Select Your Gun Type Centerfire Handgun Centerfire Rifle Handgun Hunting Handgun Target/Defense The 7mm Remington Magnum delivers better ballistics: it shoots faster, with more energy, and a flatter trajectory. Im not making a case whether to make that shot or not. Specifically, they wanted a new service rifle that could compete with the revolutionary new Mauser rifle. In truth, a 308 is a bit too much bullet for small game. They originally chambered the new rifle in the .30-03 Springfield cartridge, which fired a 220gr round nosed bullet at approximately 2,300fps. The general consensus amongst big game hunters is that the 308 Winchester will be the superior choice when it comes to large game like elk and African game like Kudu. Ammo availability is also usually excellent online and the bigger retailers typically have a good selection of quality factory ammo for both cartridges as well. Typically, heavier bullets will have a higher BC. 7mm Rem Mag has a higher muzzle velocity and a higher ballistic. Zwirz cut out the group and kept it in his wallet. The old .30-06 remains one of the most popular centerfire rifle cartridges in the United States (as well as many other parts of the world) to this day. At 200 yards, the 7mm-8 will drift 2.4 compared to the .308s 2.7; at 400 yards, the 7mm-08 will drift 9.9 compared to the .308s 11.4; and at 500 yards, the 7mm-08 will drift 16.0 compared to 18.4. You could make an argument that the lower recoil of the 7mm-08 would lead to better accuracy. Ammo2U.com ~ As a participant in the Amazon Associates program and other affiliate services, I may earn a small amount of money if you buy something after clicking on a link. Now lets discuss larger game, like elk and bears. JavaScript is disabled. Preferred range finder of choice Leica Hd-B3000 binocular rangefinders with integrated ballistic solver. 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 (when comparing bullets of similar construction). Hands down, it will be easier to acquire components for 308 compared to the 7mm-08 Rem. However, the success of the 308 Winchester did not end there! But is either ammo type better at harvesting deer? Herein lies something of a mystery. However, both rifle cartridges are a breeze to hand reload and you should not shy away from reloading 7mm-08, just understand that youll definitely want to save your brass and that its unlikely youll find any lying around at your local gun range. The Winchester corporation, which was part of the development of the 7.62x51 NATO, quickly saw its civilian application and adapted the round to its Model 70 bolt action rifle line. Now lets fast forward a couple decades from the introduction of the .30-06. Theres no difference. The cheapest 7mm Rem. Unfortunately, important details about the cartridges sometimes get overlooked or simply lost in the shuffle. Not surprisingly, the differences in the external dimensions of the 7mm Remington Magnum and the .30-06 Springfield translate into some pretty significant differences in their ballistic performance. The .30-06 Springfield and the 7mm Remington Magnum are both extremely popular centerfire rifle cartridges. The 6.5 Creedmoor fires 6.5mm or .246 caliber projectiles where as the 308 Winchester fires .30 caliber projectiles. If youve trained on 308 Winchester for years and you are looking to hunt big game like elk and caribou, then grab some ballistic tips and head into the woods to claim that trophy whitetail. The Extreme Point bullet features an oversized impact diameter. Furthermore, talking about recoil is a touchy subject with some, suggesting that a low recoil caliber is somehow an affront to their manliness. The British rebranded the 7x57mm to the 275 Rigby and it was used with extreme success by the Scottish big game hunter, W.D.M Bell. Data used to calculate recoil was obtained from the Hornady reloading manual. As you can see, the 7mm Remington Magnum has a flatter trajectory and more kinetic energy than comparable .30-06 Springfield loads at all ranges. Thats about 20% less recoil when comparing the 7mm-08 to the 308, and that is significant! A max charge of the same powder will push a 150-grain .308 Partition bullet at 2,802 fps. Whats interesting when you compare these two calibers is that there are certain points of intersection when it comes to sectional density. This was built on a Surgeon XL action with a 308bolt face topped off with a Nightforce 8-3256 and later adding the Barrett BORS. As far as bullets by themselves are concerned, the 7mm has a big advantage. With extra energy and bullet weight comes extra recoil. I'm not a rich man by any means, but this rifle didn't break the bank. One was forged for battle, and the other was designed with long range shooting in mind. The 7mm Weatherby has almost identical case capacity to the 7mm Remington Magnum. Answer (1 of 5): The 7mm-08 is based on the .308Winchester cartridge, necked down to 7mm. The ultimate decision is yours. When contrasting a similar bullet weight, the 6.5mm bullet will constantly offer preferable Sectional Density over any 7mm, similarly as any 7mm will show a grain-for-grain advantage over the.30 gauges. The 7mm Rem Mag may be a better choice for use on bigger game and/or on game at longer range, but the .30-06 is still a darn good cartridge. I think most hunters would agree that the 7mm Remington Magnum and .30-06 Springfield are both fantastic cartridges for hunting a wide variety of big game. In this case, the 7mm Rem Mag produces 7.5% more free recoil energy than the .30-06. Most shooters here were shooting 338Lapua, a known long distance round. Ballistics Both calibers pack a punch. It might seem like Im splitting hairs here when talking about the strengths and weaknesses of the two cartridges. Ballistic Coefficient: 0.523 Bullet Weight: 140 gr Initial Velocity: 3130 fps Sight Height : 1.5 in Shooting Angle: 0 Wind Speed: 10 mph Wind Angle: 90 Zero Range: 300 yd Chart Range: 1000 yd Maximum Range: 6562 yd Step Size: 25 yd International Standard Atmosphere Altitude: Sea Level (0 ft) Barometric Pressure: 29.92 Hg Temperature: 59 F Some people do handle recoil better than others, but all other things being equal, they will absolutely shoot more accurately with a milder recoiling cartridge. That being said, even out to 700 yards, the 308 bullet has dropped approximately 138 and the 7mm-08 has dropped approximately 126. 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. You'll like the 7mm RM a lot. This way you can compare/contrast your favorite load in each cartridge and find the best mix of muzzle velocity (fps), bullet drop, and kinetic energy from 0 to 400 yards. What about 7mm Rem Mag vs .30-06 Springfield accuracy? The heaviest 6.5mm bullets approach 150 ish grains whereas the 7mm stacks that up to 195ish grain +26% increase in weight at the top end. However, the 308 has the advantage in ammo availability when it comes to cheaper practice ammo. Case capacities were obtained from Chuck Hawks (here). Before we get started, I have two administrative notes: Some of the links below are affiliate links. (price quotes are accurate at the time of publishing). And to top it all off, the 7mm Remington Magnum was rolled out at the same time as the now legendary Remington Model 700 rifle. For example, a 140 gr 7mm-08 Winchester Ballistic Silvertip has the exact same sectional density as a 165gr 308 Nosler Ballistic Tip at 0.248. B
The 7mm-08 Remington was born. There are proponents in each camp proclaiming that you should either man up and take the recoil or just accept that the 7mm bullet is the better option and can do everything a 30-caliber bullet can do with less recoil. This load has been optimized in Shoot! You can see differences between the .30-06 Springfield and the 7mm Remington Magnum in the photos below. Complete 7mm Remington Magnum Winchester ammunition ballistics Chart. This reminds us that at these distances a well tuned setup is probably going to yield about 1MOA off a bipod maybe a tad better. Now does that mean that Im going to recommend 7mm-08 for very large or dangerous game? Consider that at 500meters, in a 10mph wind a 7mm mag will drift 16 while a 308win will drift an additional 7 inches (23). If you are looking for the 270 vs 308 vs 30 06 ballistics chart, the 5.56 trajectory chart, the 300 Win Mag Ballistics data, or the 30 06 trajectory chart; you are in the right place! Sign up today. However, the good news for hunters is that typical barrel life for all of these cartridges is more than enough to last for many, many years of hunting with no issues at all. The proliferation of the 308 is beginning to decline with the rise of the 6.5 Creedmoor and the 300 Win Mag. This is important to note because it means that the primary differences between the 7mm-08 Rem and the 308 Winchester will be centered around the bullet that each cartridge fires. Sign me up for the newsletter! If youd like to have an argument about which is better, we can discuss how many angels can dance on the head of a pin when were done with that. For many years, this wildcat cartridge was referred to as the 7mm/308. Just $1 per month . With a flatter trajectory, less wind drift, and more retained energy at extended range, the 7mm Rem Mag does have a definite, though not gigantic, advantage over the .30-06 Springfield in external ballistics at typical hunting ranges. This means that, in general, the 7mm Rem Mag will simply wear out barrels faster than the .30-06 Springfield. Barrel lengths do vary depending on the manufacturer and exact model. When chambered in .30-06 Springfield, the rifle has a 22 barrel, an overall length of 42.75, and weighs 7.4 pounds. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Instead of using .264, .338, .458, and later .308 bullets like Winchester did with their magnums, Remington loaded their new cartridge with .284 bullets. Nevertheless even with a good rangefinder, if you dont read the distance precisely and range behind or infront of your intended target, with a loopy trajectory, you may easily find yourself low or high. I used ShootersCalculator.com to compare trajectory and recoil for the cartridges. | In each case, there is normally a good selection of bullet types and weights for each cartridge suitable for big game hunting ranging from stuff like Remington Core Lokt and Winchester Super X ammo to Federal Premium Gold Medal and Hornady Precision Hunter factory loads. You are likely to find more .308 rifles than 7mm-08 rifles thanks to its extra popularity. Is one cartridge superior to the other? Look at any match, the ones that can read wind sufficiently well will be the ones that put rounds on target right away and remain on target throughout their string. This compares favorably to 150 grain and 180 grain .308 bullets which have sectional densities of .226 and .271 respectively. BUY SOME EXCELLENT 30-06 SPRINGFIELD AMMO HERE. Best Walkie Talkies for mountains in 2023. This was the case for me having started with a 308win target rifle with a club before building my own FTR rifle in 308win. Additionally, the larger case allows the .30-06 to load larger bullets. This means that the momentum of a rifle's reaction will exactly equal the momentum of the bullet and powder gasses ejected from the barrel. The .30-06 Springfield has also long been the standard against which new centerfire rifle cartridges are measured against in the United States. Lets take the most common match grade bullet for the 308 Winchester, the 168 gr Sierra Gold Medal Match which has a BC of 0.45. Get 'em straight to your inbox. The winds of change are coming to deer camp. Of these, 140 grain, 150 grain, 160 grain, and 175 grain loads are by far the most common. This allows it to penetrate as deep as a heavier grain weight 308. Winchester Ballistic Silvertip, 140gr, B
Today, those same performance qualities are every bit a part of Weatherby cartridges. On average, factory loads for 308 Winchester will have a felt recoil of around 22 ft-lbs of energy. The practical range of bullet weights for the .270 runs from 130 to 150, and thats about it. are great cartridges, but which one is better? This limits you to purchasing new brass for your 7mm-08 or reusing factory loaded brass, which is fine but it does add a little more cost. The .308 Winchester has the lead here, with an extra 1164 ft-lbs of energy out of the muzzle. Remington took a page out of Winchesters playbook and rolled out their own belted magnum cartridge in 1962: the 7mm Remington Magnum. The 7mm Remington Magnum debuted in 1962, chambered in the brand-new Model 700 rifle. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. At 400 yards, the 7mm-08 will drop 21.6 compared to the .308s 27.2. Please know that we only recommend products we trust and have used ourselves. 7mm Rem. Both are excellent cartridges. Deer Season XP ammunition combines extensive experience into a product engineered specifically for deer hunters. Ammunition manufacturers often add new rounds throughout the year, so always check back for any updates. STAY UPDATED BY SIGNING UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER, What about a super magnum? For the 7mm, it goes from 140 grains to 175 grains, with all sorts of stops in between. The wildcatters get to work. This bullet at 500 yards still has speed and stopping power traveling some 2143fps and carrying either 1427lbs energy(140gr) or 1603lbs energy(150gr). 7mm-08 seems to be catching on and I can only imagine that more offerings in 7mm-08 will be available as the caliber grows in popularity. Both will get you there, but in very different ways. If you are a beginning hunter, or if you know that recoil will impact your ability to shoot your gun accurately, the 7mm-08 Remington might be a better choice. This tells me one important thing when it comes to big game hunting: Shot Placement Trumps Caliber Selection. Handloaders will appreciate the fact that reloading components for both cartridges are also readily available and theres an especially wide variety of bullet choices for each cartridge. On the other hand, as we covered earlier, those longer, heavy for caliber .284 bullets have a higher ballistic coefficient than the most common bullets used in the .30-06 though. This is because those cartridges need a longer barrel to effectively and efficiently burn that larger powder charge. You can definitely use it, but it feels a bit like overkill to me (unless you enjoy that sort of thing, then you might want to try a 325 WSM on a groundhog!). This makes the cartridge a little more forgiving of range or wind estimation errors than the .30-06 Springfield. If you want flat-shooting and velocity, then the 7mmRM with some Berger 168 VLD's will be a good option for you. The most popular 7mm bullets also have a relatively high sectional density (SD). All the major ammunition manufacturers make hunting ammo for it and its relatively accessible too. Depending where you are in the world these can go from 0.50 to 2.50 a pop. If you like to handload as I do, then component availability is something to consider. While most experienced shooters will likely be able to handle it, and the .308 is not regarded as a particularly hard-recoiling cartridge, many report a noticeable difference over the 7mm-08. Thats not a hard and fast rule though. Among other things, they were looking for a new bolt-action rifle designed from the start with a stronger action capable of safely firing more powerful smokeless ammunition, that could be quickly loaded with 5-round stripper clips, and with a claw extractor for more reliable feeding and extraction. Or if you want something that has a bit less recoil, shoots a little flatter, and has a similar ballistic performance to 30 caliber, then you might be in the market for a 7mm-08. Ballistics Rifle Ballistics Ammo Description Velocity (fps) Energy (ft/lb) Trajectory Tables (inches) CARTRIDGE BULLET ITEM # MUZ 100 yd 200 yd 300 yd 400 yd 500 yd MUZ 100 yd 200 yd 300 yd 400 yd 500 yd MUZ 100 yd 200 yd 300 yd 400 yd 500 yd V 17 Mach 2 15.5 gr. HP 80237 3240 2802 2405 2042 1713 1429 1282 959 . Whichever round you choose there is only a little over 6ft.lb of energy between the two cartridges. Since it started life at a NATO cartridge, there is a greater variety of semi-auto rifle chambered .308. All things considered, the difference between them (7mm Rem Mag vs 30-06) isnt as great as it is sometimes made out to be and the animal will never know the difference if your shot is placed in the right spot. The 7mm Remington Magnum and .30-06 Springfield are both excellent rifle cartridges. Be sure to hit that Subscribe button in your podcast player! Holosun Hm3X Vs Juliet 3 Which Red Dot Sight is better? Thats how it rolls somehow right? This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. Availability also likely varies regionally though. A lighter bullet will shoot faster, and here the lighter bullets of the 7mm-08 Remington help give it the advantage. relatively. Related to this concern is the weight of the bullets, which has a greater impact on energy and therefore stopping power. Of the two, Id go with the .30-06 since it uses larger diameter and heavier bullets. 308 vs 30-06 SPRINGFIELD vs 300 WIN MAG: WHICH SHOULD YOU HUNT WITH? My 7mm Rem Mag has less recoil than my 30-06, but it has a bull barrel so it is also heavier. As illustrated in the chart, .300 WSM Winchester Short Magnum rounds - on average - achieve a velocity of about 3080 feet per second (fps) while .308 Winchester rounds travel at a velocity of 2680 fps. The overlap between these two rifle cartridges comes when we enter the realm of deer hunting. Smart choice. This also applies to ballistic coefficient. Remington has always had a bit of a soft spot for adopting wildcat cartridges and making them mainstream. the fluted sendero and the 1" leup are fairly light. Shooters here were shooting 338Lapua, a 308 is beginning to decline with the rise of the powder... Have two administrative notes: Some of the.30-06 since it uses larger diameter and heavier bullets started, have! 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From Chuck Hawks ( here ) 7mm bullets also have the option to opt-out of these cookies in,. 308Win target rifle with a club before building my own FTR rifle in the photos below Leica binocular! Bullet will shoot faster, and that is significant rifle did n't break the bank price quotes are at. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the muzzle the 7mm Remington Magnum Red. 30-06, but it has a higher BC sendero and the 300 Win Mag cartridges. Deer camp only a little over 6ft.lb of energy between the two cartridges like to handload as i,! Bullets by themselves are concerned, the larger case allows the.30-06 Springfield and 7mm-08! As the 308 has the lead here, with all sorts of stops in between a little over of! The weight of the.30-06 Springfield has also long been the standard which. 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Details about the cartridges took a page out of the 6.5 Creedmoor fires 6.5mm or.246 caliber where... Fired a 220gr round nosed bullet at approximately 2,300fps referred to as the 7mm/308 a 22,!