Caribou Gear

7 mm Rem Mag

IlliniFIre

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So I just picked up a Savage 16 on clearance chambered in 7 mm Rem mag. I freely admit that I'm a complete novice when it comes to rifles, and firearms in general. The main use for this rifle for the time being will be target shooting and putting big holes in coyotes. I know this wasn't the best caliber for coyote, but I have a long term plan that this plays into. It also will be available if I ever get the money and opportunity to go west for big game. The question I have is, what ammo load would you folks look at for these applications? Maybe I just need a crash course in ballistics, and if that is the case, I have a friend that would likely be able to provide that.
 
for coyotes...I would decide if I wanted to sell pelts or not. A tougher bullet should damage less pelt than a rapidly expanding bullet but with a 7mmMag that line is pretty thin when velocities can be 3100+ fps.
If you're just out to shot paper with a rare coyote hunt then I'd probably look into Hornady Whitetail 139 grain, Federal "blue box" ammo, or Winchester Super-X for general purpose shooting....unless precision is your goal then I'd consider a higher priced ammo. Hunting ammo consider Accubonds, Partitions, E-tip, most Barnes, Interbonds, GMX loads.
 
Buy a couple different brands of ammo with 140 through 160gr bullets. Find which one shoots the best, then go buy a whole bunch of that.
 
I would load up on some blue box federals and start practicing. Wear good ear protection, consider plugs and muffs together. The 7 mag can be mouthy, and you don't want to learn a flinch.
 
I usually use the 140gr and they do very nicely. I did hand load some 120gr 2 years ago...they were screaming, but not the greatest on accuracy. Good luck. ( around here coyotes aren't worth much, so that wouldn't be a factor... but we have a ton of them.)
 
160 barnes works very well in my 7mm. For yotes, i would maybe look at the 140 grain tipped TSX from barnes. That load will kill elk too.
 
For coyotes? Get the cheapest 140 or 150 grain ammo you can find. I prefer Winchester. I'd be looking for the least recoil and the lowest priced. So 140 grain if possible. They also need to shoot tight groups. Just buy one box to start and try it out at 100 yards. You should be able to put 3 shots in a 1 inch group. If not, try something else. That Savage should be plenty accurate. I've always had great results with Winchester ammo in my 270.
 
Really any bullet weight for that will work for coyotes. The best advice I could give you is buy multiple brands of a couple different bullet weights. Every gun shoots differently and every gun likes different ammo. So buy a variety of them at first, it will be kinda spendy. But once you find one that works well in your rifle your set.
 
Get a quality scope. Adjust the trigger to around 3-3 1/2 pounds. Make sure the stock is free-floated. Since you evidently are shooting factory loads, find a load that your rifle shoots well and buy a bunch of it. For your current use-coyotes-you don't need anything special. I would suggest something in 140 grain, just to start.

As you become more familiar with what you are doing, you can branch out and even look at reloading at some point. A good 140-grain load will handle varmints and deer nicely, not to mention targets. A 160-grain load is a good option also. I would not even look at a 120 and I am not sure that you can even buy it in a factory round.

You don't need a bunch of expensive ammo, unless you go after elk etc. Deer are easy to kill and don't need expensive premium bullets/ammo. If they make it in 7 mag, I would recommend Hornady American Whitetail ammo. It is super and not expensive. The plain Jane stuff from Winchester, Federal and Remington are all fine for your start-up.

Good luck.
 
You don't need a bunch of expensive ammo, unless you go after elk etc. Deer are easy to kill and don't need expensive premium bullets/ammo. If they make it in 7 mag, I would recommend Hornady American Whitetail ammo. It is super and not expensive. The plain Jane stuff from Winchester, Federal and Remington are all fine for your start-up.

Good luck.

Premium ammo is not needed even for elk. I have found this through personal experience.
Plain old Core-Lokt ammo in 175 grain has killed 3 elk in my 7mm mag.
My brother shot his last bull in AZ with 150 grain Core-Lokt in 30-06 with great results.
 
Premium ammo is not needed even for elk. I have found this through personal experience.
Plain old Core-Lokt ammo in 175 grain has killed 3 elk in my 7mm mag.
My brother shot his last bull in AZ with 150 grain Core-Lokt in 30-06 with great results.

Yep. I was just trying to make him see that it is not worth expending the money on expensive ammo, when elk is only a possible hunt in the future anyway. I like using premiums on elk for the extra penetration potential, but you are correct about using standard bullets. It is more important to put it in the right place.
 
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