With what should I replace 7mm Rem Mag ?

Status
Not open for further replies.
N

NorCal Hal

New member
I have a Weatherby Mark lV Ultralight composite stock and S.S. fluted barrel with muzzle brake in 7mm Remington Mag that I'd like to get rid of. It has been sent back to Weatherby twice who fittled and Far-ed with it and improved its performance marginally but my Winchester Model 70 30-06 will CONSISTENTLY outshoot it every day of the week under the EXACT same conditions.

There is so little difference in ballistics between the 30-06 and 7mm R.M. that I'd like to get a rifle that will handle Moose and Elk out to 400+ yards which is beyond the maximum range I can confidently shoot the 7mm and -06.

On a recent Mule deer hunt in Montana the outfitter told me he has seen more game wounded and lost by 7mm's than all other calibers combined. I have also heard that the 7mm Rem Mag is not a very accurate caliber - which my Weatherby seems to confirm.

I have had friends with 300 Win Mags that flinch and jerk so much due to the rifles back end punishment they gave up on the rifles. I could put a muzzle brake on a 300 R.M. but would like other ideas.

What about the 300 RUM with brake? The same MT outfitter praised the
338 which the only thing I know about is that my B.C. Canada guide about took off my head & hearing when he fired his from a few feet behind me on a recent Moose hunt. (He thought my double lung shot with the Weatherby using 160 grain Federal Premium / Nosler partioned hadn't done the job as the Moose kept on walking and didn't flinch or make a sound when hit.)

Thanks
 
Hmmm I really like the .300 win mag and the .338. Both are hard hitting and will shoot out to 400+ with easy. The .338 is expensive cartrige here in Aus but its worth it when your only shooting it a couple of times a season. Alot of my mates say that the .300win mag will chew through the barrels but i don't think its true at all.

Good luck mate.

MK
 
The 300wm is a good cartridge. BUT, the 7Rem Mag is not an inaccurate cartridge by anymeans. I have a Rem. Sendero in 7rm that is just plain awesome. Recoil is not much more than my 308 tactical rem 700. Accurate as I can ask for. 3/4" 5 shot groups at 200yds( my zero distance). I'd shoot moose and elk at 400 anyday with either the 7rm or 30-06.
 
Why replace it at all? Sell it and save your money for ammo and range time.

I hate to say it but I think your guide was an idiot! The 7mm RM can be a highly accurate rifle, and more game is lost to the 7mm RM than any other only because the idiot pulling the trigger isn't doing his/her job. Then to have him dote upon a .300 RUM is almost ludicrous. I’m not fond of the 7mm RM but it does have a well earned reputation as a big game killer.

The main reason your .30-06 is better is because you probably shoot it better. You have probably spent more time behind the trigger of your .30-06 than you have with your 7mm. That brake doesn't help things either at times; I found I developed a flinch faster sometimes with a braked rifle vs. a non-braked. The noise from one can about be enough at times to make anyone flinch.

Face it you might have a lemon of a rifle there, but other than Weatherby has anyone else checked it out? I’d just focus on the rifle you shoot well and don’t worry about shooting 400+ yards. If you practice your .30-06 can give you all the confidence you will need to get to 400 yards and beyond but really hunting is more fun when you can get close up to them. IMO the .30-06 has what it takes to routinely anchor game at ranges beyond what the majority of hunters should shoot.

If you want another rifle buy one but don’t expect any kind of miracle trajectory or ability to kill game out of it.
 
I also would suggest the .338 Win Mag. It's just a super caliber for North American game. One of my favorite calibers.
 
My opinion, FWIW:
* The reason your guide supposedly sees more people wound and miss game with 7mm Rem Mag is that it ranks #4 or #5 in big game cartridge sales in the continental US.
* There is nothing inherently inaccurate in the 7mm Rem Mag, it is a fine cartridge capable of sub-MOA performance. Nor is there anything wrong with a 300 Win Mag, or any other big-game carridge for that matter. The problem usually lies in the shooters not practicing enough because the rifle is either too light for the cartridge and they do not feel like carrying the weight needed to make it pleasant to shoot, or the shooter does not practice with the rifle due to recoil or cost of ammo.
* If you have become so disinfatuated with the 7mm Rem Mag, move on over to 338 Win Mag or 375 H&H. You will have a rifle with a good trajectory that will cleanly kill any animal on 4 legs well beyond the range anyone should be shooting at it. And it would be difficult for anyone, guide or otherwise, to credibly badmouth either of those cartridges, they are well-proven and well-respected around the world. So is the 7mm Rem Mag, for that matter.
* And finally, anyone ever touches off a round behind me for any reason other than I was being attacked by an animal, I would beat them unconcious, and would advise you to do the same. And the fact that this man is supposedly a professional guide just makes it that much more egregious of an offense. Add to that his badmouthing of clients, clients' guns, etc, and I would look for a different guide if I were in your shoes.
 
Sell it.

You already have its replacement. The .30-'06 is a one-gun-fits-all caliber. If you must buy another gun, get something that's radically different that you don't already have. Perhaps a shotgun or .22 or revolver or whatever fills a different need.
 
It is always about"What do you want to do?" and What are your preferences?"
About the 7mm rem Mag and accuracy:As a high school kid in the late 1960's I was reloading for 2 adults and myself with surplus 4831,a scale,a dipper and a teaspoon for a trickler.I loaded 160 Sierra boatails.A Rem 700,mine,a Savage 110,Lefty's,and a Ruger 77 all would shoot sub MOA at our 200 yd range.That Savage would make a dime size group at 100 yds.My Laredo is about a .75 MOA rifle.The 1000 yd world record was abour a 7 in group shot in the "60's from a 7 mag.The Secret Service chose it as their sniper round.
It will shoot.
While it is a very good hunting round,I use it for a coyote rifle.
I build my own rifles.I dream up a tool and build it.What went to ,from the 7 mag for deer and antelope,is a .257 Ackley.I just wanted to tear up less meat.two things happened.It was very successful at clean killing,and what doesn't hurt,my shooting got better.I'm 6'3".280 lbs,I love my .375 and I can call my shots with it,but the .257 is good therapy.
I used to think in terms of a 600 yd rifle,built a nice 30=338 with a 26 in Lilja #3 bbl,a hi-tec stock,HVA 5000 action,Canjar trigger,and a 3.5-10 Leu B+C.
I have shot one deer and one antelope with it.It is certainly a successful build,but my atitude changed.I really think,for me,the 300 yd ish self limit is an OK deal.
Right now,I use my .257 or my .375 Taylor (>458 necked down)
I do have a 30-06 rifle in process.
All Mausers,all in Garrett Accra-lite win fwt pattern stocks.
Your 30-06 will do pretty much everything.IMHO,if you want more,I'd go up to a medium bore..338,.375.A good thing about either is,if you design for it,you can trajectory match your 30-06.then shooting your 30-06 is practice for shooting your big rifle.
But,doggone,something like a 25=06 is not a bad thing,either.Whatever you like.
You have not mentioned anything but fine cartridges,They all work well.
I have a friend who was an elk guide in a Northern Colorado wilderness area.
he was most comfortable when the client showed up with a .308,a 30-06,a .270.etc.He started getting less comfortable as the rifles got bigger.
He had confidence he could get his client close enough,so long as the client could shoot.
 
Last edited:
It's the rifle not the round.

500yds is within range for the .30-06, you just have to know the drop.

There are a lot of cartridges bigger and or faster than the .30-06. You will pay the price in recoil though.
 
what ive found is theres many guides with big egos. They think because they are guides there some kind of expert on firearms too. Most ive met werent even handloaders. A 7mag is a very accurate round at least in my experince and ive killed quite a few deer doing crop damage shooting and again in my experience it hits harder then an 06 at any range. Probably the quickest kills we see doing crop damage are with the 7 mag and the 257 wby. every manufacture lets out a lemon once in a while. Dont judge the round by that.
 
It may not be the 7mm, but in your situation, I don't think your going to be happy, or confident in what your shooting without making a change. It is going to be hard to overcome your dissatisfaction now, so, I'd suggest you do make change. The 300 Win Mag is a great round and that would be my suggestion.

We often overlook the importance of our satisfaction with and confidence in a round or rifle. You have lost both with the 7mm and going to a different round will probably be just the ticket for YOU.
 
Have you had a quality gunsmith look at the barrel or only Weatherby? Is the crown damaged? Someone mentioned the scope and or mounts, that's a great point too... How many different types of ammo have you shot through it???


If you're dead set on 30 cal go out and find you a great gunsmith and have him scrap that barrel and get you a new barrel chambered in the 300RUM :-) I know a guy that is shooting a mile with one.....

IMO ^^^^^^^


I hate to say it but I think your guide was an idiot! The 7mm RM can be a highly accurate rifle, and more game is lost to the 7mm RM than any other only because the idiot pulling the trigger isn't doing his/her job.
Click to expand...

AMEN BROTHER! :-)
 
The same MT outfitter praised the
338 which the only thing I know about is that my B.C. Canada guide about took off my head & hearing when he fired his from a few feet behind me on a recent Moose hunt.
Click to expand...

And he made out of the woods in one piece?
 
"...a rifle that will handle Moose and Elk out to 400+ yards which is beyond the maximum range I can confidently shoot the 7mm and -06."

That right there is a shooter problem, not a cartridge problem. Add to that the estimated-distance problem. There is no cartridge whatsoever which is enough flatter in trajectory at 500 yards to allow a 50-yard error in guesstimating the range.

An example of "abouts": An '06 with a Sierra 180-grain SPBT. A tad over 2" high at 100 is about dead on at 200 and about 6" low at 300. It's about two feet low at 400 and about four feet low at 500. Ignoring the very important issue of wind for the moment, if I know the range, Bambi's dead--since I know the trajectory.

And a six- or eight-inch advantage from a magnum at 400 or 500 yards won't make up for any notable error in guesstimating the range.

IMO, anybody seriously contemplating shots at 400 and 500 yards definitely needs a laser range finder...
 
What kind of rifle are you desiring to replace you 7mm with? Bolt; Semi?

A new caliber you may like; the .338 Federal; carries the ballistics of a .308, and the energy of a 7mm Mag. Very cool little caliber. Available in bolt and semi rifles.
 
The perfect compliment to an '06 would be a 260, 25-06 on one end. A 338WM or 375 Ruger on the other. PM Mapsjanhere about the 300Ultra. He lives out West and reloads one. He also likes the larger calibers.
 
Thanks GT ;). I shoot the 300 RUM, but out of a 20 lbs target rifle with brake. I'm not sure I want to try it out of a 8 lbs hunting rifle (and outfitters frown on brakes, they like their hearing for some reason). I would second (fifth really) the 338 WM, or, if you want to go more exotic, a 8x68S. Heavier rounds, good long distance performance on elk. The people on the longrangehunting forum seem to swear by the 338 edge (what's a 300 RUM necked up to 338), but the "do I really want to pull that trigger" question comes back into play.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top