I have an opportunity to pick up either a Tikka 30-06 or a Winchester 7mm mag, both new, for an unbelievable price. My question is this; 99% percent of my hunting is whitetail or mule deer and the longest shot would be 300 yards, although almost all are under 200 easily. Once in a while, I draw a moose or elk tag, and all those shots are easily under a hundred yards. I also want to shoot the gun a fair bit, so I am interested in reduced loads for the gun. Any thoughts on which caliber to choose and if you have a reduced load that is accurate, could you please share that. Thanks in advance for your help.

I would go with the 7mm Rem.Mag. as I like it better but in all honesty theres really not a whole lot of differences in the two.7mm is a little flatter shooting and a little harder hitting,recoil is about the same.
I've got a 7mm Rem.Mag. and have had 3 different 30-06s I just like the 7mm better.Either choice you can't hardly go wrong!

I'm an old-school traditionalist, so I say take the .30-06. You can always load it down, and it shoots within a couple of inches of trajectory of the 7mm, plus you'll burn less powder, saving you even more money! The .30-06 is an undisputed classic.
Yardbird

The 7mm rem mag is a stupid caliber. Unless you plan to shoot at deer or antelope at 400-500 yards.

The problem with the 7mm rem mag is that it gives the appearance of power but can't offer heavy bullets needed for heavy game. And a lot of the 7mm rem mag factory loads are loaded down and don't shoot any flatter than 150 grain 30-06's.

My first centerfire was a 7mm rem mag, and now I shoot a 30/06 and to be honest I can't tell any difference between the two however I feel the .30 cal kills well. The 30/06 will neally shoot as flat and it can take heavier bullets if you want. I will not own a 7mm ever again it did nothing for me that the 30/06 will not do.

id go with the 30-06. I dont think I would own a 7mag again, because there isnt anything the 270 cant do in it place.

If you're looking for using reduced loads and versatility, the 30-06 wins hands down. For reduced loads or cast bullets the belted magnums are worthless. (I know because I own 14 of them.) The two exceptions might be the .375 H&H and the .458 Winchester.

After approximately 100 deer with 30-06, 270, 7mm mag and 8mm mauser I can confidently state that there is no noticeable difference in performance. I can't speak from experience on larger game but suspect they are pretty similar there too.

Easy pick

Teh 7 mm rem mag. Will do for anything but dangerous game. It's a great goat, deer, sheep and anthelope gun.

If you want the best combination between trajectory and penetration go for 160 grain bullets. 175 grain partitons are very good in this caliber.

7mm bullets has better SD and BC than bullets in 30 cal. A 160 grain 7mm buillet equals a 200 grain 30 cal bullet.

/ JOHAN

Pick the one you like the looks of best (I think Tikka makes a pretty ugly rifle).

chuck

I'm on the 30-06 side as well. Another benefit for the 30-06 is that you can put 4 in the magazine where the 7mag is 3 down. I know it's only 1 more round but I like that extra round in the gun! I load both calibers and both will serve you well whichever you choose, however I'm a big bullet fan. When in doubt, go big!
Elk Country

I own both and use both. For your stated purposes I'd go with the 30-06.

I would go with the 7 Mag, but I'm quite partial to mine. I know the .30-06 is also a great cartridge, but I think the 7 Mag, with 175 gr. handloads at 3000 fps is truly a deadly combination. Flat shooting, hard-hitting, etc.

Just my 2 cents worth.

Joel Slate
Slate & Associates, LLC
www.slatesafaris.com

7mm Rem Mag Page www.slatesafaris.com/7mm.htm

Kind of like comparing the 7mm 08 to the .308 not any real difference at least to any game animal

I prefer the 7mm mag due to it's flatter trajectory with bullets of equal sectional density.

Jumping into these 06 vers 7mag post can get a guy in hot water fast. There so close I would go with the one that feels the best to you. Now looking at your needs for this rifle if caliber
is the deciding factor I would go with the 06.
Max range 300yds for deer both do fine. The moose
or elk under 100 yds both are good to go but heavy
weights in 30 cal. just feel better. Both can be
down loaded for lots of pratice but I get longer
life out of 06 brass and it is cheeper for me anyway. In the long run I don't think you can make a bad choice with these two!

I'd pick whatever rifle you like more. Both cartridges are pretty close for your hunting.

The 7mm Mag is a tad flatter shooting, but inside 300 yards, the '06 shoot plenty flat. 7mm Mag will kill moose and elk just as dead as a 30-06 will. If you were hunting more elk & moose than deer, I'd say 30-06, but with good 175 gr. bullets, or a 160 gr. X or Fail Safe, the 7mm Mag will penetrate plenty on bigger game. I've shot 2 moose with my 7mm(160 gr. NPG & 175 gr. X). If you reload, the 30-06 will be a bit better, due to less powder, no belt, etc. Factory loads for both cals that I've chrony'd were less than what the factory claim, usually 100 fps.

Marcus if you decide to go with the 7mmMag how about hooking me up with that Tikka 30.06 at the unbelievable price? Just out of curiousity what do you consider an unbelievable price anyway?

Either cartriage would be fine with the right bullet. But I don't like the design features on the Tikka action. I'll take a Classic M70, even the push feed M70, any day. Excellent safety, and easily reworked/maintained trigger on the M70. The Classic has the excellent Mauser Claw extractor, a blade style ejector, and can be disassembled w/o tools for cleaning.
Either will work fine with reduced loads. Just remember to use magnum, not standard primers, and powder no slower than 4895. E

marcus:

The 30-06 Springfield is going to meet your cartridge needs better than the 7mm Remington Magnum will.

Buliwyf

I used to have a 7 mag in 700 bdl and now I have a 700 bdl in 06 I like the 7 mag better it totally slammed elk and moose at just over 400 yards the 06 may do the same but I did pass up a shot at just over 400 yards this year with the 06 I am not saying it wouldnt handle it but I wouldnt do it they are both awesome calibers maybe for me its just the memories associated with the seven mag. my plans are to get a bigger caliber and rebarrel my 30-06 to 25-06. Either caliber you will do well with.

The 7mag will shoot flater and hit harder, put simply the 7mag will out preform the 30-06. In all honesty though, If I were in your shoes I'd be looking at the rifles. Both rounds are close enough but they are two completly different rifles. I would shoulder both rifles and I'm sure one will just feel right. I like Winchesters

No problem to get another round down in the winchester, just get the long mag box without spacer and change the spring, (worked in my rifle anyway)
Definetly prefer the win over the tikka. This clip might illustrate it better..

http://users3.ev1.net/~jtclay/fishin.htm

All the best
Jens

jens thats funny... great clip!!!

If three rounds in the magazine is not enough the shooter needs more shooting practise not more magazine capacity.

Thanks Smallfry, shamelessly stolen from the humor section.

Stubblejumper- I could not agree more , just a small bonus when you want to get closer to the lands.

All the best
Jens

Jens , that clip was damn good, even if you did steal it!

Get both!!

I would, and did, go with the 7mm Rem Mag. I've said it before and I'll say it again--the 7mm Rem Mag may be the perfect all around rifle for game from antelope to elk. It offers to me what seems to be the trajectory of the .270 Win, the recoil of the 06, and dowrange energy approaching the .300 mags. With 140 and 150 grain bullets at a solid 200+ fps faster than the .270 Win, it holds the potential to be an awesome long range muley/antelope gun when ranges get long. The 160 grain bullet at between 3000 and 3100 fps offers the best versitility in trajectory, energy, and penetration. My current load is a 160 grain Partition but I will be trying out the 160 grain Accubonds ASAP. Finally, the 175 grain bullets offer excellent SDs and can probably take any game on this continent with the exception of big bears, with which you would be woefully undergunned, IMO, with an 06 or any 30 cal for that matter. The 7mm is far from useless. I have read in several sources that by nearly all available estimates, the 7mm Rem Mag is the world's most popular magnum--it ranks right up there with this .30/06 and according to some even beats the .270 Win.
That said, I have nothing against the .30/06. My family owns many of them and have used them for decades. I will maintain that if you can handle and 06 you can handle a 7mm and that the 7mm offers potential to be both flatter and more powerful, but this will serve to be a moot point. The .30/06 is a classic round that can do just about anything you ask it to do and many will find any increase in power to be unneeded--dead is dead and the 06 has been killing things dead for nearly a century.

You really can't go wrong with either. The more pressing questions would be A) which rifle model feels and functions better according to you and B)bullet selection, because bullet selection is second only to bullet placement when you need to kill things.

todbartell...no belt? Give it a rest! So what if the 7mm has a belt?!

[ 01-21-2003, 03:55: Message edited by: FarRight ]

Elk Country,

Here downunder the Tikka comes with a standard 4 round mag which I believe is an option in the U.S.

A 7 mag with a 175 gr. bullet at 3000 FPS or the 30-06 with the new enhanced ammo will toss a 180 gr. bullet at 2900 plus a bit...Not any difference here...Get enhanced ammo in the 7 mag and it still makes no difference but bullet integrity might become an issue...

I have found all these calibers kill about the same from the 270 to the 300's and all shoot about as flat and with the same bullet placement the reaction is always the same and the holes are the same size..

Pick the gun that feels best to you and shoot it well.

Ray
I couldn't agree more.
Mike

What they said.

For your stated purpose, the 30-06 is a clear winner.

The magazine will hold 1 more round, and the components will be cheaper considering the belted case and its normally shorter case life. I suspect factory ammo is cheaper. The recoil will be slightly less, and the 06 will do anything at the ranges you are talking about that the 7MM Mag will do.

Jerry