7mm - 30RG The 7mm - 30 RG , or 7mm - 30 RealGuns , is a . 284 " caliber , moderate capacity , high intensity wildcat cartridge . Based on the 30 Remington AR commercial cartridge , the 7mm - 30 RG was developed as a moderate velocity , low report , medium size game or special applications cartridge . The cartridge ' s relatively short length and moderate powder capacity make it ideally suited for compact and light bolt action repeaters based on the mini - Mauser design . The cartridge was designed by Joseph D ' Alessandro , Editor of RealGuns . Com . Drawings and prototype cases were completed on 4 / 24 / 2010 . The design was frozen and committed to tooling on 6 / 22 / 2010 . The cartridge design was first documented in an article that appears on the realguns [ 1 ] website . The first article was posted in July 30 , 2010 with additional project installments ongoing as a published series . Development . The original drawings and dimensional specifications were produced with RCBSLoad , the initial internal and external ballistic performance projections were made with QuickLOAD . Subsequently , internal ballistics were assessed with an Oehler Model 43 utilizing strain gauge technology and external and terminal ballistics data were collected during live fire tests . The prototype firearm was a 21 " barrel Remington 799 mini - Mauser bolt action rifle , modified to specifications by gunsmith Dennis Olson of Plains , Montana . The original chamber reamer s , sizer die and headspace gauges were produced by Pacific Tool & Gauge of White City , Oregon , the original handloading dies were produced inhouse by RealGuns . Com personnel . All tooling was produced and marked to the cartridge designer ' s specifications . Preliminary velocity recorded was : 2900 fps - 120 grain bullets , 2700 fps - 140 grain bullets , 2600 fps - 150 grain bullets from the 21 " barrel prototype firearm . The cartridge is in active final development at this time so , for safety sake , specific component and exterior ballistic data is being withheld until testing is completed and verified within the next 60 days . The operating pressure goal is 65 , 000 PSI , or 10 , 000 PSI greater than the parent cartridge . While not exceptional as a modern cartridge intended for use in strong bolt and falling block type firearms , the pressure is excessive for AR - 15 applications . Cases are formed in two steps ; mechanically by running 30 Remington AR cases through a 7mm - 30 RG sizer die to reduce neck diameter from the 30 caliber 0 . 3420 " neck diameter to 0 . 3200 " to accommodate the . 284 " bullet , then fireforming to fully position and shape the case shoulders and body . Reloading fired cases requires only mechanical sizing n this regard . Because case forming is modest , case life is long and no annealing steps are required specifically as a result of case forming . Dimensions . The parent 30 Remington AR was itself a derivative of the . 284 Winchester . In comparison to the parent 30 Remington AR case , the 7mm - 30 RG retains the same cartridge overall length and the same case length . The neck length has been shortened proportionally to the 0 . 284 " diameter bullet and the shoulders have been located farther forward and formed in a more acute angle to increase case capacity and to optimize shoulder angle for case life and ballistic performance . Case capacity to spill over full is forty - five grains of water , one grain more than the parent case . In further context the 7mm - 30 RG has one and one half grains greater capacity than the 22 - 250 Remington and one grain more than the . 30 - 30 WCF . Because of the cases large diameter body , only some mini - Mauser actions are suitable as repeaters . The prototype began life as a Remington Model 799 , chambered for the . 22 - 250 Remington . This particular mini - Mauser configuration has a wide 0 . 630 " magazine feed port , which is substantially larger than other mini - Mauser configurations . Usefulness . The cartridge is easy to form , parent brass is inexpensive , as are the rest of the components needed to assemble ammunition . With more than acceptable ballistics with bullet weights up through 160 grains and kenetic energy at the muzzle in the 2 , 200 - 2 , 300 ft / lbs range , it is a natural for deer , black bear and hog hunting . With lighter bullet weights it is a natural for coyote hunting . 7mm bullets are available in a wide selection of construction types making them suitable for many applications . The very short cartridge length makes it suitable for very compact and light weight firearms and the cartridge ' s modest powder capacity permits barrel lengths of 20 " - 21 " to deliver near full performance . The drawback for this cartridge is common to all wildcat cartridges . Machine tools and dies must be made , ammunition must be hand assembled and a firearm must be modified to the application . The cost of this project was approximately $ 2 , 500 for materials , labor and outside services .