7mm REM MAG stupid reloading question

diver1

I just got a model 700adl and have a strange reloading question. If I don't like the recoil can I load it like a 7mm and use it that way for local hunting. This way I can enjoy the 7mm and I would be able to step up the powder later if I need to. Thanks Vince

guntech59

You can use the starting loads to load it down to a lesser recoil level but it will definitely change the POI.

I did that with my step daughter's .243 so she could get used to it and then worked up a hotter load for hunting.

Mtnlover

You sure can up to, or rather, down to a point. The 7mm Mag works best with slow-burning powders. Very low charges of slow-burning powder can result in excessive pressures, even dangerous levels in extreme cases. I wouldn't go below the starting charges mentioned by guntech59.

sandwarrior

diver1,

What I've found is to use the minimum load for the fasted powder you find in your book. Sometimes I see 4895 in there, but mostly it is 4350, Re-15, or somewhere around that speed. Normally, for 7mm Mag you would see 4831 or H1000 or Imr7828.

This will reduce the more severe recoil the 7mm Rem mag can dish out, but it won't lower it down to the .257/.243 class.

lgish

The lightest bullet with the minimum advertised power charge will be the safest minimum. Sierra makes a 100 grain Varmint bullet, it would be a meat grinder on Deer however. H414 is listed in some manuals with the 100 grain.

lgish

A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have.
---Thomas Jefferson

jtmarine0831

Why don't you give 7mm-08 a try.

It is a little of both worlds.

nononsense

diver1,

No offense, but if you don't like the recoil now and you intend to hunt 'locally' with a greater frequency, you won't like any better later. Get rid of the Magnum. There is no sense in trying to make it something it isn't and you won't like the recoil later if by chance you do find a reason to shoot it with full power loads.

Trade it or sell it but get yourself something like a 7mm Mauser (7 x 57) or the 7mm-08 Rem. These will suit you for the recoil and still be the solution to most of your hunting, at least in the U.S. The .280 Remington and the .284 Winchester are alternatives that have the capacity of the '06 case. Both are exceedingly accurate and have a little more potential power if used in appropriate barrel lengths.

Best.

guntech59

quote:Originally posted by nononsense
diver1,

Trade it or sell it but get yourself something like a 7mm Mauser (7 x 57) or the 7mm-08 Rem. These will suit you for the recoil and still be the solution to most of your hunting, at least in the U.S.



Better advice than mine. Loading a magnum round down to "normal" levels makes no sense IMO. Just get a rifle in a less punishing chambering. I'm a big fan of .257 through 6.5 cartridges. I am also a real puss when it comes to recoil![xx(]

glabray

You'll likely find you get much longer case life if you dump the belted case for a normal one.

Mobuck

Try some of the Remington reduced recoil loads. Otherwise be VERY carefull downloading the 7 mag. If you do, try to find some data using IMR 4895/4064. Richard Lee's manual gives lots of info on using reduced charges. You might have good results with the Nosler 120 grain ballistic tip as a lite load hunting bullet.

.257roberts

I purchased a Ruger 7 Mag a while back and had a Sims Recoil Pad put on it to take the kick out. Made all the difference in the world. I then bought a Winchester Model 70 in 7 Mag with a Hogue Overmold stock on it, recoil is NO problem with it either. I'm not a tiny person, but I'm not very large either. I was worried about flinching, I love my 7 Mag as well as any other rifle I own now. It's one of my top favorite rifles. Hope these ideas help you out. Good Luck, Robert

CryptoChief

diver1,

I own, and use, both the 7mm-08 and the 7mag. Love em both. However, nononsense gave wise advice on the application of each chambering. I use my 7-08 on everything up to and including black bear. You can shoot it all day and still not develope a flinch. My 7mag is used for those times when I may need to push a heavier bullet at bigger stuff or for those critters that just want to sit a bit further away (they feel safer, I guess? They can run away and stop but they just die tired). Down loading has it's place and can be useful such as starting a young shooter out on a 243 or 308, etc. But, it has its hazards too. Hang fires are often common and with the wrong powder in the wrong amount, well, lets say "BANG" has a whole different meaning when it is associated with "DETONATE" instead of "IGNITE". I like the idea of adding another gun to the battery. 7-08, 7x57, 308, 260, 6.5x55 - whatever. You will enjoy shooting at a whole different level, physically and financially. And you can never have too many.

Cheers,

CC