Author Topic: What happened to the 7MM Remington Mag? (Read 8368 times)

Coyote Hunter · « **Reply #60 on:** October 08, 2007, 02:18:47 PM »

Quote from: Swampman on October 08, 2007, 01:19:35 PM

"And they have so voted with their dollars."

There's no question in my mind that there are at least 10 times more .30-06 rifles out there (as there should be)than there are 7mmRemMags. I guess they have voted with their dollars.

That people choose the .30-06 only means it was determined to be the better choice by and for the people that chose them. Other folks have voted differently in large numbers.

As to the 10X, that may well be. But let's not forget that the .30-06 had a 53-year head start and is a military cartridge while the 7mm Rem Mag is a relative latecomer that that had to make it on its own without the military coattails. And I'll bet dollars to donuts the current ratio isn't anywhere near 10 to 1.

To make a blanket statement that one cartridge is better than another, without carefully defining the requirements, is ludicrous at best.

Old English · « **Reply #61 on:** October 09, 2007, 01:15:16 AM »

it seems sad to me that people are so attached to one caliber or one brand of rifle. I have several of both, probably like many here. I have a 7mm Rem mag and a 30-06. I like them both too. Just because 10* more people like the 30-06 does that make them it a better caiber? Popularity isn't any sign of quality, listen to some chart music!!! Rem Mag is happily enjoying an active life with me and the 30-06 brought in 2 more deer last season. I still have a lot of love for my 308 too. Variety is the spice of life.

Coyote Hunter · « **Reply #62 on:** October 09, 2007, 02:19:01 PM »

Quote from: Old English on October 09, 2007, 01:15:16 AM

... Rem Mag is happily enjoying an active life with me and the 30-06 brought in 2 more deer last season. I still have a lot of love for my 308 too. Variety is the spice of life.

Pretty much my situation, too. The safe is home to a 7mm RM, .30-30, .308 Win, .30-06 and .300 Win Mag. The 7mm Rem Mag, .30-06 and .30-30 are going elk hunting in 10 days. Last year the .300 Win Mag bagged an elk and the one before that was with the Marlin .45-70. Variety is definitely a good thing in this case!

corbanzo · « **Reply #63 on:** October 11, 2007, 08:31:14 AM »

And a lot of that 10 more people who like it are because they have never touched a 7mag, while many many and many more people have shot a .30-06, there are just more out there. So of course people are going to say what they are used to, and find no need for another rifle... which when compared to the 30-06 is well eclipsed. Myself I own a 30-06 and not a 7mag, I grew up on a 06, so it was the rifle that I hunt with now. I'm not saying that it is any better, I'm just more used to it, and I know it will do the job for me.

I know lots of people who have 7mags, and I have shot them, and sure did like the round. The ballistics and trajectory is great, and I have seen it do some damn good bone damage on some damn big creatures.

The 7mag is still out there and strong though, you just have to find the 7mag guys. It's kind of like calling the .40SW a disappearing cartridge because there are so many 9mm owners...

jro45 · « **Reply #64 on:** October 13, 2007, 03:31:39 AM »

I beleave that Performance is shooting in the right spot, making that decision to shoot or not, shooting the right bullet and using the right caliber.

beemanbeme · « **Reply #65 on:** October 13, 2007, 03:58:28 AM »

The 7 RM is alive and well and living in my gun safe. What it does, it does very well. Its kinda like the 30-06 in that so many good things has already been said about it that any article written would only be a re-hash of what has already been said.

Mr. Joe · « **Reply #66 on:** October 14, 2007, 12:25:13 PM »

The reason their are so many more .30-06's in circulation is because in its hay day(60 years before the 7mag was around)...it was the only option for the most part. Lets not forget, the '06 has fought in three major wars and was available in a large number of inexpensive surplus rifles. The 7mag however made its name on its own credintials. Not to say the 06' doesnt stand on its own merriets, but the 7mag made its name as a long range, large game stopper. It is more popular now, than it has ever been, and is truly a world cartridge when you look at its wide exceptence in africa and elsewhere around the world. There is absolutely nothing the 06' can do, that the 7mag cant do with a flatter trajectory and faster velocities...and with comparable recoil. As i have said before, show me a 06 that can push a 175 grain pill at 3000 fps. You show me that, and ill show you a blown up 06. Doesn't mean the 06 is bad. Its as good as it every was...which is damn good...but its not in the 7mags league balisticly. However they both are excelent choices for an all around rifle for the United States and Europe.

Old English · « **Reply #67 on:** October 15, 2007, 01:45:34 AM »

I've never seen any load data that puts the Rem Mag at 3000 fps with 175 gr bullet either. 2800 seems about max from the data that I have. I prefer my mag to my 06 for the record, but 30-06 or 270 seem about equal to it according to published data at the same bullet weights. I mean, give or take a small margin, or am I missing something. I am not stirring the pot here, just curious.

Siskiyou · « **Reply #68 on:** October 15, 2007, 03:52:14 AM »

I just checked some old 7Mag data and it gets close to 3000 fps at maximum from a 26-inch barrel, but not there. And this is not horseshoes.

Mr. Joe · « **Reply #69 on:** October 15, 2007, 01:31:27 PM »

I dont load a 175gr. bullet much myself. My initial loads with the 175gr. reaching 3k fps came from a mid 80s vintage peterson hunting article. I saw another in a gun digest from around the same time period pertaining specifically to hunting rifles. There was one last year i *think* in rifle shooter magazine in their classic cartridge page which happened to be about the 7 mag. Chrono results will vary of course but they have all been within roughly 50 fps for me. I can post some of the published loads in the reloading forum, but i refuse to post personal loads as they have been worked up to in my rifles, and i would hate for someone to use them as a starting point! Truth be told, my favorite weight for the big 7 are the 160 gr. and even those I'm looking for accuracy over velocity, though strangely some of my more accurate loads have been on the quicker side...but nothing extreme.

deltecs · « **Reply #70 on:** October 22, 2007, 10:10:50 AM »

Buy a .280 Remington instead. It will do the same ballistically as the 7mm mag will do at 30-50 yds closer range with the same bullet, less recoil, less muzzle blast and more rounds in the magazine and with a shorter barrel. It burns powder more efficiently than the 7mm mag with the same bore diameter. I personally don't care for belted rim cartridges and see absolutely no need for their existence now. The belt was a marketing technique by Weatheby to increase velocity and energy levels using modified .375 H&H brass. It was cheaper than having new brass made up. All the other manufacturers got on the band wagon and now the American hunter has been brainwashed that he needs magnum cartridges for NA hunting. This is definitely not true or accurate.

rickt300 · « **Reply #71 on:** October 22, 2007, 10:19:45 AM »

I like the 7MM RM's belted case. I think the belts look classy and overall the case looks better than the short fats. The 280 is a good cartridge but the 7MM RM beats it up with the heavier bullets and is still better with same weight bullets. If you don't like the belt, after you fire form your cases you can turn it off on a lathe and have a cool wildcat to show your buddies.

NONYA · « **Reply #72 on:** October 22, 2007, 02:41:25 PM »

Quote from: deltecs on October 22, 2007, 10:10:50 AM

Buy a .280 Remington instead. It will do the same ballistically as the 7mm mag will do at 30-50 yds closer range with the same bullet, less recoil, less muzzle blast and more rounds in the magazine and with a shorter barrel. It burns powder more efficiently than the 7mm mag with the same bore diameter. I personally don't care for belted rim cartridges and see absolutely no need for their existence now. The belt was a marketing technique by Weatheby to increase velocity and energy levels using modified .375 H&H brass. It was cheaper than having new brass made up. All the other manufacturers got on the band wagon and now the American hunter has been brainwashed that he needs magnum cartridges for NA hunting. This is definitely not true or accurate.

It has more to do with WANT than NEED,what is wrong with wanting a more powerful rifle?BTW try to find some .280 rem ammo at some of the local ammo shelves in small town America and then talk about them being them being "just as good",Walmart doesnt even carry them here in my town.Ill take that extra 30-50 yards and the availability of ammo as a +1 for the Rem mag,just as good at a closer distance makes no sense,a very poor comparison.

beemanbeme · « **Reply #73 on:** October 23, 2007, 05:04:58 AM »

If some one starts talking about NEEDING a rifle, he's in the wrong room. I have a 7mag, a .280 and several 7-08s. I didn't NEED any of them.

Don Fischer · « **Reply #74 on:** October 23, 2007, 06:02:17 AM »

Speaking of the 30-06 and how great it is. How popular do you think it would be if it were brought out new today and wasn't military? I think it would fail miserably! I have no love affair with it but it is a great cartridge, that at one point, was ahead of it's time!

old06 · « **Reply #75 on:** October 23, 2007, 06:15:28 AM »

Quote from: deltecs on October 22, 2007, 10:10:50 AM

Buy a .280 Remington instead. It will do the same ballistically as the 7mm mag will do at 30-50 yds closer range with the same bullet, less recoil, less muzzle blast and more rounds in the magazine and with a shorter barrel. It burns powder more efficiently than the 7mm mag with the same bore diameter. I personally don't care for belted rim cartridges and see absolutely no need for their existence now. The belt was a marketing technique by Weatheby to increase velocity and energy levels using modified .375 H&H brass. It was cheaper than having new brass made up. All the other manufacturers got on the band wagon and now the American hunter has been brainwashed that he needs magnum cartridges for NA hunting. This is definitely not true or accurate.

If the 7 Remington Mag wasn't so much better than any what ever round you want to compare it to it would have died on the vine its not the best round but you have to give credit to it it can stand on its own two feet. Yep I may be a little partial but I like a lot of other rounds I own you know it's achieved a notable status when you compare new rounds to it looking for a small advantage ................ there shorter but equal............. the gun can be lighter but there equal....................there no belt but equal...............ect
yep we have it made when the new stuff only wants to imitate the old 7mag or the old06 but in many cases its hard to unseat a truly great product ..........don't get me wrong the 280 is a good round but it's no 7 Rem mag and it was not intended to be when the same firm conceived it its almost as good but to cast the 7 mag out of play it won't

rickt300 · « **Reply #76 on:** October 23, 2007, 08:53:37 AM »

Well the short fat magnum rounds seem like an enigma to me, I mean who wants a light hard kicker? The 280 is sort of boringly similar to the 270 and it was brought out to compete with that round and it does this well performance wise but not popularity wise.

Jim n Iowa · « **Reply #77 on:** October 23, 2007, 02:14:28 PM »

I did not have much success with a 7mag/175 bullet as to a 30-06/ 200 Speer which did -.75" out of pre 72 Win 70. The 06 was stolen, so I now enjoy a 338 which does a great job from 215-250 bullets. The 7mag has shot -1" at 100 with 100g to 1.5 with 165g. I miss the 06, the 338 may be a over kill to some, to me its the solution that counts. Here in Iowa in the winter a long shot (the wind always blows) on a coyote thats on afterburner will take a heavy bullet or lots of 223 out of a AR. As far as Antelope to elk both were great rifles. When I ever would have the opportunity to go north for a Brown Bear neither would be my choice, hence the 338. One always needs another gun.
Jim

Coyote Hunter · « **Reply #78 on:** October 31, 2007, 02:20:09 AM »

The fact of the matter is that anything under a .375 Earschplittenloudenboomer is pathetically underpowered for even the smallest game and anyone that uses less is just another unethical hunter giving everyone else a bad name.

Last week I took two cow elk with a 165g North Fork from a .30-06 and a buck mule deer with a 140g North Fork and my 7mm Rem Mag.

Apologies to all for using such pathetic cartridges... Not!

Swampman · « **Reply #79 on:** June 05, 2009, 01:02:19 PM »

I picked up a nice 700ADL in 7mm Mag. today with a Bushnell 3200 3-9X40 in Leupold mounts for a reasonable price. I liked the fact that it had iron sights. If it isn't accurate, I may rebarrel it to something else.

Wyo. Coyote Hunter · « **Reply #80 on:** June 05, 2009, 03:00:52 PM »

Swampman, We have fooled with quite a few 7mm's. I like the long 700 action. You can seat the bullet to touch the rifling unless it has really be shot a bunch. My old 7mm has 1100 rounds down the bore it is a crome moly. The rifling is starting to wear some, but no noticable increase in seating depth. My pal has 4 0r 5 of these 7's. I have one chambered for the Rem. and one for the Wea. both 700's. My buddy likes a very heavy load of IMR 4350 and 140 grain Balistic tip. Mine does 3400fps. with a heavy load of Reloader 22. I smacked a big mulie with this load years ago. He was about 350 yards up a steep mt. I held high on the shoulder and jerked his feet out from under him. My late wife used this gun a lot she killed antelope to 350 with it, a couple times she was a bit off at closer distances, but the antelope seldom moved more than a couple steps.

The last moose she shot with it was a huge cow. It took a 140 1/3 of the way up just behind the shoulder. It took one step and dropped.

Let us know how this one shoots. The powders my pals and I like best were imr 4350, and reloader 22, with a couple guys going for H4831. I believe that was an old favorite of Bob Hagel.

Enjoy

Swampman · « **Reply #81 on:** June 05, 2009, 03:53:10 PM »

It sounds like I did good. The bore of the rifle looks very good. I may try to find a CDL stock for it. I'm partial to nice walnut.

Coyote Hunter · « **Reply #82 on:** June 06, 2009, 01:36:06 PM »

Swampy -

IMR7878 SSC is definitely worth trying. It works great with the 120's and 140's. I'm hitting 3570fps with the 120g TTSX and 3375fps with the 140 TTSX. Haven't tried it with any 160's as I'm not shooting them much any more.

Swampman · « **Reply #83 on:** June 06, 2009, 01:47:48 PM »

So these barrels are good for perhaps 1200 rounds?

Wyo. Coyote Hunter · « **Reply #84 on:** June 06, 2009, 01:49:32 PM »

;)Coyote Hunter, I was glad to hear you are getting those speeds with 140's from your 7mm. My old Rem. would kick along a 140 at just a bit over 3400 fps, with a heavy load of Re 22. Most of the guys were reporting loads far below that. Haven't shot much 7828 in my Rem, but it will kick along a 160 at about 3250 from my little 7mm Wea.

Wyo. Coyote Hunter · « **Reply #85 on:** June 06, 2009, 01:56:45 PM »

Swampman, I would say you will get more than that out of your Rem. The beauty of the 700 is they have a long magazine box. As you shoot the throat away of the barrel, you can add more powder and seat the bullet out for better acc. and keep the speed close to a new barrel.

My 7mm Rem. barrel is 1100 rounds old. It is crome moly not stainless. The rifling is slightly rounded, but there has not been any great increase in the seating depth. So I would say it will go 2000 before I have to do long seating an more powder. When the 7mm first hit the market, a bunch of guys had their rifles throated long to seat the bullet out flush with base of the neck, they could add more powder and increase the speed, but it took, according to my pals, about 1500 rounds of accurate shooting from the life of the barrel. Most guys will never come close to shooting out a barrel unless they do lots of target shooting or varmit hunting with it.

Coyote Hunter · « **Reply #86 on:** June 06, 2009, 04:36:53 PM »

Quote from: Wyo. Coyote Hunter on June 06, 2009, 01:49:32 PM

;)Coyote Hunter, I was glad to hear you are getting those speeds with 140's from your 7mm. My old Rem. would kick along a 140 at just a bit over 3400 fps, with a heavy load of Re 22. Most of the guys were reporting loads far below that. Haven't shot much 7828 in my Rem, but it will kick along a 160 at about 3250 from my little 7mm Wea.

I quit before pressure signs and because I was more than happy with the velocity. After testing the 120's and 140's and doing the ballistic calculations, I decided to stick with the 140's. Not quite as flat but more energy down range.

jro45 · « **Reply #87 on:** June 08, 2009, 10:06:40 AM »

I have a 7mm Rem. Mag. and I use H1000 for my 175gr bullet. It goes 2950 FPS. I use same powder for my 160gr bullet. For the rest of my rounds I use H4831.

mannyrock · « **Reply #88 on:** June 11, 2009, 04:00:59 AM »

Dear Guys,

Sorry to jump in at the end of this post, but I really don't understand the original question. The 7mm Rem Mag still ranks among the ten most popular rifle cartridges in America, and based on my experience in living/hunting in the Mid-South for 28 years (being West Tennessee, East Arkansas, Mississippi, and Alabama), the most popular deer cartridges at deer camps in those areas are (in order of popularity):

1. the .270 Win.

2. the 7mm Rem Mag.

3. the .30-06

In the Mid-South, the primary crops are row-crops, being beans and cottons, and these are grown in very large fields. 250 to 300 yard shots are not uncommon, so the flat-shooters, in standard cartridges available at Wal-Mart, still rule.

Best Regards,

Mannyrock