Author Topic: Which 7mm to get? (Read 1797 times)

anthony passero · « **on:** November 30, 2005, 07:36:30 AM »

I have been looking for an all around rifle. I was going to get a 280 but factory ammo and cases are hard to find here in NY/PA. Plus a rifle is a special order proposition only. The short mags have caught my eye. The 7mm saum seems easier to reload from what I have been reading but the Win short 7 really has seem to caught on. Anyone here shoot the Remington short? What about handloading the Winchester? I am thinking the Nosler solid base 150 Grain for deer/Antelope and the 160 Partition or Barnes 3x for elk. I hope everyone is having a good season.
Tight groups, Anthony

1911crazy · « **Reply #1 on:** November 30, 2005, 08:01:17 AM »

First i kind of like having one size bullet that i can use in a few different calibers. I have a few mausers in 7x57 already that i reload for. I have been looking for a 280rem too and i'm sure i'll end up with building and rechambering a military 98 7mm mauser to 280rem in the end. I had a bunch of 280 cases and two sets of reloading dies given to me. The only other 7mm calibers i find interesting right now is the 7mm/08 and 284win. too. A lot of guys like the performance of the 7mm/08.

I hunt in Vermont and sometimes they don't have any ammo available in the calibers I use anyway. You can get brass from www.midwayusa.com for most calibers they have bullets too and most of our needs too. My local stores have hardley anything when it comes to reloading so I end up ordering off the net.

PA-Joe · « **Reply #2 on:** November 30, 2005, 08:03:31 AM »

7mm08 you loose about 200 fps but the gun comes in a much lighter package.

victorcharlie · « **Reply #3 on:** November 30, 2005, 10:43:32 AM »

All things considered, I really like the .280.........My favorite is the 7 X 57mm but brass would be a bigger issue than a .280 which can be formed from 30.06 or .270 brass which should be fairly common........the 7mm/08 would also be a great choice and if brass is a problem for it, then 308 or 243 brass could be used..........

The .280 has plenty of power and with the good selection of bullets available that are well suited for it the .280 would be my first pick.......all things considered........

Lawdog · « **Reply #4 on:** November 30, 2005, 12:39:22 PM »

The best part about purchasing a 7mm RSAUM is after they finally disappear(the RSAUM line isnt selling as proof Remington is dropping the number of rifles being chambered for them) from the shelves is that you can always have it re-chambered to 7mm WSM. Lawdog

Redhawk1 · « **Reply #5 on:** November 30, 2005, 04:50:34 PM »

My vote is the 7mm08.

SuperstitionCoues · « **Reply #6 on:** December 01, 2005, 12:34:27 AM »

I have just begun to handload for my Win. M70 Featherweight 7mmWSM. I haven't found it to be any more difficult than handloading for my 30-30, 25-06 or 30-06. Mechanically, it's an easy process, except that it does seem to be easy to collapse the necks of the cases accidentally - similar to what might happen with a .30-30 if seated to deeply or forcefully.
But that situation will remedy itself once you have a "feel" for the resizing and seating operations.

As for powder selection, I will have to let you know. I am working with loads from the latest Sierra and Hornady manuals, but haven't got enough testing done yet to find out what is going to work the best. I will say this though. I think that the 140 and 160 gr. loads from the Sierra manual will work out just fine. The guy at Sierra who developed them is named Paul Box. I have yet to use a load that he has worked up (in any rifle of mine) that hasn't been on the money, the first time I tested it. So, that is where I'm starting, with 140 gr. Sierra boat-tails and Sierra 160 gr. HPBT's. The Hornadys will come second, so that I can work up a 139 gr. Interbond load also.

If you are looking for a magnum cartridge in a short action, this is it. The 7mm WSM will give you a better bullet selection than the 270 Win. or 270 WSM, and is ballistically superior to the 7mm-08 and 7mm Rem. Mag. (in 140 gr. bullets). But, watch out for the recoil. It is a "lively" gun to shoot.
:grin:

NONYA · « **Reply #7 on:** December 01, 2005, 01:31:14 AM »

7mm Rem Mag,does it all and way out there.Dont waste your time with the short mags,you wont be sorry.

Harry Snippe · « **Reply #8 on:** December 01, 2005, 04:34:48 AM »

Quote from: anthony passero

I have been looking for an all around rifle. I was going to get a 280 but factory ammo and cases are hard to find here in NY/PA. Plus a rifle is a special order proposition only. The short mags have caught my eye. The 7mm saum seems easier to reload from what I have been reading but the Win short 7 really has seem to caught on. Anyone here shoot the Remington short? What about handloading the Winchester? I am thinking the Nosler solid base 150 Grain for deer/Antelope and the 160 Partition or Barnes 3x for elk. I hope everyone is having a good season.
Tight groups, Anthony

Have a read in Hand loader DEC 2005 #238
Remingtons Curious 7 mmSAUM.

John Barsness states " the 7mm SAUM , it turns out is the .280 Ackley Double -Improved.
He advises to get a model 700 BDL Stainless in 7mmSaum. Yes the rifle will be discontinued and you might have a collector item in a few years.

Well I see it all as a heads up.
Would you have bought a Marlin ER back then , knowing you had a good bush round and the money the rifles are getting Now?

Just because Remington is not offering the round in every model , doesn't mean it is not a good round

So What ! the 7MM from Remington is not accepted as well as the WSM 's

Fact :

Winchester beat Remington at the starting gate with the fat Mags.

WINCHESTER wsm HOLD A BIT MORE POWDER.

Well if your shopping then for more powder/ more recoil, lets go with the 7MM Remington Mag or why not the 325WSM- two great rounds.

Most Americams do not like the MM letters, so Remington should have called the 7MM Saum the 280 Saum, like Winchester 325WSM instead of the 8MM WSM.

The cartridge is easy to load for , the bullet selection is good.

Looking at the picture of the Queebec caribou shot @ 250 yards, got me putting quarters in the penny jar again
:wink:

Harry Snippe · « **Reply #9 on:** December 01, 2005, 04:36:55 AM »

Quote from: anthony passero

I have been looking for an all around rifle. I was going to get a 280 but factory ammo and cases are hard to find here in NY/PA. Plus a rifle is a special order proposition only. The short mags have caught my eye. The 7mm saum seems easier to reload from what I have been reading but the Win short 7 really has seem to caught on. Anyone here shoot the Remington short? What about handloading the Winchester? I am thinking the Nosler solid base 150 Grain for deer/Antelope and the 160 Partition or Barnes 3x for elk. I hope everyone is having a good season.
Tight groups, Anthony

Have a read in Hand loader DEC 2005 #238
Remingtons Curious 7 mmSAUM.

John Barsness states " the 7mm SAUM , it turns out is the .280 Ackley Double -Improved.
He advises to get a model 700 BDL Stainless in 7mmSaum. Yes the rifle will be discontinued and you might have a collector item in a few years.

Well I see it all as a heads up.
Would you have bought a Marlin ER back then , knowing you had a good bush round and the money the rifles are getting Now?

Just because Remington is not offering the round in every model , doesn't mean it is not a good round

So What ! the 7MM from Remington is not accepted as well as the WSM 's

Fact :

Winchester beat Remington at the starting gate with the fat Mags.

WINCHESTER wsm HOLD A BIT MORE POWDER.

Well if your shopping then for more powder/ more recoil, lets go with the 7MM Remington Mag or why not the 325WSM- two great rounds.

Most Americams do not like the MM letters, so Remington should have called the 7MM Saum the 280 Saum, like Winchester 325WSM instead of the 8MM WSM.

The cartridge is easy to load for , the bullet selection is good.

Looking at the picture of the Quebec caribou shot @ 250 yards, got me putting quarters in the penny jar again
:wink:

poncaguy · « **Reply #10 on:** December 01, 2005, 09:38:44 AM »

Short mag...270WSM! ...........................otherwise 7mm-08!

Ramrod · « **Reply #11 on:** December 01, 2005, 12:18:44 PM »

Anthony, the idea of an all around rifle is kind of passe among today's hunters, when extra cheap factory made rifles are all around us, and you can own several specialized hunting guns for the price of one custom made "all around rifle". Look at what you want your gun to do, then get a caliber that will suffice for 90% of that. A good rifleman can make do on the other 10%. I think you will find the .270 Win. or .30-06 will meet your needs.

Brithunter · « **Reply #12 on:** December 01, 2005, 10:33:37 PM »

Hi All,

Hmmmmm well I think that I may seen it all now :-

"Well if your shopping then for more powder/ more recoil, lets go with the 7MM Remington Mag or why not the 325WSM- two great rounds.

Most Americams do not like the MM letters, so Remington should have called the 7MM Saum the 280 Saum, like Winchester 325WSM instead of the 8MM WSM. "

Do you really think that the American consumer is that dumb?

Yes America does have a big problem with the :-

"Not made here syndrome"

Perhaps it's not as bad as it once was but then your companies have been selling you out and taking the work overseas :roll:

Never mind ..................... now until they get all and I do mean ALL the feeding problems out of these short fat cases in hunting rifles they are not worth even considering

......................... that is unless you are going single shot, then you would most likely have a nice falling block or break action and no I do not mean a Handi rifle :shock:

There are plenty of tried and true cartridges out there with proven records of reliablity and accuracy to choose from :wink: Sure the gunwriters praise this latest do-dad on the market ......... Duh it's what they are paid for now. It seems the days of factual real reporting has long gone the mighty advertising doller put paid to that

Oh and one final question how can you have this :-

"First i kind of like having one size bullet that i can use in a few different calibers."

Calibre is the size of the hole, so if they are all the same size they are the same calibre :? unless they meant different weights, Errr I think I am confused :?

beemanbeme · « **Reply #13 on:** December 02, 2005, 06:36:25 AM »

If all of your hunting will be east of the big river, get a 7-08. If elk are in the mix and you want to ambush mulies out to 300 yards or so, get the 7RemMag.
If elk aren't in the mix, the 7-08 will hold its own out west.

anthony passero · « **Reply #14 on:** December 02, 2005, 01:21:49 PM »

"The best part about purchasing a 7mm RSAUM is after they finally disappear(the RSAUM line isnt selling as proof Remington is dropping the number of rifles being chambered for them) from the shelves is that you can always have it re-chambered to 7mm WSM. Lawdog "

Funny lawdog. Me being a Model 70 man,I have the same thought in the back of my mind!
People love the 7mm08 here. I know it works, but when I carry any rifle chambered in a cartridge based on the 308 Win case, in the back of my mind I always feel I should have brought my 270 or 06. I know there is no practical difference out to 300 yards. But I always feel under gunned!

The Big 7Rem in a Model 70 sporter is a rifle/cartridge combo I love and am thinking about. But to line a rig like that topped off with a good 6x scope up on a 150 pound buck here in Pa or in the Catskills at 30 yards, well doesn,t really add up to me either.

It always comes back to the to the 06 or a 270 doesn't? Which brings me back to the 280 which is the best of the three.It doesn't come in any rifle I like. So we come full circle back to the short mags. In a 7mm the Reminton is the better cartridge from all I have read. So what to get? I wish I wasn't so enamoured with the 7mms, but they really speak to me!

As for multiple rifles, EVERY time I buy one we are talking a thousand dollars. Good glass does not come cheap! Also, I really do not have the time for load development like I used to. And as Colonel Whelen said, beware the of the one rifle man!

kombi1976 · « **Reply #15 on:** December 05, 2005, 01:48:35 AM »

Oops....double post!

kombi1976 · « **Reply #16 on:** December 05, 2005, 01:50:08 AM »

Quote from: victorcharlie

My favorite is the 7 X 57mm but brass would be a bigger issue than a .280 which can be formed from 30.06 or .270 brass which should be fairly common

VC, I approve of your fave but I'm mystified by the whole suggestion that brass would be a problem for 7x57.
You'd have to live somewhere REALLY backward for you not to be able to come by 7mm Mauser brass with relative ease.
Many more companies load and produce components for 7x57 than do for either 7mm-08 or 280 Rem.
O.k., so you can form 270 brass to 280 and 308 to 7-08 but why bother.
Both Winchester and Remington make components for them both.
Anthony, personally, if you want a real doosie of a rifle consider either the 7x57 Ackley Imp or the 280 Ackley Imp.
Considered possibly the best 2 of Ackley's cartridge designs, aside of 257 Roberts AI, the 7x57 AI is close on the heels of a 280 Rem and the 280 Ackley is practically magnum performance.
Better still both can use standard 7x57 or 280 Rem ammo which reasonable accuracy.
7mm-08 is fine but unless you want a short action rifle you'd be better choosing one of the standard action cartridges.
In a modern action the 7x57 will match and better the 7-08 and use the heavier bullets much more easily.
And the 280 is simply tremendous.

jim21 · « **Reply #17 on:** May 02, 2006, 04:41:07 PM »

Here in western Wisconsin our deer are the size of Elk,we use 30-06s
But where your going a .243 would be big enough,but if I was you I
would'nt take any chances.Use a 7-08

257 roberts · « **Reply #18 on:** May 02, 2006, 05:13:56 PM »

7mm08 or 7x57 use a good 140gr. bullet and you will be good to go. :wink:

thumbcocker · « **Reply #19 on:** May 03, 2006, 03:59:50 PM »

I have a 7mm saum. It's easy to load for, good bullet selection. I've settled on 140 gr. accubonds. Shoots ragged hole groups and 3100 f.p.s. I can get more speed but it shoots so well I see no need. Also My short 7 shoots the same weight bullets faster than two of my buddies 7 mags. I have a 700 remington bdl ss. I liked the way it felt and how it handled. That was the main reason I bought it, plus I always wanted a 7mm of some kind. BTW I've used a 270 since 1975 and have no use for a 7-08 or 280.

Slamfire · « **Reply #20 on:** May 04, 2006, 06:05:28 PM »

For a group of folks who don't like the letters MM following the number of their cartridges, how come they've bought so many 7mm Remington Magnums, or 7mm-08s. :roll:
I'm still wondering what is the purpose of the SAUMs and the WSSMs other than to sell rifles.

Coyote Hunter · « **Reply #21 on:** May 05, 2006, 05:51:29 AM »

Quote from: kombi1976

...7mm-08 is fine but unless you want a short action rifle you'd be better choosing one of the standard action cartridges.
In a modern action the 7x57 will match and better the 7-08 and use the heavier bullets much more easily.
And the 280 is simply tremendous.

Agreed. But if you go with a standard length action, you might as well get the "real deal", the 7mm Mag. It can be downloaded to match the performance of the others or pushed to its limits and beat them all. I loaded my 7mm MAg to a little over 7mm-08 velocities but still well under 7mm Mag top velocities for many years. Moderate recoil, very long brass life.

While I only have the 7mm Mag, I like them all. The -08 in a short action is really sweet.