7mm Remington Magnum

[fourfive8]

7mm ok will certainly do the job, but take your 30-06 180gr premium bullet it will do just as well for shots out to 300yds and you are use to it.

Yes! Just stay with the '06. If you want something measurably bigger, you'll need to get something with more real poop ...not just faster or more hyped. That means something like a 300 Win mag or even 375 HH. If you want to develop a flinch then add a brake.

 

[Milan]

Like some others I also find the 7mm mag to kick more than 30-06. Check out your other 35 Whelen thread about my reply to that. Here, between these 2 rounds, I would recommend sticking with 30-06. If you do step up to something else, use it with a muzzle break. In that case I think 300 Win mag for more reach or .338WM or .375H&H to really step up to bigger caliber.

 

[James Cook]

As to the comments re: getting a muzzle brake on your rifle, ask your PH how he feels about a muzzle brake........

 

[flat8]

I'll echo many of the comments here by saying you may wish to consider a .375 H&H, even if you are recoil sensitive. It's a different sensation shooting the .375 - this past weekend I went out and put 40 rounds through my .375 H&H and felt far less beat up than I do after 40 rounds with my .300 Win Mag. It's a shove, not a kick.

 

[CEO]

As to the comments re: getting a muzzle brake on your rifle, ask your PH how he feels about a muzzle brake........

I bought my 7 Mag about 20 years ago when I was a teenager and before I even shot it once I had a muzzle brake and trigger work done. I wasn't worried about recoil but had always read about added accuracy and like every teenager I wanted to be a bad ace shot. I had never been next to a rifle with a muzzle brake up to that point. Went to the range with a buddy and he wanted to try it out. I took a seat at the next bench over and was blown away, almost literally, at the amount of force coming out of that rifle.

 

[lcq]

As to the comments re: getting a muzzle brake on your rifle, ask your PH how he feels about a muzzle brake........

I hate recoil but when I told my PH I purposely left the brake at home he was very thankful I was that considerate

 

[lcq]

BTW the 7mm as others have mentioned is ideal for open country shots like Namibia, free state and the EC. Most people think that bullet drop is the most important at range but laser rangefinders have eliminated that problem. The greatest issue is wind drift and only ballistics and ability to dope the wind will save the shot at distance

 

[Odinsraven]

7mm rem mag is perfect put a suppressor on it .....or if paperwork is a pain then ask your PH to buy you a Silent Hunter suppressor they are cheap and you will appreciate them .......nice gift for the PH when you leave ......

I have used a 7mm rem mag the Blonde uses a 7x64 and nothing walks far last year culling Hartabeest Zebra no drama down to springbok .....warthog my favourite either of the 7mm work perfectly ........ Ballisticstudies.com read about recoil control ......it's something that is easily learned

 

[gatekeeper]

I am a big fan of the 7mm Rem Mag. I truly think it feel like a stiff 30-06 load, and this is consistent with most all the recoil calculators out there. In a sporting weight rifle, say 9lb, with 1 160gr bullet at 3000fps, you're ballparking 20ft/lb. Not bad by most standards, but everyone is different in their tolerance for recoil. The 7mmRM give you more velocity, driving higher BC bullets than an '06 for deeper penetration and more retained energy thus flatter as well. On the upper end, a 7mmRM will drive a 175 around 2900 in almost every rifle with at least a 24'" barrel, where as the '06 is more like 2800ish with a 180, of lower BC. And it does this with modest recoil. A 300, to me, is a big step up in recoil, while only offering a disproportionately small increase in energy. The 7mmRM is very well established all around the world, and has a good reputation for being accurate. Of course, the 30-06 is in the same class, and is a proven winner as well, and you can't go wrong with it either. I think if I need more than a 7mmRM, than I need a lot more, as in 375 H and H, and a 30-06 or any 300 just isn't enough of a step up. But for any non dangerous game, the 7mmRM is a good and capable round.

 

[Rob404]

I have a 7MM Rem built on a a Mod 98 action and only used lightweight bullets for range work, now that my next Safari is in the planning stages I am thinking about working some load development using 175G hunting bullets. Recoil doesn't bother me that much (I once ran 50 rounds of 404Jeff down range and only got a headache) I like the flat shooting ability and I usually sight my rifles at 200yds and figure if a 300yd shot should happen the drop should be in the 4" range.

 

[Graham Hunter]

Took my 7 Wthby to Zim and SA. Shot spotted Hyena, Zebra X 2, Warthog,Impala X 5, Nyala. 150 gr. Nosler Part. All dead within 100 yds. and only the Hyena got a uneeded 2nd shot.

 

[meigsbucks]

I've used the 7mm Rem mag on a few occasions with great success. I hunted a number of times with an outfitter in Montana who used a 7 mag on just about everything... Elk, moose, black bear, white tails, mulies, sheep and muskox. This was years ago and he used 140 Nosler Partitions and 160 Sierra GameKings. With the bullets available now, there is little it's not capable of. However, I think it's a little light for eland. I'd grab at least a .338 Mag for that critter.
Also, you may want to consider the 7mm Weatherby mag. It will get you another 150 fps.
A couple of other rounds to consider are as Shootist43 said, a .35 Whelen or maybe a 9.3x62. Neither one are long range rounds but will take anything south of buffalo within 200 yards. Both have recoil similar to a 7 mag.
By the way, most of the posts have said you WILL go back to Africa... It's true. I leave for my second safari in a couple of months and I am already planning my third. It gets in your blood.
Have a great hunt!

 

[Rob404]

My Dilemma is I own about a dozen rifles that would qualify as a a great plains game round including a 35Whelen a 375HH, 300Win Mag a few 30-06s and a few 308s

 

[Dr Ray]

I have a 7MM Rem built on a a Mod 98 action and only used lightweight bullets for range work, now that my next Safari is in the planning stages I am thinking about working some load development using 175G hunting bullets. Recoil doesn't bother me that much (I once ran 50 rounds of 404Jeff down range and only got a headache) I like the flat shooting ability and I usually sight my rifles at 200yds and figure if a 300yd shot should happen the drop should be in the 4" range.

I reckon you are spot on with that sighting.
Would the 160 grain in the 7 be better though??

 

[curtism1234]

I reckon you are spot on with that sighting.
Would the 160 grain in the 7 be better though??

All depends on the bullet and the game. I do like the 175's for the large animals though

 

[sambarhunter]

My 7mm RM is a daily carry on the farm. Iirc its close to 38 years since I bought it new. It has passed every test so far.

 

[Rob404]

All depends on the bullet and the game. I do like the 175's for the large animals though

I plan on a one rifle trip and will be taking game from Impala to Mountain Zebra so the 175s may be a little over kill on Impala but Iv'e read that Zebra are a little more sturdy so the 175s would be my choice, I'm also thinking about bird hunting and will most likely be packing my 20g

 

[seattlesetters]

One other cartridge that doesn’t get a lot of publicity but has done extremely well on larger game with minimal recoil is the .338 Federal. It will light up a 160 grain Barnes TTSX at 3,000 fps with the same recoil as a .308 Win shooting 150s. That particular Barnes bullet easily passes completely through the largest bull elk from nearly any angle and through nearly any large bones and leaves two large holes on the way.

It also does great with the 180 AccuBond, 185 TTSX, 210 Partition or 210 Swift Scirocco.

It’s an absolute sledgehammer of a round out to 350 yards and is, with today’s high-performance bullets, the modern equivalent of the .318 Westley Richards, almost exactly the same with 225 or 250 grain bullets.

 

[curtism1234]

I plan on a one rifle trip and will be taking game from Impala to Mountain Zebra so the 175s may be a little over kill on Impala but Iv'e read that Zebra are a little more sturdy so the 175s would be my choice, I'm also thinking about bird hunting and will most likely be packing my 20g

The 175's will zip right through an impala. A rib shot will expand enough to get the job done. Even a shoulder hit would not be as devastating as a 150gr because it isn't going to blow up

 

[enysse]

I used the 7mm Rem Mag with 160 Swift A-Frame to knock two Burchell Zebra DRT....the third one, I made a bad shot on and that was my fault it ran a few hundred yrds to die. 160 Swift A-Frame was bad medicine for those zebras.