7mm rem mag OR 7mm rem ultra mag?...Alex
Alexdolhyj,
First, I gotta say congratulations! Purchasing a new rifle is always an exciting time to see what the new caliber will do. Fortunately, there is a lot of information about what to go with on the 7mm Rem Mag. Among the many blunders I fault Remington with, this is one of their genius strokes.
Something I got caught up in when I was much younger was how "ballistically efficient" the 7mm's were. Well it's true, but you always have to compare apples to apples and oranges to oranges. What I was doing was comparing top target bullets to standard hunting bullets. Same weight/shape 7mm bullets would have a naturally higher BC than their .30 cal counterparts. But, it takes more energy to drive them out at the same speeds as the .30 cal's. So each has their plusses and minuses. Also, the BC really doesn't come into play until about 300 yds. Anything shorter than that isn't really going to matter. What will matter is terminal performance of the bullet. Both the 7mm and .30 cal have plenty of bullets to do that job well. I suggest looking into the better terminal performance bullets than the flight characteristics bullets. Yes, certain bullets in the .223 can really shine. Some out to some really long ranges. But, they don't even come close to staying with a 7mm. Especially when it comes to calculating windage. No matter what you shoot you will have to allow for wind if it's there. It's always there when shooting long range.
Another thing to consider, and I'm glad you stayed with the 7 Rem Mag, is how much power is too much power. Some say whatever you can hold is good. Others say just enough to kill the animal. I'm in between, moreso, but think that middle of the spectrum power is just right. One of my favorite cartridges is the 7x57 Mauser. Factory loads run a little under what the 7mm-08 runs at. I load mine more to the hotter European standards. Like a 168 gr. bullet @ 2700 fps. Which is about 100 fps hotter than a .308 target bullet of the same weight comes out. With a good hunting bullet either is very apt to kill what you are shooting at with one shot. Make a bad shot, no matter how much power is behind the bullet, and it doesn't matter. My point is you don't need to load this round up to the max to get the best performance out of it. A well noted figure of hunting past killed many elephants with the 7x57. At a time when the big 'Nitro's' were common. W.D. "Karamojo" Bell is who I'm talking about. Meaning, it takes a well placed shot with the right bullet to land game, not just more power. You can load that 7mm Remmy up or down. But whatever you do, don't load it to the point you flinch when shooting it, then try to compensate in other ways. If you catch yourself flinching (many find this after purchasing their first magnum) go back to a .22 on the range until your flinch is gone.
You will be able to hunt everything in North America with that rifle. When people say I wouldn't go out hunting bears with one, I wouldn't hesitate. I'd have bear loads...but I wouldn't hesitate to take one. Bears can be killed if you keep your calm and hit them where it kills them. More than a few bears have been taken with .222 Rem's up in Alaska. It's all in where you hit them. then it's what the bullet with do when it gets there. More power isn't going to change a whole lot. -good luck
First, I gotta say congratulations! Purchasing a new rifle is always an exciting time to see what the new caliber will do. Fortunately, there is a lot of information about what to go with on the 7mm Rem Mag. Among the many blunders I fault Remington with, this is one of their genius strokes.
Something I got caught up in when I was much younger was how "ballistically efficient" the 7mm's were. Well it's true, but you always have to compare apples to apples and oranges to oranges. What I was doing was comparing top target bullets to standard hunting bullets. Same weight/shape 7mm bullets would have a naturally higher BC than their .30 cal counterparts. But, it takes more energy to drive them out at the same speeds as the .30 cal's. So each has their plusses and minuses. Also, the BC really doesn't come into play until about 300 yds. Anything shorter than that isn't really going to matter. What will matter is terminal performance of the bullet. Both the 7mm and .30 cal have plenty of bullets to do that job well. I suggest looking into the better terminal performance bullets than the flight characteristics bullets. Yes, certain bullets in the .223 can really shine. Some out to some really long ranges. But, they don't even come close to staying with a 7mm. Especially when it comes to calculating windage. No matter what you shoot you will have to allow for wind if it's there. It's always there when shooting long range.
Another thing to consider, and I'm glad you stayed with the 7 Rem Mag, is how much power is too much power. Some say whatever you can hold is good. Others say just enough to kill the animal. I'm in between, moreso, but think that middle of the spectrum power is just right. One of my favorite cartridges is the 7x57 Mauser. Factory loads run a little under what the 7mm-08 runs at. I load mine more to the hotter European standards. Like a 168 gr. bullet @ 2700 fps. Which is about 100 fps hotter than a .308 target bullet of the same weight comes out. With a good hunting bullet either is very apt to kill what you are shooting at with one shot. Make a bad shot, no matter how much power is behind the bullet, and it doesn't matter. My point is you don't need to load this round up to the max to get the best performance out of it. A well noted figure of hunting past killed many elephants with the 7x57. At a time when the big 'Nitro's' were common. W.D. "Karamojo" Bell is who I'm talking about. Meaning, it takes a well placed shot with the right bullet to land game, not just more power. You can load that 7mm Remmy up or down. But whatever you do, don't load it to the point you flinch when shooting it, then try to compensate in other ways. If you catch yourself flinching (many find this after purchasing their first magnum) go back to a .22 on the range until your flinch is gone.
You will be able to hunt everything in North America with that rifle. When people say I wouldn't go out hunting bears with one, I wouldn't hesitate. I'd have bear loads...but I wouldn't hesitate to take one. Bears can be killed if you keep your calm and hit them where it kills them. More than a few bears have been taken with .222 Rem's up in Alaska. It's all in where you hit them. then it's what the bullet with do when it gets there. More power isn't going to change a whole lot. -good luck
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