Which 7mm cartridge is the "best" poll?

[odonata]

No doubt, the 7x57 will be the classic favorite.

By giving responders up to three choices, I felt like there would be some "doubt" as to what the absolute best choice that matched my stated criteria would be. There is always the possibility that a popular choice like the 7x57 might be a lot of people's 2nd or 3rd choice. If I could have weighted the poll so people could have designated their 1st, 2nd & 3rd option, it would have been interesting.

But still the feedback has been useful. With firearms, there's so many choices (many with small variances), I've always been intrigued by what other hunters favor & why. I appreciate all of the responses.

 

[DaddyFlip]

I wouldn't even worry about the Other category as there are two carts that are ahead of it (7-08 and 7PRC). However, there's one cart of interest not on the list and that may not automatically be thought of in the Other category and that's the 284 Winchester, which I've always thought was a cool round with its rebated rim. I've decided- if I go 7mm, it's the -08.

 

[odonata]

I will say that these days I prefer a 30 caliber over the 7mm.

I have more 30-06, 303 British & 300 HAM'R rifles than any other category. I'm a big fan & they're excellent choices for the hunting I've been doing. But when taking a step back & evaluating what I've acquired, it was just a little surprising to realize how many left-handed options I had in the 7mm category but that I only owned a single short-barreled rifle. It doesn't take much for me to rationalize another reason to consider adding a new rifle to the collection...

...the 284 Winchester, which I've always thought was a cool round with its rebated rim.

I mentioned in an earlier post that there were six other rounds (the 284 Win being one of them) that I didn't have room for on the 10-item poll list. A really nice 284 Win got listed in the Good Gun Deals thread yesterday & it's gone today so it didn't last long.

 

[coreydb]

I have two 7mm Mausers and a Remington 7mm mag I bought for my dad back in August 1972. He killed everything from porcupines to deer, to black, bear to moose. When he died, he gave it to my younger brother who did much the same. When he died, I got it back. Fifty three years of hunts from within 50 yds to long distance with moose (400m plus). I'm taking it to Greenland for Muskox and Caribou next year. Fifty four years with ammo always on the shelves; a very important factor in 7mm selection if you don't re-load. There are many 7mm calibers, all purpose built; the next important factor in 7mm selection. My other personal 7mm selection is 28 Nosler because it's an ELR caliber with knockdown power out to 700m plus, which is what I'll be carrying in upcoming Ibex hunts in the 'stans.

 

[Safari Dave]

When you take a hard look at ballistics of the 7mm's, many are pretty anemic.

I have one each of :

7x57
7-08
7 RM

For me, they just lack something when it comes to taking big game, compared to a .30 caliber.

I've taken a whitetail buck with the 7x57.
The results were OK, but nothing spectacular.


I don't think I'll buy another 7mm, unless the deal of a lifetime comes along.

 

[DaddyFlip]

@Safari Dave I agree with your sentiment. I remember in the early 80's "7 Mag" became the rage where I was, which is why I bought one when I got out on my own. Earlier I said, "I don't know what happened to that rifle;" pretty much sums up how I feel about the 7, while I own four 30 cals; and I'm not in a hurry to acquire one.

 

[odonata]

When you take a hard look at ballistics of the 7mm's, many are pretty anemic.
.
I don't think I'll buy another 7mm, unless the deal of a lifetime comes along.

A thread like this will usually get the enthusiastic fans to respond. It's always nice to hear contrary opinions as well. It gives me a reason to pause & consider. As a big fan of the 30 caliber (I own more of those than any other caliber), I agree that it's a great choice. But it does appear based on some of the earlier posts that several hunters have gone to Africa with 7mm's & achieved admirable results. These different experiences & outcomes are always an interesting disparity to ponder.

 

[Grumpy gumpy]

I put down the 275 rigby as it is a classic that does what it needs to, and "other" for the 280 nitro express, sometimes called a 280 halger or a 280 Ross . The original super magnum and the first to actually beat 3000fps
Gumpy

 

[odonata]

..."other" for the 280 nitro express, sometimes called a 280 halger or a 280 Ross . The original super magnum and the first to actually beat 3000fps

Since Wikipedia describes it as "an approximately 7mm bullet" (i.e. .287), I'll take it. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Safari Dave]

My old opinions of any 7mm bullet have probably been made up for by modern 7mm bullet technology.

Almost everything I have experienced with any projectile has been with old "cup & core" bullets.



My son and I have friendly, yet constantly ongoing, arguments about rifles & cartridges.

He thinks a .300 Winchester Magnum is "overkill" on every animal on the planet.

I know, that when you risk to loose thousands of $ on a single drop of blood, you should be shooting something of large diameter with a large S.D.

The "new guys" seem to be only concerned with B.C.

 

[odonata]

I know, that when you risk to loose thousands of $ on a single drop of blood, you should be shooting something of large diameter with a large S.D.

In a post on another thread I made a comment about how some shooters tend to favor the lightest, lowest-recoil round they can find that works well when everything goes right.

I prefer a round that still works well when a lot of things go wrong. I have no problem with someone who advocates a "too much gun" mindset. When I'm hunting, I never seem to notice the recoil or the sound.

 

[sgt_zim]

To 250 yards or under I'd be fine with a 280/280 AI, but with your mention of 350+ yards I'd want a true magnum. I'd lean towards the Weatherby more than the Remington for having the oomph that far out.

Depends on whose load data you look at.

In Nosler, there's 1:1 parity between 7RM and 280AI; in Hornady, their loads show about a 100 fps advantage to RM at the high end, but mostly overlap.

I get just under 3k fps out of my 280 AI and 160 gr A Frames and 156 gr Oryx; 2750 fps with all the 175s I've tried. About to have a go with North Fork 175s, I'm betting I can get to 2800 fps.

400 yards with any of those loads still leaves another 100 - 200 yards of elk-level energy on the table. And 400 is my limit for anything. NABLR at 2750 fps doesn't fall below 2k fps until about 750 yards. Not sure where you came up with 250 yards or under, but it's just not correct.

Both 7x57 and 7mm-08 have 400 yards reach up in elk country with higher BC bullets like 175 gr Partition or Accubond, even fired at a modest 2450 fps.

This is why I'm such a fan of 175 gr bullets for 7mm. Most of the bullets have at least decent ballistic coefficients (.45-ish or higher) and an SD of .310.

 

[Schüler Jumbo]

The 7mm caliber offers exceptional BC’s and SD’s. My view of the 7 is long range shooting for lighter weight big game. Therefore I gravitate to the higher velocity 7’s. If I need more gun for larger non-dangerous big game I generally move to the .338 Win Mag or .340 Weatherby over any of the .30’s.

 

[Old3Toe]

A thread like this will usually get the enthusiastic fans to respond. It's always nice to hear contrary opinions as well. It gives me a reason to pause & consider. As a big fan of the 30 caliber (I own more of those than any other caliber), I agree that it's a great choice. But it does appear based on some of the earlier posts that several hunters have gone to Africa with 7mm's & achieved admirable results. These different experiences & outcomes are always an interesting disparity to ponder.

"It's not the arrow, it's the Indian." Explains much that I have trouble putting into words sometimes.

 

[odonata]

My view of the 7 is long range shooting for lighter weight big game. Therefore I gravitate to the higher velocity 7’s. If I need more gun for larger non-dangerous big game I generally move to the .338 Win Mag or .340 Weatherby over any of the .30’s.

This would have been a fairly accurate description of my way of thinking when I posted the original question. But I'm always open to other viewpoints since the whole point of asking the question in the first place was to eliminate some of my ignorance & misconceptions by hearing from more experienced shooters. My 7mm knowledge gathered in the field is limited. My 30-06's and my 9.3 cover a lot of territory but it's always nice to explore another caliber in-depth.

 

[slam8031]

and for the record, my two 7mm rem mags are left hand variants--the oldest is a browning a bolt 2 stainless stalker that is now cerakoted and suppressed (think overly long) and the other is an under 7 pound light rifle from Christensen Arms with short barrel that is also suppressed and very balanced with the suppressor.

 

[375Ruger416]

The 7mm caliber offers exceptional BC’s and SD’s. My view of the 7 is long range shooting for lighter weight big game. Therefore I gravitate to the higher velocity 7’s. If I need more gun for larger non-dangerous big game I generally move to the .338 Win Mag or .340 Weatherby over any of the .30’s.

I believe Boddington (and others have said) that if 90% of your game is smaller than elk/700 lbs go with a 7 mag, if 90% bigger then go 300 mag. Ideal for lighter big game is a good description.

I do think the heavier bullets in the 7 mm make it much more effective on bigger game, though a big 30 or bigger has more on impact authority. My favorite for my 7 RM is 160 gr TSX.

 

[Grumpy gumpy]

Since Wikipedia describes it as "an approximately 7mm bullet" (i.e. .287), I'll take it. Thanks for sharing!

You could also throw in the 275 H&H as well, same projectile
Gumpy

 

[Slickshooter]

“For me, they just lack something when it comes to taking big game, compared to a .30 caliber.”

I used a 7 STW for a few years on elk and it was ok but then I got a 338 win mag and I never used a 7mm anything again. The 338 was noticeably better for that purpose imho. Not to mention allot better to pack around in grizzly country in case needed for defence.

 

[Safari Dave]

At this point, I have almost given up on the "fragmentary" bullet crowd.

They work superbly on a broadside shot, but when you are limited to a 7-10 day safari, sometimes you are limited to just take take the shot that PH tells you to take.

IME, sometimes the "perfect" shot just doesn't present itself and you need to use an expanding bullet like a Nosler Partition or a Barnes TSX, that gives both deep penetration and expansion.

IMO, you are never in a good place when you try to be "smarter" than your PH.