I have no idea why, but I've always wanted a 7mm Remington Mag. It serves absolutely no purpose where I hunt, and will do virtually nothing my .280 won't at the ranges I shoot....but I still want one.

Maybe it's to round out the .284's, I already hunt with a 7mm TCU, 7mm-08, 7x57, and .280, so I have plenty of bullets to load. I also have around 2-300 pcs of brass, so I'm covered there, as well as 8lbs of AA4350 and 16lbs of H100v....all I need now is a set of dies, some LRM primers, and an actual rifle.

I'm debating between a pre-bankruptcy Remington 700 SPS or a boat paddle/stainless Ruger 77, just trying to convince myself I *need* a 7mm RM.

I have 5, you need at least one. I’d get a L-61 Sako. I bought a 280 not long ago, never thought I’d own one.

You don't - Just load your 280 to 270 Win pressures and you will be very close to 7mmRM. Assuming your 280 is a modern bolt action.

Hey, if you don't have one there's no way I'm going to try to talk you out of buying one. Sounds like you are shy some 7mm's on your list. However, with that being said I'd be looking for a good Winchester model 70. JMHO..

I just sold a Boat paddle 7mm mag. The recoil wasn’t all that stiff. I have a Abolt that drives tacks and have found a Rem stainless gun that peak’s my interest. I have a couple of extra brown precision stocks so a no brainer.
Truthfully I have never been enamored with the 7mm Rem mag. However after watching my wife drop a buck at a measured 642 yards and the accuracy of the Abolt, Im coming around
I did pick up a Rem 700 long range stainless the other day.
Its in 300 wm and I have been considering re barreling to a 7mm PRC
Not sure what I would gain though

You would gain the ability to shoot heavy VLD bullets that are great at the ranges .01% of hunters kill game at.

You would also have to try and find ammo and pay 3X what 7 rem mag costs.

But you would be very cool.

If you can't get it done with a 300 win mag a 7mm PRC won't change that.

7RM is an excellent cartridge, in my opinion. I don’t regret mine. Try it, you’ll like it…

Unless you also load the 7 RM to 270 Win levels. But you're right, a 65K 280 is quite close to a factory 7RM, most of which are held to <60K, and SAAMI max for the round is 61K. 60K for the 280 and of course, 65K for the 270.
I wanted a .280 when I spec'ed out my first custom rifle to Frank Wells back in 1990. He talked me into a 7RM saying that he knew he could make me a more accurate 7RM than .280. But his personal favorite rifle was a very Biesen-looking .270 he had built for himself.

Depending on the ranges you hunt, it's not really necessary.
Depending how much you shoot, bore life isn't great compared to milder rounds.
Burns more powder for mild/ modest velocity gains.
You need a longer barrel, 24-26", to get the expected velocities. Otherwise, you've got a noisy, powder hungry, and loud 280 Remington.
Omo

Unless you're going to hunt elk size game you don't need it, not that you couldn't take elk with what you have already but it would be an excuse. But 7mm RM is a great caliber as is 300 WM.

One of my favorite cartridges. It’s versatile, doesn’t kick hard in standard weight rifles, and it doesn’t hog up a 30-06 length magazine.

I own both, the 280 rem and its high power sibling the 7 rem mag.

Owned the 280 since 1989, a ruger tang safety that now wears an old ram-line stock and sports a timney trigger. Could not tell you how many pounds of meat this tool has harvested or miles i have carried it in the 34 years of owning it. Its one of those rifles that puts bullets from 120 to 175 grains all on the same vertical line close enough to not warrant adjustment. Zero with 175 gr hand loads at 100 and the lighter bullets go just a little higher. Like the 150 gr. Btips that cluster 1-3/4 inch high at 100. Flat reliable rifle with a premier cartridge combo has been VERY reliable for my rocky mountain hunting.

My 7 rem mag is a trim, slim barreled ruger hawkeye, the earlier Hawkeye that looks alot like a featherweight M-70 win wood stock. In the ten years of running this rifle and filling a pick-up a few times over the different seasons, I call it my high power 280. With 175 gr nosler partitions that average 2940 fps over the chrono, cut neat little inch groups @ 100 yrs, penetrate half way length wise and exited a mature shiras moose its a favorite game slayer. I tend to grab this rifle alot anymore. Its my 280 but with just a little more of 'everything'.....

Always loved the 7mm Rem Mag, never had any luck with the two powders the OP listed.
had better luck with IMR7828 or RL22

I have a Mark II Ruger in Stainless/ Laminate that is extremely accurate with 160 accubonds and RL23.. runs consistently right at 3000 FPS.
It's my go to open field gun. I think it might be one of the last centerfires I'll part with.

You guys are funny with your "need" and "don't need"! Lol! These are ALL wants! And if you want a 7mm Rem Mag, get one, easy as that! It's a great round, just like so many others are.

I've had a couple. Sold the last one after buying a chronograph. The numbers look good IF you can actually get the advertised speeds. I couldn't do any better with a 7 mag than I could with my 30-06. Even if you can get the advertised speeds there isn't a significant difference between 270, 280 or 30-06. I've heard others say that a 7 mag was just a heavier, longer, louder 270 that held fewer rounds. That was my observation as well.

If I needed to scratch a 7mm itch I'd buy a 7-08 or 280.

The 7mag is a great cartridge.It is certainly one of my favorites for deer.It's very flat shooting and will reach way out there with very little drop.I like the slower burnrate powders in this cartridge,but the AA4350 works really well with bullets 150gr or less.The powders in the listed in the OP will still work with heavier bullets,but tend to reach higher pressures a little quicker,that's where the slower powders do their best.My rifle did well with this load using A4350 with a 150gr Ballistic Tip.As always,work up to the loads posted.Every rifle is different,


This load was accurate,but pushing it to about max in my rifle,a little more than I'd feel comfortable with using a 160gr Accubond,


Now with Reloader 26 using a 160gr Accubond,I could go a little higher,but I called it good with this one.

Buy one!

Get you one!

I like the 7 Rem myself. Really works out to be an excellent cartridge without alot of drama.

A fella can't have enough good 7mm's.

Factory 7mm mag will get the job done. If you want the best performance it will give. You need to reload for it just like any other cartridge. Just that damned simple..mb

Well……you gave pretty good reasoning for “not” getting one! Even without your reasons, I must ask why….”WHY” would you even consider! 😂 memtb

You want one, or you wouldn’t be here talking about it.

And what does that 4 letter word, “NEED”, have to do with anything.

Good round. My built 7RM has an 8 twist Brux. But unless you want to shoot heavies, std twist works ok, even does pretty good with heavier bullets.

Get one, then you won’t have to worry about it.

DF

Get it, and scratch the itch.
I just bought a third 30/06. Not sure why I needed one….but I’m lucky to have 1st world problems.

The only real problem I can find with the 7mm Mag is that it is "boring". The 7x57 has panache, the 7mm-08 is held in reverance for youth/ladies/intelligent men, the .280 is just unique enough that even today some guys are like "what is that?", the .280 AI is cool...possibly even uber.

The 7 Mag is just kind of that girl from high school that wasn't really hot but wasn't really ugly either...probably a fun date if you took the time to get to know her. I never messed with her much. Too many buddies that already had.

After you buy the 7mm Magnum, you’ll have to get the 7mm Ultra Magnum since you have so many bullets.

Jason280 doesn't write where he hunts or the ranges that he shoots. My own reasoning for having a 7mm RM back in the '70's was that I wanted a one size fits all chambering. I couldn't afford or want a safe full of different rifles with our limited one and done 9 day deer season and I was young enough back then to think that I would some day get out west looking for an elk, mule deer or pronghorn. I spared no expense building up a 7mm RM because great factory loaded ammunition was always available and it didn't recoil as much as the .300 WM that I had borrowed from a gun guy in deer camp. The elk the 7mm RM shot down were just as dead as my buddy's got with their .300's and .338 WM's. Then one cold opening day that magnum compressed my down parka shooting a buck and my forehead stopped more recoil than my shoulder. I build up a 7mm-08 after that and that magnum has stayed nestled in the back row of the safe ever since. That RM is too much cartridge for Wisconsin deer hunting and alas, I'm too old to climb mountains out west.

Stated before.

You do not need one, but you want one. Scratch the itch and go for it.

Coming on this forum and asking to be talked out of buying a rifle??? Not going to happen.

My favorite cartridge next to the 257 weatherby and 300 weatherby.

I just built a 7PRC but the 7 RM will always have a place in my safe, easy to shoot and very effective, I like 150s out of mine, has been my go-to for 20+ years although I had others to choose from, the 7mm RM mostly got the nod.

It won't do anything more than the rifles my have now. BTDT. Spend your money on the hunts.

Yep. Did that

Get the 700 Remington, have a smith push the throat out about 80-100 thous, the mag box will handle that, you`ll get more performance with little cost, and IME, the 9.25 twist will stablize 180 Bergers. Mine does.

Pretty good explanation really. My current 7 Rem is an old buddies and danged if I don’t love to shoot it.





I’ve got my Mashburn as well..



A couple 7-08’s





A 7x57




7 WSM



280’s





As DF mentioned.. there’s always room for a good 7 Rem Mag…

op...go ahead and get the 7mmremmag. i'd get a 26in barrel though.

You need a .22rf, 30/06, and a 12 ga.
The rest are for fun. I’ve not been without a Rem 7msg since 1975. I’ve taken lots of whitetail, muleys, and antelope with the 7 mag.
I have smaller and larger calibers that would have worked just as well.
Now go buy your 7 mag.

I’m thinking about getting another L-61, probably 7mag. I load 140 ballistic tips with 64 grains of IMR 4350. That load shoots very well in all of mine.

Hanco a near max load of imr4831 works good for 139 and 140 gr bullets about 3200 fps

Mb

A 7MM Remington Magnum will always outrun a 280 apples to apples. It is a fantastic cartridge. Three targets. Almost a year apart each and a scope swap somewhere in there. No 280 will run that speed.

Great pics PF76... Can't beat the case.. No pun..

The 7mm Rem Mag has long been an EXCEPTIONAL chambering,but a Goat Fhuqk in Winchesters,Sakos,Rugers and the like. Hint.

Opt a Big Green OEM platform and you are there,with ALL mechanical dots connected by literal default(RPM/COAL/Throating). Hint.

Optics matter a "smidge" too. Hint.



.796 BC 180's are beyond "sensational". Hint................

No reason to try and talk someone out of a 7 Mag. They are a good choice for a hunting rifle. Common Ammo that you can find.

I'd be curious about his reasoning on that one, doesn't seem like the Rem Mag would be any more inherently accurate than the .280.

The only reason I am even considering the Rem Mag is I lucked it to a bunch of extra brass...I have zero interest into getting in to any new cartridges where brass is a problem. In fact, I looked pretty hard a custom 7mm STW a few months ago that was decently priced, but ultimately passed due to brass concerns.

Stick gave you damn good advice couple of posts a go don't discard it..mb

Yeah, the 700 mag action has a 3.6” box and the 7RM is a 3.4” round. Pushing the throat out enough to make the 7RM a 3.6” round helps.

Mine is set up like that. My 300 WM, also. Those were designed as 3.4” rounds, enabling them to be used in std mag actions, not requiring full mag length actions. But, if ya already got a 3.6”, use it.

Rounds can then be loaded with longer COALs. Long bullets loaded longer gives a bit more functional case capacity. Don’t have to compress as much.

DF

+1

And note that he mentioned, "RPM, COAL and Throating".

DF

Some really Nice rifles bud!!

In keeping with the analogy: IME, the 7mm RM is one of those rare girls that simply has it all. She's the girl that savvy guys made sure they didn't let walk away and have been thankful for it ever since. What more could one really want from a long range big game cartridge? Flat shooting, outstanding projectile and component selection, moderate recoil.

Having the brass is a poor reason to decide on a chambering.

Or maybe an excuse...

We shouldn't rain on a Loony parade...

Loonies need love, too....

DF

OK, I will talk you put of the 7 rem mag! When the 7 PRC has all of the mechanical advantages........why go 7 rem mag???

Probably a passing fad, like smokeless powder.

DF

Get it because you want it.

Life is short.




GR

I never saw a dimes worth of difference between the 270, 280, and the 7MM on Elk. I never used the 30 06 on Elk but would add that to the mix. The 280 was an example of one, and I only witnessed the use of 7MM mag. I always liked the "lesser" calibers due to the fact that most factory rifles have heavier barrels and weigh quite a bit more. Many years ago I decided I need "more" rifle for Elk, so I bought a Ruger 77 in .338 Win Mag. Great all around rifle I thought, but the damn thing weighed about 10 pounds with a load mag, sling, scope and mounts. The same rifle in 7MM Mag was about the same, and even as a young man those Elk mountains were steep. The first bull I shot with it required about a 5 mile track to finally find and kill. It was not a great shot, a little far back but not that bad. My old 270 couldn't have done worse, so the 338 found a new home. I always thought that the bullet was too tough and didn't expand well. Bigger is not always better. Just my 2 cents worth from an old man.

3+ years ago? Maybe. Nowadays, finding the rifle is typically easier than finding the brass...especially on the less common chamberings.

Seems the next logical step would be the 7 Wby Mag.
120's @ 3650
140's @ 3400
150's @3250
160's @ 3200
"Watt's" not to like?

Listen to what BigStick said........

IMHO, it shines best with the heavies

Loved my 7 mags but it was just a duplication of my 280AI so they found new homes. My go to load was 63.0 grains of IMR4350, 150 grain BT, 215M’s. Bugholes. All of mine were L61R’s . Might still get one sometime in the future if it has a Bofors barrel.

I like those Old Sako’s too

Seems like the hardest thing to find right now are LRM primers.

Glad I stocked up.

Lol, I'm in SW Georgia right now....how many can you spare?

You chose to get rid of the 7mm Mags and keep the AI, could have easily gone the other way. I hunt very remote and choose to have a cartridge I can hope to find almost anywhere if needed and wouldn't want an AI anything. But that's just me and this is just another example of a want. All good, but definitely a want.

I have been in a similar boat as the OP 20 years ago. Wanted a Rem 7mm MAG even though I had no need. Ended up getting one any-way. Bottom line is it was more recoil than id prefer. Suppose as a result of the high recoil & not needing anything that large I have opted to not shoot that rifle. My experience with the 7mm Mag is I did not care for it once I had it. Your milage may vary.

In the last 10 years I have not needed anything larger than a 6.5 Grendel. I only hunt whitetail & the occasional mule deer.

Along the way I talked myself into the Idea that with the all copper bullets the 7mm mag would be a better choice. Then I tried a 87 grain Absolute Hammer in a 6mm ARC last fall. 6mm ARC worked just fine on two large white tail doe with all copper Absolute Hammers.

I can confidently say if I dumped the 7mm Rem MAG I would not wish to replace it with anything remotely similar for my use. YMMV

At some point bigger becomes no longer better. 7 Rem Mag is past that point for where I hunt.. I can do just as well with a 7mm-08 or a 243 for that matter.

Bought my 1st 7mm rem mag when I was 15 in 1970 700 adl still.have it on it's second barrel with the 3rd in the wings. Jason you need to quit jacking your root and buy a 7mm mag. It seems to me at 15 I was smarter than you are now. 2 700's & a L61R.. so wtf are waiting for a message from god or spousal approval? Mb

Now you’re talking!




P

For all practical uses, it wont do anything an 06 cant do or a 300WM even better,

But who cares?

If you like the round & want it, then do it.................but don't put it into a mundane package. And you need a mag length long enough to seat bullets 160 gr & more out such that they don't take up powder space. Rule of thumb is a 160 (Nosler Partition) seated to the base of the next, minimum. Rem 700's & older Sako's fit that bill.

I've have several 7 Mags, none now..............for every day use, I've divested all belted cases except for 338 WM & bigger.

Non-belted cases do everything I need for everything less than dangerous game with a lot less muzzle blast, noise, powder consumption, & in equivalent weight rifle, recoil.

And given the right bullets in non-magnum round, killing effectiveness is more than adequate.

Best powders for the 7 mag, IME, are 7828, RL-22, 23 & 26 & lean towards bullets of 160 gr or better to make use of the cartridge's strength.

JMHO

MM

Nice rifles, dude..................the 7 mag is a rifle to die for.

MM

7mm Rem Mag is an "ego" calibers.
It is no more than a noisy .270 Win!

I can't say a whole lot, I've got a couple of "ego" cartridges myself! 🤫

I can't. You should get one you won't be sorry.

I can't either, it works

Agree that 160’s are very good, maybe optimal 7RM bullets, especially on larger critters.

It would be hard to convince my Africa hunting bud that his 7RM with 160 gr. NAB’s over RL-26 wasn’t great PG medicine. He’s got a bunch of impressive “evidence” hanging on his walls.

Results build confidence and that combo produces results.

I don’t need a 7RM for Southern WT’s and hogs. It’ll do the job, just don’t need the extra power. Pharmseller and RGRaider like the 7-08. I do too. Pharmseller got me using BG in my 7-08. It works just like he said.

Although I have a safe full of great options, I find myself picking up my 7-08 more often than not. It likes 120 NAB’s and 140 Sierra HPBT’s, both over BG, both deadly on critters, the Sierra edging the Nosler with slightly tighter groups. Both sub MOA out of a Hart barrel.

DF

Having had a 7-08, 280rem, 280ai a 7mm rem mag and a 28 nosler, I think I’d skip the 7mm mag and go straight to a 38 nosler. I currently have a 280rem a 280ai, a 7mm rem mag and the 28 nosler and there is just not enough difference between the 280’s and the 7mm, especially the 280ai but the 28 nosler is definitely a step up. If I could have just one .284 it would be the 280ai, but if I could only have one 7mm magnum it’s the 28 nosler.

The only reason I am considering the 7mm Rem Mag is because I have plenty of brass...no interest in the 28 Nosler, even more difficult to find brass (and will likely be near impossible in 5-10 yrs).

Good enough reason.

DF

I actually looked at a custom 700 in 7mm STW again today...its set up fairly well, and can be bought cheap....but STW brass is even harder to find. I *guess* you could form it from .300 Wby brass, but that's a decent amount more work.

Late to conversation but my dad got me a Browning Abolt Medallion 7mag with the Boss system, the first year they came out in the early 90's I believe. I'm 50 now and used it up until 2-3 years ago when I started using my Tikka T3 308. I used factory ammo in that Abolt for its entire lifetime. I do load for all my 308's and just recently found myself picking up items for my 7's (have 3). H-1000, 162 eld's, virgin R-P brass, now I just need some dang LRM primers. One thing that I have noticed is the 7mag isn't going anywhere.

162 eldx
WLRM
R-P brass
69 gr R26
Tikka T3 Lite stainless

I think you need to buy two, they don’t like being alone.

Here is a few 7 mags, from top, all shoot well with 140 Ballistic tip, 64 grains IMR 4350 I haven’t fired the Golden Anniversary. I think I sold rifle on bottom to someone here on the fire. Down to five I think. I may sell the golden anniversary, cannot bring myself to mount scope on it, fire it. Some serious Sako man needs it. Always wanted one, satisfied that itch, should have bought one that’s been fired.

700 Classic
700, C grade
798
Sako
Sako
Sako

IMO, you need to buy a 7MM Rem Mag. I have a few in different manufacturers and all of them shoot great and are 1" or better. The round just works on deer too.

Stick, what do you know about the new Rem 700 Alpha 1? Seems like they did alot of things right, especially the 1:8 twist for the high BC bullets. For me, hammer forging is highly desireable too. I'm looking to pickup that Alpha 1 in 7RM for northern Ontario moose out to 500 yards, and pushing 175gr Hornady ELD-X pills (.689 G1 BC) thru it. Am I undergunned?

Not sure about optics yet, but leaning toward Zeiss Conquest V6 (for the illuminated moa dot).

Well, I joined the 7mm Rem Mag club yesterday....wasn't able to get any pics today, I'll post a few tomorrow.

Have you shot it yet?