7mag or '06

[Troggy]

explain your choice.

[nomosendero]

Depends on what my other rifles are.

[dogwhisperer5]

   Having been able to avoid "magnumitis" in my rifles with perfectly good success I'd have to choose the '06. A bit more bullet weight for the bigger stuff is one attribute of the .30 over a .28 bore diameter. Barrel life is another plus for the '06 over the magnum if you do a lot of shooting. Any hints on what kind of use you'd put the rifle to?

[4MUL8R]

Better riflemen practice more.  Ammo cost and availability drive my choice.

[Questor]

They're virtually the same, so pick the one you like. Point blank range is longer with the 7mm, if that's important to you, as it would be if you hunted on the plains of the Western states.

[marylandeer]

#1 I would get the .30-06 because you can get Ammo for it anywhere. If they sell Ammo. chances are they have.30-06 stockpiled.
#2 Better selection of Ammo. and component bullets to choose from.
#3 Ammo. for the 06 is cheaper than the 7 Mag. Don't forget about all of that CHEAP SURPLUS AMMO.
#4 The .30-06 is the great American cartridge. It been doing it's thing for 100 years now for America and Americans and doing it well.
 

[Troggy]

nothing dangerous, just north american big game. I found two rifles at a shop and, well, actually the 7mag has 2" more bbl so realy not identical. The 7mag seem to fit me a bit better but everything about the "06 is true, more available ammo,more veriety, bigger bullet, surpluss ammo..... The 7 mag does , I belive shoot flatter. Not sure on accuracy between the 2. I did find that 7mag is easy to find also along with .270 , .243, 30-30, .308 and .303 british(seems like everyone had this cept Kmart but...nm)

[nomosendero]

nothing dangerous, just north american big game. I found two rifles at a shop and, well, actually the 7mag has 2" more bbl so realy not identical. The 7mag seem to fit me a bit better but everything about the "06 is true, more available ammo,more veriety, bigger bullet, surpluss ammo..... The 7 mag does , I belive shoot flatter. Not sure on accuracy between the 2. I did find that 7mag is easy to find also along with .270 , .243, 30-30, .308 and .303 british(seems like everyone had this cept Kmart but...nm)

That helps some, but it still would be good to know your hunting conditions, for example with Deer, are you
hunting in the woods, or Deer hunting in very open country, same with Elk & so on. Right now I feel like
teeling you the 06 would be best for the previous reasons given, but without knowing your application we are shooting in the dark, however for MOST applications the 06 will be good.

[Don Fischer]

I've used the 7mm Rem Mag a good bit. I own a 30-06 and seldom use it other than to plink with, it's my 3rd and I've never hunted with one. I'm 60yrs old and a couple things I've learned: recoil affects my shooting unless I'm shooting a great deal and the ability to hit well at longer ranges is a matter not of cartridge, but of profeciency; I also know that the 30-06 has a max point blank range farther than we HAVE to shoot!

So as much as I like the 28 cal, my pick here is the 30-06. Now if you had said the 280 Rem and the 30-06, I would take the 280 Rem.

[dw06]

I'd go with the 06,as that is my favorite,have to agree with Don about the 280 rem.If I was younger and starting over would look at it very hard.

[joshco84]

i personally shoot a 7mm rem mag for kansas deer.  my first year i shot an 06 and was happy with it, but i prefer the flat shooting 7mm mag better a little better. i think what makes the difference for me is that the 7 mag is a sako 75 which is big and heavy and shoots beautifully, and the 06 is a savage with a ton of muzzle jump.  plus if i really want to reach out there and grab it the 7 mag is fantastic for that. i have shot two deer over four hundred yards and neither of them did anything besides fall straight down. 

[Lead Poison]

Easy choice.....the grand ole 30-06 Spfd.

[Troggy]

California is where I hunt. I may go to Alaska on a hunt but that wont be for 2 years if I do. Ok here is what I have now: Marlin .35rem very very accurate to 100yrds maybe 150.Killed 2 hogs with it a year ago both at or under 50yrds. T/C G2 Contender w/ custom 14" SSK .358JDJ Bbl.(no reloading gear so no ammo for it yet) 44mag revolver side arm. My thoughts have been this: clean the worn down looking .35rem(1958 circa) re-blue ,wood etc. or sell G2 and get a bolt gun. I figure I can get at least $800 for it. OR, keep the Contender get the reloading press etc. and just practice alot with it. I know that round(.358jdj) kill anything I plan to hunt. I have found 2 guns both Savage, one 7mag and the other "06. They feel real nice to hold. I just cant make up my mind. One day Im keepin' what I got the next Im looking at a new bolt gun the next Im think new Marlin 45-70....bla..bla...bla...

[kudzu]

One can't go wrong with one of each.

Get both in the Stevens 200. Can have both for under 600.00.
If going to Alaska someday, Bump the 06 to a 300 WM and then go with the 7mag. A fairlly decent combo.
Decisions, decisions, DM

[Coyote Hunter]

That is a choice I made when I got my first centerfire in 1982.  After evaluating a number of possibilities, including the ..308, 30-06 and .300 Win Mag, my $$$ went for the 7mm Rem Mag.  Similar recoil levels as the .30-06 but flatter shooting for Colorado elk and antelope.  Started handloading so I could afford to shoot it, would have done the same with the .30-06. 

My load was a 160g at around 2950fps, later I dropped the velocity a bit to enhance brass life.  Last weekend I mounted a scope on my buddy's .30-06 and took it to the range to zero it.  The loads I used were Federal 165g Trophy Bonded.  They chrono'd at 2940 fps.  Deja vu.

[nasem]

I picked the 7mm mag becuase ...

the "7mm" name looks cooler than the '30-06' name. 

Other than that, both guns give the same performance under 200 yeards.  After that the 7mm has a little better trajectories.  There are only 2 types of bullets that I use.  180 gr softies on the '06 and 175 gr softies on the 7mm.  I have never tried shooting past 300 yards so I really don't know (from experience) how much flater the 175 is than the 180 but I have read thier stats and trajectories, the 175 is ALOT flatter than the 180 esspecially in ranges like 400-500 yards.  But we both know Im never going to take a shot beyond 200 yards so it really don't matter.

In my opinion, both guns are great for shots in the 200 yard range.
--Economically speaking, the 30-06 is better.
--In regards to barrel life, the new style guns are designed to shot thousands and thousands of rounds before any kind of barrel wear occures that effects accuracy dramatically so either 30-06 or 7mm mag barrel should last you a life time.
--7mm mag is the smallest recoiling "magnum" out there.  175 gr bullet from 7mm mag feels just a tad-bit more than a 180 gr 30-06.  Maybe 3-4 lbs more.

[Dave in WV]

I'd get the '06. It burns less powder so it has less recoil, has more bullet selections, and can be loaded up to a higher pressure than factory ammo is so it can be closer in ballistics than the factory charts show.

[old06]

Well I picked the ought six just for personal reasons I like both round just fine you could say a good augment for either but with the 100 th annv here my first new rifle was a 06 my wife bought me 30 some years ago I've owned more ought six ( than 7 Mags (7). But in 2062 when the 7 Rem Mag will be 100 years old I'll pick it .........Bob

[jro45]

I would pick the 30/06 also. My wife gave me one for Christmas about 27 or 28 years ago.
To me at that time it was an all round rifle and it still is. It shoots the 220gr bullets down to the 110gr bullet. Good for black bear and deer. It just a Great Gun.

[SuperstitionCoues]

30-06

versatile, less recoil, dependable.   It just works!

[doncisler]

.30-06 mainly because you can get ammo everywhere

[handirifle]

I chose the '05 cause with the bullet weight you mentioned, there isn't a whits difference in trajectory.  I hear all the time how flat the 7mm and 270 shoot and if you look at the comparisons side by side they are closer than most of us will ever shoot.

I went to the Rem ballistics web site and compared the 30-06 with 168gr  core lokt bullet, and the 7 mm Mag with the same bullet in 160gr.  The 7mm has a better BC with their bullet, but if you choose a bullet with better BC for the '06 the gap is narrowed even more.

Let me show you
The top number are the 30-06 and the bottom is the 7mm.

Velocity (ft/sec)
Cartridge Type Bullet Muzzle 100 200 300 400 500
Premier® Core-Lokt® Ultra 168 CLUB 2800 2546 2306 2079 1866 1668
Premier® Core-Lokt® Ultra 160 CLUB 2950 2724 2510 2305 2109 1924

Energy (ft-lbs)
Cartridge Type Bullet Muzzle 100 200 300 400 500
Premier® Core-Lokt® Ultra 168 CLUB 2924 2418 1984 1613 1299 1037
Premier® Core-Lokt® Ultra 160 CLUB 3091 2636 2237 1887 1581 1315

So far the 7mm looks better, but,

Long-Range Trajectory
Cartridge Type Bullet 100 150 200 250 300 400 500
Premier® Core-Lokt® Ultra 168 CLUB 1.9 1.7 zero -3.3 -8.5 -25.1 -51.7
Premier® Core-Lokt® Ultra 160 CLUB 1.6 1.4 zero -2.8 -7.1 -20.8 -42.4

With only 1.4" difference at 300yds and less than 5" difference at 400yds, are you sure that under field conditions you won't move the gun enough to wipe out that 5" difference?  I seriously doubt most of us could hold that steady.

Now to compare with a better BC bullet for the '06 the numbers take on a whole new look.  Keep in mind, than many of my hand loads in my '06 push the 165gr Hornady bullet to 2940 or better.  The rem factory loads only list 2800.

Top 2 bullets are '06

Velocity (ft/sec)
Cartridge Type Bullet Muzzle 100 200 300 400 500
Premier® AccuTip™ 165 AT BT 2800 2597 2403 2217 2039 1870
Premier® Core-Lokt® Ultra 168 CLUB 2800 2546 2306 2079 1866 1668
Premier® Core-Lokt® Ultra 160 CLUB 2950 2724 2510 2305 2109 1924

Energy (ft-lbs)
Cartridge Type Bullet Muzzle 100 200 300 400 500
Premier® AccuTip™ 165 AT BT 2872 2470 2115 1800 1523 1281
Premier® Core-Lokt® Ultra 168 CLUB 2924 2418 1984 1613 1299 1037
Premier® Core-Lokt® Ultra 160 CLUB 3091 2636 2237 1887 1581 1315

Long-Range Trajectory
Cartridge Type Bullet 100 150 200 250 300 400 500
Premier® AccuTip™ 165 AT BT 1.8 1.6 zero -3.2 -7.9 -22.8 -46.2
Premier® Core-Lokt® Ultra 168 CLUB 1.9 1.7 zero -3.3 -8.5 -25.1 -51.7
Premier® Core-Lokt® Ultra 160 CLUB 1.6 1.4 zero -2.8 -7.1 -20.8 -42.4

As you can see, the '06 can match the number of the 7mm Mag with less recoil and less ammo cost, in most cases.

Of course the 7mm can use bullets with higher BC as well, and if you drop the 7mm to a 150gr bullet it's even mnore in favor to the 7mm but it's still 17" drop at 400yds for the 7mm and 22 for the '06.  That's 8" difference and it MIGHT make a difference IF you shoot at 400yds.  At 300, most peoples max or beyond, there is only 2" difference from an '06 but there IS a bit of an advantage at 300yds for the 150gr 7mm in energy.  Any one of the three loads will deliver more than 1800lbs of energy at 300yds.  Plenty for elk on down.

They're close but I say '06.  Also, you don't have the belted case to deal with for reloading either.

[dw06]

I've owned more ought six ( than 7 Mags (7). But in 2062 when the 7 Rem Mag will be 100 years old I'll pick it .........Bob

 :)Thats a good one old06,call me in 2062 and I'll buy two 7mags,one for me and one for you!

[Zachary]

I picked the .30-06.

That said, I have a fondness for the 7mm Rem Mag.

The 7mag shoot flatter and hits harder than the '06.  Granted, for most of my shooting (whitetails within 200 yards), it is a bit overkill (no pun intended.)  Still, I really do have a fondness for it.

I picked the '06 because the poll asked if it would have to be just one.  The '06 is a larger caliber with heavier bullets.  Plus, if I need more power, I can always get faster velocity rounds like the Hornady Light Magnums or Federal High Energy loads - which can bring it up to speed close to a .300 Win Mag. - which could be a better choice on larger animals like elk and moose.

Bottom line is that you really can't go wrong with either, and I don't think that a deer, hog, etc. will know too much of a difference between being hit with one over the other.

Zachary

[Coyote Hunter]

handirifle -

I’ve often thought it more appropriate to consider bullets of similar sectional density when comparing different calibers.  If we were to do that with the 7mm Rem Mag and .30-06, we would compare a 140g 7mm and a 165g .308” bullet.  I also think it best to zero for a Maximum Point Blank Range for a defined target (kill zone) size.  I tend to be fairly conservative on the target size and use a 6” diameter – meaning that for Maximum point Blank Range the bullet will never be more than 3” above or below line of sight.

Given those parameters, a 7mm Rem Mag will drive a 140g Partition to 3340fps, according to Nosler 5th, for a MPBR of 327 yards.  At 400 it is down only 9.9”, doing 2495fps, and carries 1935fpe.

Contrast that to a .30-06 which will drive a 165g Partition to 2940fps for a MPBR of 290 yards.  At 400 yards it is down 16.6”, is doing 2122fps and carries 1649fpe.

If you insist on comparing bullets of similar weight, Nosler 5th says a 7mm Rem Mag can drive a 160g bullet to 3112fps for a MPBR of 209 yards.  At 400 yards the bullet is down 12.4”, is doing 2370fps and carries 1996fpe.

Hitting the target is one thing, hitting it effectively is quite another – there is a reason I won’t hunt elk with 130g bullets in my .30-30, even though they shoot fairly flat.  Given the loads cited above, the 7mm Rem Mag delivers up to 350fpe more at 400 yards than a .30-06.  Although both trajectories are manageable, I prefer the extra energy the 7mm Rem Mag provides.

Let’s assume a hunter is not willing to shoot past his MPBR – or 290 yards with the 165g .30-06 load and 327 yards with a 140g 7mm Rem Mag load.  With the 7mm Rem Mag he covers an additional 19, 820 square yards, roughly the area of 3.7 football fields. 

Don’t think MPBR is a reasonable maximum range and want to use something else like a drop of 10” to determine maximum range?  Fine.  The 7mm Rem Mag range will be 405 yards (-10.1”) with the 140g bullet and 385 yards (-10.5”) with the 160g bullet.  The .30-06 range will be 355 yards with the 165g bullet.  In this case the 7mm Mag allows the hunter to cover the equivalent of an additional 7.1 football fields with the 140g bullet and an additional 4.2 football fields with the 7mm Rem Mag 160g bullet.

No one I know chooses the 7mm Rem Mag because they think the .30-06 is inadequate at short ranges – they do so because the 7mm Rem Mag provides an advantage when the ranges get long.

Not knocking the .30-06 (which would be kind of stupid since I shoot a .308 Win as well as my 7mm Rem Mag), just trying to point out the differences when using optimum loads.

[Coyote Hunter]

I wrote the above post late at night after a long day’s work  This morning I was thumbing through my Nosler 5th and couldn’t find a .30-06 entry for the 165g Partition that was 2940fps.  Further investigation revealed I had used .30-06AI load data.  On inspection I found that the listings for the .30-06 go to 3002fps using a compressed load of RL22.  The additional velocity adds 5 yards to MPBR and 10 yards to the 10” drop range.

I don’t feel like recalculating the numbers in my original post and leave that to interested readers.  The 7mm Rem Mag will still have the advantage.

The fact of the matter is you can’t beat physics, and the 7mm Rem Mag has a considerable advantage in case volume.  Using Nosler 5th data and loading both with 63.0g RL22, the 3002fps .30-06 load for the 165g Partition has a load density of 105% while the 160g 7mm Mag has a load density of only 78%. Loading both cartridges to the same pressure level and using optimum powders for each will always result in an advantage going to the 7mm Mag.

[kyote]

the bullet selection for the 30-06 can not be beat by the 7mm Rem mag.you can shoot 55grain sabot bullets to the 220 grain bullets.and a whole slew of things in between.you can use it in the off season to hunt PDs with the 125 or 110 grains even the 55grain that travel @ 4200fps are better.
I have seen animals shot at close range with the high velocity of the 7 mag.the bullets of lesser design blow up with out hardly any penatration.the 06 at the same range has more penatration with the same design bullets.guess slower is better some times.
they both will do the job I reckon.But I would take the 30-06 over the 7mm rem mag.
I have both and have shot white tail and mule deer with both.

[rickt300]

I hunted everything in Wyoming with my 30-06 for 14 years. I took some animals at pretty long range (i was young then) and at first I used the 150 grain Speer Hotcor for everything then bought a 270 for everything under elk size and began using the 180's on the elk. Iam very fond of the old '06 but I presently fooling around with a 7MM Remington magnum that is providing accuracy and velocity the '06 can't match. This doesn't unfry any elk steaks though. If I had to choose between the two rifles I own I'd have to keep the 30-06 but if I had started with the 7MM mag I'd feel the same way about it.

[Zachary]

if I had started with the 7MM mag I'd feel the same way about it.

Yea, it's a fondness thing.  My first rifle was a 7mag, so I totally understand.

Zachary

[Savage .250]

  Shot both the 7 mag and the 06 many times and for me the 06 is the ONE.
     One because i own one. Second because no matter where you are in this world
     you can find shells.