So I'm looking at next next build to be my do it all magnum for elk, sheep, bear, and when I want to shoot really long at steel. All things point me to either a 7 RM shooting 180s or a 300 WM shooting something in the 200s. Ballistically, the 7 seems to do just as good as the 300 WM it appears with a little less recoil. What are y'alls thoughts and experiences with either? Main focus is hunting big game with confidence to have knock down power at over 500 yards if needed.
Need some insight, 7 RM vs 300 WM?
- Thread starter el_cazador713
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I may be biased since I only have a 300wm but as you all ready stated your main concern is on game "specifically big game" performance I would choose the 300wm again if given a choice. I have shot everything from coyotes and deer to Schimitar Oryx with mine and am still amazed at how well it shoots and its killing abilities. Recoil sensitivity would be the only real issue if I were recommending it over the 7mag.
For reloads that I hunt with I use the 200 accubond running 2860 fps with H1000 from a 24" barrel and load the 208amax for target shooting. The majority of the animals I have killed with it with the exception of the Oryx have been with factory 180gn. Surprisingly it shoots the Winchester 180 ballistic sivertips consistently around .5-.625" groups at 100 yards. I bought 8 boxes of the Nosler Custom 180AB that were labeled as blems on shooters pro shop that the first two five shot groups I fired at 200 yards were just under .5" out of my rifle. Ive been holding on to those like there made of gold and only use them for hunting now.
I've killed lots of elk with a 7RM, most recently with the 162 ELD-X. They go down just the same as if you hit them with a 300WM.
if your playing with a 300wm and dont want to get to fancy.
get some 200gr SMK and 200gr sierra game king.
the BC is almost the same until you get really far out, so you are practicing with your hunting round and hunting with your practice round.
i have more than a few antlers on the wall form that recipe.
i may get flagged for this but a bigger bullet makes a bigger hole. i know energy on target is important but when hunting animals with really thick fur or when its below zero, if the bullet doesnt expand ive seen wolf that the fur clots and freezes and there is no blood trail.
300 win mag all the way
get some 200gr SMK and 200gr sierra game king.
the BC is almost the same until you get really far out, so you are practicing with your hunting round and hunting with your practice round.
i have more than a few antlers on the wall form that recipe.
i may get flagged for this but a bigger bullet makes a bigger hole. i know energy on target is important but when hunting animals with really thick fur or when its below zero, if the bullet doesnt expand ive seen wolf that the fur clots and freezes and there is no blood trail.
300 win mag all the way
Of those 2 I would go for the 300WM as a do it all round. Been around for forever, can get factory ammo for it just about anywhere. For elk, bear, etc you can shoot the heavy 210+ gr bullets if you want. Then for smaller game like antelope, deer, etc you can shoot lighter bullets like a 168 or 180 gr, which would also be a good bit less recoil. Plenty of great factory long range target shooting ammo as well. And if you reload you can just expand on all of that even further. IMO 30 cal is the most versatile caliber when it comes to bullet selection. Can get anything from 110gr all the way up to 230+ gr.
I shoot 225 gr ELD-M's out of mine with a 26" barrel at 2860fps with 78.5gr Retumbo FWIW.
I shoot 225 gr ELD-M's out of mine with a 26" barrel at 2860fps with 78.5gr Retumbo FWIW.
Anything over a cottontail you need at least a 20x138mm. Solothurn or Lahti is my suggestion.
ETA: before someone gets their panties in a wad for not constructively contributing... flip a coin, both are overkill. .300wm is more popular but if you reload it's a wash. I'd go 7mm of the two. I run a 6.5 SAUM for target shooting but it doubles as a hunting rifle, and it's also way overkill.
ETA: before someone gets their panties in a wad for not constructively contributing... flip a coin, both are overkill. .300wm is more popular but if you reload it's a wash. I'd go 7mm of the two. I run a 6.5 SAUM for target shooting but it doubles as a hunting rifle, and it's also way overkill.
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If this is for hunting you can get a 7 and claim its good enough and a 30 would be overkill. But if you go 30 then no one can accuse you of underkill.
Im a fan of a bigger hole myself.
Im a fan of a bigger hole myself.
Only because your brought "bear" into the topic but because of this I would vote for the the 300 WM.
I run both , on game including elk and bear . The 7 has an advantage on paper and works great. I've killed a lot of critters with a 180 hybrid. However, my 300 WM with 215s kills "better" .
I've never had a failure from either bullet, but the 215s seem much more effective. Dead is dead , I hate tracking mortally wounded animals after a perfect shot through the wheelhouse.
With the 180's, a short tracking job is usually in order , but not always. With the 215s, everything has been face down , feet up as though they'd been hit by lighting.
I'll continue to use both bullets without a doubt, just providing my opinion.
I've never had a failure from either bullet, but the 215s seem much more effective. Dead is dead , I hate tracking mortally wounded animals after a perfect shot through the wheelhouse.
With the 180's, a short tracking job is usually in order , but not always. With the 215s, everything has been face down , feet up as though they'd been hit by lighting.
I'll continue to use both bullets without a doubt, just providing my opinion.
At range the group is measured in inches. I ain't worried about 24 thousandths of an inch.
Because I'm a real butthurt - 7LRM pls.
A rifle set up for sheep hunting and ELR steel?
Awful lot of lightweight .300 win mag hunting rifles come up for sale in the PX, ever wonder why?
Awful lot of lightweight .300 win mag hunting rifles come up for sale in the PX, ever wonder why?
Because shooting lightweight 300 Win Mags sucks. My dad has a 1960's model featherweight and it beats the shit out of me on the bench. My Tikka 7 Mag, once I swapped the recoil pad, easy to shoot all day. If I we're going to move up to a 30 Cal, it would be a 300 Norma.
Well thats not very MACHO, just f@#$* with you.
My brother saw how well my 300wm shot and had to have one to, only he bought a Thompson Center single shot that couldn't have weighed more than seven pounds, long story short I dont think he fired more than two boxes of ammo through that rifle before selling it. Mine weighs a little over 14lbs if I remember correctly.
I've shot a lot of heavy recoiling rifles but that particular one kicks my ass. I used a lead sled when I did the load development on it and even with 25lbs on the sled it was blowing me back.
I have considered adding another couple pounds of weight to the stock on mine to make it more enjoyable for paper punching. But loading it heavy into my Sinclair benchrest to the point that the rear leg just start to want to lift then let it settle and focus on the trigger works good. While hunting I've never noticed the recoil but its no featherweight rattling your teeth loose.
for recoil at the range (especially for my kids), i have a old cheap QD scope mount that i attach to the bottom rail.
instead of a scope i have a bar of steel and old plastic jar, i screwed together.
get to the range and fill the jar with a few pounds of sand and rocks.
all in its prob 2 lbs of steel and 2-3 pounds of dirt. makes my AX go from 17ish to 21-22.
world of difference recoil wise.
i even started using it on my smaller calibers...why not. my 6br is like a pellet gun.
on the hunt wearing a few layers and with game in the sight i never felt recoil before, hearing hell yeah but not in the shoulder.
instead of a scope i have a bar of steel and old plastic jar, i screwed together.
get to the range and fill the jar with a few pounds of sand and rocks.
all in its prob 2 lbs of steel and 2-3 pounds of dirt. makes my AX go from 17ish to 21-22.
world of difference recoil wise.
i even started using it on my smaller calibers...why not. my 6br is like a pellet gun.
on the hunt wearing a few layers and with game in the sight i never felt recoil before, hearing hell yeah but not in the shoulder.
7rm would be my choice. It can carry the heavy for caliber 7mm pills at a higher speed than the 30’s heavy for caliber pills. A 180 hybrid will be able to be pushed faster than a 215/220/230 with a similar BC. This is important if you are concerned with retained velocity at the point of impact. Hydrostatic shock is what you want. Im a 30 cal dude for sure, but for all around, long range performing, non- wildcat, hunting round 7rm is my choice.
I used to subscribe to the, "No such thing as too dead" and, "Take a 30 cal barrel and stuff as much powder as you can into my 700 LA" schools of thought. My first bolt gun I bought for myself was a 300 RUM LSS, it cured me. I found that to get good enough to hit what I wanted, I had to shoot that rifle more than I cared to.
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