7mm Rem Mag Recoil - How bad is it?

[aoisdff8a7ytuigh]

Hello forum,

Before asking for some information let me give a brief description of myself.

I’m 5’6, 116 Pounds and 13 years old. But, I am not very recoil sensitive at all I’ve shot 00 Buck 3 1/2” Magnum shotgun shells out of a 8 pound shotgun, and on a .30-06 my favorite bullet weights are the 165 and 180 grain bullets. I’ve shot hot handloads that are 405 Grain hard cast .45-70’s out of my dad’s Marlin 1895 Cowboy. (All of these I shoot without any discomfort, except the 3 1/2” Magnum out of the shotgun, which hurts a little.)

I’m looking into buying my next rifle and I drew the line at hard hitting hunting magnums from the .300 Win Mag, because I believe that is a bit too much for me, so I decided on the 7mm Rem Mag. I’ll be hunting Deer, Elk, Hog, and Moose as well as shooting targets up to 600 yards.

How bad is the recoil for a 7mm Rem Mag, and is the cartridge well off for the game I’ll be hunting as well as the distances I’ll be shooting? (I’ll be shooting factory 150 grain ammo and hand loading 162 grain ELD-X loads from Hornady).

thanks.

 

[PowellSixO]

Recoil is very manageable. With a brake on it, they don't kick bad at all. A 30-06 kicks worse than any 7 mag I've ever shot. The 7 mag is capable of killing any animal in north America within the distances you've listed. It's one of my personal favorite calibers. It's common, easy to load for, has high bc bullets available for it, and is a very capable hunting cartridge. Don't let anyone tell you different.

 

[aoisdff8a7ytuigh]

Thank you for the info but I’m not putting a brake on the rifle. I’m buying a Howa 1500, with a bipod on it, a 3-12x44 scope and an At One stock from Boyds Gun Stocks.

 

[PowellSixO]

You'll live without the brake.

 

[isofahunter]

Recoil is different for each person and it is different for each rifle. Keep in mind no one has died from recoil of a 7mm mag. Stay relaxed, square shoulders and body to rifle. It sounds like you have experienced some harder recoiling guns already so you should be fine. I would not recommend shooting 50 rounds first time out from prone though. You can start with lighter loads too.

 

[aoisdff8a7ytuigh]

Thanks. I should’ve offered more information, so I will here. I’m shooting mostly off of a bench at 100 yards, and will use factory ammo that’s 150 grain. When I go to North Carolina and Tennessee I’ll prone and shoot probably a box of 20 max at a time.

 

[TRG65]

When I had a 7RM without a break that weighed about 9# all up, I could handle about 20-25 rounds and maintain good fundamentals and not start loosing concentration. If you don't like the recoil, just load a lighter bullet or load the velocity to 2800 instead of 3100. You could do the same for a 300 WM too, and load it to 308 or 30-06 velocity. There would be a bit more recoil, because of a bit more powder, but if you think it will be what you want in 5-10 years instead of the 7RM, it might be a bit cheaper option in the long run.

 

[XTREM HTR16]

Thank you for the info but I’m not putting a brake on the rifle. I’m buying a Howa 1500, with a bipod on it, a 3-12x44 scope and an At One stock from Boyds Gun Stocks.

Where in the US can a 13 year old legally buy a rifle?

 

[blacklab1]

Where in the US can a 13 year old legally buy a rifle?

When I was 13 I saved my pennies and dad did the paperwork on a Remington 700 in .270. That was close to 40 years ago and the rifle still sits in my safe. No one ever asked to see the paperwork yet.

 

[dustingaunder]

Got my .243 R700 at 10 y/o. Worked my ass off all summer to save up for it.

 

[wade2big]

Where in the US can a 13 year old legally buy a rifle?

Come on. You can’t be serious. In rural areas like I am from, kids have gun cabinets in their rooms with enough fire power to make liberals cry.

OP, hunting weight 7mm magnums are not fun to shoot at all. Great to hunt with though. You just won’t want to sit down and practice all too often. Using lighter loads like the 150 class will help some.

 

[aoisdff8a7ytuigh]

Thank you everyone for the info. I am as I said not very recoil sensitive (I sort of like being knocked around a little bit). My dad will be buying it this week so it’s registered under his name, but I take care of it, clean it, pay for ammo and shoot it. Thank you for the insight and I will modify my range time to not blow out my shoulder.

 

[goneballistic]

When I had a 7RM without a break that weighed about 9# all up, I could handle about 20-25 rounds and maintain good fundamentals and not start loosing concentration. If you don't like the recoil, just load a lighter bullet or load the velocity to 2800 instead of 3100. You could do the same for a 300 WM too, and load it to 308 or 30-06 velocity. There would be a bit more recoil, because of a bit more powder, but if you think it will be what you want in 5-10 years instead of the 7RM, it might be a bit cheaper option in the long run.

7 mag isn't terrible. It's sharp but not heavy. You can kinda detune recoil a bit by taking the sound out, great hearing protectors and sometimes double protection is a good idea.

A premium recoil pad will also help a lot of it's not comfortable, but the 7 mag isn't bad at all.

It feels about like my Mossberg 590a1 shotgun in level

 

[Longtine]

Come on. You can’t be serious. In rural areas like I am from, kids have gun cabinets in their rooms with enough fire power to make liberals cry.

OP, hunting weight 7mm magnums are not fun to shoot at all. Great to hunt with though. You just won’t want to sit down and practice all too often. Using lighter loads like the 150 class will help some.

Dead on it Wade.......My son is 16 now and he has had 3 to 5 guns in his room for his use since he was 11 years old. Started shooting a 22 when he was 5. My kids consistently hunt on their on. The shoot hogs and varmints at night as of lately using thermal's. He would take off and be gone in the woods for hours at a time by the time he was 11 shooting everything that moved. In the country the boys and girls are raised a little differently lol. We tend our gardens, work or cattle, cut and bale hay, and for fun we shoot our guns. My daughter is in college now. She's had a gun or two around her since she was 6 also. My kids could operate, clean and reload for their guns by the time they were 11 or so. Most kids played with toys growing up.....out here we fish, hunt and shoot.

Yochran, I was your age and size when i stepped up the 7RM. You can handle it. Just shoot it a lot to get use to the recoil and get it in your head that you can do it. You remind me of myself when I was your age. Just wished I had the information available to me on shooting forums and such as this one.

 

[DJL2]

In objective terms (someone has a recoil calcultor out there somewhere), 7mm Rem Mag is very similar to the .30-06. In my experience with both, if you use proper shooting technique with a decent stock, it's more than manageable. If you can tote a rifle that comes in at around 10 lbs ready to rock AND it fits you well, no worries. That doesn't mean you'll wanna make a day of it, but you'll be fine.

When I was a lad, I learned to shoot on a .22 LR. The first centerfire rifle I ever encountered was during my trek at Philmont. At the ripe old age of 14, weighing 130 lbs, I spent the better part of half a day shooting a .30-06 with iron sights at every target in sight. Assuming the range is much the same now, I smacked every steel silhouette on it and even tried my hand at the baseball they had handing from a tree a ways out.

No one told me I couldn't. No one told me the recoil would be too much. So I did and it wasn't. It probably didn't hurt that I'd done a fair amount of shotgunning so that it wasn't the first time something with a little kick hit my shoulder.

 

[MATADOR]

To me it was about being comfortable, and it took about 40 years for me to learn that. I loved my Ruger 7 mag, very accurate and great hunting rifle/caliber.

That being said, I sold it to fund a 6.5 build and it is the ONLY rifle I have ever sold and had ZERO regrets. None, zilch, zero.

 

[HMRamateur]

I hunt with a 7rm, 168gr bullets. Lightweight rifle, does kick a little bit, but if you can shoot 3-1/2 inch shells and 45-70 405 gr cast loads, you will be able to handle the 7rm. (I find the magnum 00 buck shot does way worse to my shoulder than anything else)

Also, 162 gr is plenty of stopping power out of the 7rm.

 

[Diver160651]

Where in the US can a 13 year old legally buy a rifle?

My son had his Hunter Safety like 8 or 9.. By 13 he could hunt legally with tags more than birds.. My son picked out his shot guns & rifles, I paid for them. It was all legal and they're are still his today.

Here he was when he was about 9 or 10- I can not remember.

Yochran, just a note and a story about me. At 16ish I wanted to stop shooting my grandfathers old heavy 30-06. I didn't shoot many rounds at each sitting, mostly to sight in before a hunt. At the time, it seemed I shot relatively good. I was in no way recoil sensitive. Well that’s what I thought anyway.

I saved up and bought my first big centerfire rifle with my own money. I wanted a hard-hitting rifle. My goal was to get really good at target shooting, but I also wanted that big caliber to take anything down just in case.

I bought a 300WM in a synthetic stock that was relatively light. I took it out to zero and of course to shoot as much ammo as I could afford. What I didn’t realize is that the lighter barrel and magnum charges caused barrel mirage very quickly and the barrel had an offset as it became really hot. It also kicked a LOT sharper being lighter than the 30-06 and nothing like the gentle push of my12 gauge. It was super frustrating to see my groups open up or start to walk. I figured it was me, so I dug in and would shoot and shoot. I was convinced I could make the gun shoot like a target gun. By the time I was 18, I was a complete flinch factory and lost the ability to get a naturally fast and comfortable point of aim. I lost confidence even in my hunting.

Long story, but I sold the gun and worked clays. Even though the trigger control on a shotgun is rushed, after about a year I over came my flinch the light 300WM gave me. Granted, if the gun is only shot once in a while the story might be a different one. When my son started shooting, I didn’t want him to go through the same experience, so we did not repeat that mistake.

Today you have choices that are excellent to work as a dual-purpose hunting and target practice gun. My two main hunting guns today are a 6.5CM for pigs and deer and yes, as 7mm mag for further distance ELK. Unfortunately it is very difficult for one rifle to do everything well. BUT if you can spend a lot of time learning wind and to shoot great, you'll accomplish way more with a smaller caliber than a large one that is shoot way less or poorly. This season I saw hunters with 7mm and 300s missing shoots on ELK because they really didn't know their guns or their limits.

FWIW: The 6.5 is pleasure to shoot, great target ammo is easy to find and cheap, plus you're able to hunt just about anything as long as you adjust your range. The more you practice, the deadlier you’ll be.. Just food for thought.

Yochran came on the site and handled himself with more grace than many adults.. Pleasure seeing him post!

 

[bmash]

I went to a 120gr Barnes X bullet since my gun loves it and it doesn’t take much for a deer. Very accurate and fast reloads. Point is the recoil is a lot less for lighter vs the heavier bullets. You may want to try some lighter bullets for range practice. And for that matter for your hunting.

 

[aoisdff8a7ytuigh]

I truly appreciate all the information. I’m highly grateful that in today’s day and age I have access to all of this at the tips of my fingers. With what I have been hearing, I will be buying my 7mm Rem Mag this weekend, and start handloading some light, and heavy rounds as well as hot and slow rounds.

Being 13 I’m reluctant to spend hundreds of dollars a on a firearm, but you guys have convinced me to do it, and I can’t wait to bring home some more bacon to my family with the new rifle.

 

[Alabusa]

The 7mag is a sweetie to shoot. My son killed his first deer with one at 9 years old. You should be good.

 

[RmeJu]

If you're not recoil sensitive, go for it. It's one of my favorite rounds. Sounds like you won't be shooting enough to get recoil fatigue anyway. Have fun!

 

[SonoranPrecision]

My younger brother and I both used a 7mag to take our first elk, he was about your size at the time. You’ll be just fine.

 

[eastexsteve]

Come on. You can’t be serious. In rural areas like I am from, kids have gun cabinets in their rooms with enough fire power to make liberals cry.

Growing up in Texas, I didn't know what a "gun safe" was. We had gun closets and gun rooms. When my wife and I bought the old farm house we renovated and are living in now, it has no closets, only places in the bedrooms for armoires to sit. But, it has a strange room that is centrally located in the house, and is accessible from both bedrooms. It has no clothes rods, but a lot of shelves, and dividers that extend about six inches from the walls. I had to explain to my wife that this is a gun and ammo room. When she said "OMG" I replied with: "Hey, this is Texas." With all the "proper" items I have, I can't begin to fill it up.

 

[gopherslayer]

I went to a 120gr Barnes X bullet since my gun loves it and it doesn’t take much for a deer. Very accurate and fast reloads. Point is the recoil is a lot less for lighter vs the heavier bullets. You may want to try some lighter bullets for range practice. And for that matter for your hunting.

I used those bullets also. Use 120 NBTs now. Load them fast around 3400fps or load them slower at 3000 using Ramshot Hunter. Deer die. The end.

 

[aoisdff8a7ytuigh]

Here it is folks

 

[AZgeek]

Just purchased a used, older Remington 700 in 7mm Mag with a Timney trigger for $350. Its intended to be used for a long range target rifle project using the salvaged the action and the trigger. The more I read about this caliber, the more interested I become in considering it for my application.

Rail and optics go on next week so it can be test fired. It will go into the new Gen 4 KRG Bravo long action stock when it becomes available. I understand there is some action milling work required for the AICS magazine to work.

Hope both our shoulders hold up OP!

 

[wrightjr]

Congrats on your new rifle, there's nothing more exciting than getting a new rig. Now get out there and shoot it! Have fun, learn your rifle, and most importantly be safe!

 

[FjallJager]

I have owned quite a few of those Howa's with that stock. They don't really kick. Congrats on the new rifle.

Howa's two stage trigger is better than the two stage trigger on almost any factory two stage around. It is a great trigger. Once you master it, it will make you a better shot and you'll insist all future rifles have a two stage trigger.

 

[dustingaunder]

Rings are a little high for me and I’d mount the clamping bolts on the other side but other than that, nice rig.

 

[krw]

Rings are high. In late 80’s I used 7mm mag for several years. I shot Hornady 139’s and it was pure poison on deer! Was Rem 700 ADL. Recoil was not bad at all. You will find a 7mmMag to be a very good cartridge. Good Luck w your new rifle!

 

[aoisdff8a7ytuigh]

Thanks for the tips, I do like scope mounts higher though. The .30-06 I was raised on had a leupold that had 2 inch mounts on it. (These are 1.5)

 

[wade2big]

Thanks for the tips, I do like scope mounts higher though. The .30-06 I was raised on had a leupold that had 2 inch mounts on it. (These are 1.5)

I guess you shoot with the buttstock under your armpit. ?

I’m picking. Do what you like

 

[aoisdff8a7ytuigh]

didn’t take long to zero the scope at all, we’re ready to go hunt some elk boys!

 

[FjallJager]

If you don't have a chronigraph, you can figure out your drops by following this method.

figuring out your ballistics without a chronograph - Search Videos

www.bing.com

I'd use a ballistic calculator like the one on Hornady's website to figure out a mid range sight height that allowed for a plus or minus 2 inch shooting solution. For my 300 Win it is a zero at 280 gives me plus or minus 2 inches to 350.

 

[FjallJager]

You should also verify what your turrets are doing if you are going to use them.

 

[308Gunner]

Congratulations on the new rifle enjoy. My son Is 11 and has 3 22’s and an Ingram paratrooper M1 carbine as stated it’s Texas.

 

[Bros4Brodalen]

Congrats on your rifle man I too got my first rifle this year and I am way older than you. Actually I am the first one in my family to get a rifle by the way. You see we are city folks but is better late than never right?