7mm rem mag enough gun?

[7mmboy]

hey, am in process of first long range shooter, i hunt deer and am dubious about weather or not the 7mm rem mag has enough out there for elk sized game to 1000 yds,...with practice. just dont want to find out i should have gone bigger shortly down the road.
cheers.

 

[Grumulkin]

As long as you can hit your elk in the eye, it should do just fine.

 

[J E Custom]

hey, am in process of first long range shooter, i hunt deer and am dubious about weather or not the 7mm rem mag has enough out there for elk sized game to 1000 yds,...with practice. just dont want to find out i should have gone bigger shortly down the road.
cheers.

Will it ? Probably.

But I would not recomend it for hunting at 1000+yards. At 1000 yard Targets, it will do fine.

Look at the energy tables for 1000 yards and they will get you in the right caliber for Elk.

I use 1000 ft/lbs for deer and 1500 ft/lbs for elk. You can do it with less but I like to error
on the conservative side and use these energy values as the minimum.(A case where more is
better as long as you don't give up accuracy).

J E CUSTOM

 

[MHO]

I agree. Just make sure your @ 1500 at a 1,000 yards for elk.

 

[WyoElk2Hunt]

If you like 7mm and want more, might think about 7mm Dakota, 7mm STW or 7 RUM and you would have plenty of gun.

 

[4bycamper]

You might want to check out the Anyone own a 7mm 300 Win Mag? thread.
There is a wealth of information in those 20 something pages. At least I was so impressed, I might need to build one!

 

[Long Time Long Ranger]

The 7mm rem mag is not a long range elk rifle. You can kill elk long range with the 7mm rem mag, 308, 30-06, 243 and about anything else with the right bullet and the perfect shot. The perfect shot doesn't happen very often from what I have seen in 40 years of hunting. What I have seen is a lot of wounded lost game from people thinking they can make the perfect shot all the time. If you are going to hunt elk long range gt a large caliber rifle 338 or larger with a big 30 as minimum. You will not lose as much game and have much better success on your hunt.

 

[Tikkamike]

The 7mm rem mag is not a long range elk rifle. You can kill elk long range with the 7mm rem mag, 308, 30-06, 243 and about anything else with the right bullet and the perfect shot. The perfect shot doesn't happen very often from what I have seen in 40 years of hunting. What I have seen is a lot of wounded lost game from people thinking they can make the perfect shot all the time. If you are going to hunt elk long range gt a large caliber rifle 338 or larger with a big 30 as minimum. You will not lose as much game and have much better success on your hunt.

I agree, I have killed elk out to 550 with my 7mm using 160 partitions with no problems but long range elk is the reason I built a 338 Lapua. you wont regret going bigger but you may regret going too small. elk are TOUGH plain and simple seems like they can run faster on 3 legs than they can 2. This last season I shot a cow elk straight on in the chest at about 200 yards with my 25-06 and again behind the shoulder when she spun around to leave tons of blood but the trail dried up and i found her across the canyon walking down the ridge. long story shot i put a lot of well placed holes in her and her will to live superseded science. I dont thing you would regret a 338 rum or the likes, possibly a 300 wby and up. just keep in mind you want the horse power to crush bones not just punch through ribs

 

[J E Custom]

The 7mm rem mag is not a long range elk rifle. You can kill elk long range with the 7mm rem mag, 308, 30-06, 243 and about anything else with the right bullet and the perfect shot. The perfect shot doesn't happen very often from what I have seen in 40 years of hunting. What I have seen is a lot of wounded lost game from people thinking they can make the perfect shot all the time. If you are going to hunt elk long range gt a large caliber rifle 338 or larger with a big 30 as minimum. You will not lose as much game and have much better success on your hunt.

Very good advice !!!

The 7mms run out of the 1500 ft/lbs range @600 to 700yards normally and the 1000 ft/lbs
neighborhood around 800 yards. the big 30s gain a little more with 800 yards for elk and 1100
yards for deer.

The 338s will average around 1100 yards for 1500 ft/lbs and 1400 yards for 1000 ft/lbs.

You can see why the 338s are so popular with this crowd.

So as long as the hunter is realistic and shoots his rifle within It's capabilities it is very possible
take Elk with almost any caliber.

J E CUSTOM

 

[7mmboy]

thanks for the advice, i will settle on one of the 338's, am leaning towards a 338RUM or edge, anyone have any experience with these two as they are very similar cartridges?

cheers

 

[Pdvdh]

Use the Search feature and you'll find more than you can read in a week's time on the 338 RUM and 338 Edge on this Forum. They're both very popular and in common use by many Forum members for LRH.

 

[WildRose]

hey, am in process of first long range shooter, i hunt deer and am dubious about weather or not the 7mm rem mag has enough out there for elk sized game to 1000 yds,...with practice. just dont want to find out i should have gone bigger shortly down the road.
cheers.

For Elk sized game at that range I'd say move up to the .300 Rum or the .338's.

Out to 800, it'll do in the hands of a precision shooter, but one shot kills are going to be unbelievably difficult for 99% of shooters beyond that range.

You just can't put enough energy on to the target with the 7 Mag at that range.

If 7mm is where you want to stay, then you need to go up at least to the 7mmSTW or 7mm RUM.

 

[angus-5024]

if your going with a .338, i would simply decide what weight of rifle and length of barrel you plan on shooting and how much your willing to pay for reloading components.
If you want a short 24" barrel the .338 NORMA or SIN is gonna be the way to go pushing a 300SMK or Berger around 2700-2750 fps.
the .338 Lapua, RUM and edge are between 2750-2850 but a 26" tube is really the bottom end of barrel length. The .338 RUM or edge have cheap brass but doesnt last like Lapua brass. The RUM and edge can be built on a rem 700 while the Lapua needs a beefier action.
Then you step into the larger Lapua improved and .338-.378 class and then you need to step into a longer barreled heavier class of rilfe. The .338-.378 can push the 300 grain bullets to 3200Fps i think.
Then there's the .338-.408 (or Allen mag) and they are total customs. they will push the 300 grianers to 3500fps+. pricey but you get the cream of the crop.
Check other .338 threads and you'll find a bunch more info. I use a .338 RUM by the way and love it. I would consider going to the NORMA though for the reduced barrel length.

 

[Long Time Long Ranger]

Do you have a donor action, starting from scratch or looking at a new rifle. Also how much you looking to spend to achieve what level of accuracy and weight. Then somebody on here can zero you in. Bottom line if elk are in the cards then get an elk rifle. They kill deer real good. Remember what I always say. You can always kill deer with an elk rifle, but never go elk hunting with a deer rifle. You can kill an elk with a 243 but I am telling you how to be the most succesful with the shots you will see on an average real world elk hunt.