.300 Win Mag or 7mm Rem mag??

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thesheepdog

New member
Hey guy's,

I need some help. I am considering a magnum chambered rifle (rem 700, savage 110) for precision long range shooting, and hunting, and i want to know which of these 2 calibers would be better "all around"?

I have owned a .300 win mag before, but i never shot it past 100 yards-i shot my .308 farther than that.

So here are a few questions i need answers too.

1. Which caliber has the highest BC, what is the BC for each caliber and which bullet weight has the highest BC for each caliber.

2. Ammo availibility?
3. Rifle options (heavy barrel rilfes, detachable magazines, accessories?
4. Longest barrel life of the 2?
5. Best 1000 yard ballistics?



Thanks!
 
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taylorce1

New member
#1. In both calibers the heaviest bullet you can find in a match grade will give you the best BC. For example the 7mm 175 grain Sierra Match King has a BC of .608 at 2100 fps and faster, the 240 grain Sierra Match King has a BC of .711 at 2150 fps and above. A .338 caliber will get you some better BC bullets than either the 7mm or .308 calibers. There is no set BC for a given caliber bullet, BC is detrmined by the length of the bullet and its shape, usually heavy for caliber bullets offer the best BC.

#2. If you don't plan on handloading your own ammunition you are going to severly limit your options. Most of the ammunition you will find for both the 7mm RM and .300 WM will be hunting ammunition. If you really want to get the most out of your rifle you will have to leave factory ammunition behind.

#3. Buy what ever rifle you want M700 or Savage you will have to do some modifications anyway. Just search their catalog and you will find one that comes close to what you want.

#4. Barrel life will all be determined by what kind of accuracy you want. There is no set number of rounds in either chambering. As long as you keep the barrel from overheating and don't load your ammo hot you should get several hundered if not thousand rounds before your accuracy starts to fall off.

#5. Both will make it there it really depends on you as the shooter how well the round will perform at 1K.
 
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thesheepdog

New member
Ok, cool.


I do reload my own ammo, so i wouldn't have an issue with ammo availbility.

Now, you said a .338 would give better BC's? Which .338 are you referring too? I know the .338 Lapua has a very good BC, but the brass is too expensive.

I want a a hard hitting round out to 1,000 yards with a BC of .625 or higher. So, your suggestions?
 
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briandg

New member
I'm obviously missing something here. You want a hard hitting round out to 1,000 yards, but why? are you seriously thinking of hunting at 1k yards? I'd just like clarification of your requirements

For several reasons, I'm just not thinking that either of the magnums are necessary for ordinary non-big game hunting purposes. a PPC would probably serve you better in 1k bench rest, a .308 might serve as well, and last longer, for target purposes.
 
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thesheepdog

New member
I'm obviously missing something here. You want a hard hitting round out to 1,000 yards, but why? are you seriously thinking of hunting at 1k yards? I'd just like clarification of your requirements

For several reasons, I'm just not thinking that either of the magnums are necessary for ordinary non-big game hunting purposes. a PPC would probably serve you better in 1k bench rest, a .308 might serve as well, and last longer, for target purposes.
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I don't like to take game at close range. 200 yards is close for me.

I also will be picking up long range target practice soon. I have a 6.5 Grendel that i am going to get good with at 800 yards. But the Grendel lacks power at 1,000 yards to take elk and such.
 
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azredhawk44

Moderator
But the Grendel lacks power at 1,000 yards to take elk and such.
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:rolleyes:

Good luck with that.

What's your shooting background, sheepdog? I remember just recently you were looking for an ACOG-like scope with pre-marked reticle for shooting either 6.5 or 6.8 (don't remember which one) out to 800 yards.

To punch paper at 1000 you want it to be supersonic at that distance. That's it.

To hunt, you want the bullet to do the WORK it was designed to do at the target distance. The 7mm/.308 caliber hunting bullets are designed to mushroom and expand while still above 2000+ fps.

A 7mm RemMag with a 175gr bullet might be doing 2750fps at a nice and accurate load. At 1000 yards, that bullet drops to 1676fps, at 5000 feet elevation. Still supersonic by a few hundred fps so it'll punch paper okay, and it would certainly HURT someone/something at that distance quite badly. But the bullet is unlikely to mushroom on impact at that impact velocity.

That's the difference between wounding a critter almost 3/4 of a mile away, versus killing it right there. I'd hate to sight in on an elk 900+ yards away, pull the trigger, then go find the point of impact and start tracking a dried blood trail. That would be a HARD kill to track.

The .308 bullets for .300winmag will be going even slower and be even less likely to mushroom.
 
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Olibobwa

New member
If it was me, I'd sell the 6.5 you already have and buy an AR in 6.5. Then you could get the 338 later on. I'm all about this barrel swap stuff:)!

Never shot a 300, but the 7 mag is nice.
 
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taylorce1

New member
Now, you said a .338 would give better BC's? Which .338 are you referring too? I know the .338 Lapua has a very good BC, but the brass is too expensive.
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I was talking calibers not cartridges or chamberings when I refered to a .338 diameter bullet. If you are looking for a cartridge a little cheaper than the Lapua then look at the .340 and .338-378 Weatherby, .338 RUM and Edge. However, if you are going to be serious about long range shooting you need to realize that it is going to be an expensive endeavor.

Long range shooting isn't just about picking a cartridge and rifle, it is about hours upon hours of shooting at the ranges you want to use it at. All that shooting is going to eat up your money in reloading supplies, quality optics, and so on. It is about not cutting costs and all about getting the best equipment that you can afford.

Your best bet to long range shoot on a budget is to stay with what you alredy have. If you have a .308 it can reach 1K and teach you a lot about long range shooting. When you have reached a point that you are comfortable with 1K shooting with your .308 then you can move on to the magnum cartridges and transfer the skills you learned with your .308.

I want a a hard hitting round out to 1,000 yards with a BC of .625 or higher. So, your suggestions?
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My suggestion is find a cartridge that can keep a bullet supersonic at 1K. Stick to paper and steel they don't care how much energy the bullet hits them with.
 
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thesheepdog

New member
Good luck with that.

What's your shooting background, sheepdog? I remember just recently you were looking for an ACOG-like scope with pre-marked reticle for shooting either 6.5 or 6.8 (don't remember which one) out to 800 yards.

To punch paper at 1000 you want it to be supersonic at that distance. That's it.

To hunt, you want the bullet to do the WORK it was designed to do at the target distance. The 7mm/.308 caliber hunting bullets are designed to mushroom and expand while still above 2000+ fps.

A 7mm RemMag with a 175gr bullet might be doing 2750fps at a nice and accurate load. At 1000 yards, that bullet drops to 1676fps, at 5000 feet elevation. Still supersonic by a few hundred fps so it'll punch paper okay, and it would certainly HURT someone/something at that distance quite badly. But the bullet is unlikely to mushroom on impact at that impact velocity.

That's the difference between wounding a critter almost 3/4 of a mile away, versus killing it right there. I'd hate to sight in on an elk 900+ yards away, pull the trigger, then go find the point of impact and start tracking a dried blood trail. That would be a HARD kill to track.

The .308 bullets for .300winmag will be going even slower and be even less likely to mushroom.
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I am an avid shooter hunter, and have been for 8 years. I have attended appleseed/RWVA events, and i going back for more. :D

I have never shot anything past 340 yards, which is kinda sad, but there aren't any ranges with more than 100 yards in my area.

I wouldn't try to kill an Elk at 1,000 yards-i was just merely stating-but i WOULD really like to punch paper at that range, without having to get close to maxing out optics and such , and i like to experiment with bullet penetration and such on hard targets, blow stuff up-catch my drift? I am going to setup my Grendel for max range of 800 yards, and get the magnum for punching paper farther than that.
 
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thesheepdog

New member
If it was me, I'd sell the 6.5 you already have and buy an AR in 6.5. Then you could get the 338 later on. I'm all about this barrel swap stuff!

Never shot a 300, but the 7 mag is nice.
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I have a Grendel AR.
 
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ZeroJunk

New member
I'm thinking that if you have rifle chambered in 338 Lapua or something similar that is heavy enough that it doesn't beat you to death shooting long range targets it is going to be heavy to tote around hunting.

From you OP question I think I would lean toward the 7 Mag even over the 300 Win. The heavy match 308 bullets have a somewhat higher B.C., but they also have a corresponding higher thump to the shoulder.

May not bother you, but it does me to the extent that I could probably shoot the 7 Mag better even if the B.C is slightly lower.
 
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rickyjames

New member
there is a hunting tv show that specializes in long range shots. it seems they favor the 7mm mag and make 1 shot kills past 1000 yards using their ammo and specially set up guns and scopes. how much is real and how much is bs i don't really know but it is interesting and they seem to favor the 7mm mag.

i had both the 300 win mag and the 7mm rem mag and i sold the 300. not alot of difference between the two. i think the 7 mag shoots straighter longer than the 300 mag. there is nothing in north america that i wouldn't feel confident facing with the 7 mag.
 
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Xfire68

New member
I think you got good advice here. You should use the caliber you already have (.308) as it will not cost you all the much to set it up. Practice with it as much as you can until you have got the 1k yard shots down better and then look into buying "Harder Hitting" rounds. If you just jump right into these other calibers I think you will find it's going to cost you a ton of cash in setting up a new rifle, buying new brass for that caliber and new dies not to mention optics!

Lots of energy down range at long distances = lots of money out of pocket!
 
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thesheepdog

New member
I think you got good advice here. You should use the caliber you already have (.308) as it will not cost you all the much to set it up. Practice with it as much as you can until you have got the 1k yard shots down better and then look into buying "Harder Hitting" rounds. If you just jump right into these other calibers I think you will find it's going to cost you a ton of cash in setting up a new rifle, buying new brass for that caliber and new dies not to mention optics!

Lots of energy down range at long distances = lots of money out of pocket!
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I no longer have my .308, that's why i am looking for another rifle-in the near future. I traded it for a 1911.

Anyway,

Since i reload, ammo costs shouldn't be too bad, all i have to fork out is some money for dies, powder, bullets, primers then i am good to go for about 500 round or less.
 
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James R. Burke

New member
Just myself I would go with the 7mm Mag. Never had one but worked a load up for a friend. I was really impressed with it. I am not sure but I think the 7mm Mag has a longer case neck for bullet tension. I dont know if that would even help. But I did like the 7. It was a comfortable rifle to shoot, and very accurate.
 
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