I have taken many white tails, all but one dropped in their tracks, and that one only went 30 yards. This is because both hard-hitting cartridges have solid, flat shooting capabilities. From our selection, we will give a favorite round for each cartridge. Couple quality cartridges in either caliber with good shot placement, and you have an excellent hunting combination. This was especially true with hand loads. 15.64 fps 30.4 foot-pounds Astute readers will notice a few things from these numbers: Both Elk were shot with the 300WM and dropped on the spot. At the same time, it was also extremely accurate (Ben Comfort famously won the 1935 Wimbledon Cup using the cartridge). Hope this helps, If you’d rather listen than read, you can either just press play below or click the appropriate link to download the episode through your preferred service. Nosler and Hornady load both 7mm Remington Magnum and .280 Ackley ammunition; looking at their data you’ll see a difference of 90 to 100 fps between the two, with the belted 7mm Magnum giving the higher velocities (with a 162-grain Hornady ELD-X, the 7mm Mag. Indeed, the fact that 7mm Remington Magnum and .300 Winchester Magnum are two of the most popular cartridges used by North American and New Zealand hunting guides really says a lot about their effectiveness on a wide variety of big game from feral hogs to moose. What do these small differences mean in terms of capacity? On the other hand, since it shoots heavier and larger diameter bullets, the .300 Win Mag has a clear advantage when hunting larger game like elk, moose, caribou, and red stag. By making use of this type of service will give you peace of mind. So while the cartridge was moderately popular among shooters and hunters prior to World War II, the outsized length of the .300 H&H hampered more widespread acceptance of the cartridge and contributed to its decline in popularity during the ensuring decades. Thankfully, an agreement was reached between the two superpowers, thus avoiding all-out conflict. Like the .308 Norma, the .300 Winchester Magnum essentially duplicated the performance of the .300 H&H Magnum in a shorter case that fit in a standard length rifle action. Great article – thanks! Most shooters will be surprised to hear that this debate has been going on for almost 60 years now. I can’t count the number of large Russian boars I’ve downed with one shot with the 06 and proper bullets at up to 250 yards.One last thought, it is more powerful than the increasingly popular 308 and shines head and shoulders above it when it comes to using heavy for caliber bullets. Shooters using the .300 Win Mag will feel a noticeable increase in recoil than if using the 7mm Rem Mag. While picking the most accurate cartridge of the two is a relatively contentious subject, most people agree that both the 7mm Mag and .300 Mag are capable of excellent accuracy. The Big Game Hunting Blog is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.ca, Amazon.com.au, and other Amazon stores worldwide. Here is the question for those who have done it – will the 7mm break both shoulders of a large bull elk out to 300yds? Excellent for everything except large dangerous African game. Thoughts on a rifle in 7mm or 300? However, this small differential in size does not affect the fact that they can both be used in standard / long-action rifles. However, this is where the strengths and weaknesses of each cartridge start to diverge though. That is why you will see so many 300WM with muzzle breaks. And in DOUBT , whats the right rifle .As we arent allowed to own many rifles with all our laws, and the weak rand makes everything in SA expensive for us ordinary citizens . In this article, I’m going to dive right into the 7mm Rem Mag vs 300 Win Mag debate in order to provide you with the necessary information to decide which cartridge you should be using in various situations. Both cartridges are belted magnums that utilize modified .375 H&H Magnum cases. This latter fact is shown in that you are firing a cartridge with in excess of 3,000ft-lbs muzzle energy. The fact that I have to nitpick the strengths and weakness of each cartridge like that really speaks to their overall effectiveness. The Barnes twist calculator says a 8.75-1 would be better at stabilizing these new larger bullets than the 10-1 that came on the gun. Thanks. That being said, the .300 Win Mag has noticeably more recoil than the 7mm Rem Mag. The .300 Win Mag rounds have an average of 80.0lb/f.s while the .300 Win Mag has an average of 77.12lb/f.s. I am thinking about getting a faster twist barrel than my Thompson Center Compass came with. Due to its advantage in case capacity, the .300 Win Mag has a noticeably flatter trajectory along with approximately 20% more energy than the .30-06 Springfield. On the other hand, the .300 Winchester Magnum has a slightly longer case length (2.62″ vs 2.5″) as well as a shoulder that sits .156″ further forward than the shoulder of the 7mm Rem Mag. Hence, in 1963 the .300 Winchester Magnum was born. This ‘marriage’ will see hunters putting down medium to large sized game at distances that are seen as practical. Federal MatchKing BTHP Gold Medal 190 grain. With a variety of bullets from most of the prominent mfg's in weights including, 140, 150, 160, 168, 180 and now 195. Designers at Winchester during that timeframe could see what direction the wind was blowing and they began work on a .30 caliber cartridge built along the same lines as their other belted magnums. Some of these really low priced ‘discount’ sites will advertise very low prices. Having said that, ammunition manufacturers and online ammo suppliers know full well that competition for sales is tight. John. The shooting world was changed forever. Comparing recoil among men, is futile, because most men will never admit that, recoil is bothering them. Prices and availability for vary from region to region, but ammunition for both cartridges is widely available and similarly priced as well. Many of the respected ammo suppliers actually offer a ‘live’ inventory of what ammo they have in stock. First though, lets touch on price and availability of both the 7mm Rem Mag and the 300 Win Mag. I’ve done longe range training schools out to 1000 yards in the Texas hill country, Kyrgyzstan will be a different story. If truth be told, hunters who shoot at typical ranges whilst out in the field will not notice a significant ballistic difference between the two cartridges. This has been proved time and again for over 100 years, and both the .30-06 and .270 Win will be just as good in the future, possibly slightly better with new powder and bullet technology, as they are today. 150 grain, 165 grain, 180 grain, 190 grain, 200 grain, and 220 grain bullets are the most popular. As the 7mm Rem Mag was born first, let’s start with it…. Love the sev mag. Like I said earlier, they’re both quite versatile, but each cartridge is just a better choice for certain applications. Comparing the .270 Winchester with the 7mm Rem Mag is like comparing grits and white cornmeal. Their successful strategy was mainly achieved in a two-fold way…. As the 7mm Rem Mag is of smaller caliber than the 300 Win Mag, it is a very good choice for lighter, smaller animals. However, since the 7mm Mag bullets compared above have a slightly higher ballistic coefficient, the gap in kinetic energy between the two bullets closes slightly at longer ranges. Both rifles work equally as well. Take care, 300 Win Mag vs 338 Lapua vs 338 Win Mag: Picking The Right Heavy Hitter. Kills ! Excellent article — however, I will stick to my 30-06s. The .300 Win Mag does have slightly less bullet drop and carries more energy down range. Best of luck to you with your upcoming hunts! I HAD a .338 Win Mag and thought that Gun was the end all be all, for Elk and Moose til' I started Bow hunting 10 years ago and realized, all you need to do is deflate their Lungs with sharp pointy sticks and they,.. For instance, the 150gr Barnes TTSX and 168gr Nosler AccuBond Long Range bullets in 7mm Rem Mag have G1 ballistic coefficients of .450 and .631 respectively while the 165gr TTSX and 190gr Nosler AccuBond Long Range in .300 Win Mag have ballistic coefficients of .442 and .597. Rest assured, both offer comfortable seating! I’ve had the opportunity to compare the 7mm Rem Mag and the .300 Weatherby Mag, in the latter’s case with .300 Win Mag levels of power. Unfortunately, the .300 H&H Magnum was so long that it required the use of a magnum length action. It’s a superb round. When using quality bullets and with good shot placement, both the 7mm Rem Mag and .300 Win Mag are excellent for hunting medium to large sized game at virtually all practical hunting ranges. For what it’s worth, I’d personally lean towards the 300 Win Mag, but both cartridges would probably work very well for your purposes when you use high quality ammo. can use bullets of 120 grains, but things usually top out at 175 or 185 grains. Then i have a 22" barreled 7mm SAUM running 162's at 3k (basically a 7mm Rem mag but a short action version). Heine, for 500 metres kudu, you’ll be glad to shoot a 300 Win mag. Having said that, we intend to give five factory rounds from each cartridge that are very popular with hunters. For those interested, ZIP stood for “Zoning Improvement Plan.”. All of those cartridges saw varying degrees of commercial successes, but the best was still yet to come. For me the recoil really is a problem though. But granted, in the field I don’t think I’ve ever felt any recoil at all. Informative. I really like the comparison of the popular loads re: wind drift and drop. And to top it all off, the new 7mm Remington Magnum cartridge fit in a standard length rifle action. This helps support the blog and allows me to continue to create free content that’s useful to hunters like yourself. However, when developing your skill at the range, the difference becomes very significant. As .308 Norma rifles and associated factory ammo were nowhere near as common in the U.S., Winchester’s new cartridge rapidly overtook and eventually replaced the .308 Norma. Here’s a brief history of both cartridges. The logical bottom end for the.300 Winchester ranges between 130 and 150 grains, depending on bullet construction; the 7mm Rem. John. The biggest difference between the two cartridges is the size and weight of the bullets they fire though: the 7mm Remington Magnum uses .284″ bullets and the .300 Winchester Magnum uses .308″ bullets. I found the 300 to be consistently more accurate than 7mm mags. I own both, and I still preferred the 7mm. Additionally, the smaller diameter .284″ bullets the 7mm Mag uses have a higher ballistic coefficient and more sectional density than .30 caliber bullets of the same weight used by the .30-06 Springfield. Had a 06, never got a shot, sold it, bought a 7mm, shot some deer 80- 125 yards. The 7mm Mag will work just fine on eland if you use the right bullets, like a 160gr Nosler Partition or Barnes TSX. Consider going with the 7mm Rem Mag, which has a lighter recoil that’s more manageable in a small and light rifle. Thanks for the very informative article. 300 win mag from age 19 and now turning 42 . Please note that these choices are based on our experience of using a wide range of rounds for both cartridges. In a flight that lasted just less than 5 hours, he orbited Earth 3 times. The 300 WM produces significantly higher recoil energy almost 30% more. Either (assuming .300 Win Mag) one can be bought in just about any sporting goods store that sells rifles and ammunition. Based on the comparison of the 7mm Rem Mag vs 30-06 article in a few factors, our team of experts has picked the 7mm Rem Mag as the better choice. Both are undoubtedly superb hunting cartridges, so let’s check out their strengths and weaknesses to see which side of the 7mm Rem Mag vs. 300 Win Mag fence you sit on. In the table below rifle weight is given in pounds, free recoil energy is given in foot pounds, and free recoil velocity is given in feet-per-second. Latest. The heavier bullets with more frontal area will do better than lighter bullets. Indeed, the 7mm Mag will shoot the same weight bullet faster than the .30-06. No question it isn’t. Cartridge case capacities were obtained from Chuck Hawks. The 7mm approaches it, and the 300 exceeds it. To us, it really does show the amount of healthy debate between hunters when comparing and discussing the merits of both. Purchasing cartridges made by the company that had manufactured their rifle was an easy sell to many Model 70 owners. Both the 7mm Rem Mag and .300 Win Mag will work just fine under these circumstances and there isn’t much of a difference between them ballistically inside of 300 yards. Thank you, Thanks Skip. That being said, the.300 Win Mag has noticeably more recoil than the 7mm Rem Mag. The longest shot at 550 yards. Thank you – great information and detail. So I’m thinking about getting myself the 7mm mag for the less recoil. Have killed every thing from squirrels to moose with it.works like magic every time! Using a fat, 404 Jeffery case 2.850" long with the 30-degree shoulder pushed well forward, Remington engineers were able to beat the case capacity of the 300 Wby. I’ve been shooting. In our opinion, both sides of the 7mm Rem Mag vs. 300 Win Mag fence offers comfortable, efficient ‘seating’! At the same time, reloading components for both cartridges are also widely available. I think I’ll add it to my collection. From these five rounds, we would highly recommend the…, HSM Trophy Gold VLD Berger – 168 grain round. Use this and stopping power along with highly effective terminal ballistics are yours. Just remember, if you do have a preferred ammo supplier(s) and their service is good, it will probably pay you to stick with them. Both cartridges will do the job, but the .300 Win Mag offers a clear advantage since it has a larger diameter and can use heavier bullet weights that are much better suited for extremely large and/or tough game. In my case, for most situations, I do prefer the somewhat lower recoil of the 7mm Rem Mag. While it is true that .308 inch bullets are used in both cartridges, the .300 Win Mag is more suited for shooters using heavier bullets (200-220 grain range). Either one is relatively easy to load for. John. You should be wary of’ tempting’ offers that appear too good to be true. Close enough. As well as our in-depth look at the 7mm Remmington Magnum. Their R&D teams worked with urgency to produce a new .30 caliber cartridge. The difference between the two averages remains just about constant as the rounds move downrange to the 500-yard mark where the averages for the WM and WSM are 58.2lb/f.s and 22.3lb/f.s respectively. The U.S. introduced ZIP Codes in a move to make mail delivery more efficient. The straight fact was that the .308 Norma and the .300 Winchester Magnum were extremely similar. The case length of the .300 Win Mag is a little longer. There is certainly nothing wrong with this stance. 8 of the Best Pump Shotguns for Less Than $500 (and One High-End Model) Even so, the advent of the .300 Winchester Magnum resulted in a sharp decline in popularity of the .308 Norma for two primary reasons. That being said, both cartridges have a moderate recoil that most shooters should be able to handle. Lists the 7mm rem mag/300 win mag as the best choice for high country hunting but names the 30-06 as his sentimental favourite. For an in-depth discussion on the .300 Winchester Magnum and how it stacks up to the .308 Winchester, the .30-06 Springfield, the .338 Winchester Magnum, and the .338 Lapua Magnum, read the articles below: 308 vs 30-06 vs 300 Win Mag: Which Cartridge Should You Be Hunting With? Not surprisingly, both cartridges have seen extensive use in long range shooting competitions and both are in common use among military and police snipers for precision shooting. Mag. This should give sufficient background on two bullets that have quite rightly reached iconic status. I think most hunters would agree that the 7mm Remington Magnum and .300 Winchester Magnum are both fantastic cartridges for hunting a wide variety of big game. The Cuban Missile Crisis reached its peak with the USSR’s plans to deploy Missile on Cuban soil. Recently, someone tried talking me into the 6.5 creedmoor, which I am considering for my 5′-5″ 120 lb daughter. I started with an 06. I have also tested a variety of 30 cals, 300 win mag, 300 rum, 30-378, 30 Lapua, and so on. Then you receive an ‘out of stock’ email. I don't believe you can get a 200 gr bullet in 7mm and that would be for me the bullet to go with in 300 mag. These design features meant that when typically loaded 7mm RM bullets were compared against typical .30-06 Springfield loads, they produced a flatter trajectory and more downrange energy. I had a 7mm before, love the caliber, but sold the 700. Both are excellent cartridges. We also feel that with regular practice, either one of these venerable rounds could easily become your round of choice. I’m a one gun type of guy and would like to use the 7mm exclusively. At the same time, while the 7mm Rem Mag tops out with 175 grain bullets, the .300 Win Mag is capable of firing 200 grain, 208 grain, and 220 grain bullets with sectional densities of .301, .313, and .331 respectively. Own the 7 mm RM. In our book, it will probably continue for at least another 60! Though both cartridges utilize .308″ bullets, the .300 Win Mag is also better suited for using heavier bullets in the 200-220 grain range than the .30-06. Using a shortened .375 H&H Magnum case paired with a .284″ bullet, the 7mm Remington Magnum (often referred to as the 7mm Rem Mag, 7mm RM, or 7mm Mag) offered a significant ballistic improvement over the .30-06. Each one may well be better suited to a specific situation, but in overall terms, they compare very favorably. By Ron Spomer. Mule Deer Cartridge Showdown: .270 Win. After much research on the Ballistics of the 7mm Remington Magnum and comparing that information with similar Cartridges and they’re performance, I have decided to invest in a 7mm Rem. Of these, 140 grain, 150 grain, 160 grain, and 175 grain loads are by far the most common. The 7mm Rem Mag has the ability to shoot the same bullet weight faster than the.30-06. Of the two you chose, I've used the 7mm mag a good deal and the 300 mag not so much. One of the reasons the 6.5CM has gained popularity (besides great marketing) is it has mild recoil that competitive shooters love while maintaining sufficient energy and penetration. John. Federal Trophy Bonded Tip Vital-Shok 180 grain. This special force was an extension and renaming of the Navy’s “Scouts and Raiders” force whose formation dated back to World War II. In objective terms (someone has a recoil calcultor out there somewhere), 7mm Rem Mag is very similar to the .30-06. All recoil values have … On the other hand, most .300 Win Mag factory loads use bullets in the 150-230 grain range. But I’m worried if the 7mm will take down a 500kg eland at 200 yards?. Additionally, I recorded an entire podcast episode on this exact subject. It is common knowledge that when precision shots are required, both of these highly popular, highly accurate cartridges have seen extensive use by: Oh! (which you can read all about on this 7mm vs. 300 Win. The .308 Win and 7mm-08 Rem are also very good choices as general-purpose rounds and will remain so. Hope this helps! It resulted in US Military forces being placed on DEFCON2 alert (a 15 minute timescale to commence full battle). By the way, there’s nothing wrong with distance shooting, provided that you practice for it. Honestly, in a hunting rifle, (a few shots a year) I dont think its a concern vs a bench rest rifle (hundreds to thousands of shots a year) from what little I’ve read so far. Civilian firearm and cartridge development really slowed down during World War II, but the major gun manufacturers released a flood of new hunting cartridges in the following years. This really is a contentious topic. If you haven’t shot any game with it, you can’t in all honesty have a practical opinion of its capabilities. Hi Allen, thanks for your comment. You may hear it referred to as the .300 Win Mag, the .300 WM, the .300 Mag, or the .300 Winchester. Ooh what a beautiful article indeed.Im from Botswana and we shoot flat plains. Deer never took a step, dropped on the spot, no ruined meat! Good luck with your new rifle! Don’t get me wrong, you can absolutely hunt really big species like elk or moose with the 7mm Rem Mag and hunters have cleanly killed untold numbers of those animals with the venerable 7mm Mag over the years. I have entered the world of the .300 WSM and all I can say is it has some big shoes to fill. All other things equal, a heavier projectile of a given caliber will be longer and therefore have a higher sectional density and consequently penetrate deeper than projectiles with a lower mass and sectional density. As we compared the 7mm Rem mag against the long established .30-06 Springfield, it is only fair we do this with the .300 Win Mag. With that in mind, it’s easy to see how many people get confused about the strengths and weaknesses of the .300 Winchester Magnum and 7mm Remington Magnum, particularly when discussing which cartridge is best for hunting particular animals under specific conditions.