7 Mag

[Tricky]

I hope I dont get hammered for this, but if this is your first rifle you could always put it away and go with a little smaller caliber and build up your skills and then move up to the larger calibers. If you used a 12 guage, i cant see recoils being an issue, i should have read closer, but you could always pick up a 243. I hunted with one for years, and it served me well. It taught me the basics, and allowed me to practice a lot and I could also use it for coyotes. Some will say its not enough, but I never had an issue with the deer not going down. Once you develop a good shooting form then you can move up to larger calibers. I feel shot placement is key and if you practice enough and know where the bullet is going, you can move around in calibers and pick a rifle that is comfortable for you. I have heard really good thing about a 25-06 and a 280 remington. Really a 243- 30-06 is all you would really need, just try and shoot a few different calibers before you buy one and see which you like the best.

[su106]

i think you will be fine i have a t/c venture in 7mm rem mag i use it in north carolina i have shots from 20yds to 600yards and it does the job i know what you mean i shot alot to get it sighted in i was sore also and im six foot five and three hundred pounds but now its one shot and done check out my thread on the lodge forum thats the buck i shot last saturday with my 7mm good luck

[guppy11]

Don't listen to any of the bad comments about the 7 mag. It is a caliber you either hate or love. I've been shooting one for over 10 years at whitetails, mulies antelope and elk. I'm only 5' 4" and have had a total shoulder replacement and recoil is not a problem. 12 gauge has more recoil. As far as meat damage, the worst was on an elk. He was running and i hit him in the loin, but i once shot an antelope and killed him without breaking any bones( bullet passed between ribs on both sides). Its all about shot placement and bullet selection. Here in kansas the 7mag is great as shots can be extreme(450yds is my farthest) Ballistic coeffeicent is outstanding which helps with long shots.

[bjackson]

I have hunted with a 7 Mag for 7 years. It is a deadly and I'm very satified with it. I recently killed 2 bucks at a little over 130 yards, I was able to keep all the meat and no tracking. My longest kill is 340 yards. I highly recommend it.

[Tricky]

I'm not knocking the 7mm mag. I use one. They are a great round. I just took the thread as that you didn't really enjoy shooting it. Mine doesn't kick too bad, it just seems lounder then my other rifles. If you like it and are accurate with it, then you should have no problem dropping deer with it at long or short ranges. Just use a good bullet and you should be okay. I use a 150 grain in mine when i used it on deer and it worked perfect. I used the remington core lokts. I used 175 grains once and it caused some pretty decent meat damage. Good luck with your hunt.