7mm Rem Mag or 7mm Wby

[gerry]

I have been trying to put together a 270 Wby on a tight budget but it hasn't worked out and I have run into road blocks. I was able to find a take off 7mm Rem Mag barrel that appears to be lightly used and in excellent shape. As much as I have a thing for the 270 Bee for some reason the 7mm version doesn't excite me as much. It appears the Weatherby version is good for about 100 fps more but I am inclined to just stay with the Rem Mag which is no slouch in it's own right. Planning on running the 160 gr AccuBond paired with the 154 gr Spire Point for practice, this will be my long range gun for anything up to moose. In reality most shots are going to be close which is why I'm not going to use the ABLR bullet, it appears the regular AccuBond will expand properly a lot farther than I would like to shoot. Hope to have it all up and running for the summer time.

 

[Dr. Vette]

I have one of each... OK, I have at least 3 of the 7mm Weatherbys. :mrgreen:

Yes, in real life it comes down to personal preference. 7mm Rem has lots of brass, lots of available rifles, and great ballistics. The 7mm Wby has only a few brands of brass and 3 (?) brands of rifles. It's 100-200fps difference between them if you wish.

There are good deals on rifles in both calibers, and honestly it comes down to personal preference.

 

[gerry]

I have the barrel coming so can choose either cartridge, I am leaning towards keeping things simple and staying with the Rem Mag.

 

[dubyam]

If you were only below the line, Gerry, I could direct you to a couple of 270Wby Mark Vs in good shape for $699. But alas, that blasted border.

As for the Rem v. 'bee, I'm sort of underwhelmed by the 7mmWby myself. It just doesn't seem to give what I feel it ought to in comparison to the 270Wby or even the 257Wby. I'd likely stick with the Rem. Also, you should speak with your smith about the need to set back the barrel if you ream a 7mmRemMag chamber out to 7mmWby, as I believe the radii of the body/shoulder/neck don't fully envelop the angle of the Rem's conventional shoulder, so simply reaming without setback is not an option.

 

[LD375]

I have the barrel coming so can choose either cartridge, I am leaning towards keeping things simple and staying with the Rem Mag.

Absoulutly the better choice Gerry, atleast for me anyways

Lou

 

[sask boy]

gerry you could do a lot worse that the 7mm mag. it is a fine calibre. With the bullet selection & powders we have now it will do everything you need it too!
With the 7 & the 35 you have it covered my friend 8)!

Blessings,
Dan

 

[Dr. Vette]

As for the Rem v. 'bee, I'm sort of underwhelmed by the 7mmWby myself. It just doesn't seem to give what I feel it ought to in comparison to the 270Wby or even the 257Wby. I'd likely stick with the Rem.

You have to look back 60 years to when there was a 7mm Weatherby Magnum and no 7mm Remington Magnum, which showed up about 17 years later. As there is no equivalent 257 or 270 Remington Magnum the good old Weatherby does seem to underwhelm - but when you compare it to the 7x57 Mauser, the popular 7mm caliber of the day, it's a heck of a cartridge that gives even more than the 270! In addition all 3 are based on the same case which would tend to favor the smaller bores. Had the 7mm Weatherby been based on the longer 300 Weatherby case it would probably be a lot more popular with today's bullets and powders, but wouldn't have done so much with the powders of 60 years ago.

So, you do have to look at it with some historical context to see where the 7mm Weatherby stands in comparison to the Remington variety. Odds are that if Weatherby hadn't made the 7mm Magnum that Remington wouldn't have followed suit. I also think that by keeping most of his cartridges proprietary that Roy Weatherby helped the sales of his rifles but hurt the popularity of the cartridges, thus allowing others such as the 7mm Rem Mag to become "the" 7mm Mag of the day.

Yes, I generally favor my 7mm Weatherbys. :grin:

 

[JD338]

Both are great rounds but I think the 7mm Wby has more cool factor.

JD338

 

[Rem Jim]

Weatherby 7mm - 8) LOl RJ

 

[DrMike]

The 7mm Bee isn't very exciting to some people. Brass is less available than the 7RM. However, I wouldn't turn one down. One thing about it, there would be few others with one in most of your hunting parties. I rather enjoy the idea of working with something that others don't have.

 

[bobnob]

Well if it were me I would not hesitate and just go for the 7mm Rem Mag.

But either way I reckon soon enough you will want to offload it and get the 270 Wby so you can shoot those 277 cal 150g ABLRs!

Can you afford to wait?

 

[Rigbymauser]

Without a doubt....270wby. Nuff said!!.

 

[Rem Jim]

The 7mm Bee isn't very exciting to some people. Brass is less available than the 7RM. However, I wouldn't turn one down. One thing about it, there would be few others with one in most of your hunting parties. I rather enjoy the idea of working with something that others don't have.

YUP ! me TOO ! :grin: RJ

 

[SJB358]

I am with Jim and Mike. I have a 7mm WSM and Rem Mag. I love them both, but my love for the 7mm runs really deep. If I saw the right 7mm Weatherby I would be all over it! Cases are a little more and ballistics are similar but the Weatherby is just a real sweet looking round.

I passed on a like new Sako in 7mm Weatherby a few months back and have been kicking myself ever since. I love that long neck on the Wby.

Saying that, the difference between isn't enough to choose one over the other, the rifle set up would mean more than the useful difference in ballistics.

 

[Oldtrader3]

The Weatherby 7mm Mag will probably give you published ballistics more easily then the 7mm Rem Mag handloading. The 7mm Rem Mag has always overstated muzzle velocity on factory ammo. However in real life, the Rem Mag will kill deer as far as you can see them with most 140 to 160 grain bullets which are designed for hunting.

I bought my first 7mm Rem Mag in 1963 and still hae a second 7mm RM that I had customized in 1972. This rifle is still going strong and I have killed deer to 350 yards with it several times, DRT, with 160 Partition bullets.

Any of the more common 7mm Mags kills deer in their tracks for a long distance with good bullets. Have fun with whichever 7mm Mag you choose.

 

[gerry]

The 7mm Wby is a great round but I think I'll stick with the 7mm Rem Mag, if I can get the 160 gr AB with it's .531 b.c. to around 3000 fps I'll be very happy. Those ballistics will take care of any shot that I would take.

Scotty, those Sako's are very nice, I believe the L 691 series like mine came in 270, 7mm, 300 and 340 Wby rounds. Those came in lefties too, don't know what would happen if one in 270 Wby appeared :shock:

I came real close to pulling the trigger on a brand new stainless Sako 300 Win Mag barrel, it was 3 times the cost of the 7mm RM barrel but still well under what an after market barrel would go for. Would have been made into a 308 Norma Mag, that could still happen one day though.....The barrel I am getting has had 120 rounds through it and looks to be in very good shape.

 

[Guy Miner]

Gerry, I happily hunted with a 7mm Rem mag for several years. A real peach of a cartridge. Easy to load, accurate, deadly, and it doesn't smack the shooter around.

I had no trouble getting the 160 gr bullets into the 3000 - 3100 fps zone, and even clocked factory 140's at 3225 fps! Quite the game-taker. Used a 175 Nosler Partition loaded to around 2900 fps to take my bull elk.

I've also shot the 7mm Wby mag, and find it to be about the same. A little zippier perhaps.

All in all, either (or the 7mm WSM) are real nice, reliable, easy-kicking, hard-killing hunting cartridges. I think you should buy the rifle you want, in whichever one of those 7mm's it happens to be chambered for.

Regards, Guy

 

[FOTIS]

The 7mm Bee isn't very exciting to some people. Brass is less available than the 7RM. However, I wouldn't turn one down. One thing about it, there would be few others with one in most of your hunting parties. I rather enjoy the idea of working with something that others don't have.

As do I. Plus it is kick Azz. I am launching 168 gr ABLR at 3200 fps.

 

[Oldtrader3]

The 7mm Bee isn't very exciting to some people. Brass is less available than the 7RM. However, I wouldn't turn one down. One thing about it, there would be few others with one in most of your hunting parties. I rather enjoy the idea of working with something that others don't have.

As do I. Plus it is kick Azz. I am launching 168 gr ABLR at 3200 fps.

Actually Fotis, my hunting buddies when I lived in California nearly all had Weatherby's mostly 7mm's. I was the odd man out with a Model 70.

 

[FOTIS]

That is odd!