My 7mag has put elk to the dirt with single shots many times. They couldn't tell the difference and the one I shot this year was at 520 yards but I'm sure a 200 fps gain would have made a big difference lol. The biggest factor to killing an animal is shot placement. Now granted I would not use a 22lr on an elk but for hunting I would not put all my money into getting more velocity. The 7mag will kill anything an stw even though it has a 2 to 300 fps gain.
new to the 7mm stw
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MudRunner2005
Well-Known Member
Yes it will...But that extra velocity means added ability at longer distances.
As a huge 7mmRM fan, and having shot the 2 calibers side-by-side for over 12 years...I'm telling you there IS a difference.
I have no dought that the added velocity helps. It seems like to many people put to much thought into more speed instead of focusing on shot placement and accuracy. Now if u are a skilled shooter than yes it will give u an edge but it's not everything.
MudRunner2005
Well-Known Member
I don't get paid money to shoot, so I'm not a professional, but I definitely wouldn't consider myself a novice by any means...
So IMO, the velocity helps. But you are right, it's not everything. Shot placement is way more important. However, without that added 200+ fps velocity, at longer ranges it will affect your windage more, therefore making it slightly harder for precision shot placement estimates.
This is why the 6.5mm calibers are dominating the competition world, where the .308 Win used to... The 6.5's are more slippery (higher BC's for the bullet's weight class) and are faster, therefore they buck the wind better, making guessing your wind corrections easier, by needing less adjustment.
Having shot both I have to agree with muddy, the stw has it hands down over the 7 rem mag on every aspect except Comercial loads and brass availability, and with nosler stepping in even that benefit is not as great as would seem. If you're willing to pony up the money you can have an amazing source of factory loads and good brass to boot. The reduced flight time, reduced drop and reduced wind deflection of the stw add up in a hurry, you still need to do your part but every little bit counts. I've only shot the stw at paper as of yet, so I can't say it's better on game, but numbers don't lie and one rounds numbers are substantially higher than the others. No disrespect to the rem mag, but comparisons to the stw are a lot like comparing the 280 to the rem mag, there is a difference and I guess you have to ask is it worth it.
