Solitary Man

Well, when folks talk about 7mm this or that, more often than not they're talking about the 7mm Rem Mag. I feel confident in saying that sales of 7mm Rem Mag rifles have dwarfed the sales of rifles chambered for other 7mm cartridges, although lately other cartridges like the 7mm-08 and 7mm WSM have probably eaten into that lead somewhat.

I've owned more rifles chambered for the 7mm Rem Mag than any other. I bought my first one back in the 70's, so I have a bit of experience with it. If someone tells you it's the greatest thing since sliced bread and shoots flatter than a laser beam, don't believe them. It's a great deer cartridge no doubt, but so are a lot of others. It shoots a little flatter than the venerable .30-06, but the difference is barely worth mentioning. So don't get hung up totally on how flat a cartridge shoots.I believe that having an accurate rifle is considerably more important than having a fast, flat shooting cartridge no matter what the distance is. I'd rather have a dead-on nuts accurate 7mm-08 than a7mm Rem Mag that's iffy in terms of accuracy. A fast miss, after all,is still a miss. Of course it ispossible to have the whole package too if that's what you want. That is, a fast cartridge in an accurate rifle.

treehunter

So are you saying the 7mm-08 is more accurate than the 7mm rem mag? Anybody have any graphs on bullet balistics?

Rangerlab

I agree with Superpig, if you are just starting out you may want to look at something a little more subdued than a 7mm Mag. Mine has never been a problem for me, but I have a friend who can't stand the recoil. To me it seems about the same as a 30-06. If you're just talking deer, the 7mm-08 would be a great place to start- lots of rifles chambered for it and a wide selection of ammo. However, it's pretty tough to go wrong with any of the 7mm cartridges when considering deer sized animals.

Roskoe

Either of these calibers has plenty of accuracy potential for big game hunting. What we are looking at is the shooter's ability to shoot the 7 Rem Mag as well as the 7MM-08 due to the increased recoil. A 7MM-08 in a medium weight sporter is an extremely pleasant CF rifle to shoot. Hence, folks tend to shoot it well. The 7 Rem Mag might have close to twice as much recoil. For quite a few folks, its enough to cause flinching.

In my way of thinking, the 7MM-08 is a 300 yard gun. You can sight in 3" high at 100 yards and only be about 4" low at 300 yards. The extra speed of the 7MM Rem Mag will extend that distance about 75 yards or so, depending on the load. Most rifle hunters have no business shooting beyond 300 yards anyway - so I'm recommending you get the 7MM-08. If you decide you don't like it, they are real easy to sell.

treehunter

I'm not real sure how it got started, but I am no where near just starting out. I have been hunting and around guns all my life. While in the Army, I shoot anything from a 5.56mm M-16 to a .50 cal sniper rifle and .50 cal machine gun. I have also shot several hellfire missles from a OH-58 Kiowa Worrior (that don't have anything to do with rifles, just thought I would share). Anyways, I just don't know alot about a 7mm. I guess I am just more familiar with .270's, 30-06, 30-30, ect... the more known rifles i guess you could say. Recoil is not a problem but I do like the way the 7mm-08 sounds. I am not trying to get a huge gun, just something that is accurate and worth the money. If I wanted size I would just get a .300 mag and be done with it. Anyways thanks for all the info. I have learned alot. Keep the opinions coming.

Doe Dumper

If you want a really dead on accurate pleasant to shoot but lethal enough for nearly anything the 7-08 is the ticket. I have shotquite a bitin my years but I shot the 7-08 immediately better than anything I ever picked up. Its a joy to shoot and hunt with. You want accuracy and just a fun gun to shoot it fills the bill well. I had been deer hunting for the last 10 years with a 270 and had been thoroughly pleased with it. I bought this one and decided to take it out first day this year to see how it done....well to make a long story short...5 deer later the 270never left the caseleft the case


This is of course just my opinion and we all know how those are As Roskoe said...give it a try and if you dont like it there shouldnt be much problem at all selling it.

zrexpilot

One thing is people confuse the word magnum with big game. A magnum doesnt mean its a big game gun. the 7 mags only advantage over any other 7 mm is distance, its really only a long range deer gun. its' still 7 mm in diameter, will it kill a moose, yes, but so will my .243
same with a 300 mag, its only advantage over a 30-06 is distance.
If you keep shots under 300 yds, which i reccomend, a 7-08 is perfect.
its been a while since I shot a 7 mag, but this year at deer camp I was forced to sight one in for somebody and all I can say Is Damn! that thing kicks like a mule.

James B

The 7mm-08 is not more accurate than the 7 MM Rem Mag. It is however much more shootable in that the recoil and muzzle blast is but a fraction of the bigger Magnum. For whitetail its gods plenty.

eldeguello

I ass-u-me that you are talking about the 7mm Rem. Mag. I have used it for whitetail and mulies and elk. Unless you can place your shots exactly, it destroys too much meat on a deer. It is fine for elk and moose using the 175-grain Nosler Partition bullet.

However, 7mm (.284") is a great bullet diameter. For deer, I prefer shooting my 7mm bullets out of a 7mm/'08 or a 7X57mm cartridge. Properly loaded, even the .280 Remington is on the heavy side for whitetails! With factory loads, it is about like a correctly loaded 7X57mm.

For a guy like you who is familiar with the .270, think of a cartridge like the .280 Remington as a .270 with a bullet that is 0.007" bigger around. As a matter of fact, you'd have a plenty difficult time finding a 7mm that is a better whitetail round than theplain ol' .270 Winchester!

cobeaver

I was not familiar w/ the 7mm-08 (having always carried a 30-06 or .243) until last year when my middle son announced that he wanted one for his first deer rifle. I found a barely used Browning A-bolt in 7mm-08 and handloaded w/ Hornady 139 gr. spire point bullets. I was very impressed w/ accuracy at the range. Three shot group that you could cover w/ a nickle at 100 yds.
After he practiced w/ it thru the summer,I took him out the first evening of a 3 day doe only youth hunt here in PA. He shot a big doe at 215 yards (I ranged it) and dropped her in her tracks. Upon skinning the deer, I wasevenmoreimpressed w/ therifle's performance. Now, I am also planning on getting a 7mm-08 barrel for my Encore and my youngest son wants a 7 - 08 too.
As a sidenote, my son is not a real big kid and he finds it very comfortable to shoot.