What caliber 7mm Rem Mag or 300 Win Mag

[theicon2u]

I what been looking at buying another rifle for shooting LR 1200 yards for deer. Im looking at Tikka T3 and a Savage 116 FHSS. Or any other suggestions. I have it narrowed to 7MM mag or 300 Win Mag or even 300 WSM. What do you guys think.

[kiwi3006]

I have a 7mm mag and really like it, but then I don't have any ambition to use it at 1200 yds on deer, my limit is about 800 yds.
The 7mm has some great BC bullets, 168 & 180 berger, 162 a-max.
To get a similar BC bullet in .30 cal you will need to go to the 208 a-max or 210 berger. Work out how far you can spit these out and then do the maths.

If you are set on 1200 yds though get a 338 edge or lapua or similar. The ballsitics of the 300 sierra are pretty amazing.

Unless you are planning on doing work on the Tikka or Savage I doubt they are capable of 1200 yds shooting, by that I mean consistently hitting a deer sized target.

My 2 cents,

Stu.

[liltank]

Well I have to disagree with Kiwi on the Savage rifle. The new Savage's are very capable of taking game to distances of 1200yrds. I don't know that much about Tikka's so, my hat will always go toward Savage. I own two of them and they have been real shooters. I wouldn't suggest the 116 because of barrel contour and length. I will suggest the New LRH Model 111 with the 26" barrel and muzzle break. They offer it in 7mm Rem Mag, 300 WM, and 338 WM. It sports a Chromoly barrel, Accu-Stock (proving to be a rock solid system), Accu-trigger, adjustable cheek rest, and the break can be turned off for field usage as not to worry about substantial hearing damage that you would get from leaving the break open.

Unless you reload, you are going to be hard pressed to find decent ammunition to shoot from the 7mm Rem Mag for shooting game to 1200yrds. It can be done, but the usage of 168 Bergers, 162 Hornady A-max and the 180 Berger (JLK, and Wildcat bullets in same weight and design also conducive but special order) provide the ballistics necessary. HSM ammunition uses the 168 in their loadings, but it may not work in your rifle to provide the accuracy necessary for long range hunting. If you are going to be hand loading, then the 7mm Rem Mag with any of the above bullets pushing velocities of 2950fps and above will accomplish your goal.

With all that said, there is ample factory ammo out there for the 300WM and 338WM that would get you to the 1200 mark with little effort (**practice at these distances being key and a must for accurate shots**). Federal, Black Hills ammunition offer excellent starting points for your endeavor. Again if you are hand loading, then it only gets better from there. The use of the 210 Berger, JLK, Sierra Match King, and the Hornady 208 A-max will provide the ballistics necessary to reach your query. The 338WM also has excellent bullets to get you there with Nosler Accubond 225grn, Hornady 225 SST and 250 BTHP match bullet.

I hope this helps. You want to have a long barrel (26"plus in the chosen calibers) for maximum efficiency of powder burn and maximum velocity for that caliber. Let me clarify that you need to have an accurate load, so sometimes max velocity is not the desired range, but for taking game at long range, you need to have the right combination of bullet weight, and velocity, plus accuracy to achieve your goal.

Happy Shooting,
Tank

[ovastafford]

I think black hills offers 162 amax for the 7mm also. Good Luck

[theicon2u]

I will be reloading my ammo. Savage LRH Model 111 looks good. I was just hoping to get something light enough to pack in the mountains. How is the muzzle brake on the savage can it be replaced with a better one or a thread guard so I wouldnt have to use one if i desired? As far as the Tikka I have one in 270 WSM and it shoots sub MOA out to 650 yards.

[royinidaho]

Go with the 300 Win Mag.

Why?

Bigger cartridge
Bigger bullets
Longer range

Bigger is always better, especially when bigger is 300 Win.

Some day you may wish to stake 'bigger' game.

It all adds up.

Plus, it is as inherently accurate as the others listed.

[angus-5024]

for 1200 yards the 300WSM wins hands down. I personally would rather have a 7mm Rem. simply because I like any 7mm. The bigger the better in LRH as long as recoil is managable. If you have some $$ the big .338's are king and really preform at that distance. but of the calibers mentioned I would go with the 300WSM in the savage. the .270 is too close to the 7mm to justify the need, unless that tickles your fancy. get the one you want.