Lads
I have a custom mauser 7x57 with a 26 Sillen moving a 140gr TSX at 2900 FPS.
I also have a beauty Steyr SS Prohunter in 7mm Mag.
Am i gaining anything with the 7mm mag and a 140gr bullet to be bothered with....?

I suppose it depends upon the distance one is shooting. For me, no.

The animal you shoot will not know the difference.

Nope. Accuracy would be the only relevant decision point with those rifles and load. Not hunting big game on your hind legs anyway as my daddy used to say.
The pleasure you get by carrying, shooting in the habitat you hunt is always a factor for me as well when I pick my companion for the day.

quote:

Am i gaining anything with the 7mm mag and a 140gr bullet to be bothered with....?

You're gaining about 300 fps, typically.

This is a difference in 4.5 inches less drop at 400 yards and 320 ft lbs more energy at 400 yards.

Put another way, the magnum has the same energy at 520 yards as the standard does at 400 yards.

If you are shooting far enough that the flatter trajectory and greater energy of the magnum is important, then yes, you are "gaining" something. If you are shooting at 200 yards or less, then no, you're gaining little, if anything.

I think the Magnum 7 are best with 160-175 grain bullets

Tossup, although a fellow in a North Carolina rifle shop told me I was wasting capability by loading a 7mm Magnum with 145 grains at 3100 fps.

It is accurate, the trajectory is predictable, and the last dozen or so antelope were under 250 yards. What's not to like?

I only let my 93 Mauser go because it was not accurate and I didn't want to rebarrel it. I somewhat regret that now.

The only benefit IMHO of owning a 7mm Mag or 280AI like I do, is the extra 50 meters range with same zero and using 160gr or 175gr bullet at 350 meters.

My 7mm08 can handle everything else with 140-150 gr bullets out to 400 meters if needed.

That is unless you just want another rifle / caliber

I have and have had 7x57, 7-08,7RM. Got out of the 7RM and went to the 7-08 and a 338WM instead. One for general hunting & plinking, one for areas with high G-bear pops. Stayed that way for 25yrs+. Then I found a deal on a new K1 Merkel, it was 7RM, price was a never to be seen again deal. Not really what I wanted, but, no big deal breaker. The gun was what I wanted. I can load it to 7-08/7x57 loads or full power, so, what the heck, it'll do the job either way, in a nice to carry gun for an old guy.

do you want more?
with a barrel that long I bet you might just be able to get it.
I didn't work with a mono metal bullet, but pushing a regular 140gr jacketed bullet in my long barrel rifle let get up in the 3-K area.
yeah with a 7X57.

# 1, if your rifle likes the 140G. then use it. I have several 7mms that bbls. like different bullet weight. It just is. If you are using the bullet in the 7mm mag. then the lighter weight bullet will give you an advantage when coupling velocity as we all know that the faster a projectile moves the less it is affected by gravity I.E relatively flat trajectory. As to the killing power of the 140 V/S the 175..,..frankly, I would not like to be hit with either.

Seriously though, a lot depends on your what + where you're hunting. Obviously hunting Colorado over a chasm or West Texas antelope at great ranges one wants the flattest trajectory possible. That being said, I have/had an old hunting buddy that gave it up to the big C a few years ago. His opinion + I have to agree was that the optimum desire was for the heaviest bullet regardless of the calibre that could attain the closest to 3000 MV was the goal to try to achieve.

quote:

Originally posted by Stonecreek:

quote:

Am i gaining anything with the 7mm mag and a 140gr bullet to be bothered with....?

You're gaining about 300 fps, typically.

This is a difference in 4.5 inches less drop at 400 yards and 320 ft lbs more energy at 400 yards.

Put another way, the magnum has the same energy at 520 yards as the standard does at 400 yards.

If you are shooting far enough that the flatter trajectory and greater energy of the magnum is important, then yes, you are "gaining" something. If you are shooting at 200 yards or less, then no, you're gaining little, if anything.

Good answer. ^^ I would add that the keyword in the OP's question is, am "I" gaining... Are you? Only you know your needs and hunting situation. I hunted with the RM for several years. Loved it. Very deadly. That rifle is long gone and now I use a 7X57. For me and my needs the velocity gain is negligible. But my confidence factor is every bit as good. Maybe even better due to lower recoil. "Gains" are relative.

quote:

Originally posted by Nakihunter:
The only benefit IMHO of owning a 7mm Mag or 280AI like I do, is the extra 50 meters range with same zero and using 160gr or 175gr bullet at 350 meters.

My 7mm08 can handle everything else with 140-150 gr bullets out to 400 meters if needed.

That is unless you just want another rifle / caliber

Agree with Naki, a 7mm Magnum really comes into its own with heavier bullets. Try a sleek pointed boat-tail such as the 160gr Sierra Game King which you can easily drive at 3000fps and that will answer your question.

I used nothing else for several decades hunting several species of deer, feral goats, tahr and chamois at all ranges in all country and nothing hits and kills quite like those bullets at that weight and starting velocity.

I have owned and used the 7x57 and 7mm-08 with 120-150gr bullets, currently use a light weight 7mm-08, they carry and kill well but definitely not in the same league as the magnum.

When I owned both it was always the 7mm Mag that got taken from the safe for important hunts, despite a long 26" barrel and weighing in at 10lbs with a steel Kahles scope on board. It was most satisfactory at decking animals.

I will take a long throated 7x57 any day..Ive shot too much game with it to doubt what it can do with a max handload, and that is compete with the heavy long 7mag and do so with a 22" tube and at 6.5 lbs..I can get 2900 with a 140 gr. Nosler in my 7x57 with H414 and RL-19 and Im over max but its worked for years with no problem..

In my opinion, the only justification for a 7mm magnum is the 175 gr. bullet at 2900 to 3000 FPS and its one hell of and elk combo, and can reach out yonder on PG, deer, antelope and whatever else...

to me, that depends on the animal you are hunting, big difference 140 at 2900, and a 160 at 3000

Yup my 270 Weatherby shoots 150g Partitions at 3250 fps. Beats our 270 Win by 250 fps. Both do the job, the Weatherby a little farther out and a little more oomph

The only advantage I see with a 7 mag is with the 175 gr. bullets pushed as fast as you can, and that will make a difference I suppose on elk and large animals..More powder, larger bullet, larger case, more veloicity means more killing power, more range, no matter what anyone thinks about it..How much difference, enough to add confidence to a hunt perhaps. IN this case a 175 gr. Nosler at 3000 FPS beats the 7x57...I don't own a 7 mag never will, but give due where its deserved..Besides the 7x57 has suited me for years.

Vines,
The "big difference" between a 140 grs at 2900 FPS and 160 gr. bullet at 3000 FPS is to be exact 20 grs of bullet at 100 FPS. and that ain't a hell of a lot, a 22 at pellet gun velocity sorta!

7mm: Now let me see….

At the moment I own a 7mm BR, a couple of 7X57's, a 7X64 or two, a 7X66SE Vom Hofe, a .275 H&H Magnum, a 7mm Remington Magnum, and a 7X75R SE vom Hofe. I enjoy playing with them all, but my old standby is the 7X57 built on a G33/40 action, with a Featherweight profile 22" barrel I took with me to Africa and took several head of plains game with: a bushbuck, a couple of wildebeest, and a Roberts gazelle now in Rowland Ward's record book. It is equally as effective on white tail deer here on the farm, as long as I pick my shots and don't try to stretch the range.

If I know in advance that I'm gong to have to take a long shot, which is sometimes the case, then I reach for one of the rifles with the larger cartridges, except in the case of the 7X75R SE vom Hofe. It is the rifle caliber of a Bockbüchsflinte, which carries a full length insert barrel in caliber 6X52R Bretschneider in the shot barrel. With it, I'm equipped for whatever comes along.

quote:

Originally posted by eagle27:

quote:

Originally posted by Nakihunter:
The only benefit IMHO of owning a 7mm Mag or 280AI like I do, is the extra 50 meters range with same zero and using 160gr or 175gr bullet at 350 meters.

My 7mm08 can handle everything else with 140-150 gr bullets out to 400 meters if needed.

That is unless you just want another rifle / caliber

Agree with Naki, a 7mm Magnum really comes into its own with heavier bullets. Try a sleek pointed boat-tail such as the 160gr Sierra Game King which you can easily drive at 3000fps and that will answer your question.

I used nothing else for several decades hunting several species of deer, feral goats, tahr and chamois at all ranges in all country and nothing hits and kills quite like those bullets at that weight and starting velocity.

I have owned and used the 7x57 and 7mm-08 with 120-150gr bullets, currently use a light weight 7mm-08, they carry and kill well but definitely not in the same league as the magnum.

When I owned both it was always the 7mm Mag that got taken from the safe for important hunts, despite a long 26" barrel and weighing in at 10lbs with a steel Kahles scope on board. It was most satisfactory at decking animals.

The 7RM was my favorite caliber for a number of years along with the .338WM. When the 300 RUM came out my love affair with the 7RM quickly flamed out. I then picked up interest in big .338s: Lapuas and Edges. When the 28 Nosler came out I was kind of ho-hum, but a guy who builds rifles and shoots F class convinced me to try it (he shoots an improved 7SAUM). It launches Berger 195s at 3050 with no pressure issues and is accurate as hell, like every other cartridge based on the 404 that I have tried (RUM, SAUM, Edge).

I used to be infatuated with 139 gr bullets when I first started loading for my 7RM; moved up to 150s and settled on those, thinking velocity was super important. After moving to Arizona and being able to shoot at really long distances, I discovered what LR target shooters have always known: BC rules.

Tony Grimmett the famous AZ antelope outfitter has several 7mm McMillan rifles set up for extreme long range hunting (over 1000 yards). I used my own 300 wm and made a chip shot but saw these rifles in use at 8-900 and got the job done. Impressive. That day 3 90” plus bucks fell. He loans them to clients who show up with inadequate equipment.

I like the 7mm Rem. Mag.

It's so good, so damned good, that everyone has forgotten about it.

I can not say what you are gaining, but I am a fan of both cartridges. I am not a long range shooter.
I like most all 7mm cartridges. The 7mm Remington has been a favorite for years. The 7x57 makes for a very pleasant shooting rifle. The 7mm Remington does also. Of course I am hard pressed to think of a 7mm that I don't like.
I have not hunted with a 7mm in years. But the 150 grain, tipped monolithics are my current choice for the 7mm Rem. I feel they are good for the distance that I would be shooting them.

quote:

Originally posted by Fasteel:
Lads
I have a custom mauser 7x57 with a 26 Sillen moving a 140gr TSX at 2900 FPS.
I also have a beauty Steyr SS Prohunter in 7mm Mag.
Am i gaining anything with the 7mm mag and a 140gr bullet to be bothered with....?

I've owned both the 7x57 and 7mm RM.
The 7x57 tops out (Perfectly) at large deer IMHO.
For anything larger the 7RM carries a lot more terminal effectiveness.

quote:

Originally posted by NormanConquest:
...the heaviest bullet regardless of the calibre that could attain the closest to 3000 MV....

Elegantly put. I'm generally happy to give up some velocity for more bullet weight. Momentum doesn't seem to get the respect I think it deserves.

Dean

Agree, I wish Swift made 160g A-Frame bullets witha better BC for my 270 Weatherby. I'm shooting 150g Partitions at 3250 fps which is a sweet deer/elk load but a little more weight would be nice. That's one of the big advantages of the 7mm Mag over the 270 Weatherby

I wish Nosler made a normal 175 grain accubond. But i guess 15 grains does not mean enough to warrant the production line.

I've never been a .270 fan or even owned one even though I was a big O'Conner fan as a kid. Instead I preferred a 7 mm, my first being a 7x57 that was my first hunting rifle.

The reason for not liking a .270 was the limited range of bullet weights compared to the what is available for a 7mm. I guess reading Warren Page didn't hurt either.

I used a 7mm Wby for years. Killed antelope, mule deer, elk, black bear, and wild boar with it.

Only had one “failure” when a 154 gr WBY PSP failed to open on a deer about 60 yds away. It penciled through.

A long tracking job and I was able to finish off the deer.

At 200+ yds the bullet was explosive on deer.

BH63

Ive shot about all game with the 7x57 including buffalo and Eland some years back, it worked for me, but that was due to circumstance, it was the only rifle available at the time. It worked to my surprise, but would never be my choice for buffalo.

Today the 7x57 and 8x57 are a couple of my all time favorites in that I like the rifles as well as the caliber, and that makes a difference..

Im not a caliber freak, Im a bullet freak, give me a proper bullet in about any caliber within reason and Im good to go..A 175 gr. Nosler partition at about 2600 FPS backed by a flat nose solid will work on any animal on this earth. Ive even witnessed a elephant kills with a shoulder shot on elephants with military rounds, rather impressive, but not my cup of tea..

Today with Africa behind me I use the 7x57 more and more, a 140 gr. Accubond at 2900 FPS competes with the 270 and 30-06 with 140 or 150 gr. bullet respectively as far as I can tell..The 175 is a duplication of the 06s 180 with good handloads.

Not and never have been particularly interested in the 7 mags, or for that matter the 300 Win. mostly because I would rather go to a .338 Win.
Did have a adulteres affair with the 300 H&H at one time. These are all grand calibers, the only difference is ones choice, whatever that is will work just fine.

Thanks lads

I'll stop wasting my expensive componants on the 7mm mag. I suppose i made it sound like I only have 2 rifles. My . 6.5x55 Steyr Pro hunter also with a 140 hornady bullet has taken my last moose, my last cow elk and my last several deer.
And I have a Tikka in 7mm-08 I have been messing with over the last few years.
Ray's fav,in 250 Savage in a model 14 when they reintroduced the cartridge on some anniversary, a mighty fine shooting piece of shiny walnut...

I acquired a 7MM Weatherby accumark used a bit over a year ago.
It is too heavy to be an all arounder due to its weight but damn that gun is accurate. I have no idea why the owner sold it.
I am not using the bullet with the highest BC (160 NP)but that thing just cloverleafs patterns.
5-6-7 shots in less than dime. That is with max handholds pushing that 160 at 3250 FPS.
I you put a berger in it you might have fair long range gun.
There is no mentionable recoil in that heavy
rifle either. Have 3X15X44 VX5 on it.
It is my 400 yd. pig popper. Brush country deer rifle as well.
Terminal on pigs at 25 yards too!!!

The big case sevens that are considered magnums start to shine with 160 grn bullets

Non "magnum" sevens shine with 140's and 120's

woll be testing some 140gr TTSX bullets this week some time over reloader 22 powder, thanks for every ones thoughts on this topic