What gun would you use with 7mm rem mag

I couldn't care less if it was a magnum, I just wanted good variety and was recommended it by a few people as well as some very professional hunters *EDIT* And now half this thread :) . Thats why I was asking what reasons people might have for me to not get it. As for power being a crutch for accuracy, although this is my first hunting rifle I am a very good shot out to 600 yards (thats our range) so that isn't a problem for me! And Id probably get a buttplate on what ever one I decided to go with to reduce recoil.

I actually have not looked at any ballistics tables, I dont think I put as much stock in them as other people.
 
I LOVE the 7mm rem mag and have had three rifles chambered in this caliber.

I have had a browing A - bolt with Boss
A browning A-bolt without the Boss
And now a thompson center venture.

All but one ( 7mm-08) of the big game animals I have shot have been taken with the 7mm Mag. A few of my shots have not been the ideal vital area shot...but very few made it more then 50 meters frow where the bullet struck them.

Two years ago I drove a barns 150 grain tsx through a black bear skull. And this year I entered the right shoulder of my doe and exited the oposite shoulder. Again with the Barnes..I shot up a lot of the meat on that doe...but had no trouble tracking it :)
 
I LOVE the 7mm rem mag and have had three rifles chambered in this caliber.

I have had a browing A - bolt with Boss
A browning A-bolt without the Boss
And now a thompson center venture.

All but one ( 7mm-08) of the big game animals I have shot have been taken with the 7mm Mag. A few of my shots have not been the ideal vital area shot...but very few made it more then 50 meters frow where the bullet struck them.

Two years ago I drove a barns 150 grain tsx through a black bear skull. And this year I entered the right shoulder of my doe and exited the oposite shoulder. Again with the Barnes..I shot up a lot of the meat on that doe...but had no trouble tracking it :)

haha I'm new to this but it sounds like you might want to hit the range :p Im gonna google it, but for the sake of communication what is "with boss"
 
If I shot a rifle in a magnum cartridge, I would go with the 7mmRM.

I can't bring myself to buy one though because I can't find an honest need for one in the area I am in. If I lived in western Canada where shots are typically longer, it would probably be my go to cartridge.

Also OP, one thing to think about. You can be a great shooter on the range. A bench in a great platform to shoot from. But shooting snap shots off hand while your heart is beating like a ############, your adrenaline is kicking in and you're starting to shake is a lot more common than people like to admit. Especially people on internet forums, where everyone's an "expert".

In short, hunting shots, in my experience are rarely turn out even close to being like it is "on the range".

If I were in your shoes I would look into what Winchester is offering and probably go with one of them. Just my personal taste. You'd be best off to go to a gun store, handle as many of the different rifles as possible on your short list and pick the one that fits you the best.

:cheers:
 
Okay, I'll be the bad guy and at least throw out a couple of things to watch out for with the 7mm mag. Hopefully no major arguments occur...

You'll need to reload to get good performance out of the 7 mag last time I checked. Even then, lots of guys 7 mag handloads don't have much at all over a handloaded .270 win. My .270 does an honest 3000 fps with 150's; less than you can get with the 7 mag, but pretty much on par with what lots of guys are actually getting. The "little" .270 is cheaper to shoot and has less recoil, and with the same weight bullets, a better BC. Still, if you reload 162's (or heavier) like you are serious about it, you can step ahead of a .270 for sure.

The other thing that always kept me from getting into the 7 mag was I've personally heard more horror stories of wounded game, and personally know more experienced hunters who swore off the 7 mag (after being fans) than any other cartridge around. I'm thinking their experiences were likely some combination of unrealistic expectations in terms of bullet drop (thinking the 7 mag was some kind of laser), or using bullets that were not tough enough for that surprise shot at 50 yards, but for whatever reason, the 7 mag just seems to leave an unusual number of hunters saying "never again".

I have to agee on that one. Too many folks get into the velocity hype that they get bad results when placing shots on game with the wrong load/bullet combo. I have no problem with the 7mm mag., but I'm careful to taylor the load to the critters intended.

My first one was a Ruger 77 and my second one was a Sako & both shot great with the loads I worked up for them.

From a reloading vs performance view though, I can get better accuracy & game getting results using the 7-08 and 7x57 within my set parameters.:)
 
I think I have narrowed my options to a sako A7 or a tikka T3, now the hard part is finding one for sale.. in either gun lol
 
I think I have narrowed my options to a sako A7 or a tikka T3, now the hard part is finding one for sale.. in either gun lol

And now is a good time to shop for one, just keep a sharp look out and one will turn up.
If you find one soon you will have lots of time to become familiar with it before hunting season.
 
I have owned a number of 7mm Rem Mags over the years, all Remington 700's.

I shot a fair bit of game with them, and never had to chase any more than about 40 yards after the shot.
That being said, I always reloaded for them, and a 160 Partition at near 3100 fps is pretty effective.

Moose, Elk, Black Bear, Muleys, Whitetails, Goats, they all died quickly when shot with the big "7"

As a side point, I shot one of my 7 mags in 1000 yard competition "hunter" class for 5 consecutive years
This was a bone stock 700 "Classic", and I was in the top 3 on 3 of those 5 years, taking the trophy twice.

So, no flies on that 7mm Mag....just be sure to choose sturdy bullets and practice with it until you get very comfortable.

It is all you probably need in this country. [LOL, who cares about needs??]

Regards, Dave
 
I have a plain Jane Remington 700 ADL (no longer made) chambered in 7 Rem Mag. It wears a Leupold VX 3 2.5-8 X variable scope. It is very accurate with anything I choose to handload, often delivering sub MOA groups off the bench. As a previous poster mentioned, if you do your job, there isn't much on this continent that can't be hunted with Remington's Big Seven.
 
haha I'm new to this but it sounds like you might want to hit the range :p Im gonna google it, but for the sake of communication what is "with boss"
BOSS =Browning's Ballistic Optimizing Shooting System

It is an adjustable ballistic muzzle extension that harmonizes the barrel vibrations for better accuracy. I am Not sure how effective it is on all rifles. .but that particular rifle was extremely accurate..but I did not like the look or the extra length of the boss system..

I am at the range a fair bit ..but no matter how well I shoot at the range I seem to suffer greatly from buck fever. .and Doe , duck and Bear fever as well.

But any excuse to get more range time is worthwhile. :)
 
I have hunted and harvested many animals with many different 7mms, mostly magnums in one form or another and there is nothing wrong with it as an all around hunting caliber. The recoil issue is more a product of poor stock design than actual recoil in the 7 Mag, as it is in the same recoil family as the 30-06, 280 Rem, 35 Whelen etc. My personal preference is a 300 mag but that's just me, with GOOD bullets the 7 is a perfect do-all cartridge. A little light for big bears in my opinion, and not legal for bison in the Yukon, but pretty good for all else. It is very hard to beat as a beginning cartridge for hunting, assuming you are of normal stature and strength. Forget anyone who complains about recoil in a 7 mag it just ain't so, even a 300 mag is easily manageable once you have some experience and the 375 H&H is a pussycat once you've shot it a few times and realize it really doesn't hurt, it just rolls you around a little. The 300 RUM with 200 gn bullets in a light rifle hurts and is more unpleasant to shoot than my .470 NE double. As far as the big 7 not being a better cartridge than the 270 Win I only have one word for that........HOGWASH, there isn't anything a 270 does that a 7 mag doesn't do better, period !!!! It shoots faster, flatter with heavier bullets with higher BCs and has greater energy on target than any 270 load and the recoil is not significantly different.
As far as which rifle to buy my first 2 choices would be the 700 Rem and the Win mod 70, I have found the Rems to be extremely accurate right out of the box, the mod 70s not so much. I do not own nor would I recommend a Savage, but if you could find an older Sako in the L61R to the A V series, that would be my second choice after the Rem.
 
After walking around SHOT Show the other day and playing with a ton of rifles, I'd have to say that in that under $1000 class that the Winchester Model 70 impressed me the most. I've never owned a post 64 Winchester in my life but I think I will be adding one to the stable shortly. I'd say that your choice of a 7RM is a good one for an all-round rifle.
 
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