Hand Skills
Well-Known Member
I once owned a 7mm RM, and killed a fair amount of large big game ( elk/moose) with it using 160 and 175 Nosler Partitions. I later switched to 300 WM using 180 and 200 gr. Partitions. Comparable bullets and velocity, but more frontal area and weight proved to me that the big 30's are more lethal. That said, I do hunt with a lovely semi-custom Ruger Mk 2 in 284 Win. that I just love for deer hunting. While either caliber will do the job, I lean towards the big 30's for large big game.
I felt the same way for many years. On elk and moose, the .30cals just seemed to do more damage. For myself and many others the 180grain Nosler Partition has been the benchmark for terminal performance.
When it comes to long range, however, there aren't too many folks shooting Nosler partitions.
Im not an expert, but around here it seems to me the benchmark projectile for long range in 30cal is the Berger 215gr hybrid.
At 600yd, I would rather be shooting one of those in a. 308win, than a 180gr partition out of a 300 win mag.
7mm vs .30? Good question!
With old fashion bullets, the .30 was the historic favorite. But, times change and technology improves. With modern bullets that hold together well, the 7mm is the clear winner. The 7mm will easily take anything in North America, and grain for grain, the 7mm has a better BC than the .30 cal.
I agree - technology has improved. If applied appropriately, real gains can be leveraged. Unfortunately, that can take some trial and error - take the (7mm) 160gr Accubond, for instance. I have had markedly poor performance when engaging deer at moderate velocity. They just poke a hole. The target is too soft, and the bullet is too hard. Compared to a 140gr Absolute Hammer at high speed, the results couldn't be more different.
I've gotta say, for me, projectile choice is more important than caliber (or even cartridge for that matter).
I haven voted yet. Kind of sad to see 30cal falling behind, but I agree with @Ben Keller - recoil is a consideration.
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