Versatile 7mm Cartridges
N 7mms
A Caliber Is Not a Cartridge
by Ron Spomer
When someone says "My favorite caliber is the 7mm," do you know what they mean? Do THEY know what they mean?
Truth is, the 7mm IS a great caliber, but it isn't a cartridge. It's many cartridges, as this photo shows. A caliber is the diameter of a bore or bullet, not the full description of a cartridge. Caliber can be stated (measured) in hundredths of an inch like .243 or .308 or in millimeters, like 7mm.
Pictured here are a baker's dozen 7mms. Thirteen cartridges of varying sizes, shapes and powder capacities, all throwing the same .284-inch diameter (7mm) bullets. But at widely varying velocities. Can you identify them? I'll give you some hints: The smallest member of this crowd is the little known 7mm BR (Benchrest) Remington. It was created to optimize offhand, precision shooting at steel silhouette targets out to 500 yards. Top speed with a 160-grain bullet -- 2,350 fps.
At the other end of the line stands the 7mm Remington Ultra Magnum capable of pushing a 180-grain projectile 3,000 fps. In between are some of the most versatile hunting 7mms in the world, fully capable (with the right bullet in the right place) of bringing home the bacon from any hoofed mammal, including 2,000-pound eland and even ornery cape buffalo. No 7mm is recommended for buffalo, and probably isn't legal, but ivory hunter W.M.D. Bell dropped buffalo regularly with his 7x57mm Mauser (cartridge on far left.)
Any hunter looking for a deer rifle capable of accuracy, deep penetration, good wind drift resistance and plain old "game gitter" performance with minimum recoil should investigate the smaller 7mms such as 7mm-08 and 280 Remington. Go with the larger models for extended reach.
If you think choosing just one of these thirteen would be a challenge, you probably don't even want to know about the four (or more) that aren't shown here. Truly, the 7mm/284 caliber is widely represented in a bunch of great cartridges.
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