@@hantus77 - I saw one of the reviews on that cartridge. Very interesting. I think what we’re finding out recently, twist rate is making a huge difference in our understanding of how different cartridges work.
@@falba1492 very interesting, rotational spin directs energy down range. The 12" 8.6 BLK same as 308 with 20" barrel. I think barrels become shorter but thicker. I just saw the Q video, hunting Kudu in South Africa (dead in its tracks) Would be cool to know the energy out to 300 and 400 yards with super sonic and subs. Probably 338 Suppressor (338 Federal like)
a wildcat 7mm-33 nosler feeds out of a long AICS standard detachable magazine with ID length 3.670'' 190 a-tip BC .838 at 3,200 fps seats the bullet at the bottom of the case neck not sitting into the powder collumn of the case ! .838 bc @ 3,200 fps delivers 1,000fpe at 1 mile fact 1,760 yards! and can be built in a carbon fiber bbl and stock titanium action =5.5lbs gun! with a 16 oz suppressor or a t4 terminator muzzle break(best tested muzzle break in the world ) very little recoil!
When I selected a new rifle last year I did my own personal "cartridge wars" and 7 rem mag won. Amazing ballistics, tolerable recoil, widely available ammo and decent diameter for elk. There is a lot to like about 7mag.
Tons to love about the 7mm Rem Mag. 280AI is nipping at its ballistic heels, and the 280AI is more "efficient" but really, the recoil difference is meaningless, so is that 4-5 grains of extra powder in my opinion, and the ammo availability of 7Mag is like 308, 30-06, 300 Win and 270. Its a fantastic round and really is a powerhouse. As a comparison, my 280 Rem (Not Ackley) has more felt recoil than my 7MM Rem mag, just because the rifle has a crappy recoil pad.
I lived in Alaska for 37 years, 7mm mag & 30-06 did it all for me. I shot about a dozen Bears, many Moose & Caribou, Mountain goats, deer etc. I preferred the 175 grain bullet 7mag and 180 grain 30-06...
@@johnganshow5536 lucky dawg! I wish I could live in Alaska. I have a 30-06 too which is also a great gun. The 7mm has just a little better ballistics for the same recoil.
Same here. I have been shooting a 270 Win for deer at responsible distance and I wanted something I could go just a little bit further. I am not shooting “long range” by any stretch. Just wanted a little more energy than what I was getting out of the 270 Win.
Out here in the west 7mm is right at the top. Ammo everywhere you go. Good selection of bullets for deer and antelope up to elk and moose. Maybe a little too much for deer in woods hunting under 100 -150 yards, you catch a shoulder and it's gone. But simply can't beat 7mm simply for ammo availability and cost around here. It's in every gas station and hole in the wall stop. The rest you better hand load or you're SOL.
Tennessee Hardwoods, Use 150 grain Winchester Ballistic SilverTips for whitetail deer, they expand perfectly from point blank to 100 yards. 7mm Rem Mag DRT every time . If it runs 1 yard, you either hit it wrong or was a bad round . The last 10 - 15 deer I've taken I had only 2 that ran 30 yards. And it was my fault . Nosler 150 Ballistic Tips 2nd choice . 0-100 yards . I hate to see an animal kick and suffer, when it could have been over in less than a second . Not being a smart ass, It bothers me when one runs and kicks . I guess I'm getting old & Soft .
I have to comment on the barrel length section. If you are regularly hunting at distances of 300 - 400 yards, the longer barrel does play to your advantage and clearly makes more sense. Majority of new rifle companies chamber standard a 24-inch barrel for the 7mm RM. If you opt for a 25-26 inch barrel, then you're customizing, and that you can do with any rifle and caliber. We hunt with 24-inch barrels in 30-06 and .243 with surpressors here in South Africa and we have no trouble manouvering through thick bush and brush when we need to. If you're worried about weight of the extra 2-inches of barrel, then you're really nitpicking and should man-up, because the normal person will not know the difference in weight through a day's walk in the veld. It's like the recoil scenario between the 30-06 and 7mm RM. You won't know the difference. I don't think the barrel length issue will cause many standard length magnum cartridges to fade in years to come, because a short action cartridge cab only perform to a certain extend where a standard action will be required to fit and handle longer, heavier for caliber high BC bullets. The only way to go with a short action case is a fatter case design to fit those bullets and increase case capacity and that will cause feeding issues if you tuck the shoulder too sharp. Not to mention about pressure issues as well. The 7mm RM is here to stay and even with modern case designs, in the hands of a skilled reloader, they'll equal or better these new cartridges' ballistic performance. Here's the thing all these new case designs are made for extreme long range TARGET shooting. NOT HUNTING. Within reasonable AND acceptable hunting distances, the older cartridges have been doing it right for decades. Game have not become harder to kill than in 1955. My personal opinion, 7mm RM for the win here. Thank you for the awesome channel. We really enjoy your insight in these videos. Keep up the great work.✌🏻
When he pointed out the suppressor issue I immediately regretted buying a 7 RM. Till I just read your comment! Realistically I got the suppressor for my AR and my Sig Cross 6.5. The 7 is my new elk rifle with a 26” barrel. I’m not going to hang a 9” can on that.
@@mrjeffjob a 26-inch barrel with a 9-inch supressor is a stretch , but honestly, if you're reaching out there at those distances, the elk wouldn't even know you're there. Even without a surpressor, by the time the muzzle blast cracks at 300-400 yards you already have a dead elk, given the correct shot placement. And as Backfire stated, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference in recoil between a 30-06 and a 7mm RM, which I agree with. That 1 lbs difference is not noticable. I wouldn't worry about a surpressor if you're carrying a 26-inch barrel for your 7mm RM, honestly. If anything, I'd just add a muzzle brake to it to reduce the muzzle flash. With that said, I think you've bought yourself a fine elk cartridge, sir. You'll be able to hunt any big game animal on the planet with that rifle. If you'll be using monolithic bullets, my advice would be a Barnes 150 grain TTSX or Nosler 150 grain E-Tip. If you'll be using lead core bullets, a Nosler 168gr ABLR or Swift 160 grain A-Frame will do the job equally fine. 👍🏻
Nice to see some good South African common sense. Not much that needs it here in sunny England but I may just get a 7 RM for a bit of target shooting. Might be fun to try and beat some of the new wonder cartridges.
7 mag is very popular for hunting out in the west. Personally I’m a 300 win mag fan over 7 mag but that’s just for reloading purposes. Have to many other guns in 30 cal and use the same bullets. Wouldn’t hesitate to pick up a 7 mag in a heart beat
Too many calibers doing the same thing out to 500 yards. With ammo shortages it seems dumb to drop so many new cartridges spreading g out components. You are right about barrel lengths will drive cartridge purchases. Now we are back to the 308.
Agreed, the true differences at "practical" ranges of 400 yds and under of so many calibers is zilch. A 308 out to 400 yards is a fantastic N.Am big game cartridge, and will do anything you need it to. The 300 WM and 7mm don't do it much better until you are at 600 yards. Its a bit silly to have so many new cartridges coming on, they are just different shades of the same lipstick.
7 Mag for the win, dunno why 7mm08 was left out of 308 class. But the 7 mag is great. My tikka with 162 ELD-X gets 3030FPS with reloads out of a 24" barrel and has been pretty well bang flops on the half dozen moose and couple black bears its taken thus far. Here is one that will surprise some. My 7 mag shooting the same bullet 162 ELD-x is 285 fps faster than my 7mm08(2745fps). Sounds like a lot but if your shots are inside 400 yards that is kind of irrelevant given it requires almost twice the volume of powder.
I like the 7mm08. Around where I live, 308 is the most popular, followed by 243 and 30-06 (Deer, Coyote, and Black Bear are the most hunted game here - In the order I listed).
@@jackfeltham8966 that 7mm08 load with 162s holds 1500ft-lbs and over 2000fps to 510m. its shoots great to 1200m (targets only obviously) at my elevation (500m) beyond that it become a bit of a game of luck. i’m up in Canada so bear with the metrics lol Cheers edit: even factory 150 grain precision hunter holds 1500ft-lbs/2100fps out to 480 plus yards.
@@johngallagher3732 Labrador. All the critters that i have taken with 308, 7mag and 300 wm would beg to differ lol. i will say though that impacts at high velocity 2950+ the bullet comes apart a bit. just stay off the shoulder on very close shots with magnum calibers and its always been bang flops for me. Bergers been a little unreliable for me. I always got the animal but found on a couple occasions where the bullets would tumble instead of expanding. its really weird when you recover the bullets completely intact but flat. cheers
The 7 rem mag is outstanding and will continue to be. I like the idea of hunting with a rifle with a can on it but when the rut is on and you are around BIG bucks at long range that’s when that 7 mag is an old friend.
The 165-168 grain bullets are the sweet spot for the old 30-06. You get the speed and trajectory of the 150 grain but with the penetration and weight retention of a 180 grain. I prefer monolithic bullets over lead core bullets. A 168grain TTSX is equivalent to a 200 grain Accubond in terms of penetration and weight retention as the bullet construction is harder than a bonded bullet of the same weight, but has the speed advantage to reach it's target much quicker with a flatter trajectory.
I really feel 30-06 go the shaft on this. It was run first before people could find this. I agree with you on the .30-06 @ 165 grain. I feel it destroys 90% of these rounds easily in availability. It can be a great round but if you can't get it or spend a box price on one round does it really win?
I own a 7mm Rem, a 28 Nosler, and a custom 280AI so I'm a huge fan of the 7mm's but I'm also a huge fan of the 6.5mm's and the 6.8mm's... I feel like with a cartridge in one of those 3 calibers you can comfortably hunt everything there is to hunt in North America but if you could only have 1 it would have to be a 7mm.
@Will Hansen it really all comes down to how you use them buddy. It's a hunting rifle for me so it took about a 100 rounds for my load development process and I shot another 100 rounds getting more familiar with my rifle and the load I settled on. Now it'll just be shot to check zero and while I'm moose and maybe elk hunting which if I'm lucky I get to do once a year but normally it's once every 2 or 3 years so barrel life for me is completely irrelevant and it's a gun I can pass down to my kid one day. Now if you're using it to plink a lot and you're getting the barrel really hot while doing it I've heard/read you'll burn the barrel out in around 900 to maybe 1500 rounds but if you're monitoring the barrel heat you're going to stretch that out a good bit. It's a really cool cartridge... Hope that helps take care brother!!
@@DanielBoone337 Love my 28 Nosler. That barrel burner business is for guys that maybe don't have but one or maybe two high velocity rifles, and shoot them like a .22LR to consider. It's a misguided argument that leans very little on practicality, facts, and factors when it comes to hunting and shooting.
@@bustabass9025 yeah I can mostly agree with that but you'll always have the competition guys and that's a world all in its own. For the average shooter or even the most avid of hunters burning a barrel out isn't going to be an issue. But if you're a serious competitive shooter you might go through 1 or 2 a season and honestly I think most people hear something like that and think that it's the cartridges they're shooting causing it. Only problem is competition guys might shoot 5k to maybe even as high as 50k+ rounds a year and lots of the people asking about burning out barrels won't shoot 8k rounds in their life so they're just not looking at things practically...
@@DanielBoone337 Competition guys have a lot more to consider than just barrel life, and more power to 'em. As for me, I only have to be concerned about how well any of my rifles (the majority of which are Magnum or other high velocity chamberings, cuz that's how I roll) digest the handloads I have developed for them over the past thirty years or so. And, of course, whether or not the shot I just fired will transfer that deer, pronghorn, or elk into a freezer full of steaks, chops, and burger. Ninety-nine percent of the the time that question is answered "YES!" with one shot. When that hasn't been the case, it's because of operator error not barrel condition. If you are the average Joe DeerTag like me, the amount of shots you shoot annually will probably never exceed a total of a thousand rounds hunting and shooting combined, over the life of any one rifle in your safe. Not to mention, if you aren't a handloader, who can afford the expense of factory ammo to shoot that many times at paper, steel and water jugs?😐
Personally I love the 7 rem mag. its got the power the range and awesome stopping power, and it will for sure reach out there and touch somebody and is a great flat shooter
To get that slight advantage, the 7mm Rem Mag is generally a longer/heavier rifle - magnum length receiver and 2" more barrel length vs. for the .30-06.
@@kurtwpgfor how absurdly similar they are, besides for Ultra long ranges that most people will never shoot, the bullets being less than half the price and always available, along with versatility, makes 30 06 the clear choice to me
The 7mm Rem Mag is America's favorite magnum. Plenty rifles are chambered for it, ammo is readily available, and the others on the list only see marginal performance increases for much greater cost. This makes 7Mag the winner in this one.
@@Melbury-Vidz i live in western america and i know many hunters and shooters in general. And 300 win mag is way more popular by far...not saying its the better cartridge...
@@sparky_-mf2cs Craig Boddington (the prolific gun writer) mentions in an article, CLASSIC CARTRIDGE: 7MM REMINGTON MAGNUM - "The .300 Winchester Magnum has been a stunning success, effectively supplanting the time-honored .300 H&H, and over time becoming the most popular “fast .30” and the world’s second most popular magnum cartridge. Initially taking off like a rocket, the .264 Winchester Magnum was blown off the market by Remington’s “Big Seven.” I am personally a fan of the .264, at least for limited purposes, but I freely admit that the 7mm Remington Magnum, able to use heavier bullets, is considerably more versatile. I guess the majority of riflemen agree, because the 7mm Remington Magnum went on to become the world’s most popular belted cartridge, and the world’s most popular cartridge to bear the “magnum” moniker." Many, many other writers and authors have shared the same sentiment.
Here in Canada suppressors arent even an option, i built my 7mm rem mag with a muzzle brake in mind and to use it as an all around hunter. so far its a great rifle and amazing cartridge
My love affair with the 7RM started back in the mid-late 90’s.with a Weatherby Vanguard (SR 1) It a very versatile cartridge, when things were normal I could find all kinds of factory ammunition in all normal bullets weights.
7 Mag. I agree, it's the most versatile cartridge out there and if there's any possibility of anything larger than deer in the future, it's my first recommendation.
The amount of detail and breakdown that you do is very enlightening. It helps to understand the true numbers that can be so hard to come by. I do agree that suppressors are going to become more popular, but I would still say the vast majority of people won't be able to get their hands on for a long time, and for that reason the long action cartridges still carry a little bit more weight, as they do ballistically typically.
Very entertaining and I like the show. However, he uses mismatched bullet weights to make his comparisons. Such as the 7mm STW at a sedate shade over 3000fps, that’s the typical 175gr velocity not the nearly 3300 of a 150gr. Then compared the 150 7mm to the relatively heavy for caliber 180gr -06, yet when a 165’or even 150 30cal is compared it becomes much closer in velocity to nearly identical. And the recoil advantage increases greatly when the -06 drops to 150gr.
@@striderwolf687 not doubting that, but there are so many options. Especially with suppressors…hard to test many less you’re an SOT with access to demo suppressors.
Too right. Suppressors illegal where I am and don't really care about them anyway. My 7 rem mag with a EC tuner brake is a fantastic tac driver for anything from foxes, pigs to deer at short to long ranges. Barrel life dont care. Ive tuned this rifle for hunting 50-100 rounds a year. Even if it lasts 800 rounds thats over 10 years. Last barrel was 15 years old so 2 barrels after 25 years is cheap therapy. Ive got a 22 rim fire and 223 if I want to send alot of lead. All round Hunting 7 rem mag is perfect for me.
I was a broke laborer when I started hunting. The 30.06 was the one I could find in used guns. This suited my pocket book. As a hand loader,06 was and easy loader. It produced alot of meat for my family.
Just curious, you have an interesting beginning. Many who start off like this become prosperous because they learn the value of hard work. Has your life unfolded the way you wanted?
My Deer Rifle over here in NZ is a 7mm Rem Mag. We use suppressors a lot here. I use 162gn Precision Hunter. Shooting out to 600 yards on animals. Very accurate fast enough and hard hitting. My barrel threading was done by an expert to 22 3/4 inches. Less than 100ftps lost velocity compared to the box numbers. I have not shot/tried/used anything else I would swap too.
7mm Remington Magnum with 150gr Nosler Ballistic Tips all day long. Very satisfied! Every caliber has its optimum bullet weight and you've picked them for both the .30-06 and the 7 Mag. Thanks for sharing.
7mm REM Mag with an 8” twist. 190 grains are stabilized. Great rejuvenating of an already great cartridge. Great hunting cartridge. Great long range cartridge capable of 500-1000-1500-mile ranges. :]
7 rem mag needs at least a 28" barrel imo. Also needs a faster twist than is common. A 1:7 and 190gr bullets with a custom cut chamber and it's impossible to beat without going 338lapua. The problem with the older cartridges is the guns not the cartridges.
7mm Rem Mag all the way. However, a 7 PRC would probably catch on fast. Short action with 24" bbl would be handy. Also, I barreled my 7 Rem Mag at 25" many years ago.
I've always preferred a shorter barrel for hunting. Seeing your data on how cartridges are impacted via barrel length was really insightful and I wish that was made more clear regarding short magnum cartridges.
Being a fan and owner of a .300 WSM I want to vote for the 7 WSM but it’s extremely difficult to find rifles and ammunition for it, even before the crazy buying sprees. The 7mm Rem Mag is by far the easiest to find of the 4.
I ended up with 7mm rem mag because I spent a year reading different reloading manuals and doing research into it. I wanted a long range rifle to put 6.5 Creedmoor to Shame. I worked at a large gun store and I was over the Creedmoor and saw it as just another caliber that was being hyped up and sold to people who wouldn't normally care about long range. I had a lot of time to read cartridge boxes, reloading manuals, and any other information I could. I wanted to choose a caliber that had better ballistics, more energy, and longstanding production. I came between the 300win mag and the 7mm. 28 nosler was a huge interest but getting brass and factory ammo as well as popularity of chambering between rifle makers was limited. I ended up on 7mm over 300wm because, although both are great, the 7mm uses less powder to reload and has higher bc's than anything else that was commonly available. I could load a 120gr bullet to rival any varmint caliber and a 180gr bullet to poke big things at long range. It was better than 6.5 in every way. I could use factory hunting ammo to get brass and practice and (at the time) it was only $1 per round. I'm a big believer in the 7mm rem mag. I studied ballistics well before choosing a rifle and haven't been disappointed at all.
7mm RM is the most broadly useful cartridge there is. The 7mm caliber produces the best combination of BC & SD with wide range of bullet weights and applications. Yes, there are better cartridges for narrow focus applications, but few if any do it all as well.
My dad was always a .270 guy since his childhood in the 50's. I loved the 300 win mag with such a great selection of bullet grain weight. I did upgrade my dad to a inexpensive 7mm win mag and it's a great weapon system. Left hurt to the shoulder vs the colt antique weapon and it shot very similar for my dad at 100 yards to 200 yards. He's a deer hunter and Elk hunter.
Many 7mm Rem. Mags are being made with a faster twist now to stabilize longer bullets. I'm using the 175 gr. Accubond LR in mine with good stability, but it's a 1:8 twist. I think a lot of the older guns are slower twist, but getting better barrels will increase it's life. I still like the 24" barrel and have been unwilling to do put over a grand in a silencer and tax stamp. I might be more likely to now that the timeframe's are shorter, but it's a lot of money to blow for some DB reduction. Using walker game ears or similar devices allows you to hear well and reduce the noise thump. I'll stick to those for now.
7mm Remington Mag is hard to beat in terms of affordability, availability, practicality at long ranges as well as short, a broad spectrum of rifles chambered in it, and a range of bullet weights for various game and if you are a hand loader, the sky is the limit. I’ve been shooting this caliber for years in a Savage bolt rifle with a 24inch barrel. It has worked very well for me in both woods hunting and in bean field or power line hunting when you wanna stretch the range out. My Savage rifle shoots well under MOA with favorite loads and particularly favors the 150 Nosler ballistic tips at 3110 FPS average as measured with my chronograph. Nosler partition bullets also work very well in my rifle if I had a need for a bullet other than the 150 ballistic tip for more penetration. The largest whitetail I’ve took with it weighted 193 pounds and was a ten pointer with 23 inches of inside spread and the range was 188 yards. I know that’s not a really long shot but the 150 ballistic tip had a full pass thru and broke both shoulders leaving a good wound channel. The longest range I’ve took deer with that same load was right at 345 yards on an average size buck, at least average for here where I hunt, that was a 145 pound deer. The bullet passed thru in that one too and the deer made it about 20 yards and piled up. Personally I have no desire for a suppressor so a shorter barrel length has no appeal to me in a rifle chambered for this or any other potentially long range caliber. Thanks Interesting test you are doing!
7mm rem mag. With some of these powders, I’m getting 3000 plus fps with 162 nosler accubond and with a Hornady 139 grain interlock @ 3200 fps. Love my 7mm rem mag.
@@Keifsanderson I keep checking with my local gun store and every once in blue moon, they will have some in stock. Usually behind the counter and you have to ask for them.
I can definitely tell a difference in recoil... the 7 is sharper, and the 30 06 is more of a push. for me, the 30 06 is about as much recoil as I'm willing to take in a lightweight rifle....or a 270 with RL 26!!!
In the 7 mag vs 30-06 portion there is just so much data left out. Ballistic coefficients being one. Also rifle weight and design will greatly effect felt recoil. I had my old 30-06 out-shooting my brothers 7 rem mag using hand-loaded Berger 168 vld hunting bullets against his loaded ballistically inferior 140 Gamekings. I was also pushing to the max (safely) where his loads where more conservative. Felt recoil was a lot less with my 30-06. When it came time to rebarrel, I shortened from 24 to 20 inches and went with 280AI due to running an ultra 9 can. Using the same 168 vld-h Berger but in 7mm,I was able to make up the loss of barrel length ballistically while having even less recoil. I am very happy with that choice.
I'm still always going to love my old Browning A-bolt stainless stalker rechambered in 7mm STW with the 1 in 10 twist shooting heavy bullets. It's light and with the B.O.S.S break on it the recoil is negligable. That being said, eliminating the .300 weatherby was the real crime of this competition. lol
Love the channel, thanks for doing what do! You speak often of hunting with a suppressor and the effect it is having on barrel length choices. I see your point, but I'd be interested in a poll to see how many of your subs are actually hunting with, or intend to hunt with, a suppressor. I currently live in the Midwest, but was Active Duty military for 30 years, which allowed me to hunt all over the country; I have never known or ran into a fellow hunter that was hunting with a suppressor. Moving every few years, and all the differing State laws on suppressor usage, I personally never put much thought into hunting with a suppressor but sounds like I may be behind the times. Again, appreciate what you are doing here and looking forward to the next episode!
We frequently hunt with surpressors here in South Africa and has become somewhat of a "necessity" to own when buying a rifle. When you step into the 26-inch barrel range, we don't consider that a "hunting" rifle but more a "target" rifle simply because 22-inch and 24-inch barrels are the most common barrels made by manufacturers these days and, given some of our hunting areas here, a 26 inch barrel would be completely impractical in thick bush and brush. If you're hunting open country, yeah sure, that 26-inch barrel wouldn't be a problem. But if you're looking for versatility, 22-24 inch barrels are your options. And 99% of manufacturers make standard 24-inch barrels in 7mm RM. So adding a surpressor on a standard barrel wouldn't be much of a difference.
Your not behind the times. I only know 1 guy who hunts with a suppressor. The only time I do is when using my 22lr or my AR when hunting coyotes/wolves. I dont think it really matters for big game because the gun is still not hearing safe and you should only need to shoot once. They are fun on small guns but for any kind of serious hunting its just going to add weight/length. Even on a 20 in barrel if you add an 8 inch suppressor its still longer and heavier than a regular barrel and I would rather have the extra fps.
Here in Wyoming I always hunt suppressed. It really is a game changer, in my opinion. I personally think it is more ethical too. Instead of traumatizing a whole valley of critters by touching off Thor’s hammer, usually the only animal really effected is the one you just dropped. The rest stand around wondering why “Jimmie” is napping. I believe the best kill is when the animal never knows you are there and one clean patiently quiet shot.
@@MaxairEngineering I'm not a hunter, for no other reason than I don't know anything about it. I do have a .308 Tikka suppressed, so much nicer to shoot. Wyoming looks a fantastic state, I've said to my wife we'll have to visit one day.
I am just jealous that I have not had the chance to do the hunting I always wanted to but hopefully, this coming year I can finally get started. It’s so interesting to watch the back and forth and discussion of the merits of the different cartridges. But to me, it’s as if you are all correct no matter which you prefer. Be safe out there everyone!
Just got a 7 rem mag today... For many of these reasons, trajectory, recoil, energy, elk proven, and common ammo availably, best blend and balance of ALL things... all that factor into a hunting rifle. Got it in Tikka T3x, best buy for money rifle imo... Light, stainless, smooth action, nice magazine, small narrow action... And they can stack rounds.
I chose the 7mm rem mag because it is one of the most available on this list, although I like the the idea of the 7mm WSM it never really stuck around long enough, kinda like the 284 Win, great cartridge but good luck finding it now. And I honestly don’t think the 308 is going to make it to the last round anyway so a bi week is just prolonging it’s death 💀
Good stuff. 7mm Rem Mag has been my choice since mid 80s with only the 308 being the "other" cartridge I have bought until last year when I picked up a 243 compact for my youngest son & the ladies in house with which to hunt deer.
Not only do short-actions require less barrel length, the action is also over an inch shorter. So that 3” shorter 7mm WSM is really 4” or more shorter.
@@ronlowney4700 perhaps you’re misunderstanding. The relevancy of the statement isn’t unique to just the 7mm WSM. However, 7mm WSM is still a SAMMI round with ammunition, components, and reamers still in production. If Winchester cannot make them, it doesn’t mean there aren’t customs and it doesn’t mean those out there aren’t being supported. That is irrelevant to the point I was making, however. I only mention the 7mm WSM because that was his example. What part of “this holds true for all the short-actions” do you not understand?
Tom - I love this channel, I have now decided I want to buy a suppressor. And your channel has confirmed my love of the 7mm. I own a 7mm WSM which I love. And if I buy a rifle for any of my children or wife it will be in 7mm-08. However if I lived out west (I live in NH) and I spent more time hunting elk than deer, than I might opt for the 300 WSM.
I'm firmly in the 7mm rem corner , I reckon it is the best all round cartridge. I've got a 24' barrel with suppressor and I've never found it to be that inconvenient, have 162gr sst handloads around 3100fps mark , and I'm yet to have anything walk away from it .
7mm Rem Mag for the win Thanks for putting the 7 WSM in I like to see the comparison & competition. Also look forward to the news on possible new 7 mag.
I love 7mm rem mag there’s a lot of firearm manufacturers actually giving it a faster twist rate like browning has several options, for the longer heavier bullets and it’s made by just about every ammunition manufacturer and firearm manufacturer
My guys that I know and hunt with in south Alabama have and utilize the 7 mag as strictly a Clearcut/gas line/power line rifle for obvious reasons. The length of the barrel is not an issue to them whatsoever. As a matter of fact, most of them actually prefer the 26” just because of the small boost in velocity.
Still sticking with my 30-06. hasn't ever failed me. and if you practice sufficiently with just about anything you will become proficient with it. 30-06 is more affordable so I can practice more.
I gave my custom 7mm Remington Magnum to my son a few years ago. I miss it so much that I just ordered a Tikka T3x Lite Veil Wideland in 7mm Remington Magnum. I hunt whitetails in North Alabama and we have lots of cutovers and power lines.
The 7mm rem mag is a fantastic round. Good Rounds have BC's that are typically high and can hit .814(Berger 195gr EOL), flat shooting and hard hitting. Rounds are readily found all around the world and most are very affordable. Before the pandemic most good rounds were between $25-50. For the extra 1" in the action and 2" in the barrel, cost of shooting and availability worldwide...its worth it.
Reloaders will keep the 7wsm alive. You'd be hard pressed to find a more efficient cartridge,but it really needs a long action to shine. Mine shoots 183 smk's at 3k fps out of a 24" barrel.
7mm bullets for reloading is sad now a days though, I’m fighting tooth and nail to get components to reload my 28 nosler and 280 ai, wether it be bullets or brass. 7’s seem to be one getting skipped over a lot right now.
I find it easy to get 7mm projectiles around me. Primers and powder is still the issue. My 7mm Sherman Short Mag likes RL26 and H1000. Haven’t seen either of those for years.
I have both, 7mm Remington Magnum is by far my favorite cartridge, but the barrel life is only about 3,000 rounds. A 30-06 barrel will pretty much last forever. Go into a gas station in any backwater town and if they sell ammo theres a good chance they have 30-06.
A suppressor is the most clumsy thing you can put on a hunting rifle.. throws off the entire balance of the rifle. I won’t be shooting a low velocity round out of a short barrel just to have a suppressor for 1-2 shots.
I've been shooting the 175 gr. Nosler Partition hand load since the late 70's and I've taken Deer, Bear, Elk, Antelope, Mule Deer, Caribou and it's never failed me. I have 308, 30-06, 300 WM. 338 WM. but I only hunt with the 7 MM Mag.. It's like the American Express, I don't leave home without it..
I shot a 1100 pound Buffalo at 200 yards with a 7mm Rem Mag. Clean pass through. 160 grain Nosler Partition. Absolutely wrecked shopped. I will never pick another cartridge after that. 30-06 vs 7mag recoil is literally unnoticeable, specifically because a 30-06 usually comes in lighter rifles. I don’t like short rifles. And hunting with a can is pointless when our main topic in western hunting is lightweight. Plus, electronic ear pro is cheaper and better for your ears anyways.
The 30-06 is a great and historic cartridge. But the ballistics of the 7 Rem Mag is better, that is why I chose the 7 Rem Mag. I think the .270 Winchester is a great cartridge as well, but you don't have the bullet selection of the 7 Rem. The 7mm-08 is maybe the greatest all around cartridge.
7 Rem Mag. Gotta be, I’m late to the party bust just got a Ruger No 1 in it. Have always been hesitant about a 26” barrel in a bolt gun. Having finally decide to get a long desired No 1 I figured I’d take advantage of the long barrel length at a moderate overall rifle length. Hoping to break it in on W Tex Auodad.
I also love shooting suppressed,. I have the SilencerCo Omega 36M and it is modular. You can shorten the suppressor by 2 inches to make it 5 inches in total length. In published reports, a 300 Win Mag in the long configuration measured 132.7 dB and 138.7 dB in the short configuration. So noticeably louder, but still not too bad. When I shoot at the range, I use the long configuration and when I hunt, I switch to the short. So I say, the 7mm Rem Mag still is a great choice!
The 30-06 is strong medicine for anything on the North American continent, excluding the biggest bears. Ammo is readily available in dozens of factory loads, and it is relatively inexpensive. In a good rifle the '06 is very accurate to boot.
I would agree with barrel length. I've been racking my brain trying to find a sub 20 inch gun to toss on a 6 inch suppressor that's 500-700y elk capable. Browning has that suppressor ready speed but that's a SHOT Show special. It's just hard to find any flat shooting guns in shorter barrels right now.
Look at the 280ai from savage ultralight, it has a 22" barrel. I harvested a cow elk this past season with a 140gr accubond. Great rifle, proof barrel great package!
Christensen FFT rifles have 20" and 22" models, sub 6lbs. There's way more short barrel options out there than what you think. Kimber Adirondack, Barrett Fieldcraft if you can find one.
I love my 7mm Rem Mag. My only problem is that here in the East ammo is super hard to find as well as reloading components for it. If you find any of it; factory ammo, brass, bullets etc. you better get it or someone else will. I have managed to cobble together some components and some factory stuff but now I'm (pardon the pun) a little gun shy to use what I have in fear that I won't find more.
I grew up tree stand hunting the big woods of MN, but live on the ND border. About 21yrs ago, I started hunting in ND too. Totally different game! Wide open plains, long shots vs 50-75yds. Took my 30-30 out first year…2nd year went 7mm and loved that rifle (M77 MkII, timney trigger, schillen barrel), then mistakenly sold it to get a .300 Win. A friend of mine sold me on the idea of physics and kinetic energy and bought a .257 Weatherby. If that rifle were human, I’d have left my wife and family long ago for it! However, I got tired of spending $75-90 per box so I got into reloading. It’s paid for itself and now reload a few calibers. The price of ammo is crazy with Weatherby. I’ll never stop loving the .25 Roy, but they should really sell you a reloading setup with each rifle they sell though!
I have used a borrowed 7mm REM mag on two elk . Three days ago I bought a weatherby vanguard sporter with the 26 inch barrel . Now shopping for a scope , mounts and rings .
I bought 30-06 because of it popularity in my community, and back in 2005 I new ammo shortages will be a real thing in the future. I do agree 7mm is better for the same reasons you stated and thats why I added 1 to my vault, plus a 270, and a 308, and a 6.5 creedmoor, and a 300 win mag, and a 300 blackout, plus many more.
Seems kinda trivial to me! 30-06 Springfield is a benchmark cartridge with excellent barrel life. And it is pretty well adept at taking game in the lower 48 States!
If 8.6 makes it to production before this series is over I think it needs to be looked at. While it will be new and probably hard to find ammo the super short barrel and sub sonic speeds seem to be something an avid suppressor shooter would love. And if they q is saying is correct it should be a good cartridge out to 400 yards
7 mm Rem Mag for me. Among those four 7 mm calibers in the war series there is no competition. If one wants an allaround caliber in short barrel the .308Win is hard to beat for normal hunting ranges. I have been testing the Short Rifle cartridge series offered by RWS and the .308 Win is the winner for me. Such ammo is intended to be used in shorter barrels than the ususal 24" test berrel and one gets typical 24" performance out of a 22" sporter or typical 22" performance out of a 20". Together with other friends we have compared off-the-shelf ammo and reloads in .30-06 and .308W out of 20" and 22" barrels. Not only the .308W duplicates the .30-06 performance, in some cases does even better! It's simply a more efficient caliber and, thanks to propellant advancements, extremely valid even by today's fat cartridges standards.
Here's the poll for voting: forms.gle/gZCMmK7GVc3kJcji9
yeah, not sharing my email addy...thanks anyway for posting the video and reminding us Weatherby is overpriced.
@@hantus77 - I saw one of the reviews on that cartridge. Very interesting. I think what we’re finding out recently, twist rate is making a huge difference in our understanding of how different cartridges work.
@@falba1492 very interesting, rotational spin directs energy down range. The 12" 8.6 BLK same as 308 with 20" barrel. I think barrels become shorter but thicker. I just saw the Q video, hunting Kudu in South Africa (dead in its tracks) Would be cool to know the energy out to 300 and 400 yards with super sonic and subs. Probably 338 Suppressor (338 Federal like)
Just so you're aware there's no limit to how many responses you can submit while not signed in.
a wildcat 7mm-33 nosler feeds out of a long AICS standard detachable magazine with ID length 3.670'' 190 a-tip BC .838 at 3,200 fps seats the bullet at the bottom of the case neck not sitting into the powder collumn of the case ! .838 bc @ 3,200 fps delivers 1,000fpe at 1 mile fact 1,760 yards! and can be built in a carbon fiber bbl and stock titanium action =5.5lbs gun! with a 16 oz suppressor or a t4 terminator muzzle break(best tested muzzle break in the world ) very little recoil!
No contest. 7mm Mag.
7mm Rem Mag is the absolute king. It should win all of cartridge wars
Absolute king..yes
When I selected a new rifle last year I did my own personal "cartridge wars" and 7 rem mag won. Amazing ballistics, tolerable recoil, widely available ammo and decent diameter for elk. There is a lot to like about 7mag.
Tons to love about the 7mm Rem Mag. 280AI is nipping at its ballistic heels, and the 280AI is more "efficient" but really, the recoil difference is meaningless, so is that 4-5 grains of extra powder in my opinion, and the ammo availability of 7Mag is like 308, 30-06, 300 Win and 270. Its a fantastic round and really is a powerhouse. As a comparison, my 280 Rem (Not Ackley) has more felt recoil than my 7MM Rem mag, just because the rifle has a crappy recoil pad.
I lived in Alaska for 37 years, 7mm mag & 30-06 did it all for me. I shot about a dozen Bears, many Moose & Caribou, Mountain goats, deer etc. I preferred the 175 grain bullet 7mag and 180 grain 30-06...
@@johnganshow5536 lucky dawg! I wish I could live in Alaska. I have a 30-06 too which is also a great gun. The 7mm has just a little better ballistics for the same recoil.
Same here. I have been shooting a 270 Win for deer at responsible distance and I wanted something I could go just a little bit further. I am not shooting “long range” by any stretch. Just wanted a little more energy than what I was getting out of the 270 Win.
@@johnganshow5536 why did you leave alaska?
7mm Mag truly is do-it-all, and deserves to win the entire show
300 WM for me!
Out here in the west 7mm is right at the top. Ammo everywhere you go. Good selection of bullets for deer and antelope up to elk and moose. Maybe a little too much for deer in woods hunting under 100 -150 yards, you catch a shoulder and it's gone. But simply can't beat 7mm simply for ammo availability and cost around here. It's in every gas station and hole in the wall stop. The rest you better hand load or you're SOL.
Absolutely love my 7mm rem mag but it’s damn near impossible to find ammo in stock over in Pennsylvania
Where are you finding ammo. Can't find it in shitzhole CA.
@@hernanlecea7041 Barnes just got a bunch out today
There's no such thing as ammo availability these days. Availability sucks for every caliber.
Tennessee Hardwoods, Use 150 grain Winchester Ballistic SilverTips for whitetail deer, they expand perfectly from point blank to 100 yards. 7mm Rem Mag
DRT every time . If it runs 1 yard, you either hit it wrong or was a bad round . The last 10 - 15 deer I've taken I had only 2 that ran 30 yards. And it was my fault .
Nosler 150 Ballistic Tips 2nd choice . 0-100 yards .
I hate to see an animal kick and suffer, when it could have been over in less than a second .
Not being a smart ass, It bothers me when one runs and kicks . I guess I'm getting old & Soft .
Totally agree, 7 rem mag, 280 ai , 7mm 08 are also awesome.
All 3 are fantastic.
7mm rem mag stabilizes 175gr bullets bullets just fine with normal twist rate. Have been shooting them for years.
I have to comment on the barrel length section.
If you are regularly hunting at distances of 300 - 400 yards, the longer barrel does play to your advantage and clearly makes more sense. Majority of new rifle companies chamber standard a 24-inch barrel for the 7mm RM. If you opt for a 25-26 inch barrel, then you're customizing, and that you can do with any rifle and caliber.
We hunt with 24-inch barrels in 30-06 and .243 with surpressors here in South Africa and we have no trouble manouvering through thick bush and brush when we need to. If you're worried about weight of the extra 2-inches of barrel, then you're really nitpicking and should man-up, because the normal person will not know the difference in weight through a day's walk in the veld. It's like the recoil scenario between the 30-06 and 7mm RM. You won't know the difference.
I don't think the barrel length issue will cause many standard length magnum cartridges to fade in years to come, because a short action cartridge cab only perform to a certain extend where a standard action will be required to fit and handle longer, heavier for caliber high BC bullets. The only way to go with a short action case is a fatter case design to fit those bullets and increase case capacity and that will cause feeding issues if you tuck the shoulder too sharp. Not to mention about pressure issues as well.
The 7mm RM is here to stay and even with modern case designs, in the hands of a skilled reloader, they'll equal or better these new cartridges' ballistic performance.
Here's the thing all these new case designs are made for extreme long range TARGET shooting. NOT HUNTING. Within reasonable AND acceptable hunting distances, the older cartridges have been doing it right for decades. Game have not become harder to kill than in 1955.
My personal opinion, 7mm RM for the win here.
Thank you for the awesome channel. We really enjoy your insight in these videos. Keep up the great work.✌🏻
When he pointed out the suppressor issue I immediately regretted buying a 7 RM. Till I just read your comment! Realistically I got the suppressor for my AR and my Sig Cross 6.5. The 7 is my new elk rifle with a 26” barrel. I’m not going to hang a 9” can on that.
@@mrjeffjob a 26-inch barrel with a 9-inch supressor is a stretch , but honestly, if you're reaching out there at those distances, the elk wouldn't even know you're there. Even without a surpressor, by the time the muzzle blast cracks at 300-400 yards you already have a dead elk, given the correct shot placement. And as Backfire stated, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference in recoil between a 30-06 and a 7mm RM, which I agree with. That 1 lbs difference is not noticable.
I wouldn't worry about a surpressor if you're carrying a 26-inch barrel for your 7mm RM, honestly. If anything, I'd just add a muzzle brake to it to reduce the muzzle flash.
With that said, I think you've bought yourself a fine elk cartridge, sir. You'll be able to hunt any big game animal on the planet with that rifle. If you'll be using monolithic bullets, my advice would be a Barnes 150 grain TTSX or Nosler 150 grain E-Tip. If you'll be using lead core bullets, a Nosler 168gr ABLR or Swift 160 grain A-Frame will do the job equally fine. 👍🏻
Nice to see some good South African common sense. Not much that needs it here in sunny England but I may just get a 7 RM for a bit of target shooting. Might be fun to try and beat some of the new wonder cartridges.
7 mag is very popular for hunting out in the west. Personally I’m a 300 win mag fan over 7 mag but that’s just for reloading purposes. Have to many other guns in 30 cal and use the same bullets. Wouldn’t hesitate to pick up a 7 mag in a heart beat
Too many calibers doing the same thing out to 500 yards. With ammo shortages it seems dumb to drop so many new cartridges spreading g out components. You are right about barrel lengths will drive cartridge purchases. Now we are back to the 308.
Agreed, the true differences at "practical" ranges of 400 yds and under of so many calibers is zilch. A 308 out to 400 yards is a fantastic N.Am big game cartridge, and will do anything you need it to. The 300 WM and 7mm don't do it much better until you are at 600 yards. Its a bit silly to have so many new cartridges coming on, they are just different shades of the same lipstick.
@@Bowstringdotcom Wait until you see the ballistics table on the 7mm PRC.
7 Mag for the win, dunno why 7mm08 was left out of 308 class. But the 7 mag is great. My tikka with 162 ELD-X gets 3030FPS with reloads out of a 24" barrel and has been pretty well bang flops on the half dozen moose and couple black bears its taken thus far.
Here is one that will surprise some. My 7 mag shooting the same bullet 162 ELD-x is 285 fps faster than my 7mm08(2745fps). Sounds like a lot but if your shots are inside 400 yards that is kind of irrelevant given it requires almost twice the volume of powder.
7mm08 isn’t a 308 caliber
I like the 7mm08. Around where I live, 308 is the most popular, followed by 243 and 30-06 (Deer, Coyote, and Black Bear are the most hunted game here - In the order I listed).
@@jackfeltham8966 that 7mm08 load with 162s holds 1500ft-lbs and over 2000fps to 510m. its shoots great to 1200m (targets only obviously) at my elevation (500m) beyond that it become a bit of a game of luck.
i’m up in Canada so bear with the metrics lol Cheers
edit: even factory 150 grain precision hunter holds 1500ft-lbs/2100fps out to 480 plus yards.
@@johngallagher3732 Labrador. All the critters that i have taken with 308, 7mag and 300 wm would beg to differ lol. i will say though that impacts at high velocity 2950+ the bullet comes apart a bit. just stay off the shoulder on very close shots with magnum calibers and its always been bang flops for me.
Bergers been a little unreliable for me. I always got the animal but found on a couple occasions where the bullets would tumble instead of expanding. its really weird when you recover the bullets completely intact but flat. cheers
7mm Mag definitely my favorite. Especially if you only want one rifle or caliber for any type of animal!
The 7 rem mag is outstanding and will continue to be. I like the idea of hunting with a rifle with a can on it but when the rut is on and you are around BIG bucks at long range that’s when that 7 mag is an old friend.
Not that it makes any difference, but I believe an excellent all-around bullet weight for the old .30-06 is 165 grain...YMMV.
165 or 167 grain boattail is my favorite
Yes the perfect weight, almost as flat shooting as a 150, almost as much foot pounds as a 180. I use the ballistic tip, so deadly!
The 165-168 grain bullets are the sweet spot for the old 30-06. You get the speed and trajectory of the 150 grain but with the penetration and weight retention of a 180 grain. I prefer monolithic bullets over lead core bullets. A 168grain TTSX is equivalent to a 200 grain Accubond in terms of penetration and weight retention as the bullet construction is harder than a bonded bullet of the same weight, but has the speed advantage to reach it's target much quicker with a flatter trajectory.
I really feel 30-06 go the shaft on this. It was run first before people could find this. I agree with you on the .30-06 @ 165 grain. I feel it destroys 90% of these rounds easily in availability. It can be a great round but if you can't get it or spend a box price on one round does it really win?
If you had to use one bullet weight for everything, I'd agree.
I own a 7mm Rem, a 28 Nosler, and a custom 280AI so I'm a huge fan of the 7mm's but I'm also a huge fan of the 6.5mm's and the 6.8mm's... I feel like with a cartridge in one of those 3 calibers you can comfortably hunt everything there is to hunt in North America but if you could only have 1 it would have to be a 7mm.
@Will Hansen it really all comes down to how you use them buddy. It's a hunting rifle for me so it took about a 100 rounds for my load development process and I shot another 100 rounds getting more familiar with my rifle and the load I settled on. Now it'll just be shot to check zero and while I'm moose and maybe elk hunting which if I'm lucky I get to do once a year but normally it's once every 2 or 3 years so barrel life for me is completely irrelevant and it's a gun I can pass down to my kid one day. Now if you're using it to plink a lot and you're getting the barrel really hot while doing it I've heard/read you'll burn the barrel out in around 900 to maybe 1500 rounds but if you're monitoring the barrel heat you're going to stretch that out a good bit. It's a really cool cartridge... Hope that helps take care brother!!
@@DanielBoone337
Love my 28 Nosler. That barrel burner business is for guys that maybe don't have but one or maybe two high velocity rifles, and shoot them like a .22LR to consider. It's a misguided argument that leans very little on practicality, facts, and factors when it comes to hunting and shooting.
@@bustabass9025 yeah I can mostly agree with that but you'll always have the competition guys and that's a world all in its own. For the average shooter or even the most avid of hunters burning a barrel out isn't going to be an issue. But if you're a serious competitive shooter you might go through 1 or 2 a season and honestly I think most people hear something like that and think that it's the cartridges they're shooting causing it. Only problem is competition guys might shoot 5k to maybe even as high as 50k+ rounds a year and lots of the people asking about burning out barrels won't shoot 8k rounds in their life so they're just not looking at things practically...
@@DanielBoone337
Competition guys have a lot more to consider than just barrel life, and more power to 'em. As for me, I only have to be concerned about how well any of my rifles (the majority of which are Magnum or other high velocity chamberings, cuz that's how I roll) digest the handloads I have developed for them over the past thirty years or so. And, of course, whether or not the shot I just fired will transfer that deer, pronghorn, or elk into a freezer full of steaks, chops, and burger.
Ninety-nine percent of the the time that question is answered "YES!" with one shot. When that hasn't been the case, it's because of operator error not barrel condition.
If you are the average Joe DeerTag like me, the amount of shots you shoot annually will probably never exceed a total of a thousand rounds hunting and shooting combined, over the life of any one rifle in your safe. Not to mention, if you aren't a handloader, who can afford the expense of factory ammo to shoot that many times at paper, steel and water jugs?😐
Personally I love the 7 rem mag. its got the power the range and awesome stopping power, and it will for sure reach out there and touch somebody and is a great flat shooter
7mm rem mag is best overall. I would vote the 7mm
To get that slight advantage, the 7mm Rem Mag is generally a longer/heavier rifle - magnum length receiver and 2" more barrel length vs. for the .30-06.
I don't own either. If I end up getting a .30-06 it will be due to the rifle and ammo both being cheaper.
@@kurtwpgfor how absurdly similar they are, besides for Ultra long ranges that most people will never shoot, the bullets being less than half the price and always available, along with versatility, makes 30 06 the clear choice to me
The 7mm Rem Mag is America's favorite magnum. Plenty rifles are chambered for it, ammo is readily available, and the others on the list only see marginal performance increases for much greater cost. This makes 7Mag the winner in this one.
I think the 300 win mag is more popular
@@sparky_-mf2cs I understand worldwide it is. But in America, the Big 7 is King with the Winnie right on its tail. I couldn't decide so I got both.
@@Melbury-Vidz i live in western america and i know many hunters and shooters in general. And 300 win mag is way more popular by far...not saying its the better cartridge...
Not mine
@@sparky_-mf2cs Craig Boddington (the prolific gun writer) mentions in an article, CLASSIC CARTRIDGE: 7MM REMINGTON MAGNUM - "The .300 Winchester Magnum has been a stunning success, effectively supplanting the time-honored .300 H&H, and over time becoming the most popular “fast .30” and the world’s second most popular magnum cartridge. Initially taking off like a rocket, the .264 Winchester Magnum was blown off the market by Remington’s “Big Seven.” I am personally a fan of the .264, at least for limited purposes, but I freely admit that the 7mm Remington Magnum, able to use heavier bullets, is considerably more versatile. I guess the majority of riflemen agree, because the 7mm Remington Magnum went on to become the world’s most popular belted cartridge, and the world’s most popular cartridge to bear the “magnum” moniker."
Many, many other writers and authors have shared the same sentiment.
Here in Canada suppressors arent even an option, i built my 7mm rem mag with a muzzle brake in mind and to use it as an all around hunter. so far its a great rifle and amazing cartridge
It’s the same here in Australia
It's ridiculous, it's so much nicer on your hearing. With a brake I need to wear plugs and ear defenders. Group action on H&S grounds 😉
My love affair with the 7RM started back in the mid-late 90’s.with a Weatherby Vanguard (SR 1)
It a very versatile cartridge, when things were normal I could find all kinds of factory ammunition in all normal bullets weights.
7 Mag. I agree, it's the most versatile cartridge out there and if there's any possibility of anything larger than deer in the future, it's my first recommendation.
The amount of detail and breakdown that you do is very enlightening. It helps to understand the true numbers that can be so hard to come by. I do agree that suppressors are going to become more popular, but I would still say the vast majority of people won't be able to get their hands on for a long time, and for that reason the long action cartridges still carry a little bit more weight, as they do ballistically typically.
Very entertaining and I like the show. However, he uses mismatched bullet weights to make his comparisons. Such as the 7mm STW at a sedate shade over 3000fps, that’s the typical 175gr velocity not the nearly 3300 of a 150gr. Then compared the 150 7mm to the relatively heavy for caliber 180gr -06, yet when a 165’or even 150 30cal is compared it becomes much closer in velocity to nearly identical. And the recoil advantage increases greatly when the -06 drops to 150gr.
Would love to see some comparisons of recoil with and without muzzle brakes and silencers with the data!
Yes!
There are so many different muzzle breaks and silencers that good, usable data would be difficult to attain.
@@graynotescartridgebox true… But don’t you think Backfire would do a great job given how they cover stuff?
@@striderwolf687 not doubting that, but there are so many options. Especially with suppressors…hard to test many less you’re an SOT with access to demo suppressors.
@@graynotescartridgebox makes sense!
maybe 5 % of people might hunt surpressed. don't think you theory holds up. 7mm rem mag all day.
Too right. Suppressors illegal where I am and don't really care about them anyway. My 7 rem mag with a EC tuner brake is a fantastic tac driver for anything from foxes, pigs to deer at short to long ranges. Barrel life dont care. Ive tuned this rifle for hunting 50-100 rounds a year. Even if it lasts 800 rounds thats over 10 years. Last barrel was 15 years old so 2 barrels after 25 years is cheap therapy. Ive got a 22 rim fire and 223 if I want to send alot of lead. All round Hunting 7 rem mag is perfect for me.
I was a broke laborer when I started hunting. The 30.06 was the one I could find in used guns. This suited my pocket book. As a hand loader,06 was and easy loader. It produced alot of meat for my family.
The man behind the trigger is by far the most important factor. The best rifle is the one you own.
Just curious, you have an interesting beginning. Many who start off like this become prosperous because they learn the value of hard work. Has your life unfolded the way you wanted?
My Deer Rifle over here in NZ is a 7mm Rem Mag. We use suppressors a lot here. I use 162gn Precision Hunter. Shooting out to 600 yards on animals. Very accurate fast enough and hard hitting. My barrel threading was done by an expert to 22 3/4 inches. Less than 100ftps lost velocity compared to the box numbers. I have not shot/tried/used anything else I would swap too.
Really enjoy this series on Cartridge Wars - great, practical mix of facts, comparisons, relevant opinion, and interesting anecdotes.
7mm Remington Magnum with 150gr Nosler Ballistic Tips all day long. Very satisfied! Every caliber has its optimum bullet weight and you've picked them for both the .30-06 and the 7 Mag. Thanks for sharing.
7mm REM Mag with an 8” twist. 190 grains are stabilized. Great rejuvenating of an already great cartridge. Great hunting cartridge. Great long range cartridge capable of 500-1000-1500-mile ranges. :]
I am still pissed off at not seeing the 30:06 still in there but would take the 7mm REM over all the remaining options in today's poll.
7 rem mag needs at least a 28" barrel imo. Also needs a faster twist than is common. A 1:7 and 190gr bullets with a custom cut chamber and it's impossible to beat without going 338lapua. The problem with the older cartridges is the guns not the cartridges.
7mm Rem Mag all the way.
However, a 7 PRC would probably catch on fast. Short action with 24" bbl would be handy.
Also, I barreled my 7 Rem Mag at 25" many years ago.
7 WSM was a great cartridge design too bad it didn't catch on but the 7mm Rem is the clear winner
I've always preferred a shorter barrel for hunting. Seeing your data on how cartridges are impacted via barrel length was really insightful and I wish that was made more clear regarding short magnum cartridges.
Being a fan and owner of a .300 WSM I want to vote for the 7 WSM but it’s extremely difficult to find rifles and ammunition for it, even before the crazy buying sprees. The 7mm Rem Mag is by far the easiest to find of the 4.
www.ammoseek.com
Around here 7mm wsm didn't move on the shelf and the prices stayed the same I want another 7mm wsm tho. My current one is a model 70 super shadow
Neither did my .40S&W, probably for a similar reason.
You should do a comparison between 7mm Rem mag and 6.8 Western
WSM cartridges need to make a come back
@@ronlowney4700 I forgot about that I wish they had the wsm case capacity
I ended up with 7mm rem mag because I spent a year reading different reloading manuals and doing research into it.
I wanted a long range rifle to put 6.5 Creedmoor to Shame. I worked at a large gun store and I was over the Creedmoor and saw it as just another caliber that was being hyped up and sold to people who wouldn't normally care about long range. I had a lot of time to read cartridge boxes, reloading manuals, and any other information I could. I wanted to choose a caliber that had better ballistics, more energy, and longstanding production. I came between the 300win mag and the 7mm. 28 nosler was a huge interest but getting brass and factory ammo as well as popularity of chambering between rifle makers was limited. I ended up on 7mm over 300wm because, although both are great, the 7mm uses less powder to reload and has higher bc's than anything else that was commonly available. I could load a 120gr bullet to rival any varmint caliber and a 180gr bullet to poke big things at long range. It was better than 6.5 in every way. I could use factory hunting ammo to get brass and practice and (at the time) it was only $1 per round. I'm a big believer in the 7mm rem mag. I studied ballistics well before choosing a rifle and haven't been disappointed at all.
7mm RM is the most broadly useful cartridge there is. The 7mm caliber produces the best combination of BC & SD with wide range of bullet weights and applications. Yes, there are better cartridges for narrow focus applications, but few if any do it all as well.
My dad was always a .270 guy since his childhood in the 50's. I loved the 300 win mag with such a great selection of bullet grain weight. I did upgrade my dad to a inexpensive 7mm win mag and it's a great weapon system. Left hurt to the shoulder vs the colt antique weapon and it shot very similar for my dad at 100 yards to 200 yards. He's a deer hunter and Elk hunter.
7mm rem mag needs to continue
Many 7mm Rem. Mags are being made with a faster twist now to stabilize longer bullets. I'm using the 175 gr. Accubond LR in mine with good stability, but it's a 1:8 twist. I think a lot of the older guns are slower twist, but getting better barrels will increase it's life. I still like the 24" barrel and have been unwilling to do put over a grand in a silencer and tax stamp. I might be more likely to now that the timeframe's are shorter, but it's a lot of money to blow for some DB reduction. Using walker game ears or similar devices allows you to hear well and reduce the noise thump. I'll stick to those for now.
7mm Remington Mag is hard to beat in terms of affordability, availability, practicality at long ranges as well as short, a broad spectrum of rifles chambered in it, and a range of bullet weights for various game and if you are a hand loader, the sky is the limit. I’ve been shooting this caliber for years in a Savage bolt rifle with a 24inch barrel. It has worked very well for me in both woods hunting and in bean field or power line hunting when you wanna stretch the range out. My Savage rifle shoots well under MOA with favorite loads and particularly favors the 150 Nosler ballistic tips at 3110 FPS average as measured with my chronograph. Nosler partition bullets also work very well in my rifle if I had a need for a bullet other than the 150 ballistic tip for more penetration. The largest whitetail I’ve took with it weighted 193 pounds and was a ten pointer with 23 inches of inside spread and the range was 188 yards. I know that’s not a really long shot but the 150 ballistic tip had a full pass thru and broke both shoulders leaving a good wound channel. The longest range I’ve took deer with that same load was right at 345 yards on an average size buck, at least average for here where I hunt, that was a 145 pound deer. The bullet passed thru in that one too and the deer made it about 20 yards and piled up. Personally I have no desire for a suppressor so a shorter barrel length has no appeal to me in a rifle chambered for this or any other potentially long range caliber.
Thanks
Interesting test you are doing!
7mm rem mag. With some of these powders, I’m getting 3000 plus fps with 162 nosler accubond and with a Hornady 139 grain interlock @ 3200 fps. Love my 7mm rem mag.
Any recommendation on where to find powder or primers right now?
Midway. For powders.
@@Keifsanderson I keep checking with my local gun store and every once in blue moon, they will have some in stock. Usually behind the counter and you have to ask for them.
@@pilot4them2010 Thanks. That's been my line of effort as well. So far no luck.
@@joewheeler9127 Thanks. Surprised I hadn't thought you look at them.
I can definitely tell a difference in recoil... the 7 is sharper, and the 30 06 is more of a push. for me, the 30 06 is about as much recoil as I'm willing to take in a lightweight rifle....or a 270 with RL 26!!!
In the 7 mag vs 30-06 portion there is just so much data left out. Ballistic coefficients being one. Also rifle weight and design will greatly effect felt recoil. I had my old 30-06 out-shooting my brothers 7 rem mag using hand-loaded Berger 168 vld hunting bullets against his loaded ballistically inferior 140 Gamekings. I was also pushing to the max (safely) where his loads where more conservative. Felt recoil was a lot less with my 30-06. When it came time to rebarrel, I shortened from 24 to 20 inches and went with 280AI due to running an ultra 9 can. Using the same 168 vld-h Berger but in 7mm,I was able to make up the loss of barrel length ballistically while having even less recoil. I am very happy with that choice.
I'm still always going to love my old Browning A-bolt stainless stalker rechambered in 7mm STW with the 1 in 10 twist shooting heavy bullets.
It's light and with the B.O.S.S break on it the recoil is negligable.
That being said, eliminating the .300 weatherby was the real crime of this competition. lol
What’s the STW stand for thanks cheers Yogi 🇦🇺🤙🤙
@@brettstewart6036 shooting times westerner
@@YurrNext thanks for the reply mate cheers Yogi 🇦🇺🤙🤙
Love the channel, thanks for doing what do! You speak often of hunting with a suppressor and the effect it is having on barrel length choices. I see your point, but I'd be interested in a poll to see how many of your subs are actually hunting with, or intend to hunt with, a suppressor. I currently live in the Midwest, but was Active Duty military for 30 years, which allowed me to hunt all over the country; I have never known or ran into a fellow hunter that was hunting with a suppressor. Moving every few years, and all the differing State laws on suppressor usage, I personally never put much thought into hunting with a suppressor but sounds like I may be behind the times. Again, appreciate what you are doing here and looking forward to the next episode!
We frequently hunt with surpressors here in South Africa and has become somewhat of a "necessity" to own when buying a rifle. When you step into the 26-inch barrel range, we don't consider that a "hunting" rifle but more a "target" rifle simply because 22-inch and 24-inch barrels are the most common barrels made by manufacturers these days and, given some of our hunting areas here, a 26 inch barrel would be completely impractical in thick bush and brush.
If you're hunting open country, yeah sure, that 26-inch barrel wouldn't be a problem. But if you're looking for versatility, 22-24 inch barrels are your options. And 99% of manufacturers make standard 24-inch barrels in 7mm RM. So adding a surpressor on a standard barrel wouldn't be much of a difference.
They are completely illegal to even own in NY where I hunt!
Your not behind the times. I only know 1 guy who hunts with a suppressor. The only time I do is when using my 22lr or my AR when hunting coyotes/wolves. I dont think it really matters for big game because the gun is still not hearing safe and you should only need to shoot once. They are fun on small guns but for any kind of serious hunting its just going to add weight/length. Even on a 20 in barrel if you add an 8 inch suppressor its still longer and heavier than a regular barrel and I would rather have the extra fps.
Here in Wyoming I always hunt suppressed. It really is a game changer, in my opinion. I personally think it is more ethical too. Instead of traumatizing a whole valley of critters by touching off Thor’s hammer, usually the only animal really effected is the one you just dropped. The rest stand around wondering why “Jimmie” is napping. I believe the best kill is when the animal never knows you are there and one clean patiently quiet shot.
@@MaxairEngineering I'm not a hunter, for no other reason than I don't know anything about it. I do have a .308 Tikka suppressed, so much nicer to shoot. Wyoming looks a fantastic state, I've said to my wife we'll have to visit one day.
I am just jealous that I have not had the chance to do the hunting I always wanted to but hopefully, this coming year I can finally get started. It’s so interesting to watch the back and forth and discussion of the merits of the different cartridges. But to me, it’s as if you are all correct no matter which you prefer. Be safe out there everyone!
Just got a 7 rem mag today... For many of these reasons, trajectory, recoil, energy, elk proven, and common ammo availably, best blend and balance of ALL things... all that factor into a hunting rifle. Got it in Tikka T3x, best buy for money rifle imo... Light, stainless, smooth action, nice magazine, small narrow action... And they can stack rounds.
I am a Weatherby guy so my vote is for the ‘bee, but without my bias …. 7 Remington Mag would be the choice.
I chose the 7mm rem mag because it is one of the most available on this list, although I like the the idea of the 7mm WSM it never really stuck around long enough, kinda like the 284 Win, great cartridge but good luck finding it now. And I honestly don’t think the 308 is going to make it to the last round anyway so a bi week is just prolonging it’s death 💀
Good stuff. 7mm Rem Mag has been my choice since mid 80s with only the 308 being the "other" cartridge I have bought until last year when I picked up a 243 compact for my youngest son & the ladies in house with which to hunt deer.
Not only do short-actions require less barrel length, the action is also over an inch shorter. So that 3” shorter 7mm WSM is really 4” or more shorter.
@@ronlowney4700 not irrelevant at all. Same holds true for all the short-actions.
@@ronlowney4700 perhaps you’re misunderstanding.
The relevancy of the statement isn’t unique to just the 7mm WSM. However, 7mm WSM is still a SAMMI round with ammunition, components, and reamers still in production. If Winchester cannot make them, it doesn’t mean there aren’t customs and it doesn’t mean those out there aren’t being supported. That is irrelevant to the point I was making, however. I only mention the 7mm WSM because that was his example.
What part of “this holds true for all the short-actions” do you not understand?
@@ronlowney4700 I never had any questions of you….😂
@@ronlowney4700 all good have a good one, and remember the point about SAs stands with all of them, not just 7mm.
Tom - I love this channel, I have now decided I want to buy a suppressor. And your channel has confirmed my love of the 7mm. I own a 7mm WSM which I love. And if I buy a rifle for any of my children or wife it will be in 7mm-08. However if I lived out west (I live in NH) and I spent more time hunting elk than deer, than I might opt for the 300 WSM.
I'm firmly in the 7mm rem corner , I reckon it is the best all round cartridge. I've got a 24' barrel with suppressor and I've never found it to be that inconvenient, have 162gr sst handloads around 3100fps mark , and I'm yet to have anything walk away from it .
My point exactly. No inconvenience. 👐🏻
7mm Rem Mag for the win
Thanks for putting the 7 WSM in I like to see the comparison & competition. Also look forward to the news on possible new 7 mag.
Good thing about 7mm rifles is, it doesn't mine if you have others cartridges as long as you come back and play with it now and then 😁😁
Oh man I'm glad to see this, I've got the plague and am laid up bored. Was just hoping you'd post today.
Really loving the detail your doing for this!
I love 7mm rem mag there’s a lot of firearm manufacturers actually giving it a faster twist rate like browning has several options, for the longer heavier bullets and it’s made by just about every ammunition manufacturer and firearm manufacturer
My guys that I know and hunt with in south Alabama have and utilize the 7 mag as strictly a Clearcut/gas line/power line rifle for obvious reasons. The length of the barrel is not an issue to them whatsoever. As a matter of fact, most of them actually prefer the 26” just because of the small boost in velocity.
I just ordered another 7mm Remington Magnum because I hunt clearcuts in North Alabama.
Still sticking with my 30-06. hasn't ever failed me. and if you practice sufficiently with just about anything you will become proficient with it. 30-06 is more affordable so I can practice more.
My fav series of vids right now. Cant wait for the next one
I’d like to see what a “7PRC” will do compared to a 7 Rem Mag, 300 and 6.5 PRC. I feel like it might be a sweet spot.
7mm prc will rule it all
That or 284 Western
I would like to see the ballistics on the 175 grain and accuracy with the 1/9.5 twist.
I gave my custom 7mm Remington Magnum to my son a few years ago. I miss it so much that I just ordered a Tikka T3x Lite Veil Wideland in 7mm Remington Magnum. I hunt whitetails in North Alabama and we have lots of cutovers and power lines.
The 7mm rem mag is a fantastic round. Good Rounds have BC's that are typically high and can hit .814(Berger 195gr EOL), flat shooting and hard hitting. Rounds are readily found all around the world and most are very affordable. Before the pandemic most good rounds were between $25-50. For the extra 1" in the action and 2" in the barrel, cost of shooting and availability worldwide...its worth it.
7mm Mag. When performance is similar, go for most available and cost affective ammo. I love 7wsm. Wish more people did.
Reloaders will keep the 7wsm alive. You'd be hard pressed to find a more efficient cartridge,but it really needs a long action to shine. Mine shoots 183 smk's at 3k fps out of a 24" barrel.
7mm bullets for reloading is sad now a days though, I’m fighting tooth and nail to get components to reload my 28 nosler and 280 ai, wether it be bullets or brass. 7’s seem to be one getting skipped over a lot right now.
What grain bullets are you looking for I have been able to find Barnes lrx 145 for my 280ai
I find it easy to get 7mm projectiles around me. Primers and powder is still the issue. My 7mm Sherman Short Mag likes RL26 and H1000. Haven’t seen either of those for years.
I run 160 accubonds in 280 ai and 175 long range accubonds in 28 nosler
I have both, 7mm Remington Magnum is by far my favorite cartridge, but the barrel life is only about 3,000 rounds. A 30-06 barrel will pretty much last forever. Go into a gas station in any backwater town and if they sell ammo theres a good chance they have 30-06.
A suppressor is the most clumsy thing you can put on a hunting rifle.. throws off the entire balance of the rifle. I won’t be shooting a low velocity round out of a short barrel just to have a suppressor for 1-2 shots.
Its nice to not need hearing protection when hunting
Let’s hear it. I want to know about the 7prc. Update the wsm, 7western with 195gr bullets.
I've been shooting the 175 gr. Nosler Partition hand load since the late 70's and I've taken Deer, Bear, Elk, Antelope, Mule Deer, Caribou and it's never failed me. I have 308, 30-06, 300 WM. 338 WM. but I only hunt with the 7 MM Mag.. It's like the American Express, I don't leave home without it..
I’ll stick with the 7mag thank you very much.
I shot a 1100 pound Buffalo at 200 yards with a 7mm Rem Mag. Clean pass through.
160 grain Nosler Partition. Absolutely wrecked shopped. I will never pick another cartridge after that.
30-06 vs 7mag recoil is literally unnoticeable, specifically because a 30-06 usually comes in lighter rifles.
I don’t like short rifles. And hunting with a can is pointless when our main topic in western hunting is lightweight. Plus, electronic ear pro is cheaper and better for your ears anyways.
I'm very much looking forward to a 7 western. Hopefully it can push a 175gr out at over 3000 fps and use a true short action.
The 30-06 is a great and historic cartridge. But the ballistics of the 7 Rem Mag is better, that is why I chose the 7 Rem Mag. I think the .270 Winchester is a great cartridge as well, but you don't have the bullet selection of the 7 Rem. The 7mm-08 is maybe the greatest all around cartridge.
7 Rem Mag. Gotta be, I’m late to the party bust just got a Ruger No 1 in it. Have always been hesitant about a 26” barrel in a bolt gun. Having finally decide to get a long desired No 1 I figured I’d take advantage of the long barrel length at a moderate overall rifle length. Hoping to break it in on W Tex Auodad.
I think the ol boy let the cat out of the bag 7mm western is coming !
Still didn't hear "Why it might fail" cartridge wars? It's the absolute king of cartridge wars
Love the balance of power and ballistics with the 7mm bullets, but in this comparison I would take the 30-06 over the 7 mag
Meh. I'd stick with the rem mag. More powder flatter shooting
I also love shooting suppressed,. I have the SilencerCo Omega 36M and it is modular. You can shorten the suppressor by 2 inches to make it 5 inches in total length. In published reports, a 300 Win Mag in the long configuration measured 132.7 dB and 138.7 dB in the short configuration. So noticeably louder, but still not too bad. When I shoot at the range, I use the long configuration and when I hunt, I switch to the short. So I say, the 7mm Rem Mag still is a great choice!
I choose my 7 mm Rem Mag Christensen Arms with muzzle breaker and it’s partnered with a Leuoold vx5 HD 25x56 scope. Truly a masterpiece
At the start of Vietnam our snipers were getting 7 mm/mags from home. They loved the velocity, they could really reach out and hit their targets.
The 30-06 is strong medicine for anything on the North American continent, excluding the biggest bears. Ammo is readily available in dozens of factory loads, and it is relatively inexpensive. In a good rifle the '06 is very accurate to boot.
I would agree with barrel length. I've been racking my brain trying to find a sub 20 inch gun to toss on a 6 inch suppressor that's 500-700y elk capable. Browning has that suppressor ready speed but that's a SHOT Show special. It's just hard to find any flat shooting guns in shorter barrels right now.
Look at the 280ai from savage ultralight, it has a 22" barrel. I harvested a cow elk this past season with a 140gr accubond. Great rifle, proof barrel great package!
Christensen FFT rifles have 20" and 22" models, sub 6lbs. There's way more short barrel options out there than what you think. Kimber Adirondack, Barrett Fieldcraft if you can find one.
I love my 7mm Rem Mag. My only problem is that here in the East ammo is super hard to find as well as reloading components for it. If you find any of it; factory ammo, brass, bullets etc. you better get it or someone else will. I have managed to cobble together some components and some factory stuff but now I'm (pardon the pun) a little gun shy to use what I have in fear that I won't find more.
Great content - love this kind of stuff!!
I grew up tree stand hunting the big woods of MN, but live on the ND border. About 21yrs ago, I started hunting in ND too. Totally different game! Wide open plains, long shots vs 50-75yds. Took my 30-30 out first year…2nd year went 7mm and loved that rifle (M77 MkII, timney trigger, schillen barrel), then mistakenly sold it to get a .300 Win. A friend of mine sold me on the idea of physics and kinetic energy and bought a .257 Weatherby. If that rifle were human, I’d have left my wife and family long ago for it! However, I got tired of spending $75-90 per box so I got into reloading. It’s paid for itself and now reload a few calibers.
The price of ammo is crazy with Weatherby. I’ll never stop loving the .25 Roy, but they should really sell you a reloading setup with each rifle they sell though!
I won't be looking for the shorter barrels up here in Canada, we are not allowed to have, purchase or use supressors, they are banned!
7mm Rem Mag is the best all around cartridge! #7mmMag
I have used a borrowed 7mm REM mag on two elk . Three days ago I bought a weatherby vanguard sporter with the 26 inch barrel . Now shopping for a scope , mounts and rings .
I bought 30-06 because of it popularity in my community, and back in 2005 I new ammo shortages will be a real thing in the future. I do agree 7mm is better for the same reasons you stated and thats why I added 1 to my vault, plus a 270, and a 308, and a 6.5 creedmoor, and a 300 win mag, and a 300 blackout, plus many more.
Seems kinda trivial to me! 30-06 Springfield is a benchmark cartridge with excellent barrel life. And it is pretty well adept at taking game in the lower 48 States!
If 8.6 makes it to production before this series is over I think it needs to be looked at. While it will be new and probably hard to find ammo the super short barrel and sub sonic speeds seem to be something an avid suppressor shooter would love. And if they q is saying is correct it should be a good cartridge out to 400 yards
7 mm Rem Mag for me. Among those four 7 mm calibers in the war series there is no competition. If one wants an allaround caliber in short barrel the .308Win is hard to beat for normal hunting ranges. I have been testing the Short Rifle cartridge series offered by RWS and the .308 Win is the winner for me. Such ammo is intended to be used in shorter barrels than the ususal 24" test berrel and one gets typical 24" performance out of a 22" sporter or typical 22" performance out of a 20". Together with other friends we have compared off-the-shelf ammo and reloads in .30-06 and .308W out of 20" and 22" barrels. Not only the .308W duplicates the .30-06 performance, in some cases does even better! It's simply a more efficient caliber and, thanks to propellant advancements, extremely valid even by today's fat cartridges standards.