question about 7mm mag recoil (rifle, 308, range, scope)
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So, I'm thinking about an elk hunt next year if I can secure a tag. Thing is I've got a 30-06 and nothing heavier to shoot with so was thinking about getting a 7mm Rem mag rifle.
Unfortunately, none of my friends have one so I've been looking on the internet to find out what the recoil is like, since I'm fairly sensitive to it.
Since I can't borrow one to test it out, I've read that some people say it's not much more than the 30-06 I already own and some say it's just a bit less than a 300 Win mag--which is substantially more than a 30-06.
So here I am asking the group what the thoughts are. Any help?
The Rem Mag "feels" like it has a slightly sharper kick, as compared to the 30.06 (165Gr. boat tail at 2980 ft per sec.)
Not really "more" kick, but just felt "sharper."
Like less duration in the burn cycle.
Sorry, don't recall the bullet weight / load on the 7mm Rem Mag. It may have been a factory load, even.
If you're going after Elk (Rocky or Roosevelt) I'd stick with the 30.06. That caliber can bring down ANYTHING on the North American continent. There are so many different loads available for the "aught 6."
If you want a 7 mm, then get one, but don't think for a minute that your 30.06 is incapable.
What State are you thinking? (This will give us your likely ranges for a kill.) Anything from 150gr to 220gr. It just depends on how flat you need and the energy at impact. Have you decided on Glass?
I'd try to make my shot at < 450 yds, if possible. Going out 500-600yds and your bullet runs outta gas.
Nosler Trophy Grade is decent.
I'd "zero the scope at 200yds." (That's what I do. It's flatter beyond 200, and it's only 1" high at 100, so hold it dead-on.)
So, I'm thinking about an elk hunt next year if I can secure a tag. Thing is I've got a 30-06 and nothing heavier to shoot with so was thinking about getting a 7mm Rem mag rifle.
Unfortunately, none of my friends have one so I've been looking on the internet to find out what the recoil is like, since I'm fairly sensitive to it.
Since I can't borrow one to test it out, I've read that some people say it's not much more than the 30-06 I already own and some say it's just a bit less than a 300 Win mag--which is substantially more than a 30-06.
So here I am asking the group what the thoughts are. Any help?
i shot my friends semi-auto 7mm mag when i was in high school.it was less recoil than a bolt one but it was pretty good kick.my dad has .264 win mag which i think would kick a little less than a 7mm but it didnt bother me.i think if you are senstitive to recoil and are unsure magnums and elk hunting i would get use .30-06 but if i were in your shoes and i wanted to make a shot from 400 to 500 yards on a elk in Colorado i would get the 7mm mag.your .30-06 will do just fine i dont think you need to get unless you want one but the .30-06 wont be as flat as a 7mm mag.i would limit the .30-06 shots to 300 to 350 to 400 yards.this is just me but i would not want to take a 500 yard shot on a elk with .30-06.i like 7mm mag better than .30-06 for a dedicated elk gun.but i think as long you have a good recoil pad and maybe a muzzle brake a 7mm mag would be fine.i would take the 7mm mag and not the .30-06 if i wanted to go to New Mexico to hunt elk.
I inherited my youngest brother's 7mm Rem Mag when he died, a Remington 700 ADL. It was pretty beat up, so I had it "restored". Only took it to the range once and do not remember it having any serious kick. Just recently passed it down to another brother because with me not being a hunter, I had little use for it.
Not a fan of the 7 mag. I've taken a lot of Elk over the years, stick with the 06.
I've taken a couple Elk with a 280 rem, and a couple with the 7mm-08 as well as a 270, but hands down, 30 caliber works really well at ranges under 350 yards..
The magnums are loud, sharper recoil, and ammo is more expensive.
If you get a light weight 7 mag rifle, be prepared for a beating.
My go to is a 308. Moderate recoil, good ballistics and accurate.
It doesn't matter what you shoot them with if you aren't accurate. A poor hit is a poor hit. You're used to your 06, you trust it, you'll be more accurate with it.
You want a 7mag, go buy one. But I wouldn't buy a new rifle in an unfamiliar caliber for a one time hunt.
I have a Browning Hells Canyon Speed 7mm mag and I load some stout 160 partitions. The combination of the muzzle brake and inflex stock make it a pretty tame rifle.
I've hunted with a Remington 700 BDL 7mm mag since the mid-80's. There IS recoil, especially as I've gotten older - but a suppressor takes it down to about the equivalent of a .243 - and I get a LOT less reaction from the other game around me. I use a Saker 762 with the quick-connect, and mount it on several other platforms as well - it turns my 300 BO into a gun you hear the action on when shooting subsonic.
If the Feds would just get off their duffs and remove them from the blasted NFA, we'd ALL be a lot better off - it's stupid to have to bother with a tax stamp, etc, just to protect our hearing and lesson the noise at the range.
I have a 30-06 and two 7mm mags. Like stated the recoil of the 7mm is not harder but different. If I were hunting elk I would stay with the 30-06 I am familiar with. It is a good round for elk with the right bullet.
Thanks guys! I'll stick with the 06. I'll be hunting in Nevada and my hunting buddy says most shots are at 300 or less. (he has a 300 Weatherby magnum!) My 06 is a Remington Model 700 with a syn stock and matte finish barrel. I've got a Vortex 6x18 scope on it and it's accurate to about 3/4 moa with 150 power point bullets. I'll move up to some 165 gr. Speer Grand Slam bullets I've got so we'll see what the accuracy is with them before I go.
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