Elkoholic307
Banned
This myth will just not go away! How many times do we need to bust it?
Buy a 7mm, you won't regret it... and don't be afraid of the word, 'magnum' in the name.
Best all around gun
- Thread starter Hawkes11
- Start date
Buy a 7mm, you won't regret it... and don't be afraid of the word, 'magnum' in the name.
Ok,my bad, ethics have no business in hunting. Get a 30 06 or other similar and practice practice practice.
Old Hunter
Banned
Muzz
New Member
Being new to this site I don't want to pi$$ anyone off but why go with the 7mm when you can get a 280 to do the same thing with less powder and less recoil? Ill shoot my 280 against anything out there. Whats the point of a magnum? Shoot what you shoot well and put the bullet were its supposed to go. Lights out.
Bitterroot Bulls
Veteran member
A 30-06 shooting the 180 Sierra Gameking hits the target at 200 yards at the same impact velocity as the 300 WM does at 350 yards with the same bullet. Although the ranges are different, the performance and meat damage will be the same.
I have personally witness very high impact velocities with low amounts of meat damage. Barnes bullets are particularly good for avoiding excessive damage to the meat with high velocity impacts, due to the bullet's construction.
Bitterroot Bulls
Veteran member
The 280 is a fine cartridge, but of course does NOT do the "same thing" as the 7 RM. It fires the same bullets slower, and so the 7 RM has more range. As mentioned before, it is also not a heavy recoiling round, despite the "magnum" moniker.
Muzz
New Member
my 280 shoots 140 grain nosler accubonds at 3100FPS. there isn't a 7 mag at the range that shoots faster then that. Three guys have sold there 7's and went to the 280 and they love them. Not trashing the 7 mag but I just don't see the point. I have owned two of them and didn't mind them but just wasn't a need for all the extra powder.
Elkoholic307
Banned
I'm working up a load for my 7 Mag right now and am shooting 180 Bergers over 3000 fps. Haven't reached max yet and will likely end up around 3050 fps with the big 180s. With that bc at that speed, there isn't much that can touch it.
Wow, were getting into picking some mighty small nits here. You could argue that any of about 30 different calibers in any good quality rifle that fits would fit the bill. Most of this is just personal opinion anyway. I sort of like the .375h&h or .338 win for up here.
Musket Man
Veteran member
Isnt the .280 a necked down 30-06? I always thought the .280 was pretty comparable to the .270, just a slightly bigger bullet? I really like the .270 WSM and if I didnt have my trusty .270 Win and I were looking for a new gun I would seriously consider it. I think meat damage has alot more to do with shot placement then the caliber. Any caliber will do alot of damage if it hits in the wrong place. Not that many of these places wont pile an animal up dead in their tracks with 1 shot but there will be alot more damage then a double lung shot.
Bitterroot Bulls
Veteran member
I have loaded the 7 RM to 3360 with the 140 AB, and that is within the book charges.
My current 160 AB load is around 3000, and 3100 is easy to do with several powders.
There is no getting around physics. More powder, same bullet, more speed. There are diminishing returns for sure, but the fact remains.
chasingAZelk
New Member
My recommendation is a 270 or a 7mm. Both are very good rifles and both have great knock down power IMO. In all honesty you just need to go to a gun store and get your hands on a gun. You want to know the weight and feel of the rifle.....
They'll get over 3100 pushing 160gr ABs...and you actually have room to seat w/o compressing.
ThreeTikkas
Member
- Mar 24, 2012
- 141
- 0
You just defined my dream rifle. I'm currently working with a gunsmith specking out my everything rig. One very nice,very accurate rifle for deer,elk,and moose. I wrote a little piece to submit to a small hunting publication a while back. Never sent it in. The gist of it was this. I never thought about the 7 RM as anything but annoying. I was sick of hearing about it. I use to think it's velocities were lame for a magnum. Especially with the 175/180gr pills. No match for the big .30s. Forget about it when the big 338s were the topic of the day. Then I took one in on trade. Worked with it out of spite mostly. figured I'd bury the thing once and for all. Laugh at it a bit. Then trade it off for something else. My dream rifle is the 7 RM. My 338 T3 named Clubber was a bone crusher. Can't take anything away from it as a pure killing machine. Old Cruncher,my 300 Ultra carried the mail. Hitting harder at 400 yards than a lot of conventional rounds at 100. But, the 7 Remmy is a joy to shoot. I like to work from prone when practical. Not a problem with even an 8# T3. Great velocity with the deer size bullets. The big 180s are nothing shy of ballistic marvels. The Berger you mentioned comes to mind when discussing long range bullets. 60 to 65 grains of powder isn't a lot. I load 180 grain 30/06 bullets over 60gr of RL22 . The 7 Rem Mag isn't a powder incinerator like my 300 Ultra. The 180gr elk loads I carried in it were 89 gr! Not maximum at that. Now we're burning some coal. Efficient,pleasant,great selection of bullets,and available where ammo is sold. If factory fodder is the order of the day. Maybe as popular as the old ought 6 I love so much. Again,there is no cartridge that's perfect for every critter at every range. They are all a compromise on either end of the spectrum. My little mountain weight 243 is pure whitetail poison. I'd feel a lot better with old Clubber the 338 in hand if I lived in AK. What's in between these two? Lots! That's the beauty of having all these rounds at our beck and call. I've spent nearly 40 years playing with all these different offerings. Had a blast doing it too.
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xtreme
Very Active Member
I have posted many times about my go to round. The 168 Berger going 3067fps from my Browning A-bolt. The same round works best on coyotes too. The 22-250 is not as good but is maybe safer and quieter in the country side. My best gun to carry is the 243wssm with 55gr going 4060fps, down side is the report, its loud. The Z5 maybe the reason I like shooting it best. The 7mm has a VX-7 which is really good but not as easy to get along with as the Z5.
Instead of which gun, maybe the scope plays as much or more a part in what works in the field. The Nikon on my 22-250 is not as much to my liking. I have never owned a 270, probably never will, not anything against the 270. I just don't have the need for it. Its too close to the 7rm which has an advantage due to the amazing ammo available. Anyway if you make a choice of any of the rounds listed in this post, it will be fine. I am looking at that 280, sounds good so far.
Instead of which gun, maybe the scope plays as much or more a part in what works in the field. The Nikon on my 22-250 is not as much to my liking. I have never owned a 270, probably never will, not anything against the 270. I just don't have the need for it. Its too close to the 7rm which has an advantage due to the amazing ammo available. Anyway if you make a choice of any of the rounds listed in this post, it will be fine. I am looking at that 280, sounds good so far.
I see this has run its course, but I will throw out my simple opinions as a person with "one" hunting rifle and I use nothing but box loads.
I use a REM 300 WM with a synthetic stock. I don't have a brake or any add ons. I run a VX-II 40MM instead of a 50MM just because I thought the size and the weight would be better for me. I have recently set this up with the Barnes solid copper 165Gr and I will likely never use anything else. I agree with Bitteroot about the bullet fragmentation causing the most damage.
My family is simple like me, and we all primarily have a single gun for everything. We shoot deer with my 300WM and my mom has shot a number of elk with a .243. My niece shoots a .270. My brother shoots a 30-06. I think the only decision left for you is to pick your "most likely" shot opportunities. The .270 is quicker to swing in the brush and will still reach out there quite a ways. The magnum barrels on the (likely) heavier guns kinda suck to swing around in the brush, but they are obviously better to reach out there 400 to 700 yards. I agree that it is a guessing game why one shot tears up and animal and the next one doesn't, which means that is something I don't worry about. Get the package that allows you to make the best shots, and you will be doing your best to avoid torn up animals. My 300 with barnes coppers does a hell of lot less damage than my brothers 06 using the hornady superformance SST.
I use a REM 300 WM with a synthetic stock. I don't have a brake or any add ons. I run a VX-II 40MM instead of a 50MM just because I thought the size and the weight would be better for me. I have recently set this up with the Barnes solid copper 165Gr and I will likely never use anything else. I agree with Bitteroot about the bullet fragmentation causing the most damage.
My family is simple like me, and we all primarily have a single gun for everything. We shoot deer with my 300WM and my mom has shot a number of elk with a .243. My niece shoots a .270. My brother shoots a 30-06. I think the only decision left for you is to pick your "most likely" shot opportunities. The .270 is quicker to swing in the brush and will still reach out there quite a ways. The magnum barrels on the (likely) heavier guns kinda suck to swing around in the brush, but they are obviously better to reach out there 400 to 700 yards. I agree that it is a guessing game why one shot tears up and animal and the next one doesn't, which means that is something I don't worry about. Get the package that allows you to make the best shots, and you will be doing your best to avoid torn up animals. My 300 with barnes coppers does a hell of lot less damage than my brothers 06 using the hornady superformance SST.
Alabama
Veteran member
A daisy custom air rifle. 17 pumps of the stock. A bb in back of a pellet. 462 fps. Loaded for Bear, Rhino, Elephant, etc.
shootbrownelk
Veteran member
Pop a cap in a standard Rem.280 in an A.I. chamber and you fireform it instantly. No need to reform.