I haven't posted on here much, but do creep around to gain interesting perspectives. I've shot a 7mm Rem Mag with a bedded wood stock and minor trigger work for right at 30 years. I've taken an untold amount of whitetail and I think 11 NM cow elk (main focus is meat hunting). All animals to this point have been taken with Rem 150gr Corelokt. Because of the main focus being the meat, 97% of the animals taken have been neck shots. I have taken 2 cow elk at just over 400 yards with low heart shots with no tracking issues, both fell in site. Most of the animals taken expire before they ever hit the ground. And, I'm defiantly not the best shot in the world, and have missed my fare share. At least with center neck shots, there's no guess work wondering if you've hit the target or not.

IMO, if a person was to own 1 hunting rifle for "any" N America game, the 7mm would be a great choice for overall performance. I've recently started doing my own loads and have narrowed down to a Hornady 162gr SST with a charge in the upper part of the recommended range. My current load seems to shoot lighter than the 150gr Corelokts, so range shooting hasn't really been an issue. As the 7mm will generate lots of barrel heat, most range visits are 20 or less.

My only point is the same as most, the choice of rifle is just a tool. How well you use the tool will translate into the success that is had. The 7mm carriers the velocity and energy way out down range (depending on bullet weight), and can be an extremely accurate round. FYI, I also shoot a 6.5 CM and have grown to enjoy the lighter recoil, but would not hunt larger game than a whitetail with that round.

This is the 162gr load at 200 yards. I've shot this load out to 600 yards with very little effort using a standard 4-16 BDC scope.