7mm rem mag OR 7mm rem ultra mag?
im getting a new rifle and im very interested in the 7mm rem mag and rem ultra mag cartriges. i plan on doing long distance pronghorn,mountain lion,elk and the occasinal mule deer... i am currently shooting a .223 and a .308 now its just time to upgrade to some more power to fill my AZ bull elk tag. i have heard plenty of the pros and cons of the two 7mm rounds and now im unsure which to get, i reload my own rounds so cartrige cost isnt a big issue.i would love to mimmic the flight caracteristics of my .223 on a larger scale...so whats my best bet?
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I have had great luck with the 7mm Rem and 7mm Wby mag. I don't have any first hand experience with the Ultramag 0 -
7mm STW 0 -
Hello alexdolhyj,
Welcome to the forums here on Gunbroker.
I have taken Whitetail deer with numerous rounds, 223 Rem, 243 Win., 25WSSM, 260 Rem., 270 Win, 280 Rem., 7MM Rem Mag, 7MM RUM 308 Win, 30-06 300 Win Mag, and 45-70. I have taken Elk with the 280, 7 Rem Mag, 30-06, and 300 Win Mag. I recently acquired a 700 Sendero in 300 RUM, but have not taken any game with it yet.
The hardest thing I ever hit a whitetail with is that 7MM RUM. I had a SAKO 75 SS, and wish I had never gotten rid of it. The bad part is, when loaded to potential, the barrel life can be shortened to about 1000 rounds. The 7 Rem Mag has been getting it done since 1962, and when loaded properly, can give you the flight characteristics you are looking for. I love the 300 Win Mag, and it really shines on the loading bench. It is capable of driving a 150 grain Barnes XLC at 3400 FPS from a 26 inch barrel. Due to the higher BC of the all copper bullet than its conventional lead core counterparts, it is extremely flat. I drive the 130 grain XLC at 3700 FPS, and it is laser flat.
If you want a longer barrel, then go with the RUM. You will need a 26-28 inch barrel to realize the benifits of it. If you are sticking with the tried and true 7MM Rem Mag, then the 24 inchers will be fine. You really might consider a 300 Win though, as it can be a little more versatile.
If you are looking for efficiency, cartridges and speed are just like cars and speed. There is no substitute for cubic inches. Lots of times, the increase in cubic inches does not give that much more speed to make it seem worth it.
I am sure that sandwarrior, nononsense, and JustC will be along to give some real good advise also. Take their words to heart, as they are the best we have.
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Cartridge cost may not be a big issue to you but be aware that you will likely find that the case life of a belted magnum is nowhere near that of the rounds you have been reloading. 0 -
Alex:
I have shot a 7mm Weatherby mag for years for both deer and elk. It can be loaded a bit faster than the Remington mag, but not as fast as the STW or Ultra mag. However, if you compare the ballistics on these, there probably is not that much difference for practical applications.
I have made one-shot kills with my 7mm at 314 yards on a five point bull, and at 525 yards on a moving spike bull with the 160 Nosler Partition, which Weatherby advertises at 3200 fps, but it may be a bit less in my 24 inch barrel.
You may wish to consider the 7mm WSM, and the 270 WSM. Further, while the 7mm is .284 inches, the 270 is actually .277 inches, so the difference is quite small. However, if you prefer heavier bullets, most of the manufacturers offer the 7mms in heavier offerings such as 160 and 175 grains, while many of the 270 loadings only go up to 150 grains or so.
It is my opinion that the practical differences in most of these fine cartridges would be outweighed by which gun you buy it in. How well you shoot it, and which bullet you use, will make a greater difference in most cases than the differences between these cartridges.0 -
Alex:
With regard to choosing a cartridge with similar trajectory to your .223:
Most of the cartridges discussed will propel a bullet of 150 or 160 grains at 3000 to 3200 fps or so at the muzzle. This compares to the .223 propelling a 55 grain bullet at about the same speed at the muzzle. However, if you conduct a check of the ballistic coefficients of .223 bullets versus good 150 or 160 grain 7mm bullets, you will find that the .223 bullets are at about .200 or so, while the 7mms are at .375 or .400 or even .450. This means that the 7mm will drop less than the .223, and this becomes more magnified at longer ranges, especially past 300 or 400 yards.
You can confirm these ballistic coefficient numbers by going to some of the bullet manufacturers websites, such as Hornady, Sierra, and Nosler. Most of them have information regarding the ballistic coefficients of their bullets.0 -
The RUM is quite a bit of powder for the 7mm bore,..but hey Kirby Allen is building his allen mags on the 338Lapua case, which is larger than even the RUM. They burn a lot of powder,..up to 100grs+ depending on powder burn rate.
I have a 7mm mag that is basicaly my go-to rifle if I don't have time to prepare to shoot with something like one of my custom rifles. It is so accurate, and I have taken so much game with it,..I just trust it implicitly. Unless you plan on poking Big game animals out to say 800+yds, the 7mag properly loaded will do anything you need in spades. With less recoil to boot.
In my loading for a friends 7RUM we never found a sweet spot (he likes to have the guns, but won't spend the appropriate time to get them worked out) Retumbo was the powder we started with behind a 162gr a-max,..but I think a faster powder would have been a little better with that light of a pill. However,..I never got the chance to find out.
The STW is simply in between the rem mag and the RUM.
The ultra mag is a hard hitter, but it will require quite a bit of powder over the 7mm rem mag with the barrel life being shortened by the amount of plasma that exits the .284" case mouth. It is fast and powerful, but just like in racing, small gains come at increased expense.
Either will serve you well, and Nosler now has their RUM brass available with drilled flash holes and good consistency from case to case.
IMHO, it is all in what you want to have,..I love my 7mm rem mag and will probably rebarrel the action in the same chambering once it burns this sendero barrel out. However that will be quite a while since I have maybe 400rnds down the bore.0 -
If you are hunting in North America the 7mm Rem mag will do just fine. Everything but brown bear. 0 -
thank you all for the help on my decision. i opted to purchase a Remington model 700 in the 7mm rem mag. i took some time to sight it in this afternoon and wow am i impressed. i sighted in 3 inches high at 100 yards with a 150grain spitzer partition and relocated my target at 400 yards and was suprized to see that it was dead on with no compensation for the distance, after six shots and i feel comfortable out to 600 yards.... great rifle even better cartrige.
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Congratulations! That combination you just purchased, has been the golden standard, which all other Elk rifle/cartridge combinations has been judged against since 1962. I am sure it will do just fine.
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