Author Topic: BEST BULLET WEIGHT FOR 7MM REM MAG  (Read 6642 times)

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Offline lilabner

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Re: BEST BULLET WEIGHT FOR 7MM REM MAG
« Reply #30 on: July 10, 2008, 05:55:38 PM »
I used 160 gr. handloads in my Big 7 for elk. They were accurate, penetrated effectively and shed energy slowly. I would stick with the 160s but handload them instead of using the factory stuff. Try Nosler Accubonds. They have a ballistic coefficient of .531. They shoot flat, buck wind well and are accurate in many rifles.

Offline Coyote Hunter

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Re: BEST BULLET WEIGHT FOR 7MM REM MAG
« Reply #31 on: July 21, 2008, 03:36:24 AM »
  a friend who is the gun guru at -----  says that the high end ammo is ussually good stuff but when he sells it he knows the fellas not compared results with a good power point ,corloft or fed soft point..to put it in his words he knows the fellas trying to buy a kill.
First, if your friend truly “knows” what is in the minds of other people he could make a lot more money in a different line of work.

If not, which turns out to be the case, he is just a gun store salesperson with opinions as to why people buy what they do.  Like a blind squirrel finding a nut, he will be right once in a while.

A 7mm Rem Mag was my first centerfire rifle in 1982 and my only big game bolt gun for over 20 years.  The first animal I took was a spike bull elk and it fell to a “good” Hornady 162g Interlock.  That was also the LAST time I used standard cup-and-core bullets in my 7mm Rem Mag.  These days I prefer and shoot North Fork, TSX/TTSX/MRX, A-Frames and Partitions, If I was shooting only factory ammo I would still shoot the premium stuff, most likely from Federal because I like their bullet selection.  In fact, Federal 160g Parttion loads were my backup ammo for many years when the 7mm Rem Mag was my only big game rifle. 

Am I “trying to buy a kill” but choosing premium bullets and ammo?  No, I’m trying to eliminate potential problems.  I generally hunt deer and elk at the same time and choose my ammo accordingly.  There are plenty of things that can go wrong on a hunt and the choices you make can minimize or eliminate some of them.  That same philosophy is why I take chains for all four wheels, a chain repair kit, enough rubber snubbers for 2 per wheel and spares, a tool kit, shovels, a come-along, extra water and food, extra clothing, and a host of other items.  On any given trip I may not need all that stuff but over the years I’ve needed it all at one time or another.
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…  he thinks they show inexperience and lack of real knowledge.
I think your friend is the one showing “inexperience and lack of real knowledge”.  Lots of game has been taken with standard bullets, to be sure.  But there have also been innumerable instances of bullets coming apart and/or failing to penetrate where a more solidly constructed bullet would have done better.

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 i think your gun will tell you what the best wgt  rd is for hunting.. for that you would
you have to sight the gun in for each rd, i would assume.. lottsa work but one thing that could happen is ..you might just come accross an wt and type rd that is so accurrate that  it leaves no doubt what should be in your gun when you have the trophy in your sights.. mine is 165 fusion.,. i have a lotta other ammo that i guess i ll just sell or keep for emergencies..just one type in my gun .. yours probably be different..good luck. slim

Your gun will tell you what is most accurate in it but it will NOT tell you what the best round is for hunting.  In several of my rifles the Hornady A-MAX are the most accurate bullets I’ve tried, often providing one-ragged-hole accuracy.  But I wouldn’t consider hunting with those bullets.  Instead I’ll gladly give up some accuracy in favor of the kind of  terminal performance I demand.

By the way, for many years I was a one gun, one load kind of guy.  These days I spend a lot of time working up multiple loads for my rifles.  My 7mm Rem Mag, for example, after shooting only 160g bullets for many years, now shoots 140g and 120g bullets as well. My .257 Roberts with 75g V-MAX is my favorite coyote rifle but I load 115g TSX and 120g A-Frames for it for big game.  My .30-30 gets 130g bullets for summer plinking and 170g Speer SP or Partitions for hunting.  Yes, I have to rezero when I switch between loads, but that usually involves just 2-3 shots, hardly a big deal.




Coyote Hunter
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Offline gdolby

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Re: BEST BULLET WEIGHT FOR 7MM REM MAG
« Reply #32 on: July 24, 2008, 10:53:43 PM »
good day gentleman..........lots of good info here. I been shooting a 7 for a while on everythin from coyotes to deer to elk to domestic cows that needed put down. I use 150 partitions and have never been disapointed. pick my shots on deer and just hammer everythign else. Good shooting to all

Offline Mr. Joe

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Re: BEST BULLET WEIGHT FOR 7MM REM MAG
« Reply #33 on: September 06, 2008, 08:40:09 AM »
The big jugged 7 is IMHO the best big game cartridge for all hoofed game in the world.  Now that i have my biased opinion out in the open, i can talk loads!

I used to load a 140@3250 for deer, 160@3100 for pigs, and 175s@3050 for moose.  However i have found that the 140s are a bit destructive, and the 175s offer more penetration than is needed for any animal in the country.  Ive settled on the 160s primarily the nosler acubond or partition, and seirra game king.  This weight does not blow up the deer, drives through the hogs, and I've yet to nail a moose or elk with them, but I'm sure they will do splendidly.  Its a good combo of toughness and trajectory that's tough to beat.  Kind of like the 180s in the big jugged .300s
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