7mm vs 30-06

I would boil it down to barrel length and what sort of shots you intend to take.
If you go with a barrel much less than 26",you compromise the 7 Mag.It needs a long runway.The '06 or a .280 will be right with it.I had a 23 in Husky 7 mag.It didn't make much sense.

If you do not plan to shoot at ranges longer than 300 yds,the magnum is unnecessary.
IMO.for many situations,the 22" 30-06 is the more practical choice,But,
If you are playing with over 350 yd shots and carrying a 26 " barrel,the 7mag has a payoff.Is that going to be what you do?
To disagree with an earlier statement,I think the 30-06 is NOT overbore.In a bolt gun,with common powders,100% loading density is practical and safe.The 30-06 is a sweet spot in bore/case ratio.The 7 mag is moderately overbore,the majority of loads not exceeding 80% loading density.
I will concede in loads meant for gas guns,using quicker powders,the '06 may not have full loading density.(80% with 4895)

Unless you are pretty technical in handloading,the '06 will get more loads per case,and will use less powder,your barrel will last longer,premium bullets are less necessary,its not as loud,it will metal foul less,and the rifle holds one more.Usualy, a 7 mag comes with a #4 barrel,and a 30-06 a #3. Lighter.
 
Well it goes like this:

Anything 30.06 can do, 7mm Rem. Mag. can do better, and anything 7mm Rem. Mag. can do, 300 Win. Mag. can do better.
 
HiBC, if I didn't say "slightly" overbore, I should have. What's been discovered with the advent of the .308 is that those case dimensions are more efficient in terms of velocity vs. powder weight. From the standpoint of percentage velocity and percentage powder weights, the .308 is somewhat of a standard. The '06 would be slightly overbore, and the .300 WinMag and up are definitely overbore. As a generality, this leads into the needs regarding barrel lengths for best performance.

Bambi usually doesn't care. :D

Firepower!, it seems to me that "better" depends on the opinions of the person. If, as example, I can reliably get a one-shot kill out around 400 or more yards--and I have--with my '06, isn't the lesser recoil better than if I had done the same with a .300 WinMag? A flatter trajectory is not necessarily the sole criterion of "better". :)
 
Beyond 400 yrs it's much more the shooter than the rifle. The late, great Marine sniper Carlos Hatchcock had a verified kill at 1200 yards with... - you guesed it, a 30.06. You'll alway find someone at hunting camp with an '06, alway find a variety of ammunition to fit the occasion. It definitely has the most flexibility in reloading options. From 55gr sabot to 220gr round nose.
 
I have a 308, 30-06, and 7mm mag. My 308 is in a BAR, 30-06 is in a Sako, and the 7mm mag is a Ruger mk 2. I love all three. They each have their own characteristics, good and bad. I enjoy shooting my 06 due to the fact that it has a wood stock. My ruger has a synthetic stock and whips my tail when I shoot it. I don't shoot my 308 as much due to the fact I loan it to my best friend to hunt with.
At first, I tried to loan the 7mm mag to my friend. He gave it back. Said it hurt too much when he shot it!!
If I did it all over again i would not have gotten the synthetic stock on the Ruger. But that is just me.
 
This is one of those comparisons that in the end is mostly a matter of preference. Either choice will do about the same job, as long as the shooter takes the time to learn the trajectory, capabilities, and limitations of the cartridge and load chosen.

I use a 7mm Rem Mag. I don't care much about bullet choices, because I already know what I'm going to use. I load 145 grain bullets, either Speer Grand Slams or Speer SPBT's, and use them for anything from coues deer and antelope to elk and buffalo. They do a great job on any of them, and some other critters as well.

The right bullet in a 30-06 will do just as well; you just have to know your rifle and cartridge, and what it's capabilities and limitations are..

Daryl
 
I bought a 7mm Rem Mag second hand in an old 700 Classic years ago and fell in love with it. It was my rifle of choice because I liked it and it was unbelievable accurate. Hey, I liked it and nothing I shot at walked away. That is all I needed or cared about. Two years ago, The throat was gone, no longer fun to clean so I put a Rock Creek 26" barrel, with all the custom accuracy receiver tricks and chambered it 7mm STW. I hand load and really don't care much what it cost me so forget about bucks to shoot it. Yes there are accurate cals out there, but I wanted another 7mm and not an ultra. I guess simply put is the STW is a 7mm Rem Mag on steroids. My smith's quote. anyway, it is the most accurate rifle currently in my crib. Recoil...I shoot a .300 Ultra Mag and don't flinch. Never been a factor for me. I know it is there and live with it. My opinion is buy what you want and be happy with it. Do I need this blaster to shoot Texas white tail. No, but it is so accurate I could care less. I built it and am gonna kill something with it pure and simple. Quoted several time "overkill"? Dead is dead. Honestly, when I started all this gun stuff many years ago, everyone had a 30-06 and I kinda wanted to be different. My choice. The only 30-06 in my crib is a Garand which I dearly love, but everything else is different. I might try let folks know the advantages or disadvantages of different cals, but the choice is theirs and that is OK by me. I don't get into arguments much on personal choices. As stated, flip a coin and go for it. You won't go wrong with either in my opinion.
Rant over.
Ken:D
 
The 7MM Rem Mag is one of the best all around cartridges. I have had a couple over the years but didn't keep them for one reason or the other. But, I think I will put one together to hunt with next year. I have decided to fall in love with the .284 160 grain bullets, for the moment anyway.:)
 
Why not go for the best of both worlds? .280 Remington. In fact, the .280 Ackley Improved is supposed to be very close to the 7mm Rem Mag's ballistics but with the long case life of the '06 case, longer barrel life, less powder and less recoil. If I could find/afford one of those Nosler Custom Rifles in .280 AI I'd take that in a heartbeat.

.280 Rem/.280 AI aside, I would go for the .30-06. It is the smart choice all-around.

But like the man said earlier in this thread: If you want more recoil, more weight to carry in the field, a longer barrel to hang up on brush, shorter case life, shorter barrel life, more muzzle blast and flash for slightly better ballistics that probably don't make any practical difference for hunting North America then the 7mm Rem Mag could just be the gun for you!
 
You can push a 160 grain Nosler Partition 3100 FPS form a 7 Rem Mag with a 24 inch barrel. You can push a .308 165 grain Nosler Partition 3000 FPS from a 24 inch barrel in a 30/06. At least using manual data which usually comes up short on my chronograph. But, anyway that would give you 17.7 inches drop at 400 yards as opposed to 20 .2 for the 30/06 with a corresponding difference in energy of 1931 to 1677 foot pounds. If you don't want a 26 inch barrel, saw the sucker off.
 
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