.

Re26 will get you over 3000 with a 175, H1000 close to 3000.

With my 7mm Rem mag I found that partial sizing was the way to go. FL sizing many times left me with a possible case head separation. Seems headspacing on the belt often mess's up and the chamber becomes to long. To fix the problem I changed it over to headspacing on the shoulder. Neck size till the case will no longer chamber. Then move the die down a little at a time until the case will chamber without dragging as you close the bolt! Sizes the case to fit the chamber, even the sloppy chamber. I also had the throat reamed out on mine to be able to seat the base of the bullet no deeper than the base of the neck. Worked out great.

Thanks to you both!

In my 7mm mag I ran only 160gr Speer Hot Cores. If it was not to be them I'd take a look at some bonded bullet!

Listen to Phil.