For 600 yard shooting and under, the 7mm AM is alot of rifle. If you want one just to have one, it certainly will work fine. Making a 600 yard shot with this chambering in a quality rifle is hardly a challange, even with conventional bullets. Still, its extremely fast for conventional bullets. You are looking at 3450 fps with 160 gr class bullets in 26" barrel lengths. I generally load down a bit to 3375 just to give the bullets a bit of a break and you still have around 100 fps over what the 7mm RUM will get in the same barrel length with comparible case life.
That said, the 7mm AM is what it is, the top of the pile in the 7mm family of chamberings. As such, it has its querks that need to be delt with. Extreme performance always comes at a cost, barrel life is the main one. Not a huge deal to a big big game hunter but its a consideration that has to be mentioned. Not noticably harder on barrels then a 7mm RUM class round but a bit.
It also really should be used with slow ball powders which raises some other issues, have to stay on top of carbon fouling. Also have to realize that environmental conditions changes will have slightly more effect on trajectory then the smaller chamberings. Especially with the ultra heavy custom bullets.
The longer the bullets baring surface, the larger the capacity and the faster the twist, the more effect temp changes will have on velocity, no matter what powders you use. Just a fact of life. Is this enough to cause problems, generally not if your aware of it and prepare for it.
Its bonuses, flat out shear horsepower and ballistic performance. When the 200 gr ULD RBBTs come back on line, there is really nothing that will run with it, especially in a +28" barrel. Really the only thing that will are the big 408 CT based 338 magnums and thats it.
Recoil is very managable, with a quality muzzle brake, its really nonexistant to be honest, even in a relatively lightweight rifle. Its also accurate, very accurate which has been proven and reported on by MANY dozens of times here on LRH.
On game performance is also extremely good. Far more then most would ever expect from any 7mm magnum chambered rifle. In fact, from the game I have taken with the 7mm AM which is now several dozen big game animals, its terminal performance seems to be right there with the largest 30 cal magnums.
At 600 yards and under, bullet selection needs to be considered critical, especially if the game will be larger in size. I was able to put my 7mm AM to a real test this last fall on a moose hunt. In my old lightweight 7mm AM which is in severe need of a new barrel, I am using the 160 gr Accubond loaded right at 3380 fps out of a 26" barrel. This is because the wear on the barrel prevents me from shooting the 200 gr ULD RBBTs, just to hard on the jackets and they come apart.
I was concerned with bullet performance on moose size game but figured that if the shot was over 300 yards I should not have a problem as I would avoid any large support bones.
Well, it did not turn out that way, the young but large bull I harvested was only 150 yards away when I shot him the first time. He was running broadside to me and the first shot broke his onside shoulder. He ran another 50 yards or so and my second shot landed a bit higher and the bull fell. He then got up again and a final shot at the shoulder/neck junction put him down for the count.
When we skinned the bull, the first two bullets were found just under the offside hide. Which impressed me to be honest at that launch speed and on that size of an animal(1000 lb). The third shot exited through the front of the shoulders.
The first bullet retained 101 grains of weight and the second 115 grains.
Though they did the job on the moose, I personally feel that for game larger then 500 lbs, its still best to step up to a larger caliber bullet simply to move and damage a larger amount of vital tissue during penetration. For game the size of elk or larger, especially at ranges out past 800 yards, I certainly recommend a larger diameter bullet just for those occasions when things do not go just as we have planned.....
That said, you are not planning on shooting past 600 yards. Is a 7mm AM needed? NEEDED? No, its not, certainly not. But it also will not hinder you either if you know the issues it has and prepare for them, just like any other chambering.
Its abit spendier to load for then a factory chambering mainly because of brass cost which you can purchase preformed brass from me for a fireforming fee but it eliminates any need to fireform brass.
Most would be suprised that I talk far more customers out of my wildcat chamberings they rifles I actually make in them. In fact, I would say I talk 3-4 out of them for every one I acutally build and ship to customers. Why, well, once I find out what they will be doing with the rifle, I usually determine that they really do not need the hyper performance of a chambering like my wildcats. In such case, we talk things over and come up with a more conventional chambering that will cover their needs perfectly and go that route. Now, if you just want a 7mm AM, no problem there, it will serve you well.
As far as the 300 Win Mag goes, what can I say about the old Win Mag. Its not sexy anymore but it works and works great. Reliable, easy to load for, list of usible componants that is so long its hard to believe. Not much more needs to be said about it.
