Whats wrong with the good ole 7mm?

[4xforfun]

The only problem I've ever seen with the 7 mag is that most most of the older guns do not have a fast enough twist to shoot the heavyweight high BC VLD bullets. They do great with up to 160 grain bullets but won't stablize the heavier ones.

I gotta disagre somewhat with this statement....I have my dads old 7mm as my lightweight "bush/walking" gun....It is the original bbl/action with a different stock. The gun dates back to the early 60's...one of the first out. Dad just had to have it!!! I broke the factory stock in 1980...replaced it with another factory 700 ADL stock....it shoots the 168/180 JLKs wounderfull. My brothers 7mm, as a factory gun before he rebarrelled it in the 80's also shot the 160 nostler partition and I think he also shot a 175 Sierra...gun shot very well. Now, my brothers tube is long gone, but mine is still factory. I should test to see what the twist actually is....all I know is it is OLD and still shoots GREAT....especialy the 180's. I even shot it off of the bipod in the factory class in 1000 br in Pella Ia. a couple years ago...bad day...but still....14" five shot in comp with a light weight, rickidy old factory 7 mag isn't laughable. It has shot much better...I carry those targets in my wallet!!!.......JUST KIDDING!!!

For you Remmingtonfiles out there...just what is the twist of my old 7mm? I can have the serial # in a jiff.

 

[rscott5028]

Every cartridge has its pro's and con's. The 7mm RM is a great all around hunting cartridge for big game.

Nonetheless, there are plenty of other 7mm's that offer one or more of the following: more velocity, better brass, non-belted, short action, easier to load, less recoil, sex appeal, etc...

Unfortunately, you can't have it all in any one cartridge. So, we often speak of balance. But, that's entirely subjective.

I love my 7mm RM. But, I've been thinking of building another 7mm. The next one will likely be 284 Win or 284 Shehane as more of a target rifle.

In addition to improved jackets, bullets, and twists, new powders have also opened some doors for experimentation.

-- richard

 

[roninflag]

no lapua brass. other wise GREAT.

 

[rscott5028]

no lapua brass. other wise GREAT.

I agree. But, Norma's not bad. ...belted nonetheless

 

[4xforfun]

I just can't get over all of the whinin over the damm belt. Forget the belt, people...for the purpose of accuracy reloading, it doesn't exist. Headspace off of the sholder with a minimum bump and enjoy it!! If I had to pick the pros and cons of the 7mm, the belt would be twelvteenth on the list of cons. Same token... it wouldn't make my list at all on the pro side.

I agree on one thing...no Lapua brass.....Gotta love Lapua brass!!!

 

[theflyonthewall]

Great discussion!

I'm a bit partial since I just bought a 7 RM. So far I love it. Of course I'm building a list of things to buy for it, but could easily live with it as is, if that's the only choice I had.

One thing that surprised me was the lack of "brutal recoil" that I'd always heard about. Mine is just a factory Weatherby Vanguard with the (JUNK) plastic stock, so it's not heavy. Oh well, I guess some are just more recoil sensitive than others.

And believe it or not, that was the one thing that held me back from the 7 RM for so many years----tales of hard recoil. Hell.....I should have bought one a looooong time ago. I love it.

 

[Buano]

A 7 MM Rem mag was my first big game rifle. I still have it. In preparation for my last elk hunt I pulled several rifles from the safe to practice with. I ended up using my old 7 mag because it shot better than any of the others. It's a good round.

Now, I don't use it any more for eastern deer hunting since it does more damage than necessary at the ranges I hunt. I've gone to a 25-06 that has almost identical speed & drop as my 7 mag with much less destroyed meat.

If I were to buy my first 7 MM now it would likely be a WSM, as that cartridge has the same ballistics as the 7 MM Rem mag in a short action with no belt.

 

[sportmuaythai]

Forget the belt, people. Headspace off of the sholder with a minimum bump and enjoy it!!
I agree on one thing...no Lapua brass.....Gotta love Lapua brass!!!

270 win was my first love. It still is. Heck, I killed a big maned lion and a grizzly in Yukon that won my guide the silver buckle with the 270. However, 7mm Rem mag is a better cartridge. If you hunt old style of stalking close, and stalk closer yet until you can shoot with 4x scope, then the 7mm Rem mag would be great. But if you're gonna shoot long range, I assume (I'm not an LR hunter yet) that you'll need to practice much more. That's when you may need better brass. When I was actively hunting, 1 1/2" group at 100 yards was entirely adequate. I only need to shoot 2-3 groups to check that I was good to go. May be some ground hog varminting with lesser caliber to tune up, as needed BTW I think that 7mm Rem mag with 162 A Max should be good to 1,000 yards. But as many have said above, other 7mm cartridge such as wsm, , 7mm SAUM and Ultra Mag may have be easier to reload with better brass. I've never had problem head spacing the 7mm Rem mag by slightly bumping the shoulder. With my shooting, I only reload 2-3 times before I discard the brass. I don't practice that much with <350 yards hunting.

 

[FAL Shot]

Since I already own a 7x57 rifle, the 7mm Rem Mag will be the Mag I buy if I ever buy one.....because I get free brass. I also have stock of bullets for the 7x57 which can be used in 7mm Rem Mag.

Unlike the 7x57, where you almost never find brass because that is a reloader's dream owned by guys who know what they are doing, the 7mm Rem Mag is owned by some guys who buy ammo, blow it off at the range, and leave their brass.

If you choose a .308 Win, .30-06, 7mm Rem Mag, 7.62x39, .223 Rem, .270 Win or .22-250 Rem, then if you live around here you will be picking up lots of brass.

I picked up some 7mm Rem the other day, along with even more .308 Win, and before that 150 .223 Rem brass. I have picked up well over 1000 .223 Rem this past summer, freshly fired. My brother-in-law will never lack for .22-250 or .30-06 brass as well. I probably have 5000 .223 Rem brass, more than I can ever shoot.....but it trades when cleaned and resized.

10% of shoters own 90% of the rifles. The newer cartridges are mainly to keep new product in production at factories. A lot of the new cartridges will flop in the marketplace. 7mm-08 is here to stay, as it duplicates the 7x57 ballistics.

Standard cartridges work better at standard distances, as premium bullets are not necessary. I'll only step up to a Mag if I need extra range. Ballistic reticles and laser rangefinders have largely reduced the need for a flat shooting magnum. In 7mm Rem Mag, the longer and heavier action helps reduce recoil. You need a long barrel anyway for full speed capability, so the new short action mags aren't as useful as they are advertised to be.

Many experienced shooters I meet have quit reading about the latest and greatest new cartridges and rifles the gun mags keep pushing. Optics and rangefinders are areas where real gains have been made lately. The newer 7mm-08 is ALMOST as good as the old 7x57 that was invented in the late 19th century.

 

[Nimrod]

Nothing I hope, I just traded for a M70 in 7MM magnum.

Bob