7mm Remington Magnum vs. .270 Winchester: Tested and Compared

We test modern 7mm Remington Magnum and .270 Winchester ammo on Africa's Antelope to determine which cartridge is superior.

March 03, 2022 By Eric R. Poole

About once a year, Jon Sundra would write an article concerning the “Sevens,” with notable praise for the 7mm Remington Magnum. Other writers touched on the subject occasionally, too, including Field Editors Craig Boddington and Bob Milek, and Shooting Editor John Wooters. However, none were as passionate for 7mm bore diameter as Sundra.

Sundra was a contributing editor for Guns & Ammo from October 1980 through September ’85. In May 1981, he penned “Those Surging Sevens,” which suggested that the 7mm was gradually supplanting the .30 caliber as the most popular big-game bore size in terms of new gun sales. I’m not certain that it did, but today’s interest in 6mm and 6.5mm cartridge developments caused me to draw parallels and look back to the stories I once read about the trending 7mm in back-issues. A quick flip through the pages of Guns & Ammo produced multiple articles examining the 7mm-08 Remington; 7x57 Mauser; .284 Winchester; .280 Remington/7mm Express Remington; 7mm Remington Magnum; and the 7mm Weatherby Magnum.

7mm Remington Magnum vs. .270 Winchester — Guns & Ammo May 1981

Looking Back

Though designed in 1923, the .270 Winchester didn’t become widely popular until after World War II. I’d credit gunwriters in part for its respected status today: Jack O’Connor hunted with it for 40 years and sang its praises in “Outdoor Life;” Townsend Whelen wrote about it for Guns & Ammo until his death in 1961.

The .280 Rem. was introduced in 1957. In part, it aimed to challenge the increasing sales of the .270 Win. Both were based on a necked-down .30-’06 Springfield, but to prevent the .280 from chambering in a .277-inch chamber, Remington increased the bullet diameter to .284-inch and made the case slightly longer by .050-inch. Though the .280 Rem. had potential — 154-grain soft-point with a muzzle velocity of 2,825 feet per second (fps) — it was introduced in Remington’s Model 742 semiautomatic rifle, which meant chamber pressures had to be kept to around 47,500 psi in those days, much less than the bolt-action .270’s 52,000 psi. In the 1960s, the .280 was slower with more drag, and it failed to compete with the .270 in factory loads.

The .280 Rem. didn’t die, however. In fact, Milek introduced the 7mm Express Remington through his article “Remington’s New/Old Super 7 Hunting Cartridge” in January 1980. As he put it, “The 7mm Express Remington is just a new moniker for the .280 Remington.” He observed that the .280 was also suppressed in popularity by the introduction of the 7mm Rem. Mag. in 1962, which was developed between Remington’s Mike Walker and Guns & Ammo’s Les Bowman. “Hunters took one look at the magnum,” Milek wrote, “saw its potential as a hunting cartridge and forgot all about the .280.”

Inspiration

I followed Sundra’s writings through the decades, but one article in a special interest publication stayed with me. It compared the .270 Winchester to the 7mm Remington Magnum and declared the 7mm Rem. Mag. superior, citing accuracy on paper, variety of bullet weights and offerings, as well as his field experience that suggested there was little difference “in striking energy between a 7 Mag. and a .300 Winchester Magnum.” After 20 years of production, the 7mm Rem. Mag. accounted for 85 percent of all the sevens sold in 1981. When comparing the 7mm Rem. Mag. to the .300 Win. Mag., Sundra concluded, “I think that more shooters are realizing that to gain that extra 15 percent striking energy downrange means 30 percent more recoil. And that’s a higher price than they want to pay.”

Hunters had a healthy selection of popular bullets ranging from a 130-grain Speer to a 150-grain Nosler to a 175-grain Sierra — all soft-points. The 7mm enjoyed popularity due the bullet weights available and higher ballistic coefficients (BC) compared to .30 calibers of the era. Many have already compared the 7mm Rem. Mag. to a .300 Win. Mag, which makes sense; both were derived from a parent case based on the .375 H&H belted magnum. However, given the reduced felt recoil of the 7mm Rem. Mag., I set out to revisit Sundra’s fieldwork against the .270 Win. Does the 7mm deserve more attention given recent advancements in ballistic tips, bullet construction and manufacturing consistency?

Field Testing

To evaluate .270 Win. versus 7mm Rem. Mag, I used the next opportunity to take both to Africa where I could shoot several species of different size antelope and at distance. This developed into a plains game hunt with Jamy Traut Hunting Safaris in Namibia (jamyhunts.com).

Knowing that I would only shoot some 10 to 15 animals, I narrowed down the bullet selection to three varieties available and loaded by a single ammunition manufacturer: Federal Premium (federalpremium.com). This would ensure a consistency between primers, powder, cases, and load quality for each cartridge. The bullets included Barnes TSX, Federal Terminal Ascent and Berger Hybrid Hunter.

I selected the two most accurate rifles for each cartridge that Guns & Ammo had in its gun room at the time: Mauser M18 in .270 Win. ($699) and Sauer 100 Cherokee in 7mm Rem. Mag. ($1,100). Both were manufactured in Germany by the Blaser Group (blaser-group.com). For optics, I mounted the Bushnell Nitro 3-12x44mm ($400) on the M18 and a discontinued Forge 6-18x50 on the Sauer 100.

While zeroing on paper at 100 yards, the Sauer 100 in 7mm Rem. Mag. was slightly more accurate than the M18 in .270 Win., which continued as I developed dope for 200 and 300 yards. However, both produced sub-MOA three-shot groups at those distances.

Unfortunately, bullet weights between the .270 Win. and the 7mm Rem. Mag. are not exactly comparable in this test. Of these loads, the .270s were lighter. However, less than 190 fps separate the muzzle velocities of the fastest 130-grain Barnes TSX .270 Win. load and the slowest 168-grain Berger Hybrid Hunter load in 7mm Rem. Mag. When you compare the closest-weight 140-grain Berger load for .270 and the 155-grain Terminal Ascent for 7mm, the trajectory is somewhat similar. And when you consider both caliber’s Terminal Ascent load — a 3,000-fps match at the muzzle — it is interesting to note that the trajectory is also nearly a match. There is less than a 3-inch difference in bullet drop between the Terminal Ascent loads at 500 yards! This illustrates the benefit of having a higher BC; the 7mm Terminal Ascent bullet has a G1 of .610 and a G7 of .313. The .270’s G1 BC is .490 and G7 is .255; the .270 has more drag.

Hunting at distances beyond 200 yards is nothing new for western hunters. The .270 Win. was one of the first cartridges offering capability at those ranges. As we know, that’s one of the reasons that O’Connor favored it for so many sheep hunts. It is a decently flat-shooting round — but the 7mm Rem. Mag. shoots flatter farther out. The cartridge’s inherent design — ability to accept long, heavy-for-caliber and slender bullets — is enhanced by modern bullet design. For example, Federal’s Terminal Ascent projectile features a Slipstream Tip that initiates expansion of the bonded jacket and core at slower velocities, so it remains potentially lethal out to 1,200 yards. To get there, the tip design compliments the bullet’s AccuChannel Groove Technology to reach 1,200 yards predictably.

.270 vs. Blesbok

In Africa, I used the .270 to shoot a blesbok during the first morning. Loaded at the top of the magazine was a 136-grain Terminal Ascent. Though it was designed for performance at long range, this test evaluated a deer-like animal taken at a more common distance. Later ranged at 86 yards, the Terminal Ascent penetrated 24.2 inches from the antelope’s chest and exited behind the opposite shoulder. It dropped in place, and the exit hole measured .97 inch. I set up the shot from a set of shooting sticks again and placed the Berger and Barnes bullets adjacent to each side of the first Terminal Ascent. The 140-grain Berger Hybrid Hunter penetrated 12.6 inches and split into fragments, while the 130-grain Barnes TSX mimicked the Terminal Ascent’s performance with a pass-through.

7mm vs. Gemsbok

Gemsbok is a larger antelope known for its thick hide. It could be compared to a tough elk. On this trip, I topped the magazine with Federal’s 160-grain Barnes TSX load for 7mm Rem. Mag. Impressively, the gemsbok when down at 200 yards with a single shot. Subsequent bullet-test shots at the same distance included Federal’s 155-grain Terminal Ascent and the Berger 168-grain Hybrid Hunter. We were unable to measure the penetration depth of these projectiles, but we did recover the Barnes TSX, Federal Terminal Ascent bullets, as well as pieces of the Berger. Though the Barnes produced the widest four-petal mushroom, the Terminal Ascent also performed excellent with a greater impact velocity and energy transfer.

.270 vs. Blue Wildebeest

The blue wildebeest is another African antelope and one of two wildebeest species. It doesn’t have as thick of a hide as a gemsbok, which makes it a little better for comparison to elk. For this test, hunting partner and Federal representative J.J. Reich used my M18 Mauser in .270 to take a mature blue wildebeest at 250 yards. Once again, the animal was harvested cleanly with one shot featuring the 136-grain Terminal Ascent load. This bullet did not expand quite as much as the 7mm bullet did on gemsbok, but at this distance it still performed effectively. Despite the ballistics table, the 7mm projectile’s measured deformation showed a slight advantage versus the .270 after the bullets were recovered and sorted.

7mm vs. Red Hartebeest

Often seen running in herds, the red hartebeest — another antelope — is jokingly referred to as the “Kalahari Ferrari,” a nickname that calls back the to the red sand of the Kalahari desert. We observed two males clashing horns in the desert, and the winner lost the tip of his. Sensing our presence, the herd eventually took off running in the distance except for one brave animal. From shooting sticks, I took one shot using the 160-grain Barnes TSX load at 300 yards. He went down without incident.

We marked out the shooting location, left the sticks, and inspected this close relative to the tsessebe. We repositioned his body squarely to follow up with the two other loads and placed a small target sticker to his chest as an aiming reference. If it were not for the accuracy of the Sauer 100 and flat-shooting trajectory, the attempt to capture so many bullets at slightly different locations in the body might not have worked. However, as if with surgical precision, each bullet found its mark perfectly and was recovered.

Barnes’ 160-grain TSX performed the same, producing a consistent photogenic mushroom, only a little taller on this occasion for entering the red hartebeest at a slower velocity. Interestingly, Federal’s Terminal Ascent projectile produced almost the same size and weight as it had at closer distances. The Berger Hybrid Hunter resulted in the same fragmented projectile, also.

.270 vs. Jackal

While not scheduled as part of the bullet test, while hiking back to the land cruiser after scouting the dunes, a jackal raced adjacent to our path between the brush in search of lunch. As are coyotes in many rural parts of the U.S., jackals are targets of opportunity for the damage they do to the small-bird population and livestock. I managed to see him just in time and quickly shot him from an offhand position while he was on the run. We ranged him at 105 yards. Looking back, I feel as though it was one of the greatest snap-shooting moments of my life, and I was proud to help the Traut’s farm. As it turned out, I accomplished the feat (unknowingly) with the 140-grain Berger Hunter Hybrid load. Of course, it produced a complete pass through, but not before its rapid expansion and energy dump produced an exit wound with a 5-inch diameter.

.270 vs. Duiker

One of the smallest antelope in Africa is the bush duiker. Though there were several sightings each day, I only had one opportunity to stalk a mature example due to how small and quick they are to disappear. I spotted a large one from the top of a Land Cruiser, tapped the roof and dismounted for a stalk. Usually, these spot-and-stalks are unsuccessful when pursuing duikers, but persistence eventually worked in our favor. I selected the M18 in .270 Win, which was loaded with Barnes’ 130-grain TSX. Though it was likely to pass through, there was less risk of damaging the hide for taxidermy using a solid-copper projectile versus a quick expander such as the Berger Hybrid Hunter. After circling his flank and using brush for cover, we set up for an ambush and waited. For a duiker, he had tall horns that gave away his position before we saw him step out. After the guide confirmed his maturity, I sent one shot through the vitals. And just as we had planned, the hide wasn’t excessively damaged by the bullet.

7mm vs. Springbok

We saw hundreds of springbok each day, a sign that lion or leopard had not taken up residence in the central region of Namibia. As these little Coues deer-size antelopes flee for safety, they often “spring” up several feet to jump over bushes or catch a glimpse of the surrounding area.

Traut and his son were guiding this adventure as we searched for eland tracks. Using thorny acacia and mopani as cover, we followed hoofmarks that led us across a mature springbok. As I debated sounding the alarm to our presence with a gunshot, Traut said, “Take what Africa gives you.” Thinking the 7mm Rem. Mag. might be over-kill, I carefully aimed from 125 yards and made the shot after selecting another round of Federal’s 155-grain Terminal Ascent. Despite the clean pass-through, the small-deer-sized animal collapsed where it stood.

Traut somehow convinced me to sniff the springbok’s tail, which I reluctantly did. “It smells like a sweet flower,” they each promised. Sure, I thought. I’m about to be the source of everyone’s laughter tonight at dinner. But it was true! A springbok’s rear end smells like a wonderfully sweet and fragrant flower.

Eland vs. 7mm

As I planned for this trip, I knew hunting eland was on the list. The eland is a giant antelope that can weigh a ton and stand with shoulders at 5 feet. It is among the largest antelope in the world and has spiral horns that makes the animal appear even larger. Despite their size, they are elusive and clever. I experienced this in 2017 after stalking eland for several days without success in Zimbabwe. Many times, I came close.

On this trip, we encountered a herd of 15 to 20, and carefully stalked them on our hands and knees as the sun began to set. We advanced from tree to bush to tree for cover as we closed the distance, often in short sprints. Once Traut confirmed the oldest male just beyond the herd, we slowly flanked and moved into position for a shot.

For this opportunity, I carried the 7mm Rem. Mag. and chambered a Federal 155-grain Terminal Ascent cartridge. From 50 yards, the bullet anchored him for being perfectly placed, but he wasn’t dead. I imagined that his heart had to be huge. He sat down and then stared right back at me with his head erect. That was the first shot on this 10-day safari that I did not instantly kill the animal; I felt sick with empathy. Without having to be told, I cycled the action and chambered Barnes’ 160-grain TSX before firing again. I could hear Craig Boddington telling me before my first buffalo hunt, “Shoot until he’s down,” so it was natural to immediately follow up with another precisely placed bullet. He gently laid down and passed his last breath.

If Only One Shot

The mantra for SAAM at FTW Ranch says it best: “Because you only have one first shot.” I don’t like any animal to suffer, and this experience reminded me why this field test was important. It is my responsibility to thoroughly evaluate firearms and ammunition before providing recommendations. So, here it goes.

In terms of bullets, shot placement is important. If accuracy is your priority and precise shot placement is your skill, then know this: Berger’s Hybrid Hunter was consistently more accurate at 100 yards out of each rifle. The Sauer 100 shot several half-MOA three-shot groups, while the M18 shot three-quarter-MOA groups. Federal’s Terminal Ascent was the next most accurate at .65-inch followed by Barnes’ TSX at .75 inch.

For use on medium-size game — i.e., deer and pronghorn — the Berger Hybrid Hunter in either caliber is adequate. Inside every African animal tested, we found pieces throughout a short amount of penetration. That means that this bullet dumped its energy quicker than the others, and some hunters want that.

Long-range hunters are best served by the technology featured in Federal’s Terminal Ascent nickel-plated cartridge. It has an optimized boattail on top of a specially formulated propellant stack. At the other end is Federal’s Slipstream polymer tip. The blue tip is a hollow-core design that’s designed to initiate expansion at any distance. Together, working with the Slipstream tip, Federal’s AccuChannel technology improves accuracy and minimizes drag for long-range performance. This explains how the Terminal Ascent carries its energy farther than conventional bullets while offering superior accuracy and a flat trajectory. The Terminal Ascent did not expand as wide or as consistently as the solid-copper Barnes TSX bullet, but it offered a great balance of performance features.

The Barnes TSX was not as accurate as the Federal Terminal Ascent or the Berger Hybrid Hunter — but it wasn’t inaccurate. In fact, the Barnes TSX consistently produced sub-MOA three-shot groups from each rifle, which speaks highly to the consistency and quality control of its production. Despite not being the most accurate, the Barnes TSX produced the most consistent mushrooms and highest retained weight at every distance tested. Its best feature is that its deadly reliable.

Though projectiles have changed since Sundra’s first endorsement of the 7mm Rem. Mag., he’s still not wrong. I trust the 7mm Rem. Mag. more than the .270 Win. for taking any big-game animal up to dangerous game, and I hope to field it against the .300 Win. Mag. in the future. Though the 7mm Rem. Mag. is a belted cartridge, I’ve found it to be no less accurate or reliable than non-belted ones such as the .270. The trajectories out to 500 yards are similar (to within 3 inches), but when human error is factored into the result, I want the slightly flatter-shooting 7mm Rem. Mag., even if I never shoot beyond 400 yards.

I’ve had one-shot kills on deer with the .270, but every game animal encountered on this safari reacted profoundly to being struck by the 7mm Rem. Mag. Mr. Sundra has made me a believer.