Ok here is the deal, I've had a couple of 7mm rifles but could never warm up to them. I had a .280 Rem and 7mm Rem Mag. It wasn't that they were unpleasnt to shoot I just kept going back to my .270 Win when it came time to hunt as it still seems to be the most accurate rifle I have in my hands. Between .224-.375 the 7mm and 9.3 are two calibers that I'm lacking in my rifle collection.

So I'm thinking a 7mm rifle again, and trying to decide what one to try. I know the 7X57 and the 7mm-08 are pretty popular on this forum and I've been cosidering them heavily. I just keep coming back to the idea of a 7-30 Waters in a bolt action rifle like the Remington 788 or an T/C single shot.

I'm not against giving the .280 and 7mm RM a go again. I really don't want to go to a cartridge larger than the Rem Mag, but I'm trying to keep my options open.

For a Non-Magnum 7mm.

280REM would be my top choice.

A 7x57 with 175 grain round nose bullets would be a very retro choice!

LWD

Go with the 7mm Remington Ultra Mag. Unbelievable top end performance. You can always load it down to what ever performance level you want but you will never get the others up to it. Only downside I see is recoil and the expense of extra powder.

IMO, the 7RUM is waaay over bore. I can get really close to it w/ my 7mmDakota & quite a bit less powder. The 280 is a great round, way underated. If you want a SA, then the 7-08 or a 7SAUM. Those are my fav. in order.

The Mauser, QED.

quote:

Originally posted by LWD:
A 7x57 with 175 grain round nose bullets would be a very retro choice!

LWD

Great minds think alike.

Favorite is the 7X57 followed by the .280 Remington.

quote:

Originally posted by 30378:
Go with the 7mm Remington Ultra Mag. Unbelievable top end performance. You can always load it down to what ever performance level you want but you will never get the others up to it. Only downside I see is recoil and the expense of extra powder.

With a handle like the one you are using I'm not suprised to hear the RUM come up. The reason I'm not really into that cartridge is the amount of powder burned. If I'm going to download to 7mm RM performance I should of stuck with what I had instead of making it a .375 Ruger.

7X57 definatly a good choice IMO and I really hadn't thought of the retro approach to it. Plenty of good Mausers out there to be had that I could rebarrel to this caliber. The 175 grain bullet is a little heavier than what I was thinking of using.

The 7-30 Waters or maybe the AI version of it just keeps calling to me. I was planing on sticking to bullets 120 grains or lighter. Kind of a plinking rifle for yotes and prairie dogs on occasion as well as being able to take a pronghorn or deer. The AI version would give me a little more so to speak and that is where the Encore/Pro-hunter would come in handy.

I'm not a fan of obscure cartridges, or ones for which the brass is hard to find or expensive or requires forming from something else.

I also don't care for the overbore magnums.

I like to be able to find and buy brass in bulk without difficulty, and to have factory ammo available without searching everywhere and at a reasonable price if, for some reason, handloads are lost or otherwse unavailable.

So for me the choices would be 7 x 57, 7mm/08, or 280.

Loaded to the same pressures, the 280 is more-or-less a ballistic twin of the 270, but with slightly heavier bullets.

The 7 x 57 and the 7mm/08 are ballistic twins, and, although I prefer the 7 x 57 (also for nostalgic reasons), the 7mm/08 is probably a better choice nowadays because loads and brass for it are more prevalent, and 7mm/08 factory loads appear in more bullet weights and are loaded to higher velocities than those for the 7 x 57. I fact, I was recently in the Bass Pro Shop South of Baltimore and was unable to find any 7 x 57 ammo there, but there were several different 7mm/08 loads.

The 7mm Rem. Mag would also be an excellent choice -- you can think of it as a 270 or 280 on steroids -- but it is more than is needed (more kick, more noise, more powder burned) for deer, antelope, and any game animal under 500 pounds or so.

If you wanted to use one rifle for everything in North America and you hunt elk and moose regularly, the 7mm Rem. Mag would be one of the best choices.

quote:

Originally posted by Paul B:

quote:

Originally posted by LWD:
A 7x57 with 175 grain round nose bullets would be a very retro choice!

LWD

Great minds think alike.

+1

quote:

Originally posted by 30378:
Go with the 7mm Remington Ultra Mag.

Only downside I see is recoil and the expense of extra powder.

Recoil is not only a downside but is THE main reason many people are not shooting a 7STW, 7 Ultra., 300 Ultra, 300 Weath. etc. etc.

If these guns didn't rip a person's face off every time they pulled the trigger, believe me, I would NOT be shooting my .270 Win.

Why are you thinking about buying a 7mm-08, 7 X 57, or a .280 when you own an accurate .270?

Your .270 tops the 7 X 57 and the 7mm-08 in ballistics with no noticable difference in recoil.

Going to a 280 is just a waste of money vs. the 270. I have recovered a 140 grain Barnes TSX shot out of my .270 and weighed it on my grain scale. 139.9 gr's. Using leaded 160 gr bullets in a .280, the 140 gr. TSX from a 270 will perform just as well, losing no weight, and shoot flatter.

My first seven that I ever owned is a 7MM STW. I just love that gun. I recently acquired a 7mm mag and that thing kicks like a mule. I could see myself building a 7-08 later in life. For now the 7mm mag is going to become a 257 Weatherby mag ASAP

quote:

Originally posted by LE270:
I'm not a fan of obscure cartridges, or ones for which the brass is hard to find or expensive or requires forming from something else.

The 7mm Rem. Mag would also be an excellent choice -- you can think of it as a 270 or 280 on steroids -- but it is more than is needed (more kick, more noise, more powder burned) for deer, antelope, and any game animal under 500 pounds or so.

Sure the 7-30 is obscure but since I can use .30-30 brass which I have quite a bit of no problem. As far as forming the case it shouldn't be any harder than my 8mm-06 or .338-06. Of course if I went with the AI version I'd have to fire form which would add an extra step but not a big one.

As far as the 7mm Rem Mag goes, I know it is a proven cartridge but I never saw where it would blow my .270 away. My .270 Win with 150 grain NP has been the hammer of Thor on elk for quite a few years for me. With 130 grain bullets my .270 has accounted for several coyotes beyond 400 yards and one mule deer buck at 500+ so I don't see where the 7mm RM will extend my shooting distances by a great deal.

I'm leaning towards the 7X57 just for the fact that it is easier to find than the 7-30. Plus it does give me the capabilities of using a wider selection of 7mm bullets. The 7X57 does have that cool factor about it as well.

quote:

Originally posted by ar corey:
Why are you thinking about buying a 7mm-08, 7 X 57, or a .280 when you own an accurate .270?

Hard to argue with that logic but the problem really is that I over lap so much on my cartridges that the 7mm doesn't fill any needs for me it is just a want. I just like to play with differnet cartridges from time to time. The cartridges on my reloading bench are:

.223 Rem, .243 Win, .25-06 Rem, 6.5X55, .270 Win, .30-30 WCF, .30-40 Krag, .30-06 SPFLD, .300 H&H, .303 Brit, 8mm-06, .338-06 AS, .358 Win, .35 Whelen, .375 Ruger

The fact is NONE of those cartridges are gonna BLOW any of the others away. The 7mag would be a better choice for elk but overkill for deer whilst the .270 would be light for elk but ideal for deer and the wheels on the bus go round and round.
I wouldn't sell a .270 to buy a .280 (altho I did) but if I had nothing and was just starting out and wanted an ideal deer rifle, I'd buy a 7-08. If I wanted an ideal deer rifle with an ocassional elk, I'd buy a .280. If I hunted mainly elk with an ocassional deer, I'd get the 7mag. I'd leave the .270 (and the 7x57) for the nostalgia buffs to fondle and dream of Jack OConnor and Bell. (fwiw, I have 4 7=08's, 1 .280 & 1 7mag, No .270's )

I don't get the ones who say a 7Mag if you're hunting elk at all. The 7x57 or 7-08 will flatten elk, moose or anything with today's premium 160-175 grain bullets and loaded to modern pressures. If I hunted mainly elk and larger, I'd carry a .338-06 or .338 WM, but have killed more game here, and in Africa with the 7x57 than any other, with 160 partitions.

7x64 Brenneke and 7x66 Vom Hofe. Just acquired a reamer for the Vom Hofe, so this cartridge will move up a few spots in line.

quote:

Originally posted by pinotguy:
7x64 Brenneke and 7x66 Vom Hofe. Just acquired a reamer for the Vom Hofe, so this cartridge will move up a few spots in line.

Yes in Europe, but not in America -- too difficult to get brass for them here.

The 7 X 41 followed very closely by the 7 X 57. If elk were on the menu than the 7 X 57 although under 100 yds. the 7 X 41 would make a nice showing in the hands of a cool hunter. roger

Another vote for the 7x57. In my case, the 7x57R.

Dyed-in-the-wool 7-STW fan, here. But not sure it fits your wants.

quote:

Originally posted by MJines:

quote:

Originally posted by Paul B:

quote:

Originally posted by LWD:
A 7x57 with 175 grain round nose bullets would be a very retro choice!

LWD

Great minds think alike.

+1

+2 retro maybe...very effective--yep!

The 7mag. is hard to beat for most hunting.It can achive over 3200fps with bullets up to 150grs.You can get a wide selection of bullets for it.Because it is so popular,ammo and brass is easy to find and it is usually fairly priced too.The recoil is not bad at all with a good recoil pad.I kinda feel about the same way Jack O'Conner felt about the 270.It's a darn good all around caliber.

Never warmed up to it? There is such a stunning array of bullets in every shape and size. Rivals the 308 cal in that respect.
7x57, 7-08, 280 Rem, 7mm Mag - all excellent at what they were designed for.
280 is just about perfect for NA big game. 7x57 might win in the right rifle.

280 kicks ass if you cant figure that out.we cant have an intelligent conversatrion and I have owned all the sevens.w/regards

I would opt for another 7mm Rem Mag first, a 280AI second, 7mm Dakota third, and 7-08 fourth.

I would build a 7-30 Waters! That is what you really want, right? Besides, with your current chamberings theres no real nitch you can fill with any of the other 7's you asked about so why not..........

quote:

I would build a 7-30 Waters! That is what you really want, right? Besides, with your current chamberings theres no real nitch you can fill with any of the other 7's you asked about so why not..........

Very good point and it must be great fun plinking with such a mild rifle.

Short action - 7-08
Long action - 280/7x64

i really love my 7mm-08 REMINGTON. I shot a .280 for years, but i always go back to my 7-08 with a 24 in barrel, using 140'S at 2940 fps shot over croney. but my last few years for deer size game i use my .260 rem.

We are a 7x57 family....

Don

7 STW, 160 TSXs at 3300. Whats not to like?

Never really could figure out why they even bothered to mess around with any 7mm's after the 7x57 was developed. Actually once owned a 7mm Express but didn't figure out why it was any better than the 7x57 so I sold it. Had a 7mm Barr Magnum many years ago and couldn't figure out why I had it either. Have a 7x57 now and do know why I have it. It just does the job over and over and over with no punishment on the shooter with boring regularity.

quote:

Originally posted by MTM:
7 STW, 160 TSXs at 3300. Whats not to like?

RECOIL!

Why is it when someone says they LOVE a 7mm-08 it stirs strange errotic images in my mind? roger

quote:

Originally posted by SteveM70:
I would build a 7-30 Waters! That is what you really want, right? Besides, with your current chamberings theres no real nitch you can fill with any of the other 7's you asked about so why not..........

Don't know for sure if that is what I really want, but I keep coming back to it. I've got plenty of hunting calibers, not saying the 7-30 isn't one, but it is far differnt from my other hunting cartridges. If I'm going to build it I really want it in a bolt action and that has been the major hang up so far in this caliber.

quote:

Originally posted by bartsche:
The 7 X 41 followed very closely by the 7 X 57. If elk were on the menu than the 7 X 57 although under 100 yds. the 7 X 41 would make a nice showing in the hands of a cool hunter. roger

So tell me about the 7X41, I'm not familiar with that cartridge?

One that hasn't been mentioned yet and my favorite 7mm.............The 7mmBR!!! Won't get you to the elk and stuff at faraway distances but what fun just to shoot! And it does do very nicely on whitetails with 120Noslers OR 120VMAX's! GHD

quote:

Originally posted by taylorce1:
[

So tell me about the 7X41, I'm not familiar with that cartridge?

It is very close to a 7mmBR but .100" longer. I designed it in the late 50s and finally built it in 1982. It is the same muzzle energy level as the 30-30 but superior flight characteristics. It is long throated and will accurately push a 175 gr. bullet to 2250 fps. at safe pressures. A well known participant on this forum grew up using a 25-35 on elk. If a proficiant hunter marksman such as this used the 7X41 Those Elk would be MORE DEAD roger