Yet another caliber comparison. 300Win Mag or 7mm rem mag

[KineKilla]

I'm a .270win lover of old.

I now have and love my 7mm just as much, maybe a little more. I like to shoot the 160gr Accubonds. Felt recoil is minimal and the caliber is effective out to distances beyond what I hunt at.

 

[Ryker]

I like the availability of the 30 cal but for this rifle and the barrel twist, I'm starting to lean heavily towards 7mag. My grandfather shoots 7mm mag and swears by it as well.

 

[mwkelso]

FWIW- You might play around with a ballistics calculator to compare the three calibers in question.
I have a .270 and was in a situation similar to yours. After comparing the ballistic advantages of the 7rem mag and the 300 win mag over the .270, I opted for the 300wm.
Range was a major consideration for my situation. My .270 is great out to 5-600, but I needed more thump than the .270 could give beyond that distance. The 300wm could get me there with 210's and 215's, the 7rem mag could not.
The 11" twist though... definitely something to consider. Maybe a future rebarrel with a 9"?

The .270 Winchester vs. the 7mm Remington Magnum

Comparing the .270 Winchester with the 7mm Rem Mag is like comparing grits and white cornmeal. Both are excellent cartridges. Both have been popular from their inceptions.

www.fieldandstream.com

 

[Ryker]

FWIW- You might play around with a ballistics calculator to compare the three calibers in question.
I have a .270 and was in a situation similar to yours. After comparing the ballistic advantages of the 7rem mag and the 300 win mag over the .270, I opted for the 300wm.
Range was a major consideration for my situation. My .270 is great out to 5-600, but I needed more thump than the .270 could give beyond that distance. The 300wm could get me there with 210's and 215's, the 7rem mag could not.
The 11" twist though... definitely something to consider. Maybe a future rebarrel with a 9"?

The .270 Winchester vs. the 7mm Remington Magnum

Comparing the .270 Winchester with the 7mm Rem Mag is like comparing grits and white cornmeal. Both are excellent cartridges. Both have been popular from their inceptions.

www.fieldandstream.com

Excellent article, more evidence of what I'm finding may be the root of my dilemma.The cartridge more suited to the application is the 300wm, but not in this gun and I'm not about to drop $2,000 on a rifle just to rebarrel it prematurely. I saved pennies not dimes. Thanks for the input.

 

[mwkelso]

Excellent article, more evidence of what I'm finding may be the root of my dilemma.The cartridge more suited to the application is the 300wm, but not in this gun and I'm not about to drop $2,000 on a rifle just to rebarrel it prematurely. I saved pennies not dimes. Thanks for the input.

That's totally understandable, I wouldn't want to either!
You're welcome. In my personal opinion, I think the 11" twist should suit fine. Here's a couple screenshots from the Berger stability calculator with a 210gr vld with your twist at sea level:

 

[Backcountry sports]

I'm a .270win lover of old.

I now have and love my 7mm just as much, maybe a little more. I like to shoot the 160gr Accubonds. Felt recoil is minimal and the caliber is effective out to distances beyond what I hunt at.

I have 3 7mm and 1 7saum all are great much longer reach than a 270

 

[mpayne]

I have both the 7mm and the 300wm, when going Elk hunting I always take the 300. The 300 just stacks elk up like cord wood!

 

[6.5x300 WBY]

Elk or moose will all be dead dead dead with either. Millions of elk and moose have been sent to the butcher by both. The 300 has a little bit more oomph but the 7mm RM. Will do the same job.

7mm fan here. In any size or shape.

 

[ralphjunius]

7RM not much different from .270 win till bullets over 150grns then 7mag separates. .300WM substantial jump in power and recoil (with same weight gun). 7RM still fun to practice with because of lighter recoil. Need to reload 7RM because factory loads are typically very low velocity. Most on this site reload anyway. With 160-180grn bullets 7RM trajectory not far behind .300 WM but doesn't hit as hard and extra diameter of .300WM also makes it more lethal.

 

[rbTanzan]

Yes, all of the above.

Myself? I would carry a 338WM 210gn TTSX at 2975fps for elk and anything 0 to 500 yards. sub-MOA
My wife would do "the same": a 270 Win 129gn LRX at 3150fps for elk and anything 0 to 500 yards. sub-MOA.

Mine is bigger than hers, and better penetration, but they both work.

 

[thwatson2]

No real science to give, but 300 WM is just an awesome chambering. I have both in the same browning Abolt and both with Zeiss diavari scopes. 9 out of 10 times I'm gonna be carrying the 300. Something about 30 cal. Many choices in bullets and it doesn't kick too bad. That being said you can't go wrong with either For your criteria

 

[MontanaJack]

Lost too many elk with the 7mm Rem Mag. Moved to the 300 Win Mag and they all hit the ground quickly now. Hunting without snow in the heavily wooded timber now prevalent in our unattended national forests, elk don't have to go too far and you'll never find them. Granted, my shot placement may not have been perfect, elk hunting isn't like sitting at the rifle range. Sometimes you only have seconds to take a shot in the timber. Never lost an elk with the 300 Win Mag. Lost 3 with the 7mm Rem Mag. 7mm Rem Mag is fine if you've got all day to line up a high shoulder shot or a heart-lung shot. Shot one bull in the timber @ 75 yards that was facing me. Never got that one. He bled line crazy, but he ground was dry and lost the blood trail. I figure the 7mm bullet didn't penetrate all that bone. Probably blew up on impact, never penetrating the brisket.

 

[Sako284]

Lost too many elk with the 7mm Rem Mag. Moved to the 300 Win Mag and they all hit the ground quickly now. Hunting without snow in the heavily wooded timber now prevalent in our unattended national forests, elk don't have to go too far and you'll never find them. Granted, my shot placement may not have been perfect, elk hunting isn't like sitting at the rifle range. Sometimes you only have seconds to take a shot in the timber. Never lost an elk with the 300 Win Mag. Lost 3 with the 7mm Rem Mag. 7mm Rem Mag is fine if you've got all day to line up a high shoulder shot or a heart-lung shot. Shot one bull in the timber @ 75 yards that was facing me. Never got that one. He bled line crazy, but he ground was dry and lost the blood trail. I figure the 7mm bullet didn't penetrate all that bone. Probably blew up on impact, never penetrating the brisket.

That's a bullet selection problem not a diameter problem. Try chunking a 150 game king from a 300win @ 3300 at that same spot you shot the 7mag. You won't get enough penetration.


Stuff a 7rem full of 160 accubond or partition and they have a BETTER sectional density than a 180 grain 30 cal. Stick a 175 partition in it and you have better sectional density Than a 200 grain 30 cal. Sectional density and bullet construction And impact velocity are what determine penetration. None of which a properly loaded 7mm magnum lacks.

 

[Plinker147]

Lost too many elk with the 7mm Rem Mag. Moved to the 300 Win Mag and they all hit the ground quickly now. Hunting without snow in the heavily wooded timber now prevalent in our unattended national forests, elk don't have to go too far and you'll never find them. Granted, my shot placement may not have been perfect, elk hunting isn't like sitting at the rifle range. Sometimes you only have seconds to take a shot in the timber. Never lost an elk with the 300 Win Mag. Lost 3 with the 7mm Rem Mag. 7mm Rem Mag is fine if you've got all day to line up a high shoulder shot or a heart-lung shot. Shot one bull in the timber @ 75 yards that was facing me. Never got that one. He bled line crazy, but he ground was dry and lost the blood trail. I figure the 7mm bullet didn't penetrate all that bone. Probably blew up on impact, never penetrating the brisket.

Really, 7 mag caused you to loose elk?? .284 VS .308, so .024 caused you to loose an elk? Admit it it was the shot placement not the cartridge.

For real world killing there is no difference between the two. You can load each were they are near ballistic twins. Either will work for any animal anywhere