7mm Remington Mag or .308

[MudRunner2005]

I have an original Remington 700 Sendero SF in 7mmSTW, that I bought 10 years ago when I worked for a locally owned outdoors store. Got a heck of a deal on it, even special ordering it from Remington. It is an absolute tack-driver!

If you ever want to get rid of one of those Senderos in 7mm Rem Mag let me know. Are they the SF or blued models?

I'll take a few pics of my STW tonight or tomorrow. I just put a new scope on it, and it was the best investment I've made for that rifle, next to handloading. I bought a Zeiss Conquest 6.5-20x50, and with that new scope she is drivin tacks like never before! Plus, now that I have a LR scope on there I can do some long-range whitetail hunting. I have another Zeiss Conquest 6.5-20x50 on hold at my local outdoors store for when I get the money up (one of my buddies works there, so he's holding it in the back for me, since they only had 1 left). I think I might put it on top of my Browning, or buy another Sendero SF and put it on top of it. The Browning has a Kahles KX 3.5-10x50 I had laying around the safe, and it's a nice lightweight hunting rig, but I think that scope deserves a higher priced rifle like a Weatherby Mark-V Deluxe (wood stock) in .257 Wby....Which I hope to be my next rifle purchase. Unless I can find a Remington 700 LSS in .257 Wby Mag. Anyone got one for sale?

 

[RUMismyFavorite]

First I'd like to say hello and thank you in advance. As a new (brand spankin) member I can already appreciate the knowledge available here.

I am a recent buyer of a browning a bolt 2 chambered in 300RUM and LOVE THE HELL out of it.. i can agree with johhnyk wholeheartedly in my personal preference of 300wm or rum over the run of the mill 308s available.

 

[COBrad]

You're kidding right... Prairie dogs? I'd love to see that! I bet that would launch some great aerials!

Some years ago I had an old Ruger tang saftey in 7 remmy that had been bedded into one of the early, heavy fiberglass stocks. It shot in the .4's, reliably. I shot loads of prairie dogs with 168 gr. SMK's. It was less than spectacular. Those big bullets were not at all explosive on such small targets.
My current 7 remmy is a custom long range rifle purpose built for marmots. Those 180 gr. Berger Hunting VLD's are wicked deadly on marmots out past 1000 yards. Broadside shots mushroomed enough to kill them pretty quick, and frontal chest shots usually gut the animal and frequently send them flipping off the rocks. Pretty impressive stuff to watch through the scope at 1K plus.

 

[Joe King]

You're kidding right... Prairie dogs? I'd love to see that! I bet that would launch some great aerials!

You shoot at gongs, jugs, rocks ect... Why not rodents? The trick for the funnest results is to hit just below them and see how high you send em

 

[COBrad]

I've used that trick! You should see the acrobatics on 'chucks, even as far as 900+ yards, when a 180 gr VLD explodes on the rock right under them.

 

[HuntFarther]

I would do the 7 mag just for the reason that you will not always be satisfied at 500. The 7 will work to 1000 pretty easy being there is a good scope.

 

[WildRose]

Guys,
I have a specific need and welcome your opinions. I want a gun capable of taking 180lb deer out to 500 yds max. I want to pick either a 7 Rem mag or a .308 . This is based on the specific factory rifles I am considering. I guess my biggest question is... will the 7mag offer any significant advantage in killing power and wind drift at that max range? Fire away...

Yes it's completely superior in every way to the .308.

The only the advantage to the .308 is it's dirt cheap to load for or get factory ammunition for.

The .308 is more than capable at those distances but you're comparing a sports car to an SUV with these two calibers.

 

[WildRose]

You're kidding right... Prairie dogs? I'd love to see that! I bet that would launch some great aerials!

I grew up shooting prairie dogs with a 7mm mag around Farwell, Bovina, Muleshoe and Portales NM.

It's like hitting a water balloon.

 

[COBrad]

What bullet were you using Wildrose?

 

[WildRose]

What bullet were you using Wildrose?

I can't remember exactly but I think they were Speer 130gr BTSP's, that's been quite a while ago! I moved east and south in 90 and that was right after my first enlistment was up. Been a lot of miles since.

 

[COBrad]

That would make sense. Those bullets should have been light-jacketed, and would have generated enough speed to provide proper splatter effect. I was using the 168 gr. MK's for the higher BC.

 

[WildRose]

That would make sense. Those bullets should have been light-jacketed, and would have generated enough speed to provide proper splatter effect. I was using the 168 gr. MK's for the higher BC.

Even at 300yds or less the 25-06 popped them pretty well.

Not quite the same effect of the 220 swift but pretty much anything running in the 3000fps or higher range with a light jacketed hollow point is going to do so. My first Ruger #1 was a 25-06.