7mm
 

Looking at bringing a 7mm Rem mag into my safe. Anybody have opinions on its shootability, compared to 30.06

If I could only own one big game rifle, and I didn't handload, it would be a 7mmremmag. The 7mmremmag is extremely versatile, and is a great choice for any big game in Alberta.

I know others are going to disagree with me, but I find these calibres to be very similar. Ballistic energy and recoil is nearly identical, with the edge going to the 7mm for SD and BC for most bullets. For someone who wanted a ‘magnum’ cartridge and already had a 30-06, I think the 300wm, wby, RUM etc do more to separate themselves. Alternatively, if you wanted a smaller bore, flat shooting cartridge, .257wby, 26 Nosler, 25-06 etc all are great choices.
Of course, if you just want to buy one because you like having lots of guns... that’s a great choice too 😂. My advice is only applicable if you have the budget/space for a few rifles and want them to be for different designated purposes.

Best of luck with whatever you choose! Please update and let us know what you buy!

It is very shootable. And a fantastic cartridge.

Good all around, I've hunted with one for about 30 years. You won't be disappointed.

Good cartridge, but is it that much better than any of its stable mates?

Chronograph enough factory loadings in this cartridge and you’ll see it isn’t but a pittance ahead of boring stuff like a .270Win or a .30-06.

And that’s with 2” more barrel too.

The same people who say 80-100 FPS isn’t a game changer, trumpet this cartridge to almost religious fanaticism, where’s the logic in that?

If it fits you and feels good in your hands, get one, it’s got a good reputation, but it isn’t all that and a bag of ruffles some folks claim it is.

Having used and shot all the 7’s over the years, my choice would be a 280 Remington , but I don’t like big kickers or belted Magnums that much and I put the 7 mag is in there fir me .
Cat

I just had the stock on mine refinished.

Excellent caliber, just get a good butt pad on it cause she kicks good.

Going to sight it back in this month.... it’ll be my backup for my cow elk tag.

If you like it then buy it. Great round. Shot lots of game with them and I will likely have another next year. The recoil is a little more stout than a 30-06, but not enough to be a big deal if you are not shy. Here is the reality. They all work just fine when you put it in the right spot. They all suck when you don't. No animal has ever been able to differentiate between cartridges after its heart stopped beating. That's just the truth.

and a 284 is?

7mmRem mag
 

Is not a kicker even in a T3 .With 175gr bullets it duplicates a 30-06 with 180's.It is a killer with 130-160 gr bullets anything from antelope to moose.What's not to like?

Neat, obscure, and everything to a polygamist gun owner.

7 Rem Mag
 

The Hammer of Thor. No other cartridge can compare, in fact, it should be the only cartridge legal for Big Game Hunting in Alberta! :character0110:

Good read.

http://echolsrifles.blogspot.com/201...ngton.html?m=1

I own a few rifles and the 7mm rem mag is my go to still . Thinking of getting my winchester model 70 scoped in 308 soon but for the last 10 years the 7 has worked well for me . I only feel the recoil when target shooting multiple rounds :)

7mm Rem Mag
 

A small step up from 30-06 and 280 Rem.
A small step down from 300 Win Mag.
30 cal. bullets to .284 is negligible.
Burns more powder than 30-06 for relatively small gains.
Has "Magnum" in the name.
Whatever floats your boat.

The 30 cal bullets are outdated when it comes to modern bullets and the high ballistic coefficients that are available. the 7mm is in a sweet spot. Look at the rise of the 6.5mm. Very nice performance in standard hunting cartridges. And I think that's the key. what caliber works best in what case? Most off the shelf hunting rifles are better with the 6.5/.264 to the 284/7mm bullets. Gunwerks loved the 7mm in their long range hunting. It was these guys who played a huge part in developing the 300 PRC for Hornady. To make use of the 30 cal they had to use a pretty big case.

This. Well, I don’t just have one...but it’s definitely my new favorite

I added a 7 rm this summer. Took me exactly two boxes to start shooting sub 0.5 moa with factory ammo. And I’m a lowly bow hunter not a 5000 rounds/year expert hand loader with a designated parking spot at the range.

Regarding recoil...there was a time not so long ago I swore off anything more than a 308 based cartridge due to an unpleasant experience with a husky 30-06. Several members here convinced me that stock design was the culprit and boy they were right. My Christensen 7 is no worse than my 308 for felt recoil or muzzle blast. Granted it has a recoil pad and the 308 doesn’t, but in its final form it is just as shootable.

You are splitting hairs. I was a 30 cal guy forever but found the sweet spot in the 7mm. Mine is the 7mm Bee advertised here. I stumbled onto this rifle via 'leo" and it delivers. The rifle fits me perfectly and the kick is less in my opinion than the 06 and 300wsm and wm i have had. It shoots dimes and and is laser flat. I hit a 225lb WT at 397yds in the shoulder with the 140grTTSX and DRT with no exit and a little loss of meat in the POI shoulder. It also tangled with a couple of yotes under 200M with no pelt damage. I have a sweet 6.5 x 55 and a 243 that both shoot under .5moa, but i seem to reach for my big 7. IDK, it just tick all the boxs

All my rifle stocks Fit me perfectly, and if I had a rifle in a cartridge like 7 mag I would have to load it down to shoot it comfortably because of long term nerve damage in my shoulder and neck , that is why I would not buy anything like that unless it happened to be in a rifle I liked.
I shoot low recoiling cartridges these days.
Cat

My go to 7mm since 1990, has been the 7mmstw, a step up from the 7mmwby, ballistically. but a bit more recoil, and a bit shorter barrel life. It has worked well for me, but for the average hunter, that doesn't reload, it's hard to beat the 7mmremmag.

I’m going to be that guy and say why not a short mag...?

Haha a 7mm rem mag is a great cartridge and lots of game have dropped because of it. I say go for it, ammo is everywhere and its shooter friendly.

Blesphamy
 

That title is reserved for the 358 Norma:argue2:

Actually, I have never cared for the 7 rem mag, but quite enjoy the 7mm mauser. That would be my choice of the .284 clan.

Truthfully, I really like the 7 Rem Mag. I carried one as my primary hunting rifle from the mid 70s to about 2000. Being left handed the first nice rifles to come out in LH were Remington's in 1974. The LH Remington BDL came in 270, 06 or 7 Mag. Never liked to 06, I found the 7 Rem kicked less than the 06s I had tried. Also, this particular 7 Rem Mag was tremendously accurate and finding any gun that would shoot well under an inch back in the early 70s was very rare. I killed a pile of game over the years with that gun and still shoot something every year or two with it just for sentimental reasons.

When you say shootability, I think of recoil, getting brass/bullets, what distance/energy it can sustain, etc... and compare that to a 30-06 ....

I'd say, as other have mentioned, it's quite comparable. A little bit better in some areas, and kicks a bit more (with equal weight bullets) ..... but you can keep climbing the steps up to a 300 win mag, then up to 338, then into 375 and so on and so on ....

Overall it will do whatever a North American Hunter needs it to well. Pick the rifle, and the fit and comfort first, cartridge second in my opinion.

Mixed feelings on the 7RM, had a a few. Went to two guns after that, a 7-08 and a 338WM. Then I saw a gun I wanted, it happened to be a 7RM, said, ok, I can live with that. Always liked the 7RM with a 160 Partition, it will do what needs doing. But for me it is a hunting gun, not a bench gun, rather have the 7-08 for year round plinking, easier on the pocketbook and the constitution overall. And over the years, it's done everything I ever did with the 7RM.

Pretty much exactly my experience. My first rifle purchase in the late 1970's once I had a real job was a Lefty Rem 700 in 7 mag. At that time the 284 bullets had the best BC's of anything available and are still excellent. Shot literally tons of game with it. I found 30-06 too boring, 270 bullets a bit light. Recoil is hard to differentiate from either of the other two. A carefully handloaded 7 Rem really shines compared to factory fodder and can push very nicely shaped bullets fast- my particular rifle could drive 160 gr pills well over 3100 fps with no pressure signs using 7828. The RL line can also supply good velocities. Sadly, mine got rebarreled into a 7 STW which only yielded 100-150 fps with a lot more powder burned than the 7 Rem. For reasons I can't understand fully the 7 RM has been losing popularity...maybe due to anemic factory loads.
One bonus is that with a Rem 700 or Win 70 action you gets loads of magazine space to seat high BC bullets long- unlike STW or Ultramag.

This is a good overview.

Own a 7RM, my preference is the '06 directly to the 300 WM, who's kidding who, the 300 gets the first nod most days.

I like 7mm but in the 280, 7x64, 7mm mauser varieties. I dont shoot anything that says magnum anymore.
Brad