Scott Gags

The 7mm Mag should drop a deer with no problem with the right bullet. I would guess you are using a bullet that doesnt expand enought. You can get away with poor bullet choice a lot more with the larger caliber bullets due to the inherently larger wound path created(assuming the same bullet construction). At any rate I choose the 06 also as my hunting rifle and have zero regrets.
I recently took a client on a Russian Boar hunt and he took a 400 lbs hog and had results similarto yours with a 7mm mag, 160 Grain NP. The bulletspassed thru with minimaldamage. Tons of penetration butlittle energy transferred to the animal.

bigbuck13754

I hunt in upstate NY.The deer didnt run after i shot it in the head it stood back up and i shoot it again.It might have been me but i dont know because i had some of my rellitives use it and they had the same results.For this year i got remingtons swift soccrios in 150 grain for it and i hope they put the deer down or else im going back to 30-06.

bigbuck13754

I hunt in upstate NY.The deer didnt run after i shot it in the head it stood back up and i shoot it again.It might have been me but i dont know because i had some of my rellitives use it and they had the same results.For this year i got remingtons swift soccrios in 150 grain for it and i hope they put the deer down or else im going back to 30-06. [align=right]
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bigbuck13754

I hunt in upstate NY.The deer didnt run after i shot it in the head it stood back up and i shoot it again.It might have been me but i dont know because i had some of my rellitives use it and they had the same results.For this year i got remingtons swift soccrios in 150 grain for it and i hope they put the deer down or else im going back to 30-06.

stubblejumper

Now you wouldn't be exagerating just a bit would you?Did that deer weigh 600lbs as well.

Rootsy

it's gotta be da Turty pointer eh

all joking aside... a 7mm Remington Magnum will do a fine job for deer, hogs, elk, moose, black bear, antelope, mulies, goats... all of them... load it down with smaller 100 gr hollow points and if you can take the all day hammering shoot dogs or chucks... pretty versitile... probably marginal for a very awnry grizzly and the likes.. but yeah with a well placed shot it'd work... but i wouldn't want to have it between me and a mad charging bear...

now honestly, unless you are trying to reach out and touch something further than 99% of us should probably be shooting anyway... the 7mm RM is overkill.. plain and simple... but if it tickles your fancy... then knock yourself out... it's up to just about any task you toss in front of it...

PERSONALLY... i feel my 280 remington will do everything that the 7MM RM will do... just a little less velocity.. but with plenty of range, again for 99% of us out there pulling triggers... but then again velocity is overrated IMHO... i toss th ebiggest toughest pill i can out the end at a respectable velocity and put it where it needs to be... few dozen whitetail, 3 elk, 1 moose and 2 blackbear have known no different... I load with light bullets zipping along with everything the 280 will give em and i have taken coyote and woodchuck in excess of 400 yds on a handful of occassions... but in the last 10 years 95% of my shooting has been within 150...

so pick what you will.. and it is better to be OVERGUNNED than undergunned... as long as you can handle what she throws at your shoulder and you can shoot it like it's meant to be...

there is NOT one "magical" cartridge out there... the only "magic" is the mystique that stirs our souls....

J

frizzellr

One simple fact of hunting is not all animals fold on the spot, no matter what you shoot them with. I will however suggest you quit trying to shoot deer in the head and take a boiler room shot. Try not to miss.

Pawildman

Shot a 7Mag for 20 years. Killed LOTS of white tails REALLY dead with it-----139 gr Hornadys--------most piled up as if the ground had been pulled out from under them------don't understand the problem----.

Hogwild61

I deer hunted with a 7mm Mag for 15 years and nothing else, probably killed 25 bucks or so and only lost one buck. Some of the deer dropped in their tracks while others took a few steps, or in most cases ran less than30 - 50yards (if they didnt drop) in all less the half dropped in their tracks witha perfect shoulder shot using Rem 150 gr Core Lokt bullet, most shots were under 250yards. Now however, for the past5 years I have used the Rem 300 Ultra Mag, Sendero with the Swift Scirocco bullet and have killed 10-15 deer, buck and does out to 400 yards...and EVERY ONE of the deer (except one) have dropped in their tracks or fell within 1-2 steps.

zekeskar

For what it's worth: I've shot maybe a dozen or more deer (white tail, black tail) and moose (both very large) with a 30-06. Only one heart lung shot and a couple neck shots have dropped on the spot. All the others, solid double lung and/or heart shots, have gone between 25 and 150 yards before falling down. All of those have been single shot kills, they just haven't fallen in their tracks.

So I don't believe that deer typically drop in their tracks with a solid chest shot. It just doesn't happen that often, in my experience.

So, I've had the same experience with my '06 as you've had with your 7mm mag. I would consider all of these to be good solid kills, entirely satisfactory.