My 7mm Rem Mag is a Remington 700 with 1:8 twist. So far I've hunted coyote and hogs with it. Bama's firearm deer season starts next weekend. Hopefully I'll get to see how the 7mag & Hornady 162gr ELD-X performs on a few whitetails.
Wyoming this year we shot two mule deer and an antelope all with a 6.5 and eldx bullets from 190 to 340 yards. All were clean kills. We had to stalk closer to all three and this is what makes the memories so special. I always appreciate a good hunting story that includes a stalk and not just a long range shot. Thanks for sharing your stories.
I have bagged numerous elk, mule deer and antelope with the 7mm rem mag over the past 30+ years. It's a nothing special rifle, savage 110 with a timmeny trigger and a Nikon 3-9. My load is the 160 gr. Sierra GameKing over 60 grains of IMR 4831. One shot drops every time all the way out to 575 yards in Colorado. I totally trust that bullet to get the job done every time.
7mm Remington is still an excellent round. Once upon a time I had a 7mm STW, it wouldn't shoot lighter bullets, but it would shoot tight little clusters with the 175 Sierra GK's and 175 Nosler Partitions, velocities ran around 3,050 with both. In .30 caliber the 165 grain SPBT, and HPBT Game kings have shot outstandingly in .308, and .30-06 for me. And if you can't get either the 180, or 200 grain SPBT Game kings to shoot in the .300 Magnum of your choice, you probably have a sick rifle. And lastly, the 220 grain SPBT Game king was the only bullet that I ever got to shoot well in my old 8mm Remington magnum. Put one of these slugs in the right place, you've got your animal. For deer these days I generally have my .270 Winchester stoked with handloads, topped with 140 grain Sierra TGK's.
A word about Sierra. I have a rifle that likes 175 MK'S I ran our I tried for years to get more but found it impossible. So I talked to Dave Corbin .Now I make my own, except 171 grains works out better for me , but my bullets shoot even better than the Match Kings. Thank you Seirra for making me grow!
The 7mm rem mag is a great cartridge for a all around hunting cartridge..Less Bowman originally designed it to be a 500 yard elk cartridge before selling it to remington.thanks for yall input and keep up the good work God bless
Good video gents, as usual. Guy has to be one of favorite gentlemen to watch, listen and appreciate. A Marine, gun guy, hunter, reloader, 7mm Rem Mag proponent....checking all the boxes. My main 160 SGK load is 69.1gr H1000 w/CCI 250 & R-P brass. 2930fps average. MOA or better from seated and shooting sticks. 5 shot groups heats up my barrel so I have to give it a bit before I shoot another group because groups open up a good bit if I try to shoot to close together. Retumbo isn't as sensitive but similar. It is 69.5gr. Retumbo 2975fps but it doesn't group the SGK as well. But Retumbo and 162 ELDX is as good or better combo as H1000 & 160 SGK. These are my elk loads. My whitetail deer load is 56.7gr. IMR4451 2825-2850fps and MOA all day from hunting position shooting sticks. And barrel doesn't heat up quickly so I get more group together. Thanks again gentlemen. Well done. Happy hunting. Stay safe.
Deadly combination. Been doing the job for 60 years and counting. And Sierra makes excellent bullets. My "long range elk" I took with 7mm Mag and Nosler partitions. For me, my 270 does it all, 130gr for deer and Antelope, 150 grainers for elk. I'm of the similar opinion to Guy, I don't want to take a shot over 400, mainly because I don't want to hike over terrain to go get it.
I worry about the animal getting a 500 yard head start on me, if I make a poor hit. Seems that losing game could result. Still, I'll go long for coyotes.
@@guyminer2384Agreed, a lot can happen in that half second of flight time, especially with antelope. Yotes and prairie dogs are for going long, I get bored shooting prairie dogs inside 300 yards.
Hey Guy, great job and story. Good to see you. Hope your well! You get a thumbs up too, -pee-wee. I'm enjoying 7mm prc work. Great job on that. Good night Chesty, where ever you are.
Hey Guy! I like the Sierra SBTs also. 165-.308, 65-.223 . The guys at Sierra are a real help also. I love Climbing the Tetons. Easy flight in and out. Just watch that wind shear from the west.
These are the same that i shoot out of the same calibers. The 65 sbt is a deer killing machine. The 165's shoot 1/2",... yes 1/2" at 300 yrds out of my .308. I wish Sierra would make a 70 or 77 grain sbt gameking.🙏
@@gtroxlar8597 Try to get your hands on some gold dots if they are ever in stock. They are a better bullet imo. They are bonded, cheaper, shoot extremely accurately, and they are offered in 55, 62, and 75gr in .224.
To answer your question, for antelope to mule deer I've been using a 25-06 Rem with 110 gr Nosler AccuBonds or the Hornady factory loaded American Whitetail with the 117 gr InterLock, which my rifle shoots really well. More recently I've built a 6.5 Sherman Shortmag and I'm loading 143 gr Hornady ELD-X, but I haven't actually shot anything with that yet. (And I started that build before the 6.5 PRC came out, or I probably would have just bought a PRC. No regrets, but I could have saved myself a lot of money buying a factory rifle. But I learned a lot researching what I wanted and going about getting it put together.)
I don't see a lot of people talking about the Sierra GameKings much anymore. Still great bullets. I have an 8mm Rem Mag (yes Eight Millimeter) and like 220 gr GameKing bullets in it.
The only Pronghorn I've taken in Wyoming was with a Savage in a 6.5 wildcat cartridge developed by my father in law. Used a 140 grain Accubond at 3420 fps from a 28" barrel. Was a 1/2" rifle at 100 yards. Took it at 175 yards after crawling on my belly for 150 yards down a low spot at the bottom of a draw. Perfect rest on a rock from prone. One shot mid body, behind the shoulder took care of it. He walked about 15 yards like he'd had the wind knocked out if him and tipped over nose first into the dirt. I've also used a Savage 7 rem mag with good success in Oregon with 140 Barnes TSX bullets at 3280 fps from a 24" barrel. That barrel always shot fast for some reason and was right a 11/16" for 100 yard groups.
I've never used Sierra hunting bullets. Not because I dislike them, it's because I had such good results with first Hornady, then Nosler and Barnes bullets that I never got around to testing the Sierras...or Speer bullets either.
To answer a question on the video, yes there are 1:10 twist 7mm rem mags. I have a1980s vintage browning BAR semi auto that is 1:10. It's OK with most 160's, OK with 150's, but it loves 139 grain sst's.
I've used 7mag for big game since the mid 80's. First with a Sako Finnbear L61R (160gr Nosler partition handloads) that was lightly used when I picked it up and used that until I retired it to a backup rifle in 2013, replacing it is a Cooper 7mag. Deer and elk both, the 7mag is a flat shooter and nice for open country hunting. The Cooper really likes 162gr SST/ELD-X ammo so I use those but plan to work up a handload eventually. I find the 7mag is more than capable for anything up to elk. Good shot placement is more critical with elk. Nothing wrong with Sierra bullets, I've used them for decades of varminting.
I use a 6.5 SAUM for both mule deer and antelope. It seems pretty ideal to me. Flat shooting and doesn’t destroy much meat, yet puts them down pretty quickly.
I just got back from Wyoming in October on an Antelope hunt. I may have killed the largest in the unit we hunted in. I won’t know till the end of the season. We hunted out of Fort Laramie, Wyoming . I shot my Antelope with a 6mm arc bolt rifle , Hornady factory 103-X. The bullet was recovered in the far shoulder. It ran about 15 yards and fell over dead. My son in law shot his Antelope with a 243 90 grain bullet. It dropped on the spot. We had a great hunt.
I’ve hunted with 7mm rifles chambered in cartridges from 7x30 Waters to 7mm STW. I also had a TC Contender barrel in 7mm TCU. All but one , which would only shoot FB bullets, shot one or another Sierra GameKing with good to exceptional accuracy. I’ve also owned two .270’s and loaded for three more that all shot the 150 GameKing’s as well or better than anything else. My last four animals were a whitetail and a pronghorn with my 270 and a pronghorn and a mule deer with my 7mm08. All four were killed with Sierra GameKings, 150 grains in the 270 and 140 grains in the 7mm08. All shots completed penetrated the animals. The longest (215 yards) and shortest shots (75 yards) and biggest animal (225 lbs) were all with my 7mm08. I’m going for elk on the same SW Texas ranch next year. While my 270 will be my backup rifle it will be loaded with Nosler Partitions. My primary rifle will be a 300 H&H loaded also with 180 grain Nosler Partitions. There are limitations to what I think a cup and core bullet can do, even the Sierra GameKing.
I still have my left hand Remington 700 7mm mag that I got back when I was in highschool. But this past summer I had my gunsmith blueprint the action and rebarrel it to .300WM because I'm going to Alaska next year for a Caribou and a mountain goat hunt. I wanted something with a little more punch and knock down. But when it was a 7 Rem mag it was my go to hunting rifle for elk and the big deer we have in the north west Mississippi, big Delta deer great video. Oh and I shot a 175gr bullet.
Old fashioned cup and core bullets are excellent hunting bullets as long as impact speeds are not too high. By using a 160gr bullet the SD is high enough and the velocity low enough to help ensure bullet failure does not happen.
I’ve killed pronghorn with 223 70g TSX, 30-06 150g GMX, 270wsm 140g TSX, 270win 130g TTSX, and 6.5 creedmoor 127g LRX. Ranges from 50 yards to 300. All performed terminally on pronghorn with ease. My favorite is probably the 223. It’s much like hunting with archery equipment, in that you know you’re going to have to get close to make it work well.
About thirty years ago, someone told me 7mm, 165 grain gamekings were too soft for elk. The two elk I shot with them had different opinions, one took two steps, one went straight down, one was about a hundred yards the other was 370.
Ha! A bit over 20 years ago I was told that my 7mm Rem Mag was too small for bull elk... Well I brought down a dandy 6x6 bull with one shot from the 7mm Remington Magnum. You and I, and a whole lot of others know that it works just fine. :)
@@guyminer2384 I didn’t say which 7mm it was in the first post, however, yes it was a savage model 110 in 7mm REM Mag that I borrowed from a friend both times.
I have lived and hunted Wyoming my entire life and choose to use the .308 Winchester for everything elk antelope mule deer and Whitetail. I am still awaiting a chance to harvest a moose and a ram. Gotta get them all. Lol
Hunted my first elk this fall in WY with a new T3X 7rem mag, used 155 gr Federal Terminal Ascent with good success. 100 yards, slight quartering away, impact just behind front leg, full penetration, and during exit the opposite side humorous bone was broken in half. Quick kill. Would have been interested to recover the bullet but it's in the dirt somewhere.
In my 7mm mag I shoot handloaded 139gr hornady GMX and have had great results on mule deer and antelope both. On antelope I’ve shot them with 22-250 with hand loaded 55gr soft points, 243wssm with 80gr GMX hand loads, and 26 nosler with 140gr Berger VLD hand load’s
I used 270 with 130 gr sierra that are deadly on Wyoming mulies. Have hunted Wyoming since 1971 I use my 7mm Rem Mag with 175 gr sierras, are good on julie’s but a horrible bullet on elk
Love my 7mag Weatherby Vanguard. Have had it since '92. Bought a 28 Nosler a few years ago and never looked back. It shoots the combination of 168 grain Nosler AccuBond LR bullets and Retumbo magnum powder like a laser beam. It is a joy to handload and the sledgehammer on the business end of it makes it my anywhere, anything "butt-busta"!
Hey I have a 28 in a 110 ultralite and have been trying to get it to shoot the 175gr ablr with not much luck. Best I have been able to do is around 1.5 moa. Was wondering what your load was for the 168gr to see if it will shoot in my rifle. If your interested I have a load for the 140gr ab that shoots well for me. 90.8gr of retumbo at 3.475 coal. That gives me .75" groups at a blistering 3600 fps with no pressure signs but it is a hot load so beware.
@@Nick-sx6jm Start with 81 grains and work your way up to 84 grains in equal intervals of your choice. Get the chrony out, and start looking for pressure signs at 82.5, while closely monitoring your velocities. That's a safe range to tweak with, to see how your rifle responds to that particular bullet weight. Everything you read seems to tout the 175 grain bullet as the way to go with .28 Nosler. I beg to differ. That 165/168 grain weight is a definite sweet spot for my rifle. Sub MOA groups are the rule, rather than the exception. Good luck Bro. 👍🏿
@bustabass9025 What coal are you running? I have tried a ton of different weight charges with retumbo and US869, and I'm convinced it's the seating depth that is the problem. Im about ready to give up on it. Maybe my barrel just doesn't like that particular bullet.
@@Nick-sx6jm I got it going just off the lands of my Nosler 48 rifle at 3.343. Don't give up on it, make sure you and your rifle are in accord, cleaning, stabilizing, etc.
30-06, really, is the true king! Small "k"! Give me an accurate 30-06 w/a 26" barrel and that's all I really need. But I also have it for the 175-190 grain .284 (w/ 1/8 twist) 75-80 grain powder loads in a 26 incher....
Thought you might want to know . I have a new project. A 25 caliber 25/284 , 140 grain bullets. BAT machine reciever , Bartline 1in 7 twist Varmint rifle contour. Foe once the 25 caliber will realize its true potential. I will keep you posted.
I’ve been using a 20” savage M11 in 308 for deer and antelope. My load is a 168 eldm, cci LRP, 44.7g varget, in SBS nato brass. Averages 2735 fps with 8fps SD and shoots 1/2 moa when I do my part. (This is a HOT load do not duplicate) I took my WY pronghorn this year at 325 yards with that combo. Just finished a build on a ruger American with a 24” x-caliber prefit in 280AI 1/8 5R in a B&C stock. It will likely push the 308 into retirement.
280AI is a great choice. Would like to hear more about the prefit. My wife's 65cm is nearing 1500 rounds and it has opened up twice now where I have had to change seating depth to bring the accuracy in.
@@JimWooddell x-caliber barrels for the ruger American install like a savage using a barrel nut to headspace. That was a pretty simple process. So far I’ve fired 60 rounds of factory remington core lokt 280rem to fire form the AI brass. It’s shooting sub 3/4 moa while fireforming… so I think with load development it’s going to be awesome. The ruger is a good action and worth building on. As long as the aftermarket stock/magazines/triggers available line up with what you want to do as the options are more limited than other actions.
Nice to see a video on the No. 1. Currently own a 1981 Production 1B in 257 Robert’s and a 1AH Joe Clayton Classic in 280AI. Both of mine shoot 1/2-3/4” with my handloads. I had 2 different 1B’s in 300 WM however, that I couldn’t get to shoot worth a darn. Would love to find a 6.5x55 and a 7x57 to add to the lineup.
I’ve taken many elk deer with 7mm-08 140 tsx also 160 gr 7mm magnum using tsx, why tsx? I don’t feel very good about eating lead sprinkles… and my loads are accurate and very comfortable to 400 … can take longer but very comfortable range is 400…. Hardly ever recover Barnes… but when I do they look awesome and retain average 85%+
I do have a Remington 7mm and I think they are an optimal caliber for elk. I agree that you don’t need a canon for antelope. I like a fast flatting caliber for antelope and my choice would be a 270 Winchester. I have only hunted antelope once, but the 270 did an awesome job for me. Now that I look back on the hunt, I regret taking a shot on a running antelope. However I had been stalking this particular antelope for two day and I let the excitement of the moment take over when he gave me a broadside shot at 100 yards. I hunt Water fowl, so I was used to leading my game and felt comfortable taking the shot. All my duckhunting must’ve paid off because I hit him with one shot, and that was all it took. For mule deer I still prefer the 270 and it has always made clean kills with well placed shot and shot made from ethical distances. The 7mm and the 270 have to be my two favorite calibers. I am old enough that I probably won’t be buying a new rifle in my life but if I was I would probably go to the 6.8 Western or the 7mm PRC. Great video and story. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks. I like big bucks, but this one was right there... Big enough. It was a great stalk & good hunt. The antlers became chew toys for the dogs. The meat... Well, I'm having venison stew tonight. :)
@@guyminer2384 Mmm...mm, good. Get bacon powder bread and butter going with that, and that stew goes up a notch or two... Winter food. Some good groceries.
As a 7mm Rem Mag 1:9.5 twist SS x-bolt owner I have found I shoot most accurately and precisely with heavier bullets - 175 Federal BT's, however 162 ELD-X, 168 Bergers all do well. My favorite and what have in my gun case are 175 gr boat tail Federal. In contrast every time I have tried 150 gr bullets I am unable to keep a tight group, it seems no matter what I always have a shot that breaks out of the group by a couple inches. Also 139 gr bullets group well but not as well as the heavier bullets. I was curious as to why this might be; it is my experience that felt recoil from the heavier bullets is less than the 150 gr bullets. I researched why that would be and my conclusion is speed of recoil of heavier bullets is less even if the force is more and explains why felt recoil is less.
I will second the blown stalks on Antelope! And yes, it is a lot of fun! After opening day, those speed goat are seeing you at 1000 yards! I was running my 28 Nosler with reloads using 190gn Atips. They performed well and exit holes were consistant. Lost a magazine somewhere along the way and cost me $100 to replace! During one of my blown stalking crawls, I must have bumped the release and it finally fell out! Road hunters everywhere chasing them. Some info on my youtube channel.
i'm not a reloader. my 1967 parker-hale 7mm rem mag loved the federal vital-shok cartridges with the sierra gameking bullets. loved them. but they discontinued them sadly. now i have to find something else the gun likes.
Just looking at responses I have seen - the best results with the SGK seem to be when it's going fast enough, but not too fast - and on not too tough a creature for the caliber.... 160gr in a mulie is just about right.
Would be nice to see someone actually put out significant group data for any of these rifles such as the 7mm rem mag. See hornady's podcast "your group sizes are too small". To get enough data on a rifle / load combination it seems like we need to see 20-30 shots. How about 10 three shot groups in a row with appropriate cooling? That would be 10 cold bore shots. Then you would know for sure what that rifle will do.
Use a 7RM and hunt everything with it. Hogs, antelope, deer, elk. Barnes TTSX nothing out of the 7 has traveled further than a few feet or required a second shot. Gemsbock with a .338WM in SA was a different story. Barnes 225grain TTSX 4 hits. African animals are tough!
Sierra are accurate bullets but I’ve had problems with them coming apart. I’ve found (for me) the Speer hot core bullets work best. Grand slams are good also for higher velocity.
I've always thought if you're only going to have one hunting rifle, it should be a 7mag. From whitetails with 130s to elk with 175s you're covered. My M77 shoots about anything I put in it well.
What's nice about reloading is you can work up a load for whatever you like to hunt. I didn't have much money as a teen and couldn't buy a different rifle for varmint hunting and big game. My Dad found a used Remington 700 BDL in 7mm Remington Magnum that the owner (a local Dr) had never fired and which he was selling for CHEAP. Not gonna lie; I was scared of that gun. Dad said I would regret it if I let the deal go, so I bought it, and I got a set of reloading dies. I used my Dad's reloading bench to work up Varmint and Big Game loads. If I remember correctly, the lightest bullet I could find at the time was 120 gr hollowpoints. I had so much fun with my buddies shooting rock chucks in the desert with that rifle! I still use that rifle for Mule Deer and Elk over 30 years later. Regarding updating to the 7mm PRC, the main compelling reason is the long-distance accuracy of the 175 gr ELD-x. The Hornady Manual indicates a 1:8 twist or faster for that bullet. The older 7mm Rem Mag rifles with their 1:9 to 1:10 twist rates won't stabilize the 175gr ELD-X so well, but the new Remington 700s with the 1:8 twist will!!! In theory, my older 7mm with a 1:9-ish twist will stabilize the 150 and 162-grain ELD-x bullets very well. I'm really dying to try the 162gr ELD-x. This Sierra Game King you are reviewing at 160gr is perfect. My 1980s-produced Remington 700 BDL 7mm Rem Mag is still in beautiful condition, and I won't ever get rid of it. I have a lot of OLD factory ammo with Remington core lokt 175gr soft-tipped bullets that group very well for me. And some OLD Felderal soft-tipped 175gr hunting bullets as well. Both the OLD Remington and Federal Ammo that I stockpiled as a teen dropped Mule Deer hard and put down Elk with one shot as well. We hunt in Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming. We regularly take big-game with one shot in the vitals at 400 to 700 yards. We've also stalked in close. You take the animal where you find it. When I went off to join the Army, I left all my hunting and reloading things with my Dad. I got my rifle back but felt guilty taking my reloading dies, etc, because other family members had gotten themselves 7mm Rem Mags as well. I recently built up a reloading bench around the RCBS Rebel Master kit. I am enjoying using the RCBS equipment. At your recommendation I got the in-line fabrication accessories, and even modified the Rock Chucker shell ejection kit to work with it. I am having a lot of fun doing load development for all my rifles.
I've got about 4 boxes of nosler partitions I'd trade for a box or two of gamekings in a heartbeat. Working on a load for my brothers 7rem mag as we speak an I just can't get any better than 3/4s of an inch group but the norm is 1.5 in group. It's frustrating to say the least.
I used the 7mm Sierra GK quite a lot in my 7x64. As you said it´s a reliable bullet with good accuracy. Unfortunately I had to switch to lead free bullets since the regulations changed over here in Germany.
I'd put a 6.8 Western against the 7 Rem mag for big deer. For elk I'd lean towards the 7 Rem mag with 175 gr bonded bullet. Though ya know, the 6.8 Western shoots a 170-175 grain bullet very well ☺
It is unfortunate that Hornady discontinued their 190 grain interbond in. 308 diameter. I could get 2750 out of it in my '06 with no pressure signs and it would shoot inside 1 MOA. I have 40 rounds of these handloads left and am looking for a replacement. They worked well on deer and elk out to 450 yards plus if I put them in the right place.
@@georgesakellaropoulos8162 if you like hornady I’d think that 200 gr eld-x would be a fine replacement. If you wanted a 190 still you might try the accubond long range. Tons of choices nowadays
@@guyminer2384 always love your hunting stories. The Guy Miner perspective brings the gravitas to this channel. I probably have more in common with Gavin but nothing like “been there done that 10 times” and this is what really happens.
I was using Winchester deer season xp’s in 7mm rem mag for Wisconsin whitetail but I think they quit making them Then I starting developing a round with a hornady 140 gn sst with IMR enduron 8133 but now they quit the enduron powders Back to the drawing board unless Gavin has suggestions………..
It would be nice to get brass for the 7mm mag. I have always liked it can do some major damage with 120 btip on a groundhog or two and love the Sierra tipped game kings and traditional game kings. The problem is the Sierra game kings shoot as an accurate as a match kings. The problem. NOT AVAILABLE FOR US HANDLOADERS. My Sako S20 yearns for them.. my heart always liked "green" pastures but now I am loving the "red" blood running in my veins so the SSTs are filling void.
7mm Rem Mag with a 195gn EOL Berger Retumbo, RL33, N568, N570 will get you over 2900fps. Maybe even over 3000fps depending on barrel length. 26” or less.
Game Kings have a reputation of blowing up with little penetration on close shots with those velocities you are talking about. Is this an issue in your opinion? Shot my mule deer with a 150 sako superhammerhead out of my 30 06 this year. High lung shot that killed him on the spot but the bullet did not pass through and separated from the jacket. Only about 100 yards too. Thought that was a bit odd for a bonded bullet. The mulie last year was a 180 accubond at 60 yards that exited out the opposite shoulder. The deer ran about 20 yards and I was impressed that there was little to no meat damage on the shoulder. I lost 'a lot' of meat shooting a a 117 sst out of my 257 Roberts with a similar shot at 100 yards at the same velocity as the 30 06 180 accubond. Go figure. Never used an sst again.
Your not the 1st to say that about SST's. I'm still out on them. At this point, I believe they have a narrow window of ideal performance. And if that window is missed, for what ever reason, performance/expectations/hopes are (seem) easily missed. I had a 7 rem mag 162 sst sup'r fornc' blow up on the shoulder of a 450lb cow elk at 304 yards. Broke the back, I guess (?), as it acted spined. After crossing the deep snow, I had to dispatch it point blank. Just glad it didn't run off. And to be quite honest, it was the favor of the Lord, it didn't run off. Jesus is King
You saw the 160 grain Sierra GameKing I recovered from my muley, shot at 150 yards. Heck of a mushroom. I remain impressed. But yes, if you're concerned about bullet failure at closer ranges, choose a heavier bullet or one constructed to not expand so readily. I often use other "premium" bullets when the impact velocity might be too extreme for a conventional hunting bullet.
I love my 7 mag. Taken several white tails and muleys in MT over the years. All 1 shot and between 2-300 yds. They got a combined 30 yards of movement after getting hit. Now if I could just that elk I’ve been looking for! I am looking to start reloading for myself in the next year or two. I’ve been using 175 grn, but that’s just what’s been available to me. What grn would y’all recommend I look at? Happy with the 175, but they don’t mushroom much at these distances. Curious what you guys would say is ideal for hunting 200-700 yards (as I know some elk are taken out to ~650 yds) and good performance in these ranges. Keep up the great work!
love 7mm mag and have shot one for 40 yrs using all kinds of bullets from 130gr to current use 195gr. Berger. For that, I use a bartlien barrel 7.5 twist and get .4MOA and less out to 1000 yds 2790 fps. I also love 243....also a flat shooter and while some say that might be better for antelope and deer one "can" use the 7mag for all game in the lower 48 and I believe for me is a great choice for antelope, mule deer and elk. Especially at longer distances. Why? 1. The 195 Berger really bucs the wind and ia very reliable in high winds using your Kestrel. It will reliably shoot at 550 yds in 22 mph 90 degree crosswind. 2. Using a tripod or bipod you can take shots to 800 and 500 are chip shots and be confident of kill shots. 3. You can still use 168 grain bullets, but why? As much as I love 7mm Mag I am now wanting to build the 7PRC I want to hopefully push the 195 bergers to 2900 and praying for 3000 as I believe this combo can possibly be an ultimate long range hammer. That would be aceivable in 28 nosler but I dont like that recoil I will also build a 6mm creed as I love the accuracy of 6mm for target shooting but will use the 7 mag or 7prc for most game hunting.
Hello Gavin!!! I hope you're having a blast with all you do. Question: I'd like to know what you think of the Remington Magnum 7mm 150 grain core lokt tipped cartridges?
My 7mm Rem Mag is a Remington 700 with 1:8 twist.
So far I've hunted coyote and hogs with it.
Bama's firearm deer season starts next weekend. Hopefully I'll get to see how the 7mag & Hornady 162gr ELD-X performs on a few whitetails.
I'm in south Bama the 162eldx did great on the doe I took with my 7wsm last week
I've taken a fallow deer with game King in 6mm creedmoor. Did great
Wyoming this year we shot two mule deer and an antelope all with a 6.5 and eldx bullets from 190 to 340 yards. All were clean kills. We had to stalk closer to all three and this is what makes the memories so special. I always appreciate a good hunting story that includes a stalk and not just a long range shot. Thanks for sharing your stories.
I have bagged numerous elk, mule deer and antelope with the 7mm rem mag over the past 30+ years. It's a nothing special rifle, savage 110 with a timmeny trigger and a Nikon 3-9. My load is the 160 gr. Sierra GameKing over 60 grains of IMR 4831. One shot drops every time all the way out to 575 yards in Colorado. I totally trust that bullet to get the job done every time.
I really enjoy these hunting stories from Guy. Love to hear more of em
Awesome, more coming!
7mm Remington is still an excellent round. Once upon a time I had a 7mm STW, it wouldn't shoot lighter bullets, but it would shoot tight little clusters with the 175 Sierra GK's and 175 Nosler Partitions, velocities ran around 3,050 with both. In .30 caliber the 165 grain SPBT, and HPBT Game kings have shot outstandingly in .308, and .30-06 for me. And if you can't get either the 180, or 200 grain SPBT Game kings to shoot in the .300 Magnum of your choice, you probably have a sick rifle. And lastly, the 220 grain SPBT Game king was the only bullet that I ever got to shoot well in my old 8mm Remington magnum. Put one of these slugs in the right place, you've got your animal. For deer these days I generally have my .270 Winchester stoked with handloads, topped with 140 grain Sierra TGK's.
I took a Wyoming antelope with a Savage 110 .243 Win using Berger Classic Hunter 95 grain, Lapua case and Hodgdon 4350 @ 39.7 grains. Worked great!
That is a good combo of bullet/case/powder!
A word about Sierra. I have a rifle that likes 175 MK'S I ran our I tried for years to get more but found it impossible. So I talked to Dave Corbin .Now I make my own, except 171 grains works out better for me , but my bullets shoot even better than the Match Kings. Thank you Seirra for making me grow!
The 7mm rem mag is a great cartridge for a all around hunting cartridge..Less Bowman originally designed it to be a 500 yard elk cartridge before selling it to remington.thanks for yall input and keep up the good work God bless
Good video gents, as usual. Guy has to be one of favorite gentlemen to watch, listen and appreciate. A Marine, gun guy, hunter, reloader, 7mm Rem Mag proponent....checking all the boxes.
My main 160 SGK load is 69.1gr H1000 w/CCI 250 & R-P brass. 2930fps average. MOA or better from seated and shooting sticks.
5 shot groups heats up my barrel so I have to give it a bit before I shoot another group because groups open up a good bit if I try to shoot to close together. Retumbo isn't as sensitive but similar. It is 69.5gr. Retumbo 2975fps but it doesn't group the SGK as well. But Retumbo and 162 ELDX is as good or better combo as H1000 & 160 SGK. These are my elk loads. My whitetail deer load is 56.7gr. IMR4451 2825-2850fps and MOA all day from hunting position shooting sticks. And barrel doesn't heat up quickly so I get more group together. Thanks again gentlemen. Well done. Happy hunting. Stay safe.
I used the sierra for years untill uou did not get them in south africa anymore. Love them . I see they are starting to come back
Deadly combination. Been doing the job for 60 years and counting. And Sierra makes excellent bullets. My "long range elk" I took with 7mm Mag and Nosler partitions. For me, my 270 does it all, 130gr for deer and Antelope, 150 grainers for elk. I'm of the similar opinion to Guy, I don't want to take a shot over 400, mainly because I don't want to hike over terrain to go get it.
I worry about the animal getting a 500 yard head start on me, if I make a poor hit. Seems that losing game could result. Still, I'll go long for coyotes.
@@guyminer2384Agreed, a lot can happen in that half second of flight time, especially with antelope. Yotes and prairie dogs are for going long, I get bored shooting prairie dogs inside 300 yards.
Hey Guy, great job and story. Good to see you. Hope your well!
You get a thumbs up too, -pee-wee. I'm enjoying 7mm prc work. Great job on that.
Good night Chesty, where ever you are.
Been running 6mm ARC for my lopes out of a 24" bolt gun with 95gr SSTs. 330yrds for longest shot so far on bucks and does
Hey Guy! I like the Sierra SBTs also. 165-.308, 65-.223 . The guys at Sierra are a real help also. I love Climbing the Tetons. Easy flight in and out. Just watch that wind shear from the west.
These are the same that i shoot out of the same calibers. The 65 sbt is a deer killing machine. The 165's shoot 1/2",... yes 1/2" at 300 yrds out of my .308. I wish Sierra would make a 70 or 77 grain sbt gameking.🙏
@@gtroxlar8597 Try to get your hands on some gold dots if they are ever in stock. They are a better bullet imo. They are bonded, cheaper, shoot extremely accurately, and they are offered in 55, 62, and 75gr in .224.
I’ve always been a fan of the gamekings in multiple calibers for whitetails.
To answer your question, for antelope to mule deer I've been using a 25-06 Rem with 110 gr Nosler AccuBonds or the Hornady factory loaded American Whitetail with the 117 gr InterLock, which my rifle shoots really well. More recently I've built a 6.5 Sherman Shortmag and I'm loading 143 gr Hornady ELD-X, but I haven't actually shot anything with that yet. (And I started that build before the 6.5 PRC came out, or I probably would have just bought a PRC. No regrets, but I could have saved myself a lot of money buying a factory rifle. But I learned a lot researching what I wanted and going about getting it put together.)
I don't see a lot of people talking about the Sierra GameKings much anymore. Still great bullets. I have an 8mm Rem Mag (yes Eight Millimeter) and like 220 gr GameKing bullets in it.
Sierra game changer is great too. smacks game
I've been loading the 175 SGK for a buddy in his 7 RUM for years, that thing is a one shot killing machine on Muleys and Elk.
The only Pronghorn I've taken in Wyoming was with a Savage in a 6.5 wildcat cartridge developed by my father in law.
Used a 140 grain Accubond at 3420 fps from a 28" barrel. Was a 1/2" rifle at 100 yards.
Took it at 175 yards after crawling on my belly for 150 yards down a low spot at the bottom of a draw. Perfect rest on a rock from prone. One shot mid body, behind the shoulder took care of it. He walked about 15 yards like he'd had the wind knocked out if him and tipped over nose first into the dirt.
I've also used a Savage 7 rem mag with good success in Oregon with 140 Barnes TSX bullets at 3280 fps from a 24" barrel. That barrel always shot fast for some reason and was right a 11/16" for 100 yard groups.
That is definitely one of my favorite cartridges to load for. You should check out a 6.5x55 Swede next. Those are a handloaders dream.
I've never used Sierra hunting bullets. Not because I dislike them, it's because I had such good results with first Hornady, then Nosler and Barnes bullets that I never got around to testing the Sierras...or Speer bullets either.
Sierra is basic-cup and draw bullet. Hornady and partition bullets are far better
So many different bullets. So limited are our hunting seasons.
.257 Roberts Ackley Improved is what I use on Antelope, Mullie’s and Whitetail. Love that cartridge.
Forgot to mention I shoot 115gr. Nosler ballistic tip.
@@stevepoetzl986 - I've taken a couple of antelope and several mule deer with that bullet and my 25-06 Remington. :)
To answer a question on the video, yes there are 1:10 twist 7mm rem mags. I have a1980s vintage browning BAR semi auto that is 1:10. It's OK with most 160's, OK with 150's, but it loves 139 grain sst's.
I've used 7mag for big game since the mid 80's. First with a Sako Finnbear L61R (160gr Nosler partition handloads) that was lightly used when I picked it up and used that until I retired it to a backup rifle in 2013, replacing it is a Cooper 7mag. Deer and elk both, the 7mag is a flat shooter and nice for open country hunting. The Cooper really likes 162gr SST/ELD-X ammo so I use those but plan to work up a handload eventually. I find the 7mag is more than capable for anything up to elk. Good shot placement is more critical with elk. Nothing wrong with Sierra bullets, I've used them for decades of varminting.
I use a 6.5 SAUM for both mule deer and antelope. It seems pretty ideal to me. Flat shooting and doesn’t destroy much meat, yet puts them down pretty quickly.
What's the ballistics on that 6.5saum is it a Lil hotter than the prc
@@jmgates09 it is a little hotter but not much. Running Retumbo with 143 ELD-X I can get 3150 without any pressure signs.
I just got back from Wyoming in October on an Antelope hunt. I may have killed the largest in the unit we hunted in. I won’t know till the end of the season. We hunted out of Fort Laramie, Wyoming . I shot my Antelope with a 6mm arc bolt rifle , Hornady factory 103-X. The bullet was recovered in the far shoulder. It ran about 15 yards and fell over dead. My son in law shot his Antelope with a 243 90 grain bullet. It dropped on the spot. We had a great hunt.
Congrats! :)
been shooting 7 rem mag since the late 60's little later shooting 7mm/08 for closer in. getting to old to shoot cross canyon.
I’ve hunted with 7mm rifles chambered in cartridges from 7x30 Waters to 7mm STW. I also had a TC Contender barrel in 7mm TCU. All but one , which would only shoot FB bullets, shot one or another Sierra GameKing with good to exceptional accuracy. I’ve also owned two .270’s and loaded for three more that all shot the 150 GameKing’s as well or better than anything else. My last four animals were a whitetail and a pronghorn with my 270 and a pronghorn and a mule deer with my 7mm08. All four were killed with Sierra GameKings, 150 grains in the 270 and 140 grains in the 7mm08. All shots completed penetrated the animals. The longest (215 yards) and shortest shots (75 yards) and biggest animal (225 lbs) were all with my 7mm08. I’m going for elk on the same SW Texas ranch next year. While my 270 will be my backup rifle it will be loaded with Nosler Partitions. My primary rifle will be a 300 H&H loaded also with 180 grain Nosler Partitions. There are limitations to what I think a cup and core bullet can do, even the Sierra GameKing.
He spoke truth.. If a gun won’t shoot a Sierra gameking or a match king… it won’t shoot anything!
I still have my left hand Remington 700 7mm mag that I got back when I was in highschool. But this past summer I had my gunsmith blueprint the action and rebarrel it to .300WM because I'm going to Alaska next year for a Caribou and a mountain goat hunt. I wanted something with a little more punch and knock down. But when it was a 7 Rem mag it was my go to hunting rifle for elk and the big deer we have in the north west Mississippi, big Delta deer great video. Oh and I shot a 175gr bullet.
I live in wyoming and have a 7mm rem mag. I have had good luck with Hornady 162 eld on elk. Keep your witts sharp and powder dry..
The ELD-X is one heck of a bullet!
Old fashioned cup and core bullets are excellent hunting bullets as long as impact speeds are not too high. By using a 160gr bullet the SD is high enough and the velocity low enough to help ensure bullet failure does not happen.
I shoot a 180g Berger VLD hunting at 2968 fps using Retumbo. But I also have a custom rifle with a 1:8 brux barrel and a VLD chamber
I’ve killed pronghorn with 223 70g TSX, 30-06 150g GMX, 270wsm 140g TSX, 270win 130g TTSX, and 6.5 creedmoor 127g LRX. Ranges from 50 yards to 300. All performed terminally on pronghorn with ease. My favorite is probably the 223. It’s much like hunting with archery equipment, in that you know you’re going to have to get close to make it work well.
I have a 1 in 8 twist on my 7 Rem Mag. Definitely does well with 170-175gr
About thirty years ago, someone told me 7mm, 165 grain gamekings were too soft for elk. The two elk I shot with them had different opinions, one took two steps, one went straight down, one was about a hundred yards the other was 370.
Ha! A bit over 20 years ago I was told that my 7mm Rem Mag was too small for bull elk... Well I brought down a dandy 6x6 bull with one shot from the 7mm Remington Magnum. You and I, and a whole lot of others know that it works just fine. :)
@@guyminer2384 I didn’t say which 7mm it was in the first post, however, yes it was a savage model 110 in 7mm REM Mag that I borrowed from a friend both times.
Shooting a remington700 sendero in 7mm rem mag shooting 162gr ELDX at 3150 for any big game and a custom .243AI for deer and anything smaller.
Reloder 26 is where the money is on the 7 RM… I kept having RL-22 issues with temp changes, especially when it was hot outside! RL-26 is amazing..
I have lived and hunted Wyoming my entire life and choose to use the .308 Winchester for everything elk antelope mule deer and Whitetail. I am still awaiting a chance to harvest a moose and a ram. Gotta get them all. Lol
Hunted my first elk this fall in WY with a new T3X 7rem mag, used 155 gr Federal Terminal Ascent with good success. 100 yards, slight quartering away, impact just behind front leg, full penetration, and during exit the opposite side humorous bone was broken in half. Quick kill. Would have been interested to recover the bullet but it's in the dirt somewhere.
In my 7mm mag I shoot handloaded 139gr hornady GMX and have had great results on mule deer and antelope both. On antelope I’ve shot them with 22-250 with hand loaded 55gr soft points, 243wssm with 80gr GMX hand loads, and 26 nosler with 140gr Berger VLD hand load’s
What are your thoughts on the 243WSSM and the WSSM cartridges in general?
Is the juice worth the squeeze I guess is my real question. They seem really cool.
I used 270 with 130 gr sierra that are deadly on Wyoming mulies. Have hunted Wyoming since 1971
I use my 7mm Rem Mag with 175 gr sierras, are good on julie’s but a horrible bullet on elk
Love my 7mag Weatherby Vanguard. Have had it since '92. Bought a 28 Nosler a few years ago and never looked back. It shoots the combination of 168 grain Nosler AccuBond LR bullets and Retumbo magnum powder like a laser beam. It is a joy to handload and the sledgehammer on the business end of it makes it my anywhere, anything "butt-busta"!
You cant go wrong with partition bullets. Shot 4 moose love the bullet
Hey I have a 28 in a 110 ultralite and have been trying to get it to shoot the 175gr ablr with not much luck. Best I have been able to do is around 1.5 moa. Was wondering what your load was for the 168gr to see if it will shoot in my rifle.
If your interested I have a load for the 140gr ab that shoots well for me. 90.8gr of retumbo at 3.475 coal. That gives me .75" groups at a blistering 3600 fps with no pressure signs but it is a hot load so beware.
@@Nick-sx6jm
Start with 81 grains and work your way up to 84 grains in equal intervals of your choice. Get the chrony out, and start looking for pressure signs at 82.5, while closely monitoring your velocities. That's a safe range to tweak with, to see how your rifle responds to that particular bullet weight.
Everything you read seems to tout the 175 grain bullet as the way to go with .28 Nosler. I beg to differ. That 165/168 grain weight is a definite sweet spot for my rifle. Sub MOA groups are the rule, rather than the exception. Good luck Bro. 👍🏿
@bustabass9025 What coal are you running? I have tried a ton of different weight charges with retumbo and US869, and I'm convinced it's the seating depth that is the problem. Im about ready to give up on it. Maybe my barrel just doesn't like that particular bullet.
@@Nick-sx6jm
I got it going just off the lands of my Nosler 48 rifle at 3.343. Don't give up on it, make sure you and your rifle are in accord, cleaning, stabilizing, etc.
Winchester 270 for me, 130 grain Sierra Game Kings, H4831sc, 3.340 OAL, 3050 fps, low recoil, is my favorite mule deer, antelope hunting rifle.
They have been amazing in my 30-06.
30-06, really, is the true king!
Small "k"!
Give me an accurate 30-06 w/a 26" barrel and that's all I really need.
But I also have it for the 175-190 grain .284 (w/ 1/8 twist) 75-80 grain powder loads in a 26 incher....
My old Tikka M695 loves Speer 160s on top of RL22. Been using it for as long as I can remember.
Thought you might want to know . I have a new project. A 25 caliber 25/284 , 140 grain bullets. BAT machine reciever , Bartline 1in 7 twist Varmint rifle contour.
Foe once the 25 caliber will realize its true potential. I will keep you posted.
Very cool- yes please report back!
GUY KNOWS HIS SHIT!
Love the Sierra gameking bullets: I used them in many calibers( can't use them in California anymore).
I’ve been using a 20” savage M11 in 308 for deer and antelope. My load is a 168 eldm, cci LRP, 44.7g varget, in SBS nato brass. Averages 2735 fps with 8fps SD and shoots 1/2 moa when I do my part. (This is a HOT load do not duplicate) I took my WY pronghorn this year at 325 yards with that combo. Just finished a build on a ruger American with a 24” x-caliber prefit in 280AI 1/8 5R in a B&C stock. It will likely push the 308 into retirement.
The 280 AI is quite a cartridge! Nothing wrong with the 308, but your new 280 is certainly going to have a flatter trajectory. Enjoy.
280AI is a great choice. Would like to hear more about the prefit. My wife's 65cm is nearing 1500 rounds and it has opened up twice now where I have had to change seating depth to bring the accuracy in.
@@JimWooddell x-caliber barrels for the ruger American install like a savage using a barrel nut to headspace. That was a pretty simple process. So far I’ve fired 60 rounds of factory remington core lokt 280rem to fire form the AI brass. It’s shooting sub 3/4 moa while fireforming… so I think with load development it’s going to be awesome. The ruger is a good action and worth building on. As long as the aftermarket stock/magazines/triggers available line up with what you want to do as the options are more limited than other actions.
Nice to see a video on the No. 1. Currently own a 1981 Production 1B in 257 Robert’s and a 1AH Joe Clayton Classic in 280AI. Both of mine shoot 1/2-3/4” with my handloads. I had 2 different 1B’s in 300 WM however, that I couldn’t get to shoot worth a darn. Would love to find a 6.5x55 and a 7x57 to add to the lineup.
I’ve taken many elk deer with 7mm-08 140 tsx also 160 gr 7mm magnum using tsx, why tsx? I don’t feel very good about eating lead sprinkles… and my loads are accurate and very comfortable to 400 … can take longer but very comfortable range is 400…. Hardly ever recover Barnes… but when I do they look awesome and retain average 85%+
I do have a Remington 7mm and I think they are an optimal caliber for elk. I agree that you don’t need a canon for antelope. I like a fast flatting caliber for antelope and my choice would be a 270 Winchester. I have only hunted antelope once, but the 270 did an awesome job for me. Now that I look back on the hunt, I regret taking a shot on a running antelope. However I had been stalking this particular antelope for two day and I let the excitement of the moment take over when he gave me a broadside shot at 100 yards. I hunt Water fowl, so I was used to leading my game and felt comfortable taking the shot. All my duckhunting must’ve paid off because I hit him with one shot, and that was all it took.
For mule deer I still prefer the 270 and it has always made clean kills with well placed shot and shot made from ethical distances.
The 7mm and the 270 have to be my two favorite calibers. I am old enough that I probably won’t be buying a new rifle in my life but if I was I would probably go to the 6.8 Western or the 7mm PRC.
Great video and story. Thanks for sharing.
My 7mm mag likes the ELD-X 162 G , WITH H4831 regular or sc very accurate.
For reasonable (low) pressure use Retumbo. Works great. Set the bullet out long if you can to free up powder capacity in the case.
Rewatched- noticed you guys didn't talk about the scope
Really enjoy your videos. Would it be too much to ask that you leave the graphics up for more than a second or two?
I enjoy the 7mm Mag very much. It has been a great round for me.
Was guy in a gillie suit? No, but he was in his bubble. White feather would be pleased.
Real nice buck, Guy!
Thanks. I like big bucks, but this one was right there... Big enough. It was a great stalk & good hunt. The antlers became chew toys for the dogs. The meat... Well, I'm having venison stew tonight. :)
@@guyminer2384 Mmm...mm, good. Get bacon powder bread and butter going with that, and that stew goes up a notch or two... Winter food. Some good groceries.
Sako 75 in 7rm with Federal Fusion 175gr factory ammo. 2/3moa@100m. Works great on European moose.
I imagine that it does just fine. :)
As a 7mm Rem Mag 1:9.5 twist SS x-bolt owner I have found I shoot most accurately and precisely with heavier bullets - 175 Federal BT's, however 162 ELD-X, 168 Bergers all do well. My favorite and what have in my gun case are 175 gr boat tail Federal. In contrast every time I have tried 150 gr bullets I am unable to keep a tight group, it seems no matter what I always have a shot that breaks out of the group by a couple inches. Also 139 gr bullets group well but not as well as the heavier bullets. I was curious as to why this might be; it is my experience that felt recoil from the heavier bullets is less than the 150 gr bullets. I researched why that would be and my conclusion is speed of recoil of heavier bullets is less even if the force is more and explains why felt recoil is less.
I will second the blown stalks on Antelope! And yes, it is a lot of fun! After opening day, those speed goat are seeing you at 1000 yards! I was running my 28 Nosler with reloads using 190gn Atips. They performed well and exit holes were consistant. Lost a magazine somewhere along the way and cost me $100 to replace! During one of my blown stalking crawls, I must have bumped the release and it finally fell out! Road hunters everywhere chasing them. Some info on my youtube channel.
i'm not a reloader. my 1967 parker-hale 7mm rem mag loved the federal vital-shok cartridges with the sierra gameking bullets. loved them. but they discontinued them sadly. now i have to find something else the gun likes.
Just looking at responses I have seen - the best results with the SGK seem to be when it's going fast enough, but not too fast - and on not too tough a creature for the caliber....
160gr in a mulie is just about right.
Nice rifle.. sounds like just the ticket for Wyoming.
Would be nice to see someone actually put out significant group data for any of these rifles such as the 7mm rem mag. See hornady's podcast "your group sizes are too small". To get enough data on a rifle / load combination it seems like we need to see 20-30 shots. How about 10 three shot groups in a row with appropriate cooling? That would be 10 cold bore shots. Then you would know for sure what that rifle will do.
Use a 7RM and hunt everything with it. Hogs, antelope, deer, elk. Barnes TTSX nothing out of the 7 has traveled further than a few feet or required a second shot. Gemsbock with a .338WM in SA was a different story. Barnes 225grain TTSX 4 hits. African animals are tough!
Outstanding!
I really Love my Remington 700 26" barrel 7mm rem mag. Deadly accurate out to 400 yds. as long as I do my part.
I think my 7 rem mag 700 bdl ( my first new bolt gun my girlfriend- wife got me for my birthday in the mid 70s ) had a 1-9 twist.
Sierra are accurate bullets but I’ve had problems with them coming apart. I’ve found (for me) the Speer hot core bullets work best. Grand slams are good also for higher velocity.
I have also went to the hot cors use the 150s for my 270wsm and 160s for my 7wsm and they work every time on whitetail and also love their price
I've always thought if you're only going to have one hunting rifle, it should be a 7mag. From whitetails with 130s to elk with 175s you're covered. My M77 shoots about anything I put in it well.
What's nice about reloading is you can work up a load for whatever you like to hunt. I didn't have much money as a teen and couldn't buy a different rifle for varmint hunting and big game. My Dad found a used Remington 700 BDL in 7mm Remington Magnum that the owner (a local Dr) had never fired and which he was selling for CHEAP. Not gonna lie; I was scared of that gun. Dad said I would regret it if I let the deal go, so I bought it, and I got a set of reloading dies. I used my Dad's reloading bench to work up Varmint and Big Game loads. If I remember correctly, the lightest bullet I could find at the time was 120 gr hollowpoints. I had so much fun with my buddies shooting rock chucks in the desert with that rifle! I still use that rifle for Mule Deer and Elk over 30 years later.
Regarding updating to the 7mm PRC, the main compelling reason is the long-distance accuracy of the 175 gr ELD-x. The Hornady Manual indicates a 1:8 twist or faster for that bullet. The older 7mm Rem Mag rifles with their 1:9 to 1:10 twist rates won't stabilize the 175gr ELD-X so well, but the new Remington 700s with the 1:8 twist will!!! In theory, my older 7mm with a 1:9-ish twist will stabilize the 150 and 162-grain ELD-x bullets very well. I'm really dying to try the 162gr ELD-x. This Sierra Game King you are reviewing at 160gr is perfect. My 1980s-produced Remington 700 BDL 7mm Rem Mag is still in beautiful condition, and I won't ever get rid of it.
I have a lot of OLD factory ammo with Remington core lokt 175gr soft-tipped bullets that group very well for me. And some OLD Felderal soft-tipped 175gr hunting bullets as well. Both the OLD Remington and Federal Ammo that I stockpiled as a teen dropped Mule Deer hard and put down Elk with one shot as well. We hunt in Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming. We regularly take big-game with one shot in the vitals at 400 to 700 yards. We've also stalked in close. You take the animal where you find it. When I went off to join the Army, I left all my hunting and reloading things with my Dad. I got my rifle back but felt guilty taking my reloading dies, etc, because other family members had gotten themselves 7mm Rem Mags as well. I recently built up a reloading bench around the RCBS Rebel Master kit. I am enjoying using the RCBS equipment. At your recommendation I got the in-line fabrication accessories, and even modified the Rock Chucker shell ejection kit to work with it. I am having a lot of fun doing load development for all my rifles.
I just bought a 7X64 but I’m leaning towards a bonded bullet like the 154gr Interbond. Or A-Frame or Oryx bullets.
Cheers from Wyo
I've got about 4 boxes of nosler partitions I'd trade for a box or two of gamekings in a heartbeat. Working on a load for my brothers 7rem mag as we speak an I just can't get any better than 3/4s of an inch group but the norm is 1.5 in group. It's frustrating to say the least.
I used the 7mm Sierra GK quite a lot in my 7x64. As you said it´s a reliable bullet with good accuracy. Unfortunately I had to switch to lead free bullets since the regulations changed over here in Germany.
And what do you use now??
Funny enough my 7mm rem mag is a ruger m77 mk2 and its shoots a 162 in .5moa quite consistently with my load
I love Sierra bullets. Thumbs up.
I'd put a 6.8 Western against the 7 Rem mag for big deer. For elk I'd lean towards the 7 Rem mag with 175 gr bonded bullet. Though ya know, the 6.8 Western shoots a 170-175 grain bullet very well ☺
Elk 30-06 180gr, mule deer 30-06 165gr, antelope 30-06 150gr. Simple and versatile enough for me.
One season... 2016, I took elk, bear, mule deer & pronghorn... All with the 30-06 and a 165 grain bullet. :) I like your choice!
I've never seen a really accurate Ruger rifle of any kind with the exception of a few on TH-cam
Got some 200 gr Sierra gamekings loaded up in 30-06 right now. I’m thinking one of those at 2700 ft/sec will do the trick on an elk.
It is unfortunate that Hornady discontinued their 190 grain interbond in. 308 diameter. I could get 2750 out of it in my '06 with no pressure signs and it would shoot inside 1 MOA. I have 40 rounds of these handloads left and am looking for a replacement. They worked well on deer and elk out to 450 yards plus if I put them in the right place.
@@georgesakellaropoulos8162 if you like hornady I’d think that 200 gr eld-x would be a fine replacement. If you wanted a 190 still you might try the accubond long range. Tons of choices nowadays
I was surely impressed with how well my 30-06 shot 200 grain bullets!
@@guyminer2384 always love your hunting stories. The Guy Miner perspective brings the gravitas to this channel. I probably have more in common with Gavin but nothing like “been there done that 10 times” and this is what really happens.
The 165 game king works great on oryx
I was using Winchester deer season xp’s in 7mm rem mag for Wisconsin whitetail but I think they quit making them
Then I starting developing a round with a hornady 140 gn sst with IMR enduron 8133 but now they quit the enduron powders
Back to the drawing board unless Gavin has suggestions………..
It would be nice to get brass for the 7mm mag. I have always liked it can do some major damage with 120 btip on a groundhog or two and love the Sierra tipped game kings and traditional game kings. The problem is the Sierra game kings shoot as an accurate as a match kings. The problem. NOT AVAILABLE FOR US HANDLOADERS. My Sako S20 yearns for them.. my heart always liked "green" pastures but now I am loving the "red" blood running in my veins so the SSTs are filling void.
7mm Rem Mag with a 195gn EOL Berger Retumbo, RL33, N568, N570 will get you over 2900fps. Maybe even over 3000fps depending on barrel length. 26” or less.
Should do a gameking vs ELD X video
Thats a great idea
280ai 8 twist with 175ablr for elk deer and speed goat
That's a rather impressive cartridge. Awfully close to the 7mm Remington Magnum...
NEVER SEEN A LEAD TIPPED spire point BULLET NOT DEFORM in a magazine . So the polymer and monolithic bullets are better follow up shots.
Are you guys planning to come hunt here in South Africa again?
Took my first elk with the 6.8 western, would love to see an ultimate reloader session on the 6.8 western
Hi fellows.....thanks for all the info
Game Kings have a reputation of blowing up with little penetration on close shots with those velocities you are talking about. Is this an issue in your opinion? Shot my mule deer with a 150 sako superhammerhead out of my 30 06 this year. High lung shot that killed him on the spot but the bullet did not pass through and separated from the jacket. Only about 100 yards too.
Thought that was a bit odd for a bonded bullet. The mulie last year was a 180 accubond at 60 yards that exited out the opposite shoulder. The deer ran about 20 yards and I was impressed that there was little to no meat damage on the shoulder. I lost 'a lot' of meat shooting a a 117 sst out of my 257 Roberts with a similar shot at 100 yards at the same velocity as the 30 06 180 accubond. Go figure. Never used an sst again.
You are so correct on sierra. Better partition or something along thos lines
Your not the 1st to say that about SST's. I'm still out on them. At this point, I believe they have a narrow window of ideal performance. And if that window is missed, for what ever reason, performance/expectations/hopes are (seem) easily missed.
I had a 7 rem mag 162 sst sup'r fornc' blow up on the shoulder of a 450lb cow elk at 304 yards. Broke the back, I guess (?), as it acted spined.
After crossing the deep snow, I had to dispatch it point blank.
Just glad it didn't run off.
And to be quite honest, it was the favor of the Lord, it didn't run off.
Jesus is King
You saw the 160 grain Sierra GameKing I recovered from my muley, shot at 150 yards. Heck of a mushroom. I remain impressed. But yes, if you're concerned about bullet failure at closer ranges, choose a heavier bullet or one constructed to not expand so readily. I often use other "premium" bullets when the impact velocity might be too extreme for a conventional hunting bullet.
@@guyminer2384 the realgunsmith. By randy selby has great vdo on bullet construction.
@@guyminer2384 yeah I agree. I was just curious about your thoughts on the gamekings performance at closer ranges. Thanks.
Does Sierra have a R&D department? It seems like they haven't kept up with the competition. As Gavin said, middle of the range bullets.
I love my 7 mag. Taken several white tails and muleys in MT over the years. All 1 shot and between 2-300 yds. They got a combined 30 yards of movement after getting hit. Now if I could just that elk I’ve been looking for!
I am looking to start reloading for myself in the next year or two. I’ve been using 175 grn, but that’s just what’s been available to me. What grn would y’all recommend I look at? Happy with the 175, but they don’t mushroom much at these distances. Curious what you guys would say is ideal for hunting 200-700 yards (as I know some elk are taken out to ~650 yds) and good performance in these ranges. Keep up the great work!
If you're going long range... Consider the various high BC bullets in the 160+ grain range...
shoot 120 TTSX for deer and smaller. shoot 150 TTSX for elk and moose. Works great
Absolutely.
Those Barnes bullets do real well... More to come on that.
love 7mm mag and have shot one for 40 yrs using all kinds of bullets from 130gr to current use 195gr. Berger.
For that, I use a bartlien barrel 7.5 twist and get .4MOA and less out to 1000 yds 2790 fps.
I also love 243....also a flat shooter and while some say that might be better for antelope and deer one "can" use the 7mag for all game in the lower 48 and I believe for me is a great choice for antelope, mule deer and elk. Especially at longer distances.
Why?
1. The 195 Berger really bucs the wind and ia very reliable in high winds using your Kestrel. It will reliably shoot at 550 yds in 22 mph 90 degree crosswind.
2. Using a tripod or bipod you can take shots to 800 and 500 are chip shots and be confident of kill shots.
3. You can still use 168 grain bullets, but why?
As much as I love 7mm Mag I am now wanting to build the 7PRC
I want to hopefully push the 195 bergers to 2900 and praying for 3000 as I believe this combo can possibly be an ultimate long range hammer.
That would be aceivable in 28 nosler but I dont like that recoil
I will also build a 6mm creed as I love the accuracy of 6mm for target shooting but will use the 7 mag or 7prc for most game hunting.
That all makes perfect sense to me!
Hello Gavin!!! I hope you're having a blast with all you do. Question: I'd like to know what you think of the Remington Magnum 7mm 150 grain core lokt tipped cartridges?