Thread: It might be time for a new gun for me.

Hello all. My first post on this forum!
It might be time for a new gun for me. I am mostly hunting tops and open areas, main target being deer but I will likely go and chase some tahr in the near future. I'm keen to look into a longer-range setup than my current 7mm08. I'm looking for advice on a suitable caliber, and suggestions re make/models, that would allow me to shoot out to approx 500m using factory ammo. I've been thinking about a 7mm rem mag based on some reviews and conversations. I wont be able to go custom or overly fancy but keen to get something that is proven, reliable, not too heavy, and available in NZ. Quite interested in the Bergara models, although they do seem on the heavier side. Anybody got experience with these? Or other suggestions? Thanks all.

Tikka in 300wsm… but I’m bias

7mm rem mag will do all you want and ammo readily available the remington long range rifles could be worth a look - yes remy got bad press in recent years but they were not all bad some shot very well indeed worth a look

7mmRM, i have one of the heavy barreled 700's (too heavy for carrying far). best shot so far was a hare (jackaloper) at just under 1km.
took me 3 rounds though.
only issue is it hates the 162 hornady but loves 140gr hand loads

keep the 7mm 08 and get some Hornady superformance 150 grn. shout your self a to shelf dail up scope instead of a second rifle. chronograph the loads, work out your drops chart and verify at distances you intend to shoot and your away.
you might be surprised at how slow factory 7mm rem mag ammo really is...

Originally Posted by Blackfern

keep the 7mm 08 and get some Hornady superformance 150 grn. shout your self a to shelf dail up scope instead of a second rifle. chronograph the loads, work out your drops chart and verify at distances you intend to shoot and your away.
you might be surprised at how slow factory 7mm rem mag ammo really is...

Nailed it!

7M08 should be Ok to 500 mtr for the odd shoot.
ie Hornady precsion hunter 150gr ELD-X at 2770 fps, G1 BC or 0.574 for sale at Gun City
or the
Hornady Superperformance 139gr SST at 2950 pfs, G1 BC 0.486 also at Gun city.

Whats a long shot to you?
you don't need a magnum for everything. Can you shoot to 700 mtr, then it could take you a day to recover it if it's that far away in NZ South Island hills.
Z

Yup Blackfern nailed it but I can't help myself . . .

After a couple of the higher powered 7mm cartidges I somewhat by chance came by a 6.5-284 . . . And it has changed my thinking considerably. Currently I run 156gn EOLs at 2840 fps. Not only does this load buck wind superbly (better BC than most if not all 175gn 7mm projs) it has very modest recoil compared with what you need to get a comparable 7mm bullet going at the same velocity.

The important effect of this is enabling less experienced or practiced shooters to spot their own shots - crucial for any long range shooting especially at game animals. I could never do this with any of the big 7s ( lots of people can ofcourse but it requires a lot of skill development).

I wouldn't recommend a 6.5-284 unless you plan to reload, but it's ballistic "identical twin" the 6.5 PRC offers lots of rifle choices with really good factory ammo readily available!

7mm08 with 150 ELD X as others have said, upgrade your scope. 3-15 VX-5 is great choice

The humble 7mm08 is surprisingly capable.
I'll add to the comment above by saying that even a vx5 2-10 with the zl2 turret will work just fine for what you want.

The other option and I'll admit I used to bash them would be the likes a 6.5 Creedmore as Bergara makes that chambering in almost every rifle off the top of my head if you wanted a new rifle. You could as @Tentman pointed out go the other way with a 6.5 and go for the 6.5PRC and again same rule applies in the Bergara's for options.

Hope this helps.

Hot barrels

Keep the 708 - dial up scope & ammo upgrade is whats needed here!

Thank guys!