I want to scale back my inventory and have 1 or 2 big game rifles.

I live in the east but may hunt in the west. DOnt plan on ever taking coastal grizz.

Is there anything better than a 7mm Rem Mag for yotes, deer, hogs, elk, moose, and anything besides grizz?

How can you possibly even consider having only1 or 2 rifles? I just can't imagine that! LOL!

That said, if you reload and have the rifle and setup you're about all set.

But then, consider your need for a .17AH. That 7MM Magnum is a little noisy isn't it? While the 7MM will do anything the 30's will, what about cast bullets? You really need something a little bigger, like a .375. While we're at it, maybe you will need something with some character, like an old lever action from a gun show.

While the 7MM Magnum will do almost anything, this sport of "gunning" just doesn't lend itself to one or 2. That just doesn't seem
right.

It's like a golfer, with only one club. It will work, you know. Just doesn't seem right, somehow.
Shotgun.

As long as you are leaving the large bears off the list, anything from .270 Win to one of the many .300's would do just fine with proper bullets. As many has said before, the .30-06 is about perfect for this. And in the hands of a decent shot, no animal would be able to tell the difference between an 06 and a 7mm Mag.

These kind of questions can be fun, but boy am I glad that for me its just a "hypothetical" situation. I can't imagine living with only one.

was reading a few weeks back about a hunter from texas who has taken all 42 species of big game animals with a 7remmag, so you'll be just fine. of course the same feat was accomplished earlier by y.a. jones using a rem 700 in 30-06.

It'll do just fine. with a broad spectrum of bullet weights, it'll cover everything from yotes to moose without any issues. I'd either go with that or the '06 in the same situation.

gd

I used to live in Alaska and if a 7 Mag was all I had (perish the thought) I would not be afraid to whack the big nasties with it. I would use a premium bullet though. Some thing along the lines of the Barnes TSX.

300 Win.

180gr bullet @ 3000fps has the exact same trajectory as a 130gr 270 Win.

180gr bullet is all you need for moose and all you need for North America.

I truly enjoy shooting my 7mm Rem, but frankly I consider it a glorified 270, just MHO.

Mike Eastman is a man with decades of experience with the 7mag. He used that caliber for most, if not all of his hunting along with a factory 160 partition. He stated this to me at a deer/elk show.

I have a 7mag and it would certainly be a top contender if I had to download to 1-2 rifles. In fact, I will state that it would definitely be one of the two.

I've seen a 168 Berger VLD take a bull elk at 900 yards from a 7mag.

all else being equal I like the 338 wm better than the 7 mm rem they are on the same case and shoot an over lapping bullet weight range. the extra bore dia. buys you a wider range of bullet weights from 160 in the new ttsx or original x to 300 if you can find them but 250 for sure. handloads of 4831 and the 160 gr at about 3000 fps seem to be about an inch high compared to a 250 partition at about 2750 straight up so I dont have to re sight for a two bullet combo hunt. with the 338 being the jump in nose cavity size for barnes I never have had any trouble with them on smaller game they will wreck a an elk on the spot and they crush deer.

If you like the 7mm rem It is the crecent wrench of rifles kinda good for almost any aplication but not realy the right tool for one specific thing. it will work for your described aplication quite well. Keep your bullets under 160 gr in the mono metal types.

If you could have only one for north america and most of africa 338 wm would be mine. but do as you wish this is a very personal thing god luck and let us know how its going.

quote:

Originally posted by PATRIOT76:
I want to scale back my inventory and have 1 or 2 big game rifles.

I live in the east but may hunt in the west. DOnt plan on ever taking coastal grizz.

Is there anything better than a 7mm Rem Mag for yotes, deer, hogs, elk, moose, and anything besides grizz?

The 7mm Mag will get the job done, no question about it.

Don

I'm a fan of the 7mm Mag, but even so I'd prefer something bigger for say... Elk or Moose.

If it's all I had, yeah, I'd use it and it'd probably get the job done, but all things considered I'd rather have atleast a 338win for the big stuff.

I've said many times if I have an urge to shoot bullets heavier than 140grains in my 7mmMag that I reach for
my 30-06 instead as it tosses 165gr partitions every bit
as fast as the 7mmMag can

and besides, my 7mmMag doesn't particularly like 160's

AD

I have owned a 7mm Rem Mag, and while I did like it, I have always found it interesting that the outfitter I hunt with in Colorado, who has been guiding professionally for 40 years, flatly states that he has seen more elk hit and lost with 7mm Rem Mag's than any other cartridge.

If I were looking at a "One Rifle" arsenal, for other folks I would recommend the 270/308/30-06/300 win Mag/300 Weatherby Mag., any of those would make a good "One Gun" arsenal.

If it were for me, in order of preference, 375 H&H/35 Whelen/300 Weatherby.

why not just buy a 280 and get closer?

quote:

Originally posted by KSTEPHENS:
why not just buy a 280 and get closer?

wow, we agree.. except there's no meaningful difference between 7rem and 280 to 300 yards...

but, if you want ONE gun.. build a 376 steyr

quote:

Originally posted by KSTEPHENS:
why not just buy a 280 and get closer?

100%

Only I want mine in a Ruger #1...

quote:

Originally posted by KSTEPHENS:
why not just buy a 280 and get closer?

Most if not all hunters get as close to their intended target as possible regardless of their choice of weapon.

There are times when a long shot is necessary, and the 7mm is a great choice for that.
And it can kill just fine at not so long distances as well.

Of course internet "commando" hunters shoot everything from squirrels to moose at less than 40 yards, (after a 3 mile stalk) and of course they use a gun suited for dangerous game in Africa.
You never know when a cape buffalo is going to charge out of a coulee when your hunting mule deer.

KC

My pick for a one gun set would be a 30-06, two guns, a 7MM Remington magnum and a 35 Whelen. I have seen the big 7 do it all though and well at that.

thx for all the feedback...

I am not sure what could live (in the lower 48 and even beyond) after being hit with a well placed 175gr premium 7mm bullet, much less a 160 or even 140...

The new plastic Tipped TSX in 140 seems like a great place to start

quote:

Originally posted by jeffeosso:

quote:

Originally posted by KSTEPHENS:
why not just buy a 280 and get closer?

wow, we agree.. except there's no meaningful difference between 7rem and 280 to 300 yards...

but, if you want ONE gun.. build a 376 steyr

WOW, i really agree with that.
not the build part, the caliber.
the SBS 376 compact w/ iron sights can do anything needed.
i should have never sold the 7x64 steyr prohunter i had.

The 7mm Remington Mag will work just fine for you. I have personally used one with success on everything from Grizzly, Moose, Elk, to Coyotes.

Good hunting,

Fred

I have owned several 7mm Rem mags and 7mm STW. I would not classify Rem or the STW as "the one rifle battery". I would certainly step up to the .300 Winny, or my personal preference is .358 STA, loaded as hot as desired and capable for the big Bears. Lower weights of 7mm bullets available being a major consideration. Good shooting.

The problem with anything except grizzleys is they are in areas where you find moose.In Alaska if you sheep,caribou,moose or black bear hunt your likely to find grizzleys.I vote for a 338 win mag as the smallest rifle for all North America game.Then if you bump into a bear your not under gunned.Also on moose you want to drop them as quick as possible.You dont want them to get in the water.You have never been so miserible till you clean a moose in the water.Or loose one.The 338 is fairly flat shooting and has way more knockdown power than the 7 mm rem mag.You should see aLL THE used 7 mm rem mags in Alaska they go pretty cheat.The 338 was made for elk moose and bears.I use mine on deer also.I have taken deer from 3 to 425 yards and big hogs bears and caribou.I feel undergunned with anything smaller any more.

.300 Mag of some flavor would make a better 1-gun battery. IMHO

Yep mine is the grand old '06 from Wissel Pigs to what ever I want to hunt-yep even Griz/Brown!

[QUOTE]Originally posted by PATRIOT76:


I am not sure what could live (in the lower 48 and even beyond) after being hit with a well placed 175gr premium 7mm bullet, much less a 160 or even 140...

Nothing.

And with the flat shooting yet relatively light recoil you will be able to place your bullet in the right spot.

The 7mm mag is a great choice for damn near everything a guy could draw a tag for.

As far as there being a surplus of 7 mag rifles in Alaska I can't speak to that as I have yet to go there.

It seems that on the internet brown bears are charging hunters at a alarming rate.

I've been considering this question myself of late. Not with any thought to actually doing it, but if I did I think the 7mm Rem Mag would be great for the one gun man, 25-06 and a 338 Win Mag for two gun battery.

Just my 2c worth

Cheers,
Mark.

quote:

Originally posted by Mark R:
I've been considering this question myself of late. Not with any thought to actually doing it, but if I did I think the 7mm Rem Mag would be great for the one gun man, 25-06 and a 338 Win Mag for two gun battery.

Just my 2c worth

Cheers,
Mark.

Funny you should mention that combo... I have a .257 Bob and a .350 Mag in my safe and nothing in-between...

quote:

Originally posted by Mark R:
I've been considering this question myself of late. Not with any thought to actually doing it, but if I did I think the 7mm Rem Mag would be great for the one gun man, 25-06 and a 338 Win Mag for two gun battery.

Just my 2c worth

Cheers,
Mark.

yup doing two model 30 express done in 25-06 and 338 win right now

When somone asks me what rifle to buy so they can use it forever and for everything if they want to stick with one rifle - I recommend the 30-06 if they are practical and if they want really sexy the 300 Weatherby.

But when they ask what I have shot for the last 30 years - I have to tell them the 7mm Rem Mag. It is a great long range deer rifle and works pretty well on big Elk too. But it does help a gtrat deal if you hit them where you aim and the 7 is very good at that.

I would like for someone to explain to me how a .300 with a 180 at 3000 is so much better than a 7 Mag with a 175 at 2900 with better SD and BC. At long range they are the same velocity, with theoretically better penetration. I can see the argument for a .300 if you are using 200-220's on the heavy stuff, but the 180 for everything, being superior to the 7Mag makes no sense. There is absolutely no difference, I have always thought you have to go .338 to tell any difference. Someone said it was only an overgrown .270. I'd like to hear how that is a bad thing, like saying a .300 is just an overgrown .30-06. That's why they are great.

quote:

Originally posted by jstevens:
I would like for someone to explain to me how a .300 with a 180 at 3000 is so much better than a 7 Mag with a 175 at 2900 with better SD and BC. At long range they are the same velocity, with theoretically better penetration. I can see the argument for a .300 if you are using 200-220's on the heavy stuff, but the 180 for everything, being superior to the 7Mag makes no sense. There is absolutely no difference, I have always thought you have to go .338 to tell any difference. Someone said it was only an overgrown .270. I'd like to hear how that is a bad thing, like saying a .300 is just an overgrown .30-06. That's why they are great.

Simple answer? it isn't

More serious answer? you should be able to push 175's from a 7mm mag just a touch faster, close to 3000fps even, but with a 300Mag and a 180? if you aren't doing 3100 you aren't trying hard enough.

but even then the difference doesn't ammount to the lumpy smelly brown stuff that the guys are spreading around.

I honestly don't see the point of 175's in the big 7's because it is vanishingly rare for a 160 to stop inside anything.

Elk are just big deer and not nearly as heavily constructed as say... a hereford breeding bull
(frankly only a bison is that big)
and 30cal partitions are more than enough to break any bone in a bulls body and still manage to exit most of the time... at 30-06 velocities...

So what exactly is the 7mm 175 bullet made for?

Oh that's right! for the idiots that say "cup and core bullets are good enough"!

(in a wisper)
Pssst! I see stupid people, and they don't know how stupid they really are, and they seem determined to PROVE that they are stupid...

The cost of "premium" bullets is TRIVIAL compared to the cost of the tag, the airline ticket, the hotel bill, etc (or if you are a cheap bastard like me the fuel for your pickup truck)

There is NO EXCUSE for going after BIG game (elk/Moose/etc) without atleast some Nosler partitions.
So you don't like Barnes? WHO CARES, DON'T use them! there are other choices.


Like I said I think you'd be Ok with a 7mmRem, but in Griz country you need something bigger.
And as someone else said you need to keep a moose from getting to the water (no personal experience but that sounds about as much fun
as wrestling a griz)

But it just isn't true that where there are moose that there are Grizz.

I ain't heard of any Griz in Maine, Vermont, Newfoundland, etc... that doesn't mean they aren't there, but I definatly haven't heard of them...

Frankly I think a 7mmRem Mag makes a whole bunch more sense for Elk than a 243Win
does for deer.
but the fact is that most people can't shoot the 300mags accurately if their lives depended on it, and in those cases a 7mmMag that they are less afraid of makes more sense.

because it's better to hit EXACTLY where you need to with a 7mm than gut shoot something with a 30cal.

where people REALLY create trouble is when they forget that hitting the vital organs is simply all that matters...

*********************************************

Now to adress the worst remark in this entire topic?

I REJECT ABSOLUTELY the entire premise of a "one gun rifle battery".


AD

AD

I have no problem killing anything the size of elk, moose, kudu size with a 7x57 and 160 partitions. When on a caribou hunt in Ak, I take the .338, just because. I just think it doesn't add up, when someone asks if the 7Mag is OK, they say, no get a .300, and shoot 180's. I can't see any real difference until I go to the .338-9.3-.375, then I can see the difference. The more I hunt, the more it seems it takes a huge difference in caliber to make a noticeable difference, particularly when using the premium bullets, which I do.

j,

I think we are on the same wavelength.

What I'm going off about is that people on these forums have firm opinions, the problem is that they don't realize that some of their cherished opinions contradict other
other opinions they hold equally dear and I can't resist
sneezing in their general direction so that their whole house of contradictions go swirling of in the breeze.

Shot placement and power are in opposition, I'm 295lb and built like I was designed to tear bears apart, so I can handle a hard recoiling rifle, but the average 175lb guy
shooting my 45-70 with hot handloads is going to get a ride in an ambulance, or at minimum a ride to the hospital, if not for stitches to correct their magnum eyebrow to get their collar-bone X-rayed. mabey a 300mag isn't as bad, but there are relatively few who are really comfortable with them.

The fact that I can "handle" things doesn't mean by any stretch that I ENJOY being battered by a rifle if I don't have to be....

Why shoot a heavier bullet in a given rifle if the lighter weight will usually overpenetrate the intended target?

why shoot a larger caliber if the bigger harder kicking rifle won't guarantee a materially better outcome?
compared to using a less powerful cartridge that you have justified confidence in, because of accuracy and controllability?

Like I said, personally I'd like something bigger on Elk,but we aren't talking about me, what do YOU want to do?

Most importantly why do you need YOUR choices validated by a bunch of opinionated complete strangers and self-appointed "experts" on the internet?

AD

Allen, I have to call B.S. on size having to do with shooting ability with a heavy recoiling rifle. Practice is what will get you there.

On the subject though, the 30-06 is adaquate for anything in North America and so is the 7mag.

Roger on size vs recoil my 135 lb son shoots a 375H&H and heavy 45/70 loads in a guide gun by the hour. I know some big sissys too.

Well said, Crusher! .338 win mag would be my caliber of choice as well. But what a sad world we would live in if limited to only one or two rifles.........

The 7RM will work for sure. With it, I've shot moose as close as 20 yds and as far as 450 and never had to track any of them, they died where they were shot. I've shot deer as close as 10 yds and as far as 550 and, again, they as died where they were shot. Not all died exactly where they were standing (or running), but close enough to locate them easily. I've shot antelope with it and well over 100 coyotes. I've shot black bear and they died, too. I've personaly never shot an elk with my 7RM but can't see why it won't kill them cleanly as they're only flesh and blood. I've shot hundreds and hundreds of gophers and they died too. I've shot magpies, crows and ravens. Everything I've shot was killed with the 150 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip at 3150 fps MV.

Right now, I have 2 Sako actions over at Hart Rifle Barrels being fitted with 26" #5 tubes. One in 7RM and one in 6mm/.284. The 7RM will come with me to Namibia in March 09. With it, I will shoot Kudu, Gemsbok, Hartman's Zebra, Blue Wildebeest and Springbuck. It will be loaded with the 168gr Berger VLD. My hunting partner will shoot his Eland with his 7RM and the 168gr VLD.

The 7RM works and works well. We all have our favorites, favorites based on personal experience. The 7RM is mine.

Bobby B.

quote:

Originally posted by SteveM70:
Allen, I have to call B.S. on size having to do with shooting ability with a heavy recoiling rifle. Practice is what will get you there.

On the subject though, the 30-06 is adaquate for anything in North America and so is the 7mag.

I didn't intend to be taken that way, the fact is mhe bones in my shoulder are well padded compared to smaller statured friends.

I have one friend all 140lb of him that
is blown around by rifles in the 30-06 class...

It would be foolish for him to shot some rifles from the bench, but that can be said of some rifles in anyone's hands....


Practice only goes so far, and from what I see (to my great amusement) at the range some people's practice would (sadly) be better described as "refining their flinching technique".
Can you honestly say that you don't see other shooters doing the same thing?

Mikelravy, I'll bet your son doesn't shoot that rifle off the bench much and if he does he probably has far better technique than most people I see at the range.

AD

quote:

Practice only goes so far, and from what I see (to my great amusement) at the range some people's practice would (sadly) be better described as "refining their flinching technique".
Can you honestly say that you don't see other shooters doing the same thing?
AD

Yes, I can agree that I have seen some pitifull sites at a public shooting range near my house. I havn't visited that range in a few years for that reason. Just to many abondoned strip mines and slate dumps in my area to worry with the hassle of public ranges. But still, I can't say I have seen any corolation between size and shooting ability. Just some people that are comfortable with what they shoot and many more that are not.

I myself am 6-0, #185 and regularly shoot my 416 Taylor built on a Savage action weighing just 8 pounds without problems. The only friend I have that can handle this rifle for more than one shot off the bench happens to be smaller than myself but also ownes a 45-70 that he purchased at 14 and I'm not sure the barrel has ever had a chance to cool on that one in over ten years

How many Grains of water does a .280 case hold..
The 7 Mag is a great round and if you put the bullet were it should go it will..
I can't think of just 2 Rifles though.
AK