BEST BULLET WEIGHT FOR 7MM REM MAG

[deerhunter10]

I own a Sako 7mm rem mag and  have shot it for about 6 years and pretty good success, however I've always shot factory premium ammo that weighs 160 grains, mainly Federal Barnes, Trophy Bonded, and Nosler Partitions. My honest groups avg about 1 1/2 inches. Good days a tick under an inch and bad ones closer to 1 3/4. I've been talking to different gunsmiths and bullet manufacturers, and half have said to try 140 grains and the other half said that would make my groups open up. My twist rate is 1-9.5. Before I go spending $50 a box I would like some input on what the people on this forum think is the best bullet weight or have had the best success with. Any input would be very helpful. Thanks.

Deerhunter10

[the jigger]

It really depends on where and what you are hunting. If it's primarily eastern whitetails my suggestion is the 140's. If it's mulies or elk I'd stay with what you have been using.

[slim rem 7]

  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.
 he thinks they show inexperience and lack of real knowledge.. i won t give his name as his buisiness makes lots of money selling the stuff.. could gettim fired ,i guess although all the regular customers will wait on him if he s busy an just pass the time with other salesmen..
  now having said that i must say ive not tried too much high end rds because i respect his opinion..could be wrong..
 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

[charles p]

I only shoot 140 grain .284 bullets at whitetails.  Remington CoreLokt is a good all around choice for over the counter ammo.  I handload for mine using mostly Sierra Gameking bullets.  My honest groups are about like yours.

I use the same bullets in my 7mm-08, 280 Remington, and 280 Ackley Improved with slightly better accuracy.  I have not experienced any bullet failures with pointed, lead core jacketed "blue collar" bullets.  No need to use premium bullets until you get into elk medicine.

The most accurate bullet I have used in .284 caliber is the Nosler Ballistic Tip.  I don't like them for game however - just punching paper.

[Tom W.]

I can't say about "ready rolls", but I've found that my Ruger #1 likes the 150 grain Combined Technology Ballistic SilverTips with my handloads.

[jhm]

When I was shooting a 7mm Mag. I was loading the 160 gr. bullets I did try the 140 gr. however I had better Accuracy, the game taken with them were a couple Bear in Canada, Elk in Co. Mulies in Co. white tail in Mich. And in Ar. several of them, was also used on Antalope in Wyoming I really like the caliber and wished I still had one but my son now has that rifle and uses the same bullet combe.   JIM

[burntmuch]

My rem 700 7mag will put the 160 gr partitoins into a 1/2 inch group if Im having a good day. Thats all Ive shot. Ive got some 140 nosler BTs . Just havent had the time to load em up & try them   Good luck   Jay

[beemanbeme]

Work you up a good load using a 160gr bullet and use it on everything.  You'll be glad you did. It's faster out of the blocks than a 175 and it's sustained energy is greater downrange.  My 7mag shoots NP's very well but there are a lot of good 160gr bullets out there. That way I've shot antelope, mulies, and elk on the same trip using the same loading and the same bullet.  Using a single load for a rifle, you learn what to expect from the rifle up close and at distance.
If you want to shoot 140's or 150's, buy a 7-08 or a .280. They weigh less, use less powder and recoil less. 

[thumbcocker]

Try some 175 gr. remington corelokt's.

[safetysheriff]

deerhunter'

what species do you hunt, and how close to the muzzle do you shoot them?   if your quarry are deer at 300 yards you can maybe get away with a light bullet (140 gr' Core Lokt or 140 gr' Nosler Partition?).   if your quarry are closer the 7mm mag' will move those bullets so fast that a hit in the wrong area will destroy a lot of venison !     so, there are two questions to answer along with a consideration of your ability to use the good accuracy mentioned above.    in a deeply-wooded place, with little opportunity to pick your shots, i'd go with another caliber because of the close-range considerations.   

if going after black bear, elk, hogs, grizzly, or moose don't go with less than 160 gr's of 'lead' so that you will slow down the impact velocity yet will carry good momentum to a long range for decent penetration.   

i've loaded 139 gr' hornady btsp's for a buddy's ruger in 7mm mag' with alliant reloder 22.   if you look at their site you'll see over 3,200 fps with a 24" barrel using that combination with a Federal case and a Rem' 9.5 large rifle primer !   that is going to be either hard on a bullet or hard on the venison at close range w/a hit in the wrong spot.   (in west va. where we hunted white tails it was not a problem)   by now you get my points.

the 7mm mag' is a hammer.   you probably already know that.   it is one of the best; but it needs a little 'understanding' to make it work.   if the .270 Win is hard on meat when a 130 gr' bullet hits the wrong place, the 7mm mag' has got to be potentially worse.    my handloaded 139 to 140 gr' bullets were probably what my buddy's brother used on a coyote in West Va.   i can't remember.   what i do remember:  it took the far-side shoulder off the dog and spread his guts out three feet away from the animal !    that's too much horsepower.

pick a bullet/cartridge/firearm combination that is capable of handling your worst-case scenario.   

take care,

ss'   

[Tom W.]

Come on now, that doesn't happen to everyone, and I'm pretty sure it would have to be a gawdawful bad shot to tear up a deer that badly.

 The last four deer I shot were between 100 and 150 yards away, I shot one straight on in the chest and it dropped in it's tracks, I use a 140 gr. GameKing on it. The last three were all within 110 measured yards. with a 150 gr C/T ballistic silvertip. The first dropped, again, right where it was standing, the second ran about 40 yards into some thick briars, and the third again dropped where is was standing. I was expecting to see a huge hole for an exit wound, but it wasn't big at all. The Gameking never did exit.

My buddy was sharing my tower and shot a deer with his 30-06 and blew out it's heart. That deer ran about 80 yards with a hole as big as my fist for an exit wound.

I won't say that it can't happen, but truthfully, I've just heard these stories, not seen it. But who knows? Maybe this season it will happen to me.

[deerhunter10]

Thanks guys that was some great info. I guess if I've got the right set up. I was just trying to tighten it up a bit. I don't think the trade off is going to be that great to drop down to 140 grains, as most of my shots are at the 300 yard range and I think I would prefer the heavier bullet, and it doesn't sound like the lighter bullet would make my groups half the size or anything. Being an ex-pitcher with already one surgery on my shoulder, was trying to take some pain out of my time at the range. But I also want the best performance when hunting. So I guess I'll stick with the Barnes or maybe retry the partitions. I think the ultimate cartridge would be a .280, but Sako doesn't make it, and I really like that gun. So it's either build one or buy a 30.06 which will get me close to the 7mm rem ballistics but with out the recoil. But I sure like the flatness of that .284 caliber. I do a lot of research and some guys had me scratching my head with the whole 160 140 thing, but I read all the post's here, put a drop in Limbsaver pad on and went out and shot my gun with the Barnes 160 grains and it shot a 1 inch 5 shot group with the 6th shot at 1 3/4 that I pulled. Is there really that big of a difference in the recoil of a 140 grain verse a 160, that would be the question if they happen to shoot the same. Thanks again.
Deerhunter10

[jhm]

NO you wont be able to tell the difference in recoil.   JIM

[safetysheriff]

Tom W'

i sold a friend a .270 ADL' Syn' that he handloads for.   he shot a 130 gr' Win' Power Point through a modest-sized deer at short range and couldn't believe the hole that thing put through the deer.    it was Big!    with proper bullet placement it's ok. 

i qualified my post with such things as ' a hit in the Wrong place......', because i know these things to be true.   i've seen backstraps and shoulders torn up by high-velocity soft points.  it is a waste.   i can make backstrap in Italian dressing taste like the best of jerky when marinaded for 4 or 5 days, properly cooked.    it is a real treat !     so...... i hate to see the meat wasted by any poor bullet placement with a hot rod cartridge that tears the deer up badly.     

take care,

ss'   

[charles p]

When your game is deer, use a bullet designed for deer.  If it is elk, use an elk bullet.  That's why the make 140 and 160 grain bullets.  Ain't rocket science.

[nomosendero]

For about 10 years I had the 7RM thing bad & I owned 3 good ones. I shot everything from 115 Speer for Varmits up to the 175 Core Lokt. I settled on the 160SBT Sierra. If I was shooting one today, I would try the 140 & 160 Accubond. Most people who use the 160 Accubond are very impressed with the accuracy & terminal effect & anything that you would hunt with that round can be cleanly taken with that bullet.

[safetysheriff]

When your game is deer, use a bullet designed for deer.  If it is elk, use an elk bullet.  That's why the make 140 and 160 grain bullets.  Ain't rocket science.

dh'10

if you want less recoil with lots of reach you can go to a .25-06 Rem' or a .270 Win'.    that's for game up to the size of black bear using many of the 'ordinary' bullets.   for elk you would use a Grand Slam or something else that's pretty stout out of the .25-06.   

i shot the 7mm mag' Ruger that my buddy picked up with 150 gr' Core-Lokt's (i believe that was the bullet).   it hit much harder and had seemingly much higher recoil velocity than the .270's and .30-06's i've shot!    it was so loud i thought it would bust hell wide-open with that 24" barrel.    for many applications i'd prefer the .270 Win.   

charles p'
if our original poster were using a 7mm-08 or a 7x57 i'd agree more with your statement in all its simplification.   however, with a cartridge capable of putting a lot more strain on a bullet due to much higher impact velocity i think simplification can lead to trouble.    no, it aint rocket science, but it aint ''playground jacks'' either.    it's worthy of some attention to detail.

ss'   

[S.B.]

I believe O'Connor wrote that the 150 gr. bullet in a 7 Mag. would kill quicker than the 175 gr. bullet? I suppose more velocity n and hydro shock? Placement of your shot would probably determine how fast the game animal expires?

[beemanbeme]

No, it ain't rocket science but some folks still don't get it. they make 140-145's for 7-08 & 7x57's, they make 150's for .280 & 7x64's and they make 160-175's for 7mags.  You match the bullet's performance window to the rifle's potential velocity. 

[jro45]

I took my 7mm Rem Mag to a 600 yd range witch I am a member of and was shooting 140gr bullets [Serria] and they seemed to group to gether pretty good at 500yds. So when shooting long range the 140gr bullet seems a good choice. I will try the Serria 175gr bullet this week.

[carlz]

 I use Nosler accubond, and have been able to get 5  shot groups that are completely covered by a dime at 100 yds.  63.9 grains imr 4350 and CCI primers,   Dropped three antelope at 400yds last yr.

[Freezer]

He hasn't said so but, it doesn't sound like Deerhunter10 hand loads. My advise is start!  You can custom tailer your loads for your gun to get the accuracy you want.  You can also down load the 7mag to 280 specs and use 140 gr bullets without any accuracy loss.  The only trade off should be trajectory but at 300 yrds that's not much.   
    As for shooting from a bench I found a neat trick.  I took one of those spungy wrist pads from a computer tray and hang it on my shoulder when I bench shoot.  I have had three right shoulder surgeries and I'm not a fan of recoil any more.

[TXSPIKE]

I've been shooting a 7mag for 14 years.When I started loading for it,I turned to the ballistic charts and chose the velocity and energy I wanted for really anchoring an animal in a big way.The weight I chose was a 160gr. bullet for shooting deer and hogs.The results I got were not what I expected.It seemed like I was getting way too much penetration with the 160gr. Speer Grand Slam and too much of that energy was going out the far side of the animal and wasted.I decided to drop down to a 145gr. Speer Grand Slam and immediately I could tell the difference.I began getting more DRT kills with the lowly 145gr. than I ever got with the 160gr. and that was what I wanted.I have no problem these days shooting a 140gr bullet either.I like the 140gr. Nosler Accubonds.The don't seem to be quite as tough as the Speer Grand Slam when they encounter lots of bone and shed a little more weight,but boy they sure shoot good tight groups.One thing I use as a guide for choosing a deer/hog bullet is,choosing a bullet with a sectional density at around .250.I know all bullets are not created equally,but it's like I said,a guide in which I start.If I want more penetration,I go up.If I want a bullet to be more explosive,I go down.http://www.chuckhawks.com/rifle_SD_list.htm

[beemanbeme]

The Grand Slam is an awful hard bullet to be shooting WT deer with.  I've never shot one with a GS but I've used them on antelope and you certainly have to shoot for the exit hole. You can't just make a "generic" ribcage shot on an antelope with one. When I would hunt with elk, mulies and antelope on the menu, I'd use one rfle with one loading for all.  And the loading would be for the heaviest thing (elk) I was after. The GS is a fine elk bullet.
I think if you were to switch over to a NP or a standard cup and core bullet you'd find your results different. Especially if you kept your velocity below 3000fps.

[Tom W.]

Safety Sherriff, try some muffs. My 7mm doesn't bother me at all! And I can still hear fairly well.....

[TXSPIKE]

beemanbeme,
That's purty much how I felt about I felt about the 160gr Grand Slam.If I was going on an elk mule deer hunt,I might consider using it as an all around round.I did however find the 145gr Grand Slam to be a great whitetail stopper and had many DRT kills with it.It's all about matching the bullet with the game your hunting.If it works great for you,you've found the magic bullet.

[DakotaElkSlayer]

Deerhunter,
As you know, deer are very easy to kill if you put the bullet where it belongs.  If you are worried about cost, experiment first with the cheapest stuff you can find.  Don't need a Barnes or a bonded core for a deer.  Also, think about what your personal limit is for shooting at an animal and adjust your 100yds. expectations to work with that.  Guess what, 2" at 100, still puts you in the deer's vitals at 300yds.  If you plan on shoot farther, THEN look for tighter groups @ 100.

Good Luck,

Jim

[Cheesehead]

deerhunter,

Since we are talking factory ammo, I recommend Reminton Corelokt 140's. You will save some money. They are very very accurate and in my experiance and all you need for deer. Save the premium ammo for bigger game. I have taken several deer with the Rem 140's but use my handloads now.

Cheese

[safetysheriff]

Safety Sherriff, try some muffs. My 7mm doesn't bother me at all! And I can still hear fairly well.....

i know what you are saying.   but i have extremely sensitive hearing.   the use of ear plugs inside of ear muffs did not blot out enough of that nasty blast.   it was amazing to me.    it is not my favorite caliber; but it is one hell of a round with tremendous accuracy to match its power.

take care,

ss'

[Tom W.]

I know about that. I used plugs and muffs when I had my .480.....