7mm rem mag or 7wsm, which one to go with?

kel226

kel226

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A rifle that I'm thinking to buy is made available both in 7 Rem Mag and 7WSM. Which would be the caliber to go with and what are the great differences for your decision. Support for this would relate to areas of availability, cost, reloading tendencies and performance( recoil and reach). Oh ya, plan to hunt moose and elk. Thanks for your experience and insight, Happy new year!!:D
 
Well if your concerns are recoil, weight and accuracy... there is no contest... 7mmWSM hands down.
There is just as much factory ammo available on the shelf for both calibers here and brass, dies and bullets are commonplace as well.
Both rifles shoot very similarly ballistically speaking.
 
bisonhd said:
7mm rem mag is a well established popular cartridge. The short mag, is neat but it's future is a gamble.
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Very good point.

I think the 270WSM's future is very good, just because Red say's so. If I had to pick the first to become obsolete, it would be the 7mmWSM. It doesn't seem to be as popular.
 
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kel226 said:
A rifle that I'm thinking to buy is made available both in 7 Rem Mag and 7WSM. Which would be the caliber to go with and what are the great differences for your decision. Support for this would relate to areas of availability, cost, reloading tendencies and performance( recoil and reach). Oh ya, plan to hunt moose and elk. Thanks for your experience and insight, Happy new year!!:D
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Availability- There is 7mmWSM ammo that will do anything that you need to do, but you are not goignto find it everywhere. Still, most places have started to stock the WSM ammo.

Cost- Facotry ammo will probably be more than 7RM, reloaded ammo about hte same.

Reloading- Not too much difference. No belt on the WSM, athough that isn't really a big deal.

Performance- abou thte same.:)

Cool factor- 7WSM;)

Although I wouldn't be surprised if you can pick up a used 7RM at a great price these days, from people that are trading in for the WSM's:D
 
six of one, half dozen of the other

I think I'd go 7mmWSM, although Ive shot over 20 head of game with the 7mm Rem Mag myself.

In the end the bullets will be going the same speed, and kill the same.
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I'll take the 7mm RM. Hey wait... I have two!

I posted in a different thread about a month ago regarding how underloaded the 7mm RM is. If you reload, and have the experience/patience/brains, then the RM has, on paper, much better performance. This is where I disagree with TB (even though I respect the amount of testing he has done). Will this make a difference on game? I honestly can't say, but it is comforting on tough game like Elk.

Like I quoted before: Jack O'Connor (testing the 7mm RM in a model 700 Remington) in "The Rifle Book" - " When I chronographed a factory model 700 rifle, I found the velocity to be just about what the factory claimed: the 150gr bullet at 3260 at the muzzle and the 175 gr at 3020". Compare that to todays factory 7mm RM loads.

Also look at an old reloading manual and compare those loads to a new reloading manual; the 7mm RM loads have steadily been reduced. I think it is not a coincidence that the factory 7mm RM loads are the same or slightly weaker than the WSM loads. It is marketing. If anyone on the Island wants to do a comparison, then pm me and we can go to the range and see what happens.
 
I have a 7mm wsm in a Model 70 Featherweight LH. I bought it for the rifle and for my preference for 7mm. I would have preferred a 280 Rem but the FW Lefty was only available in wsm.
I have come to really like the short 7. I load it down to about 3000 fps with a 140 gr bullet for deer and find the recoil to be quite manageable-quite a sharp crack and jump as compared to a 7RM. The rifle only holds 3 in the mag and the feeding is fine but not a slick as a standard cal and is a little noisy because of the mag spring pressure on the top round in the m70.
There was some concern about the short neck on the 7wsm for reloading. They shortened it to prevent loading on a 270wsm. I have not noticed any problems but I am not as anal about velocity and accuracy as some shooters.
Accuracy has been great.
If you are after a light, handy rifle in a caliber that will handle elk and moose with a good 160 gr bullet, the 7wsm is a viable option. If you handload, there is not too much to worry about as far as availability of ammo goes and
if they stop producing rifles in this caliber, you have an instant collectable.
Good luck on your choice
 
it is true most 7mm loads are on the mild side

for example, a handload I used in two rifles

154 gr. Hornady Interbond, 65.0 grs. H4831sc

this is 4 grains over the Hornady Max, yet it only yields 2841 fps & 2891 fps in 2 different rifles (24" & 26" tubes), with no high pressure signs.

A 24" 7mm Rem mag should be able to propel a 154 gr. bullet @ 3100-3200 fps, at max pressures. I think a powder charge of 69-70 grains would be needed to do this. The max in the Hornady manual is 61.0 grs. :rolleyes: Might as well own a 7-08
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7RM data is underloaded becase for some reaosn, in some rifles, they get weird pressure spikes. Or so I've read...:)

I load my 7RM quite a bit over the max listed, using a chrono, and measuring case head expansion. Which is not perfect, but it does the trick in this case.
 
I have neither... but I have a 7x57mm and four 7mm-08's :eek: ... To me it's simple... if you want a short action rifle get the 7mm WSM, if you want a long action rifle get the 7mm Rem Magnum. ;)

That all said, I've been thinking on a 7mm WSM myself for some time...:D
 
ditto on the underloaded 7mm Rem Mag info. The loads in current manuals are 280 loads IMHO. I loaded my 7mm Rem Mag from a late sixties Hornady manual that showed 3400 with a 139 bullet. My rifle did it, but it was a bit warm, I back it off a grain and 3350 was obtained from a 24" tube.....67 grs of IMR4350 did the number. The 7mm Rem Mag has more powder capacity than the 7mm Wtby mag, but the latter has the freebore, but it doens't make THAT much difference. I had a 22" 7mm SUAM that would do 3000 with a 140gr. Now, the 7mmWSM in a 24" tube may better that by a bit....but not enough to make a difference in the field. Get the 7mm Rem Mag.
 
Rembo said:
I loaded my 7mm Rem Mag from a late sixties Hornady manual that showed 3400 with a 139 bullet. My rifle did it, but it was a bit warm, I back it off a grain and 3350 was obtained from a 24" tube.....67 grs of IMR4350 did the number.
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The 1991 Hornady manual lists only 63.9gr as a maximum. This is the stuff I, and others, are talking about.
 
I own two 7RM's for BR and hunting. Love them. For my perfect hunting rifle, probably the 7WSM due to smaller overall size of rifle. Actually, it would be a 7 or 6.5 WSSM in one of those teeny actions with a Det mag w/o that silly hinged floor plate.

7RM will exceed WSM performance if the proper powders are used. Try Re25 and 154 and 162gr bullets. It will put a smile on your face.

Jerry
 
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