re: *ANOTHER UPDATE IN OP* 7mm Rem Mag vs 308 *UPDATE* vs 270 vs 30-06 for deer...

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7mm Rem Mag vs 308 for deer

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I bought that scope for $150 on optics planet a couple weeks ago. I saw that same gun go on sale for under $200 before Black Friday.

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If that was the two calibers you had to choose from which one would you pic for deer hunting and why?

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I'd buy 308 Win w/o any regret. The 7mm Rem Mag is a fine hunting round, but the situations where it has clear cut and signifiant advantages over the 308 for hunting whitetail are few and far between. In the meantime, the 7 Mag has numerous disadvantages: noticeably more recoil; more expensive ammo; more difficult to find ammo. The extra power of the 7 Mag just isn't needed. I've killed a bunch of deer through the years and most have been killed w/ rounds that have less energy than even the 308.

I have the TC venture in .308 and it a great gun.

308 because of the multiple combinations of factory loads that is readily available. The 308 will kill every deer the 7mm will with much less recoil.

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if you dont need a deer rifle. and want the most fun... get thr 204. By far the most fun rifle i own (and i own alot) lol. Super fast round that has no recoil so you can watch impact shots through the scope


I have been wanting to try one,but I don't actually know anybody that owns one.

Is ammo pretty expensive? I asked the other day at my buddy's gun shop,but they didn't even have any in stock.

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Yeah, the 204 Ruger is a very good round. I go on 2 prairie dog hunts every year. I shoot single shot, long barreled handguns. My son-in-law shoots a 204 Ruger. After watching the 204 in action, one of my other pd hunting buddies bought one, as well. I've also built a 20 caliber rifle that's a ballistic twin to the 204, but uses more readily (and higher quality) 223 Rem brass. A 20 caliber, 32 gr bullet traveling at 3900 fps does bad things to whatever it hits. It's extremely flat shooting. Yeah, ammo is expensive and frequently hard to find. But once you shoot it, it's a lot of fun.

get the 308

I shoot a 7mm but I'm not going to push that caliber on anyone. A 308 will do just fine.

The arguments I don't get are the recoil and the price of ammo. I feel like I'm reading posts from a bunch of frail old women complaining about the recoil. I bring my GF's brother and my girlfriend hunting all the time. Both weigh in around 120lbs and they both shoot a 7mm with no issue.

also, the cost of ammo. If this is your hunting gun I can't imagine it costing you more than an additional $50 a year to shoot 7mm over 308. And that's if you shoot several boxes a year. Winchester whitetail rounds go for under $40 a box in 7mm. I'm not pushing for 7mm, but if that was the caliber I wanted, I wouldn't let the tiny extra cost of ammo keep me from buying it.

All that being said, 308 is obviously a great deer cartridge. You'll be happy with it, but don't not buy the 7 for silly reasons.

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I feel like I'm reading posts from a bunch of frail old women complaining about the recoil.

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I have a 7 mag. It's been retired for several years now. It isn't a super kicker, but it's more recoil than necessary. It also weighs more than necessary, which takes up some of the kick. The sucky part is this rifle is more accurate than the rifle of smaller more civil caliber that replaced it.

I'd also like to add the old cliche hunters like to say: "you don't feel recoil when shooting at a deer/whatever animal you are hunting "

This is true. No one notices this at the shot. But some people are recoil sensitive to certain extents. During practice bad habits can and do develop in some shooters, and that absolutely will translate to the field.

I find myself to be recoil sensitive to some guns, especially pistols. I can not handle a 44 mag revolver. I wasn't flinching from the 7 mag rifle. It's really just unnecessary for hunting whitetail deer unless you are shooting them at super long distances. Much farther than I am willing to fling a bullet. Some of the lighter 7 mags suck to shoot.

Barrel length I get, I shoot a TC venture and it's a long bitch. My dad shoots a TC encore in 7mm and it's a great length for being able to throw up quickly in tight situations.

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The arguments I don't get are the recoil and the price of ammo.

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How do you not get the recoil part?