Has anyone used a 7mm for hunting mulies in the southwest? I am going to be hunting long range (200-400 yards) in the mountains in southern California. I might be inheriting a 7mm and wanted to know if anyone had good experience with this weapon. I have hunted whitetails for over 20 years with a bow and shotgun, but in SoCal I am going to need to up the ante.

Thanks for all of your help!

I've shot something like 40 mulies with a 7mm Mag. I've also taken whitetails, blacktails, elk, antelope, black bear, wild boar, bighorn sheep, mountain goat, blackbuck, aoudad, kudu, impala, zebra, springbok, blesbok, gemsbok, warthog, vaal rhebok, red hartebeest, black wildebeest and probably a few other species that I'm drawing a blank on. For medium sized game and up, it is a good caliber. I found it a little light for the zebra, wildebeest and gemsbok, and have since switched to a 375 H&H for most my African hunting, but the 7mm Mag did work when I needed it to.

 

All the above game was taken with handloads using 160 Gr Nosler Partitions pushed at about 2950 fps. My rifle likes that bullet and the bullet just flat out works well on game. I sight in for a little over 3 inches high at 100 yards, which puts me about 1 inch high at 200 yards and about 6 inches low at 300 yards. This makes center chest shots fairly easy out to 300 yards. I've shot farther, but try to keep my shots under 300. Your rifle may be different, but my father and brother both shoot the same caliber and all of our rifles like bullet weights between 160 and 165 grains, which in my mind are perfect for mulies and elk.

 

Flags

Artifical intelligence is no substitute for natural stupidity.

I agree with  FLAGS, but I have never hunted out of the lower 48. My Ruger # 1 likes 160 Sierra game kings, behind 59.3 grs. IMR 4350.

Thanks you guys! I appreciate the help and the load settings. I am going to be asking my dad what the set up is he has right now. I plan on using the 7mm in the mountains out here for mulies, but pig and bear could be in my sights, too.

Good, flat shooting long distance round.

I use mine when the hunting is in opened or long range shooting is required or possible.

 

T.H. Werth US Army (Ret) DA Civilian (Ret) Viet Nam Vet NAHC Life member NRA member

Twerth said it all !!!

 

 

You'd be hard pressed to find better for what you'll be doing.

The 7mm mauser is great for hunting at that range. Hey how do you think we would up with the 30-06. Just ask Teddy and his bunch on the hill.

 

Quack

Bought my wife a 7x57 years ago when Ruger first brought that cartridge out in the M77 (sometimes she lets me use it!) It has taken deer, pronghorns, and elk. You place the bullet right and they roll over and die.  Fezant

I got my 7mm as a hand me down from my dad and it has taken mule deer, elk, whitetail deer,and pigs with no problem. I use a Hornidy btsp at 165gr. and has not failed me yet in Colorado, Montana,Texas, Kentuky, or California. It is a great gun.

I use the same set-up as Flags, Handloaded 160gr Nosler Partitions. Good for long range shooting or up close. You can't go wrong with a 7 Mag!
7 Mag Life Member

There is a huge difference between a 7mm and a 7mmMag. Your 7mm is adequate at 200 yards. 400 is pushing your luck.

My dad shoots A Browning 7mm. BAR Safari grade. with factory Muzzelbreak. he has shot several Eastern Oregon Muleys with it, elk in Montana as well as Muley in Montana too. he says the longest shot he had to make was in the 250 to 300 yard range, but it preformed exceptionaly, he sayd the gun and round is better than he is, the scope he uses is for 400 or less yards, cause he gets nervous at that range, but dont doubt that the rifle is capible of it. the 7mm is A great round cause ya get magnum power in A recoil like A 30-06. so its A joy to shoot. My aunt shoots one, and shes A smaller framed person.   hope it helps.

I hunt in Montana with my Savage 111 in 7mm Remington Mag. I have not had a single mule deer walk away using Winchester Silver Balistic Tip 150 Grain Factory Loads. I have used this load from 25 -300 yards with the same results.

nope i have only shot mule deer in saskatchewan but am using a 7mm rem mag i shoot 140 grain nosler ballistic tips with 67gr of imr 7828 . its a great long range gun and very flat shooting rifle. with these if you make a good shot you will have a nice hole and a easy to find deer

I have a Savage 111 in 7mm Rem Mag. I use 140-150 grn Winchester ballistic tip ammo and it does the job on mule deer. Ranges out to 300 yards plus no problem.

Posted By safetyman917 on 20 Dec 2012 07:39 PM
I have a Savage 111 in 7mm Rem Mag. I use 140-150 grn Winchester ballistic tip ammo and it does the job on mule deer. Ranges out to 300 yards plus no problem.

NO SIR , I SHOOT A 30/06 AND HAVE SHOOT MANY MULE DEER AT AS FAR AS 785 YRDS AND HAVE HAD NO PROBLEMS PUTTING THEM DOWN .. I SHOOT A 165GR MATCHKING OR A 150GR NOS BALLISTIC TIP AND HAVE HAD NO PROBLEM'S.. RETIRED USMC SNIPER AND PROUD OF IT.. SEMPER FI.. SERVED FOR 17 PLUS YRS..

Many years ago, I purchased a Ruger M77 in 7mm magnum. I was going out west elk hunting and this was the caliber of rifle the guide recommended. (at the time this was the boss caliber on the market) He told me to practice long distance, and off a good rest with hand loads 400 yards was not all that hard to do. I put a Tasco World Class 3-9x40 scope on it (still wears that same scope and never had to be touched) back when Tasco was a very good scope. The person that loaded me the cartridges said they were 165 grain but that is all I can remember about them. Other then out of that rifle they were deadly accurate. And that load dropped an elk with one shot.

I never hunted mule deer. But one afternoon I was looking across two corn fields with some friends of mine spotting white tail. I had a doe tag to fill first before I could shoot a buck. And six doe came out in that field. I guessed them at around 450 yards. One stood there, head straight up, neck stretched.. staring at where we were sitting. My buddy told me.. shoot her in the head. And I thought.. why not. If I miss it will be a clean miss. If I hit, she's all done in. Resting that rifle in the fork of a tree, I squeezed off a shot aiming just a little over her head and dropped her in her tracks. I had hit her in the front of the throat, just under the head. Turns out she was a lot further then we ever dreamed.. the farmer said close to 550 yards. But that caliber on mule deer sounds perfect to me.

This may a little late to revive this.  But,  He never did say if it was a 7mm Rem. mag. .  Or, a 7x57.  I have a nephew that has one in mauser 98 K.  Nice gun.  Shoots real well.   The answer is yes.  Whether it is the 7mm Mag,or the 7x57.  They will both do it.  The magnum quite bit better of course.  I saw my nephew take a whitetail with a 300 yard uphill shot with his 7x57 one time with authority.  It came right down.  And, I mean uphill.  At least a 15 percent grade hillside.  I don't know if anyone has ever seen this.  A friend of mine has a gold madalion in 7mm remington Magnum.  He rolls his own ammo.  I don't know what weight of bullet he was using.  Or, the powder charge.  But , we were at the range one day checking the zero on our rifles.  It was a warm day.  About 85 degrees.  Every time he touched the trigger.  You could see the traill behind the bullet.  I mean.  Not the familiar upset of the air around the bullet.  But,  It was leaving a smoke trail behind it all the way to the target.  Ive shot his rifle before.  I didn't think it had much more recoil than my 270 does.