7mm Rem Mag vs .300 Win Mag

[High_Plains_Drifter]

Gun show coming up early Oct near here, one I always hit, but I have a mission this year. With all the crap talk about "universal background checks," I think I'm going to take some cash and buy another gun, private sale, citizen to citizen, while I still can legally.

Therein lies the thread topic, I want another bolt action rifle, and I've been reading half the day about the 7mm Remington magnum vs the .300 Winchester magnum. They're both awesome calibers. The 7mm shots a little faster because it's a .284" slug, but the .300, which is actually a .308", will shoot farther. Each has it's advantages, and ammo costs about the same.

So does anyone here have any experience or opinions they'd like to share about either of these two calibers?

https://thebiggamehuntingblog.com/7mm-rem-mag-vs-300-win-mag/

[Elessar]

I have fired a Winchester 300 mag, and it packs a powerful punch. A good bear rifle!
Almost too much power for deer hunting though.

[High_Plains_Drifter]

I have fired a Winchester 300 mag, and it packs a powerful punch. A good bear rifle!
Almost too much power for deer hunting though.
I've shot both too. I'm leaning towards the 7mm. They both overlap by a long way. The only differences are slight differences on the very fringes, but one stands out, the 7mm has a 21 ft lbs of recoil force, but the .300 packs a 27 ft lbs of wallop, quite a bit more. So when they're so closely matched, might as well pick the caliber that's more comfortable to shoot. The 7mm is slightly faster too by a pinch.

[CSM]

I've shot both too. I'm leaning towards the 7mm. They both overlap by a long way. The only differences are slight differences on the very fringes, but one stands out, the 7mm has a 21 ft lbs of recoil force, but the .300 packs a 27 ft lbs of wallop, quite a bit more. So when they're so closely matched, might as well pick the caliber that's more comfortable to shoot. The 7mm is slightly faster too by a pinch.

I have both and shoot both...like both too. The recoil does make a slight difference.

[High_Plains_Drifter]

I have both and shoot both...like both too. The recoil does make a slight difference.
My BIL out in Montana hunts Elk with his Remington 700 BDL, 7mm Mag, and he's dropped quite a few with it. It's real popular out west. But then so is the 300 mag, and the 338 mag, and the 8mm mag, and so on. But around here, the best caliber for deer is a .243, or the ever popular, and arguably the best all around caliber ever made, the 30.06. I had a Browning lever action .243 but sold it.

[Elessar]

I have a Savage 30-32 lever action that has a powerful punch. It is
an antique 1893 model that belongs in a museum! My step dad's uncle used
it on his lobster boat in Maine to stop seals from raiding his traps. It has several
dots on the stock for the seals he shot.
Cannot get away with that these days!

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/resource/document/magnuson-stevens-fishery-conservation-and-management-ac

[High_Plains_Drifter]

I have a Savage 30-32 lever action that has a powerful punch. It is
an antique 1893 model that belongs in a museum! My step dad's uncle used
it on his lobster boat in Maine to stop seals from raiding his traps. It has several
dots on the stock for the seals he shot.
Cannot get away with that these days!

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/resource/document/magnuson-stevens-fishery-conservation-and-management-ac
Awesome story. That rifle is a keeper.

I had my Grandfather's Marlin, 30-30 Model 336 lever action Sport Carbine here that's killed who knows how many deer, but I gave it to my younger sister. She likes guns and is also a damn good shot.

I have a Uberti/Cimarron Arms 1895 Winchester Trapper lever action replica in 45LC. Cool rifle, wanted a vintage rifle that fires the same 45LC as my Colt Birdshead, Doc Holiday replica pistol.

[Elessar]

Awesome story. That rifle is a keeper.

I had my Grandfather's Marlin, 30-30 Model 336 lever action Sport Carbine here that's killed who knows how many deer, but I gave it to my younger sister. She likes guns and is also a damn good shot.

I have a Uberti/Cimarron Arms 1895 Winchester Trapper lever action replica in 45LC. Cool rifle, wanted a vintage rifle that fires the same 45LC as my Colt Birdshead, Doc Holiday replica.

It is a keeper....I keep it oiled and functional

[High_Plains_Drifter]

It is a keeper....I keep it oiled and functional
So just you and CSM are the only ones on the board other than myself that know anything about a 7mm or 300... hmmm... now we know who the country folk are... :rolleyes:

[STTAB]

I have fired a Winchester 300 mag, and it packs a powerful punch. A good bear rifle!
Almost too much power for deer hunting though.


I have a 300 mag and it's overkill for almost everything lol. I suppose if you were hunting a polar bear or a lion it would be the ideal weapon as you certainly don't want a charging rack of teeth to simply be pissed off when you shoot it, but I can't even imagine hunting around here, for example , with it. The average deer is 120-150 lbs, no need for a weapon of that caliber.

[Elessar]

I have a 300 mag and it's overkill for almost everything lol. I suppose if you were hunting a polar bear or a lion it would be the ideal weapon as you certainly don't want a charging rack of teeth to simply be pissed off when you shoot it, but I can't even imagine hunting around here, for example , with it. The average deer is 120-150 lbs, no need for a weapon of that caliber.

That is very true. There is a point of too much rifle for the intended game.
300 Mag might be good for grizzly or moose, but far to much for deer.

[STTAB]

That is very true. There is a point of too much rifle for the intended game.
300 Mag might be good for grizzly or moose, but far to much for deer.


I don't really hunt that often, just not my thing. My guns are mostly just for collector purposes, but when I DO go deer hunting, I use a little .270. Ruger. It's plenty of gun for a deer if you know how to shoot at all.

[High_Plains_Drifter]

That is very true. There is a point of too much rifle for the intended game.
300 Mag might be good for grizzly or moose, but far to much for deer.
Yes it is, but I know people around here that have hunted white tails with big calibers. One guy used his 7mm STW, (Shooting Times Western), which is even a little hotter than the 7mm RM, and a relative of his that hunted with a .338 Win Mag. They harvested deer with them, and so long as you don't hit any meat you're fine. They go right down and you don't have to trail them for half a mile. But if you hit muscle, it's ruined. Personally I'd never use such a massive magnum round for around here where you rarely shoot over 50 yards anyway. You can even hunt around these hills with open sights. Sometimes a scope is too much. I've had it happen to me. Pull up on a deer that's close and all you see is hide. I'd have been much better off with iron sights. There's a few that use peep mounts for their scope, or a tip off mount. I used my Rem 700 BDL 25.06, which is a necked down 30.06, which made a lot faster and flatter ballistics, and a Nikon 3x9 scope. That rifle is gone now though. That's the one I want to replace but in a larger caliber.

[Elessar]

I also have a Browning Nomad Bow that I can put six arrows into
a Skoal can at 25 yards.

[LongTermGuy]

So just you and CSM are the only ones on the board other than myself that know anything about a 7mm or 300... hmmm... now we know who the country folk are... :rolleyes:

Hey now not so fast! :laugh:

http://www.debatepolicy.com/image.php?u=3378&dateline=1508814973&type=thumb

[High_Plains_Drifter]

I also have a Browning Nomad Bow that I can put six arrows into
a Skoal can at 25 yards.
They made deer hunting with a cross bow legal during the bow hunt here in Wisconsin, and there's some pretty incredible cross bows nowadays. I've been tempted to maybe give that a try. Bow season is before gun here, and the deer haven't been molested or thinned out. You're chances of harvesting one are actually quite a bit better. Course the old 480 acre farm we hunt on, no one lives there anymore, there's usually never any more than 3 or 4 people hunt it, everybody always gets a deer, or two.

[Elessar]

Yes it is, but I know people around here that have hunted white tails with big calibers. One guy used his 7mm STW, (Shooting Times Western), which is even a little hotter than the 7mm RM, and a relative of his that hunted with a .338 Win Mag. They harvested deer with them, and so long as you don't hit any meat you're fine. They go right down and you don't have to trail them for half a mile. But if you hit muscle, it's ruined. Personally I'd never use such a massive magnum round for around here where you rarely shoot over 50 yards anyway. You can even hunt around these hills with open sights. Sometimes a scope is too much. I've had it happen to me. Pull up on a deer that's close and all you see is hide. I'd have been much better off with iron sights. There's a few that use peep mounts for their scope, or a tip off mount. I used my Rem 700 BDL 25.06, which is a necked down 30.06, which made a lot faster and flatter ballistics, and a Nikon 3x9 scope. That rifle is gone now though. That's the one I want to replace but in a larger caliber.

I always preferred open sights. Some scopes can be a bit woozy!

[NightTrain]

If I had to pick, it would definitely be the .300 Win Mag. The 7mm just doesn't have the knock down power of a .30 cal and up.

It's a different world where you guys are and up here and large bear protection is always a consideration.

That being said, a .243 and .270 are where it's at for hunting deer, IMO. We moose hunted almost exclusively with those as a kid growing up out in the boonies and with proper placement, they always dropped like they were poleaxed.

I'm surprised to hear that people are deer hunting with a .338 - that's a lot of weapon for a mid size animal and you'll destroy half of the harvest with a bad placement.

My buddy shot a porcupine across the river with his .338 once (all we had handy at the moment) and he nailed it. The cone of quills on the far side of it was impressive. They sprayed out about 75' and there wasn't much left of the porky. We had to thin them out because the little bastards like the salt in the glue in T-111 siding at the cabin and were literally eating our cabin.

12185

[Elessar]

I

My buddy shot a porcupine across the river with his .338 once (all we had handy at the moment) and he nailed it. The cone of quills on the far side of it was impressive. They sprayed out about 75' and there wasn't much left of the porky. We had to thin them out because the little bastards like the salt in the glue in T-111 siding at the cabin and were literally eating our cabin.

12185

Porcupine with a .338? Good gosh, that had to be a mess!:laugh:

[High_Plains_Drifter]

To be honest, I want the 7mm RM more for fun shooting, some target, and possible personal protection, something that will reach out and touch someone at 500 yards+ with deadly accuracy. My AK-47 won't do that. It ain't bad at 100 yards but past that, forget it.

[High_Plains_Drifter]

If I had to pick, it would definitely be the .300 Win Mag. The 7mm just doesn't have the knock down power of a .30 cal and up.

It's a different world where you guys are and up here and large bear protection is always a consideration.

That being said, a .243 and .270 are where it's at for hunting deer, IMO. We moose hunted almost exclusively with those as a kid growing up out in the boonies and with proper placement, they always dropped like they were poleaxed.

I'm surprised to hear that people are deer hunting with a .338 - that's a lot of weapon for a mid size animal and you'll destroy half of the harvest with a bad placement.

My buddy shot a porcupine across the river with his .338 once (all we had handy at the moment) and he nailed it. The cone of quills on the far side of it was impressive. They sprayed out about 75' and there wasn't much left of the porky. We had to thin them out because the little bastards like the salt in the glue in T-111 siding at the cabin and were literally eating our cabin.

12185
Oh heck yeah, up there in Alaska, I'd lean towards the .300 mag for certain, or the .338 mag, or even the 8mm mag. I shot one of those in a target shooting contest over in Montana back in '87 and won a turkey... ;)