I am going to buy a rifle. I have narrowed it down to a .270 or a 7mm Mag. Which one is more versitile. From paper to moose, uses will be paper first to get accurate loads, then deer, bear, some ground hogs, maybe a trip out west or to Canada for bigger game. It will be a Reminton 700 BDL synthetic(?) stock with a 6-24X40 BSA scope with home loaded ammo.

I'm of the school that the 7RM is a loud 270 with a longer barrel... I seriously doubt you could ever see any difference between the two in the field. whatever floats YOUR boat...

I may not agree with Brad that theres little difference between the two ctg's listed, but do agree that either one will do a geat job for you.

Bullets* are SO GOOD right now that most ctg's really can perform well outside of their traditinal parameters. * read; PREMIUM bullets.

The 7mm mag would get my nod as I like the ability to use the 175 gr bullets on the bigger game you want to hunt. One can also load the 7 rem mag DOWN to 7mm/08 or low .280 Rem levels. One truly does not need 3000+ fps to kill a whitetail.

FN in MT

I would go with the 7mm. I like to be able to shoot heavier bullets at big (elk or moose) game. The 270 will take any big game animal in the continetal US with proper shot placement, but I prefer a little bit of added power/pentration. It gives me a little more confidence in the field.

I'm a real .270 Winchester fan, but if I wanted just one rifle and had to choose between these two, I'd go with the 7mm Rem. Mag. and a 24" barrel. I'll do all that the .270 will do, and a few things that it won't do, especially with 175 gr. loads.

AD

Hmmmmmm? You say you want to hunt paper to moose, right? With a .270 or 7RM, right? Well, a .270 certainly is a flat shooter than you can download a little for the varmits. And, when I went on my first guided elk hunt a guy showed up with a custom .270 caliber. He was the ONLY one to get his elk by the way. However he did say that the elk did not drop from the first well placed shot but ran around in a tight circle giving him a chance to snap off another round which then dropped the bull. He happened to be on the local police sniper SWAT team as I remember. The 7RM will not produce much different overall knockdown power than the above described senerio, if you are intending on using it for the bigger animals. Yes, it will do the job. But, if you can afford to hunt moose I would also believe you might be able to scrounge up enough for a CZ 9.3X62 American for moose. Even a 30.06 will be able to put a 200 grain bullet in the vitals with what is needed for the larger game. But for mooose I would recommend the 250 grain Nosler ballistic tip in the CZ. And you can't go wrong with the Nosler Partition either! Just my 2 cents worth. Good shooting! Mike

The 7mmremmag produces more energy and is more suitable for larger game such as elk or moose.

Either one is a right answer. The Western hunters will chime in for the magnum as the animals are bigger there.

I would get a 270 WSM. It will range about as far as the 7mm RM and be easier to handload for.

I almost forgot to ask what is that big scope for? I would save myself a lot of trouble and just get a Leupold VX1 in 3-9. They are only about $200 at most mailorder places.

[ 12-08-2003, 00:43: Message edited by: Savage 99 ]

FWIW, the BSA scopes are all made in China now and the word on the street is they don't hold up on the boomers. I honestly don't know.
If you want to go from paper to moose, the 7mag is the better choice but shooting it off of a bench or at groundhogs will get old in a hurry.
Why not consider the 7mag in a ADL. You should save enough to get a nice used .223.

Yes i meant ADL. I found one in 7mm Mag for $329, used of course. As far as the .223, I have a 22-250 with the scope I spoke of on it, looking to get better glass on it. And I don't know if I'll ever get to go for a moose but buy now save later? Keep chiming in those opions I read them all, and appreciate all of them. Chast

The 270 Win is really .277 diameter.

The 7mm Rem is .284 diameter.

For handloading purposes there are more .284 diameter bullets available than .277.

And as was said before, you can always download to the 270 power level.

If you're going to have just one gun, I would go with the 30-06. You won't be undergunned for just about anything in North America.

The 7mm Rem is a louder 280 Rem with a longer barrel. (Unlike the 270, you'll have the huge selection of bullets available to you.) You can do more with the 7mm, but you really should get a bigger gun. They don't take up that much room, and you'll be a lot more satisfied as you grow old.
The 30-06 is really the worst cartridge there is, since it really is fine for anything around here.

Between those two, a I like the 7mag as an all rounder. Heavier bullets for the bigger critters, several brands of match bullets for target work, you can load it down a bit for deer (read under 100yds)in cover. The other reason is I just don't care for the .270 in any flavor nor do I the .30-06 but it might be better still as the single riflemans rig.

All though I prefer the 7mm, I won't argue with the 270 crowd. However, I will never own another BSA scope. I had a pistol scope, and it had over 2 feet of parallax movement at 100 yards. Perhaps the rifle scopes are better, but I would rather throw the scope at my target then put another one on one of my firearms.

7 mag ADL's sell for $299 new at the local discount store.

The 7mm Rem with it's heavier bullets, without a doubt. Good shooting.

Get the .270. It will do anything the 7 Mag. will do, moose and elk included. Plus, the barrel will outlast a 7 Mag. if you use it for shooting varmints.

Major which discount store is that? I am close to Dick's, Wal-mart, K-mart and a handful of gun stores, I am always looking to save here to spend there.

I vote for the 7mag. I have one and it is very accurate. Plus it has heavier bullet choices from the factory, up to 175. I dont know whether the 270 has any choices from the factory over 150. I chose the 7mag and had these same questions about a year ago. This is because it is a better gun if going after elk since you can shoot the 175 grain bullets! Nathan

You've answered your own question. Get a .280. It's better than the .270 and 7mm Mag.