IMO and in order to make a this a bit more meaningful to you I would start with the bore and bullets suitable for your role and then consider what do you need in terms of casing to put those bullets
where you need them at the speed you need them at the target.
It seems to me a number of calibers could take on that role you described but you also have to consider other factors including size, weight, budget, philosophy of use and whether you are willing to reload or not.
We have very good options in a wide range of casings for almost any caliber from 6mm to 375 solid proven hunters although some options are more popular, versatile and adaptable than others.
Initially anything that is based on a current or previous service cartridge is going to to be very popular for obvious reasons. So the 308 or 30-06 are two of the most popular rounds on the planet including
several of the their offspring cartriges assuring this way availability of brass in original form or necking up or down a number of its descendants.
308W ---> 243r, 260r, 7mm/08r, 338 federal, 358 wichester.
30-06 ---> 6mm-06, 6.5-06, 270w, 280, 30-06, 338-06, 35 whelen.
We could talk about any of the calibers all day but it seems you like the 7mm. Initially and in terms of versatility and availability people are going to look into popular 30 calibers. Also a few 7mm and then less in 270 and 6.5mm if it is for smaller
game or 338 or 358 if it is for larger game. The thing is how far are you going to shoot and how much momentum you want on that target considering you want to properly match bullets to type
of animal and body weight.
I am a big fan of the 30 calibers but I also found that one can do more with less when using the 7mm. The only good reason for the 30 caliber is if one wants to send heavier loads for heavy or even dangerous game
yet one has the capability to work with popular lightest bullets. But in general application the 7mm will do anything any of the calibers below or above will do and do it better in terms of ballistics performance
with less recoil.
The remmag is a great round but maybe you don't need it. I would take a serious look at the 280 or even the 284. There is nothing in the 270, 6.5 nor 30 caliber that will perform better in comparable cases with
the exception of 30 caliber 180-210gr bullets for heavy game and moderate ranges. But you also have 175gr and 180gr 7mm bullets that given the proper load will work really well even with a tad less frontal
section. I think this is truly the beauty of the 7mm. You can load from 120gr bt, 120gr tttsx all the way to 175gr-180gr if you have enough coal and powder that provide a huge range of application whereas
other calibers like 6mm, 6.5 and even 270 might fall short yet you don't need to commit to the heaviest bullets of the 30 caliber and obviously the 338 or above.
I mean the 308, 30-06 and a few others will cover a huge number of roles but in terms of ballistics trajectories and terminal performance several of the 7mm cartriges outperform the comparable casings
in other calibers. It doesn't mean the others are bad calibers, they can be excellent but you will get more versatility from the very same rifle.
So it seems you considered the 7mm already but I wonder if you actually need a magnum. Take a look at the 284 and 280. A lot of people do great with the 7mm/08 that does a lot more things than "white tail"
that seems to be the current marketing trend. The 7mm/08 does everything the 308 does or any of the 6.5 calibers do but better including long range, shooting flatter and further with more momentum on the target.
I am not against the magnums. I am just wondering how far you really need to go and how large the animal because one might do more with less powder and thefore less recoil and expense. Potentially
more accurately.
so 7 remmag yes but also take a look at:
- 280
-284 (perfect for midsize mauser action)
-7mm/08
