7mm Remington Mag OR 7mm LRM?

[MudRunner2005]

No argument here about the 300s. I'm just stating facts to dispute the claim that 180s don't work well in the 7 RM. I have found that the 180 hybrid is to the 7 RM what the 215 is to the 300 WM. They work extremely well.

I have a dog in every one of these races, so I'm not necessarily a 7 RM guy. I have a lot of favorites, but right now the way my 7 RM is performing, it would be hard to overlook it when I open my safe to pick a hunting rifle.

I have a horse in almost every race, as well... But I still have my favorites. Most of which are 7mm calibers. But as I have quite a few .30 calibers as well, I do have respect for them, I just prefer the 7mm's.

 

[bigngreen]

The 7 Rem mag and the 7 LRM are the same beast, no advantage to either as far as velocity goes. Having built both I personally prefer the 7 LRM, better design, better neck length and no belt but you won't see an advantage on game. I've done several 7mm-300's and even with my dislike for belted brass it's a better performance level specially once we start seeing the 195's.

 

[fmajor]

Performance obviously goes to the 7mmLRM - there's no replacement for displacement.

If 7mm performance is your primary criteria, the decision is already made the 7mm LRH is the obvious winner in this.

If off-the-shelf ammo in case of some epic fail, then 7mm RM is the "safer" avenue. Even 7mm RM brass is usually more readily available if reloading. I also struggle with this as I plan a re-build - 7mm RM or 7mm/300Win.

With the 7mmRM, you can buy ammo nearly anywhere. In the 7mm LRH, though there are notable performance improvements, ammo is obtainable in reload form only (and likely harder to source brass).

Another completely different element/tangent to consider is how large a bullet (and to what performance level/lethality) do you really want to use in a 7mm caliber vs what you can easily get from your 300 (not sure which 300 you have...).

As an aside, a big 7mm can do a lot, but a big 300 does all of it and more. A big 338 out-classes both at the longer end of the range (in terms of lethality).... I am a huge "big 7mm" fan - there is only so much .284 can do!!!

 

[MudRunner2005]

Performance obviously goes to the 7mmLRM - there's no replacement for displacement.

If 7mm performance is your primary criteria, the decision is already made the 7mm LRH is the obvious winner in this.

If off-the-shelf ammo in case of some epic fail, then 7mm RM is the "safer" avenue. Even 7mm RM brass is usually more readily available if reloading. I also struggle with this as I plan a re-build - 7mm RM or 7mm/300Win.

With the 7mmRM, you can buy ammo nearly anywhere. In the 7mm LRH, though there are notable performance improvements, ammo is obtainable in reload form only (and likely harder to source brass).

Another completely different element/tangent to consider is how large a bullet (and to what performance level/lethality) do you really want to use in a 7mm caliber vs what you can easily get from your 300 (not sure which 300 you have...).

As an aside, a big 7mm can do a lot, but a big 300 does all of it and more. A big 338 out-classes both at the longer end of the range (in terms of lethality).... I am a huge "big 7mm" fan - there is only so much .284 can do!!!

With bullets like Bergers...Look at the BC's... A 7mm can do everything a .30 cal can do. The BC's are so close for the 7mm 180 Hybrid and .30 215 Hybrid, that it's not even funny. It almost comes down to preference.

We don't always agree, but I trust Rhian's experience, and if he says the 7mm RM and 7mm LRM are ballistically identical, I'd take his word for it.

 

[fmajor]

With bullets like Bergers...Look at the BC's... A 7mm can do everything a .30 cal can do. The BC's are so close for the 7mm 180 Hybrid and .30 215 Hybrid, that it's not even funny. It almost comes down to preference.

Ha Ha - yeah, it's amazing what these new projectiles can do. I still believe the big 300's (with their newer, higher BC projectiles) arrive at distance with a bit more energy payload, but that's a debate that rages on and on and on and....

We don't always agree, but I trust Rhian's experience, and if he says the 7mm RM and 7mm LRM are ballistically identical, I'd take his word for it.

I've never personally analyzed the 7mm LRH so my response is anecdotal, but with only ~5gr's more H2O capacity in the 7mm LRH they've gotta be doggone close.

 

[NoTasker]

My other .30 I mentioned is a Nobler M48 Custom in .300 Win Mag. I have been using 180g Accubonds, but recently was trying the 190g Berger VLD but for some reason I couldn't get them to group as well as the Accubonds. With the comments above I will now have to try some of the hybrids mentioned above and see what I can do.

Regarding the 7RM or 7LRM I appreciate the info everyone has given. I'm now leaning toward the 7RM due to the availability. You have also helped me decide to get back into reloading (that will cost me... ). I just need to find time to play with loads in the 7mm as well as the .300WM.

The wealth of knowledge here is impressive.

 

[c_bass16]

Well, I suppose I'll resurrect this dinosaur.
I'm about half way through my 2nd barrel on my 7mm Rem Mag and I'm considering a switch to the 7LRM for the 3rd barrel.
HOWEVER, it's very hard to justify, considering what both of these barrels have been able to produce.

I've been running HBN Coated 180 Hybrids at 3105 on both barrels. Both 24" with RL33. Stupid accuracy...and lately ive tested 190 Atips at about 3045. A full grain spread testing pressure yielded right at .5 MOA so as soon as weather turns...I want to fine tune a load and send them out to 2400yds to confirm data for a buddy at Hornady.

THAT SAID, even 4gr more capacity and a better case design has me wondering if I should switch to the LRM when accuracy takes a dump.

Thoughts? With modern powders like RL33 since this post was started...many things have changed, including the popularity of the LRM (has gone down in my opinion) Where does one go to for LRM brass these days? I've had remarkable success with Nosler brass in my rifle, and even in todays market, it's relatively easy to find and not overly expensive.

 

[Justice1327]

I'm in the process of ordering a custom rifle and the question of 7mm RM versus 7mm LRM came up. I already have a smaller caliber and also a .30 caliber rifle. I've decided I like the ballistics of the 7mm cartridge. This will be used for both target shooting (steel) as well as hunting (deer, elk). Is there any difference that would sway me one way or the other? Is there much difference in the recoil? What am I missing?

For the 7mm Remington Mag he was my thinking:

Ammo is plentiful and easy to find
168gr seems to be the largest (with the best ballistics)


For the 7mm LRM:

Ammo would need to be handloaded and/or ordered via a custom shop
A bit more powder capacity
More downrange velocity due to powder.

I'd love to hear feedback and thoughts from the members about which way they would go with this dilemma.

I have had both. I had one of the first seven alarms to be built and I was lucky to have successfully won it in an auction. I shot it for years. It is superior in all aspects to the Remington magnum 7 mm. However if you don't handload then the nod goes to the 7 mm Rem Mag

The answer to your question lies with YOUR priorities. The 7 LRM is a better LR round period. If you are going to do any amount of serious shooting, you are going to need to reload for a number of reasons.

You also mentioned you have a 30 cal but are going with the 7mm for better ballisitics. You are mis-informed on that. The 30 cal has bullets with better BC's than than the 7mm's. The 300 Dakota (which is about the same capacity as the 7 LRM) will out perform the 7 LRM and have better barrel life.

If you want to shoot a 7mm because it's a 7mm that's fine. But it does not have better ballisitics than a .30

I started with 7 mags and migrated to larger .30's The 300 WSM and 300 RUM.

Dont discard SD: sectional density in those 'ballistics' SD has a role in terminal ballistics that often gets overlooked .

 

[BrienM]

I have a 7rem mag build planned for this summer. My intent is to shoot 184berger hyb for fun and 160/175 sierra game king for deer..

 

[David Emerson]

The remington is good but the practical is the best. Peterson 300 win mag brass. The LRM is a joke.

 

[ann brezinski]

what twist are you people using in your 7 mm lrm rifles and the 7 mm remington rifles.saw a u tube on twist and arron davedson stated they were using 8.5 or 9 in there barrels for long range shooting

 

[ann brezinski]

what twist barrels are you using on your 7mm magnum and 7mm lrm rifles.

 

[BrienM]

Mine is 8.5" twist.

 

[Slick8]

I'm running an 8.5 in my saum with 180 hybrids at 2800 which is giving me .5 at 600.

Funny this thread popped up, I'm wanting to build a light weight 24 inch 7 mag. I really want to build a 7LRM as it's a better design but brass and dies scare me, hornady only.

Having said that, you can make brass from 300 PRC brass and if using Lapua or ADG you could likely get a lifetime of shooting from 100 pieces.