300 mag or a 7mm ultra mag.?

[taw]

I'm getting rid of my Remington model 7400 243, because it just sits around the house. And I was wondering which gun u all think is the best all around deer gun, a 300 mag. or a 7mm ultra mag. I currently use a 30-30 marlin.

[Shadow]

I like the big guns myself too. Man going from a .243 and .30-.30 to a .300 or 7 ultra. Going to be quite a bit more in the recoil department. To be honest, it is probaly 6 to one, half a dozen to another. Either one will kill just about anything, and both are way more gun than is necessary for Whitetail. I have been flirting with the idea of a 7 Ultra in the Sendero SFF. I really like the velocity behind that cartridge. I have oportunities at some fairly long shots where I hunt. The 7 Ultra won't make me shoot better. However, it should allow me to shoot out to 400 yards or so, and still have the cross hairs touching hair, instead of having to hold over the deer's back. (I always feel funny touching off a round when I know the cross hairs are off the target) Like I said, I have toyed with the idea, but will most likely stick to my 7mm Rem Mag. Long shots are few and far between, but do present themselves every so often. Also, don't think these rifles will make you a long range shooter. Long range hits have more to do with the shooter than the velocity of the projectile.

Do you have experience with magnum rounds? Actually one of the all time best deer rounds is the .30-06, and any of the sister cartridges based on its case, ie .243, .260. 7mm 08, .308, .25-06, .270, and .280 are great as well. Of course for up close work, the .30-.30 is a great all around deer rifle as well.

Which .300 are you interested in? I am assuming you are talking about the .300 Win Mag. It is probably one of the most versitile big game rounds there is. It is just big enough to take out some of the really large stuff, and still not too much over bore to hunt whitetails.

Give me some more info on your hunting situations. Is bigger game a possibility? How much experience do you have with shooting, and shooting magnum rifles? I don't have experience with either round, though I have read up lots on them. I have shot a .300 Ultra mag, and it was not near as bad as I thought it was going to be. Don't get me wrong, it kicked mucho, but to me it was tolerable. I am partail to the 7mm, mainly because that is what I shoot, and I want a 7 Ultra. The .300 with its wider selection of bullets is probably a bit more versitile. Anyway, I don't want to tell you a bunch of stuff you already know. Ask some specific questions, and I will share what I have read up on, and my opinions, for what they are worth.

[taw]

Ok, my dad has a 30-06 rem not sure what model. And my friend just traded for a 7mm ultra mag. and says it doesnt "kick" badly. I figure that a rifle probly wont kick as hard as dad's ol' Mossberg model 500. So im not really worried. I'm probly going to go with the 7mm ultra mag. cuz what I've seen on the net you can get a higher grain shell for them. On winchester's search the highest grain shell I could find for the 300 win mag. was 180 and my dad can get larger then that in his 30-06. And finally I do not have experence with mag. ammo yet but hopefuly will this weekend. And preaty much all i hunt is deer, turkey, and squirrel I would like to go on a big game hunt but its probly not n the future.

[Shadow]

Whatever will fit in the .30-06 will also fit in the .300 Win, as they are both .30 calibers. You should be able to get up to 220 grain bullets for the .300. I don't know if they make factory loads with that heavy of a bullet, but I think that they would. The 180 grain bullet is pretty much a standard out of the .300 Win. For whitetails, I would probably drop down to a 150 grain bullet in the .300. The 7mm is going limit your bullet weight selection. That is a very new round, and I doubt many factory loads are available for it. A local store here in Baton Rouge can't even get ammo for it yet. What weight bullets have you seen in the 7 Ultra? All I have seen so far are 140 grain factory ammo. If you will see very little large game action (elk etc) you might consider the .270. Its trajectory and velocity with 130 grain bullets is almost identical to the 7mm Rem Mag. The ammo will be cheaper too. The 7mm Rem Mag is also a very good round for deer and elk sized game. Don't get me wrong, I am not trying to persuade you to another cartridge. I am just makeing sure you know all your options. Expect some recoil, especially if you have been shooting a .243. You probably won't notice it shooting in the field, but on the bench, it is going to shove you around a bit. If you shots are going to be 250 yards and under, you would probably be better served with the .270, .280, .30-06 etc. I would try to shoot the 7 Ultra before I bought one especially if you haven't shot any big magnums. Bottom line is get what you want, or you will most likely always want it. I just wanted to make sure you knew all the options. The articles I have read have talked about the 7 Ultra pushing 140 grains bullets at over 3,400 fps, and mentioned handloaders would probably be able to tap it for another 300 - 400 fps. Another thing you ought to know is that at these speeds, barrel life will be shorter, and copper fouling will build up fast. You will be better off shooting moly coated bullets. Hope it helps.............

[taw]

On the Winchester site I coulden't find a 7mm ulta mag. Its possible that i would even go with the 30-06. The 7mm ultra mag. bullet compares alot to the 270. My friend had one of his 7mm ultra mag. shells down at m house and I fit the bullet or led part right into 270 hull and it was prety snug so I would say there simmiler in size.

[Shadow]

Whatever you do, DO NOT load a 7mm bullet in a .270 case, and shoot it in a .270 rifle. You will end up with a barrel blown to pieces, and probably dead. There is little difference in many calibers. The 7mm is actually a .284 caliber. That means there is only 14 thousandeths of an inch difference between the two. The 7mm Ultra is a completely different beast than the .270. It is much more powerful, and is about 400 fps faster with a 140 grain bullet as opposed to the 130 grainer that is common in the .270. The .270 and .280 (also known as the 7mm express) are both based on the .30-06 case. Both calibers are simply necked down versions of the .30-06. The 7mm family, in order of power, starts with the 7mm 08, then the 7x57, the .280, the 7mm Rem Mag, the 7mm Weatherby Mag, the 7mm STW, and then the 7mm Ultra Mag. There are some other wildcats, but I am not mentioning them since we are discussing factory ammo. The 7mm Ultra Mag falls into the new "Super Magnum" category. It is a whole lot of bang! The shells are going to be pretty darn expensive, and hard to find at first. My advice is to go with a .270, .280, or .30-06. All are great deer calibers, and pretty flat out to about 300 yards or so. Shells are easy to find and much cheaper, not to mention there is a wide variety of factory ammo in different bullet weights for all three. Unless you plan on shooting really long range, or hunting really large game, you won't reap the benefits the 7mm Ultra has to offer. If you are dead set on a magnum, I would suggest the 7mm Rem Mag, or the .300 Win Mag. That is my advice, for what it is worth. You are free to get whatever your heart desires.

How far is your average shot going to be?
What is the farthest shot you would take?
Can you place 3 shot groups in a inch group at 100 Yards?
What game are you planning on hunting?

These questions will help me in my advice to you. Good Luck with whatever you decide to shoot...............

[ November 21, 2001: Message edited by: Alan Shadow ]