7mm rem mag. should I?

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upstate81

New member
So I have been searching for what feels like forever for a Remington 700 bdl mossy oak bottomland rifle. They had 22 inch barrels 24 in magnums and all had iron sights. Had my heart set on one in short action as a hunter/range toy. My plan was to not scope this rifle as i have NO centerfire rifles with iron sights. Well just my luck one popped up but in 7mag. Bummer. Never owned a magnum and never planned to frankly. No use in ny im confident at 400 with my 3006 on deer. An iron sighted 7mm mag seems like a huge waste to me so I considered scoping and trying it out as a longer range gun. What would you do? should I continue my search or scoop up this opportunity? They only made these guns from 92 to 94 not many come up for sale ever. However its not truly what i wanted the rifle for.
I know i could have a gun dipped and all that but after buying a used 700 that probably wont have irons, having it dipped im into a gun more than i can get one of these for as is. That is if i can find another. :rolleyes:Im thinking pass...then again might regret it.
 

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W/o optics, there's not a lot of advantages for a 7mag. 30/06 will do everything the 7mag will do within open sight ranges.
I shot a 7mm RM for years as my primary rifle until the recoil began to hurt my shoulder. Deer, coyotes, 400 yards in the wind no problem. Shooting something that hurts becomes a problem. I seldom shoot anything that doesn't have optics anymore-age will do that to a guy.
 
I guess its just an obsession with this rifle. If long action id really want a 270. Maybe in the future ill find a 243 or 7mm08. I want a centerfire with irons for fun i guess but 7mag is far from a range toy i suppose.
 
The only real benefit of the 7 mag comes in after 700 yards. You might gain some group size but with open sights I doubt you'll notice. I bought a 7mm mag after running into a wall at 800-850 yards with my -06, but again that isn't in your description.

I agree with those above.
 
I had a 7 mm mag given to me. I shot it three times. Then gave it back to the original owner. ( cousin).
I had a model 70 308. A 110 in 270.
That was recoil that made my decision.
I'm a small guy about 160 at that time.
It would be no fun at the range...
 
The 7mm Mag isn't really much of a "mag". The recoil, energy, and effective range aren't much different than a 30-06. If you shot them both, I doubt you could tell the difference. The 7mm mag shoots flatter at longer ranges. The 06 has heavier bullet weights available which is better for short range hunting.

I had both and sold the 30-06 as I didn't need two guns that basically did the same thing.

I assume you mean 7mm Remington Magnum and not the 7mm Winchester Short Magnum.
 
Compared to 30-06 recoil is virtually identical. The 30-06 will shoot the same bullet weights to the same speeds. In the same weights the 7mm bullets are very slightly more aerodynamic and will offer very slight advantages over 400 yards. 30-06

You get a longer barreled, heavier gun with more expensive ammo that does very little else.
 
Thats essentially what i thought guys thanks for all the help. I bought a 700 bdl dm in 270 winchester today, nice wood. Cant wait to get my hands on it
 
My dad used to use a rem 700 7mm mag and he made some incredible shots with it.

He shot an Egyptian goose in the neck flying at 200 yards. I foolishly offered to get it in the croc infested water if he hit it.

I thought that 7mag kicked more than my 06 but it could have been his right hand stock vs. my Weatherby lefty.
 
Upstate,

Look at other rifle designs. The old 700's lack features that make a hunting rifle better.

The 700 lacks. 1. bolt handle that does not fall off. 2. Control round feed so your rifle does not jam. 3. A safety that controls the firing pin making it safer to load/unload.


Remingtonbolt.jpg
 
I have many others but really do prefer remington. This isnt a new gun and is pre freedom group. With trigger safely adjusted and barrel floated they shoot great. Funny ive heard of the brazed bolt handles coming apart but i have never seen it happen. Has never happened to anyone i know. Wyosmith posted in another thread on savage vs tikka. He explained a bolt issue he is seeing with tikka rifles and tikka wont even offer any customer support AT ALL for this issue. So im thinking all brands have issues. The bdl has a hinged floor plate so unloading is not a problem. Controlled round feed? No need whitetail deer dont usually bite to hard. :D
 
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