The 7mm .300 Win Mag and Rem Mag cartridges hit the market around the same time and are very popular in the hunting and shooting communities. Even so, they have different strengths and weaknesses and the 7mm Rem Mag vs 300 Win Mag debate is still going strong over 50 years later.
I think most hunters would agree that the 7mm Remington Magnum and the .300 Winchester Magnum are fantastic cartridges for hunting a wide variety of big game. That said, even though they have a lot in common, and even though there is a lot of overlap in their capabilities, many hunters and marksmen love to debate the pros and cons of the 7mm Rem Mag versus the 300 Win Mag.
There's absolutely nothing wrong with that, but sometimes important details about cartridges are overlooked or simply lost in the shuffle. With that in mind, it's easy to see how many people are confused about the strengths and weaknesses of the .300 Winchester Magnum and the 7mm Remington Magnum, particularly when discussing which cartridge is best for hunting in certain specific conditions.
In this article, I'm going to dive right into the 7mm Rem Mag vs 300 Win Mag debate to give you the information you need to decide which cartridge to use in various situations.
Before I begin, I have an administrative note:
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Also, I recorded an entire podcast episode on exactly this topic. If you'd rather listen than read, click the appropriate link below to listen to this episode on your favorite podcasting service.
Podcast of 300 Win Mag vs. 7 mm Rem Mag
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Front .300 Win Mag with 7mm Rem Mag: History
Despite.270 Winchester e .30-06 SpringfieldThey are wonderful cartridges that have been incredibly popular with hunters since they were first introduced in the early 20th century. Weapon designers have never stopped looking for ways to improve the performance of these two old war horses. This was particularly true of the Springfield .30-06, which has long been the standard against which new centerfire rifle cartridges are measured in the United States.
For example, Holland & Holland designers thought they had created a real winner with the .300 H&H Magnum in the 1920s. On the one hand, the cartridge allowed shooters to fire bullets of the same weight about two hundred feet per second faster than the . 30-06 Springfield. At the same time, it was also extremely accurate (Ben Comfortfamous cattlethe 1935 Wimbledon Cup using the cartridge).
Unfortunately, the .300 H&H Magnum was so long that it required the use of a magnum length action. So while the cartridge was moderately popular with shooters and hunters before World War II, the gigantic length of the .300 H&H made wider acceptance of the cartridge difficult and contributed to its declining popularity in the decades to come.
The development of civilian firearms and cartridges really slowed down during World War II, but major gun manufacturers released a flurry of new hunting cartridges in the years that followed.
This period saw a wave of new belted magnum cartridges based on the .375 H&H Magnum (such as the .264 Winchester Magnum, .338 Winchester Magnum and .458 Winchester Magnum).
These cartridges all enjoyed varying degrees of commercial success, but the best was yet to come.
Norma caused quite a stir when it introduced the .308 Norma Magnum in the early 1960s. The new cartridge basically doubled the ballistics of the .300 H&H Magnum, but used a much shorter case that allowed the cartridge to fit into a standard .300 length. . For these reasons, the .308 Norma was extremely popular for a short time.
Remington changed the shooting world forever in 1962 when it introduced its legendary Remington Model 700 rifle along with the new 7mm Remington Magnum cartridge. Using a shortened .375 H&H Magnum case paired with a .284″ bullet, the 7mm Remington Magnum (often referred to as the 7mm Rem Mag, 7mm RM or 7mm Mag) offered a significant ballistic improvement over the .30-06.
In fact, the 7mm Mag will fire bullets of the same weight faster than the .30-06. Additionally, the smaller diameter .284″ bullets used by the 7mm Mag have a higher ballistic coefficient and greater section density than the .30 caliber bullets used by the .30-06 Springfield. For these reasons, typical 7mm Rem Mag loads have a flatter trajectory, more energy remaining in the lower range, and (all other things being equal) will penetrate better than Springfield 0.30-06 loads with bullets of the same weight. .
And to top it off, the new 7mm Remington Magnum cartridge fits in a standard length rifle action.
With all that in mind, it's not at all surprising that the straight-firing, 7mm Rem Mag quickly became all the rage among hunters and shooters in North America.
Winchester designers during this period could see which way the wind was blowing and set to work on a .30 caliber cartridge built the same way as their other belted magnums. They even used the case of the .338 Winchester Magnum (which was descended from the .375 H&H) as a template for the new cartridge.
The company formally introduced the fruits of its labor to the world in 1963: the .300 Winchester Magnum (also known as the .300 Win Mag, .300 WM, .300 Mag or .300 Winchester, but not to be confused with its cousin the300 WSM). Like the .308 Norma, the .300 Winchester Magnum essentially doubled the performance of the .300 H&H Magnum in a shorter case that fits a standard length rifle action. In fact, the .308 Norma and the .300 Winchester Magnum are very similar in terms of yield or overall cartridge size.
Even so, the advent of the .300 Winchester Magnum resulted in a sharp decline in the popularity of the .308 Norma for two main reasons. First, the new cartridge was available in the venerable Winchester Model 70 rifle. Second, Winchester also began producing large quantities of quality factory ammunition in the .300 Win Mag and many of the other major ammunition companies soon followed. Since .308 Norma rifles and factory ammunition were much less common than in North America, the new Winchester cartridge quickly outgrew and eventually replaced the .308 Norma in that market.
This is not to diminish the capabilities ofel .300 Winchester Magnumat all. Rather, it's a fantastic cartridge that's extremely popular for good reason.
Due to its box capacity advantage, the .300 Win Mag has a noticeably flatter trajectory along with approximately 20% more power than the .30-06 Springfield. While both cartridges use .308″ bullets, the Win Mag .300 is also better suited to using heavier bullets in the 200-220 grain range than the .30-06. Furthermore, it is an extremely accurate cartridge that may even have a slight advantage over the .30-06 in this regard.
For an in-depth discussion of the .300 Winchester Magnum and how it compares to the .308 Winchester, .30-06 Springfield, .338 Winchester Magnum and .338 Lapua Magnum, please read the articles below:
308 vs 30-06 vs 300 Win Mag: Which cartridge should I hunt with?
300 Win Mag vs 338 Lapua vs 338 Win Mag: Escolhendo or Peso Pesado Certo
In summary, like the 7mm Rem Mag, the .300 Win Mag is an excellent cartridge that offers more performance than the .30-06 Springfield in a similarly sized package.
7mm Rem Loader vs. Win 300 Loader: cartridge sizes
You can see some of the differences between the .300 Winchester Magnum and 7mm Remington Magnum cartridges in the photo below. Both cartridges are belted magnums using .cases. For this reason, both cartridges have the same rim diameter. The .300 Win Mag has a slightly greater overall length (3.34" vs. 3.29"), but they are close enough in size that both cartridges are used in standard/long-action rifles.
On the other hand, the .300 Winchester Magnum has a slightly longer case (2.62" vs. 2.5"), as well as a shoulder that is 0.156" further forward than the shoulder of the 7mm Rem Mag While both have the same rim diameter and are very similar in overall length, the increased case length and shoulder placement advantage on the .300 Win Mag gives this cartridge a 5-8% advantage in capacity, 7mm Rem Mag.
Note: While the box capacity numbers listed below give a good indication of the differences between the two cartridges, the exact box capacities vary slightly depending on the brand of brass used.
Front .300 Win Mag with 7mm Rem MagBallistics
Unsurprisingly, because the two cartridges are very similar in overall size, the ballistics of the 7mm Rem Mag and the .300 Win Mag are quite similar.
However, the biggest difference between the two cartridges is the size and weight of the bullets they fire: the 7mm Remington Magnum uses .284″ bullets and the .300 Winchester Magnum uses .308″ bullets. Other things being equal, smaller diameter 7mm bullets have a higher ballistic coefficient and greater section density than larger diameter bullets of the same weight as the .300 Winchester Magnum. However, the .300 Winchester Magnum generally uses heavier bullets than the 7mm Remington Magnum.
For example, the vast majority of 7mm Rem Magfactory carry fire bullets in the 139-175 grain range. Of these, the 140-grain, 150-grain, 160-grain, and 175-grain fillers are by far the most common.
On the other hand, most 0.300 Win Mag factory loads use bullets in the 150-230 grain range. The 150-grain, 165-grain, 180-grain, 190-grain, 200-grain, and 220-grain bullets are the most popular.
Sectional density is a measure of the ratio of a projectile's diameter to its mass. Other things being equal, a heavier projectile of a given caliber will be longer and therefore have a greater cross-sectional density, and consequently will penetrate deeper than projectiles with lower mass and cross-sectional density. . For example, 150 grain and 175 grain bullets .284″have sectional densities of .266 years.310 respectively. This compares favorably with 150 and 180 grains.308″ with sectional densities of .226 years.271 respectively.
At the same time, while the 7mm Rem Mag maxes out 175-grain bullets, the Win Mag .300 is capable of firing 200-grain, 208-grain, and 220-grain bullets with sectional densities of 0.301, 0.313, and .331 respectively. . .
That said, the 7mm Rem Mag still has a slight advantage over most commonly used bullets, even when compared to the heavier .30 caliber bullets. For example, Barnes TTSX 150g and Nosler AccuBond Long Range 168g bullets in 7mm Rem Mag have G1 ballistic coefficients of 0.450 and 0.631, respectively, while TTSX 165g and Nosler AccuBond Long Range 190g bullets in .300 Win Mag have ballistic coefficients of 0.442 . and .597.
As you can see in the table below that compares these four loads, the .300 Win Mag has a slight advantage, but there isn't a huge difference in the ballistics of the rounds.
The .300 Win Mag has a slightly lower bullet drop and carries more energy down the line. This is largely due to the fact that the cartridge uses heavier bullets and has more case capacity. However, since the 7mm Mag bullets compared above have a slightly higher ballistic coefficient, the difference in kinetic energy between the two bullets closes slightly at longer ranges.
The following table compares the impact of a 10 mph crosswind on these same 4 loads at 500 yards.
The two Barnes charges have about the same amount of wind, but the 7mm Rem Mag Nosler AccuBond charge has a slight advantage over the 0.300 Win Mag AccuBond charge. However, for all practical purposes there is no significant difference in the ballistics of the .300 Win Mag and the 7mm Rem Mag at typical hunting ranges. Both are flat, hard cartridges.
That said, the .300 Win Mag has noticeably more recoil than the 7mm Rem Mag.
For example, when fired from the exact same rifle, a .300 Win Mag load firing a 165 grain bullet has approximately 25% more recoil than a 7mm Rem Mag load firing a 150 grain bullet at a similar muzzle velocity. That said, both cartridges have moderate recoil that most shooters should be able to handle.
Felt recoil varies from shooter to shooter and rifle to rifle, but free recoil energy is still a useful way to compare the two cartridges.
Gun writers have spilled a lot of ink comparing the accuracy of the 7mm Rem Mag to the 300 Win Mag over the years. While choosing the more accurate cartridge of the two is a relatively controversial issue, most people agree that both the 7mm Mag and the .300 Mag are capable of excellent accuracy.
Not surprisingly, both cartridges have been widely used in long-range shooting competitions and both are in common use among military and law enforcement shooters for precision shooting.
7mm Rem Loader vs. Win 300 Loader: Ammo selection
Both the .300 Win Mag and 7mm Rem Mag are extremely popular magnum cartridges and are consistently among the top selling rifle cartridges in the United States each year. For this reason, virtually all reputable ammunition manufacturers such as Barnes, Berger, Black Hills, Browning, Federal Premium, Hornady, Nosler, PPU, Remington, Swift, Weatherby and Winchester produce a wide range of high quality ammunition.mag rem is 7mmy .Factory 300 Win Mag ammo.
Almost all major marker styles are available in these cartridges such as Barnes TTSX, Berger VLD, Hornady ELD-X, GMX, InterBond, InterLock and SST, Nosler AccuBond, E-Tip and Partition, Remington Core Lokt, Swift Scirocco and A- Frame and Winchester Power Point (just to name a few).
Pricing and availability vary from region to region, but ammunition for both cartridges is widely available and similarly priced.
BUY QUALITY REM MAG 7mm AMMO HERE
BUY HERE LARGE AMMO 300 WIN MAG
Please read the articles below if you would like more detail on some of the various hunting ammunition options for the 7mm Remington Magnum or .300 Winchester Magnum.
At the same time, reload components for both cartridges are also widely available. Since they are such popular bullet sizes used by other cartridges like the 7mm-08 Remington, .280 Improved Ackley, .308 Winchester e .30-06 Springfield, e30th People's Republic of Chinathere are lots and lots.284 and .308 caliber bulletsof different weights and styles to choose from, so you shouldn't have too much trouble creating a custom loadout that will fire very accurately with your chosen rifle.
Front .300 Win Mag with 7mm Rem Mag: Rifle selection
Along with many ammunition options, there are a number of excellent hunting rifles produced by nearly all of the major firearms manufacturers chambered in the 7mm Remington Magnum and .300 Winchester Magnum. Furthermore, as the cartridges have the same length and rim diameter, rifles of the same model housed in each cartridge are virtually identical to each other.
Among others, the Remington Model 700, Browning X-Bolt, CZ-550, Mossberg Patriot, Nosler M48, Ruger M77 Hawkeye, Savage 11/111, Thompson Center Compass, Tikka T3X, Weatherby Mark V and Vanguard and the Winchester Model 70 are all available in 7mm Remington Magnum and .300 Winchester Magnum.
BUY A RELIABLE 7mm REM MAG RIFLE HERE
BUY AN EXCELLENT RIFLE MAG 300 WIN HERE
Read the article below if you would like more details on some of the various hunting rifle options for the .300 Winchester Magnum.
The Best .300 Win Magnetic Rifles for Hunting: The Ultimate Guide
7mm Rem Loader vs. Win 300 Loader: Which one is right for you?
When used with quality bullets and a good shooting location, both the 7mm Rem Mag and .300 Win Mag are excellent for hunting medium to large game in virtually all practical hunting ranges. Both cartridges are flat-shot, heavy hitters with over 3,000 foot-pounds of muzzle energy and are well suited to hunting larger game including elk and Alaskan brown bears.
However, they really shine in situations where hunters need a flat-shot cartridge to shoot beyond 200-300 yards. For this reason, the 7mm Rem Mag and .300 Win Mag are very popular with hunters in the western United States.
At the same time, they are not limited to long-range hunting applications. In fact, the fact that the 7mm Remington Magnum and .300 Winchester Magnum are two of the most popular cartridges used by North American and New Zealand hunting guides really speaks volumes about their effectiveness on a wide variety of wildlife, from wild boars to moose.
However, this is where the strengths and weaknesses of each cartridge begin to diverge.
The smaller caliber 7mm Remington Magnum is wonderful for smaller, lighter animals such as mule deer, pronghorn or fallow deer. Likewise, the fact that the 7mm Remington Magnum also has a relatively smooth recoil also makes it a great cartridge for hunting in the mountains where a light rifle is really desirable, such as ibex, bighorn sheep, Himalayan Tahr and suede hunting.
On the other hand, since it shoots heavier, larger diameter bullets, the .300 Win Mag has a distinct advantage when hunting larger game such as elk, elk, caribou and red deer. It is also an excellent cartridge for hunting most game species in the African plains.
Don't get me wrong, you can absolutely hunt really large species like elk or moose with the 7mm Rem Mag and hunters have killed countless numbers of these animals with the venerable 7mm Mag over the years. There's also nothing to say that the .300 Win Mag isn't suitable for smaller game or that it can't also make a great rifle for a mountain hunt.
As I said before, both are quite versatile, but each cartridge is a better choice for certain applications. The fact that you have to analyze each cartridge's strengths and weaknesses in this way really speaks to its overall effectiveness.
Mainlyhunt deer, pigs or black bears in an area where long-range shooting over 200 meters is rare and falling bullets is not a major concern? Both the 7mm Rem Mag and the .300 Win Mag will work well in these circumstances and there isn't much ballistic difference between them within a 300 yard radius.
Are you sensitive to recoil? Do you spend a lot of time in the mountains or in the fields, goats, sheep orcaixa de tahrWhere is it really good to have a light rifle? Consider using the 7mm Rem Mag, which has a lighter, more manageable recoil in a small, lightweight rifle.
Want an ideal cartridge forelk, moose, kudu, eland and/or deer hunting? Both cartridges will do the job, but the .300 Win Mag offers a distinct advantage in that it has a larger diameter and can use heavier bullets which are much better suited to extremely large and/or difficult game play.
Do you hunt in Canada or Alaska and need a high-impact cartridge in case you find yourself on the wrong end of a grizzly or grizzly bear attack? Neither cartridge would be my first choice for taking on an angry grizzly, but both would work in a pinch. However, I would prefer the .300 Win Mag with 180 grain bullets over the 7mm Mag in this situation.
As I've said many times before: the 7mm Remington Magnum and the .300 Winchester Magnum make excellent rifle cartridges. While each may be better suited to specific situations than the other, both are excellent cartridges overall. The difference between them (7mm Rem Mag vs 300 Win Mag) is not as big as is sometimes believed and the animal will never know the difference if your shot is placed in the right spot.
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Nosler provided the loading data used to compare the trajectory, box capacity, and recoil of the rounds (hereyhere). Cartridge case capacities were taken fromhawks.HeLyman 50th edition(p214-216 e 260-262), eHornady 10th edition(p406-411, 537, 545 and 574-585) reload manuals were also used as references for this article. Use theHornady Ballistic CalculatoryHandloads.comto compare wind drift and cartridge recoil.
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