I have the 7mm-08 in mind as my next purchase. It will be used as an eastern deer rifle. 27-28 inch barrel and likely use 140-145 grain bullets likely Sierra pro hunters or Speer hot-cors. What do you folks think will that perform on deer?

 

27-28 inch barrel??? 7mm08

Is that some kind of typo? The 7mm08 is an efficient caliber that works well with shorter barrels FOR HUNTING. If I had it to do over I'd go with a 20" on my model 7. I really can't see going beyond 24", MAYBE 26" with larger rifles. I'd have to do some research on ANY POSSIBLE advantages (FPS) that long of a barrel might bring to the table, FOR BENCHREST type shooting. If I needed that much more speed a 280 with a 24" sounds better, TO ME. If the #'s justify your choice, please enlighten me. For an EASTERN rifle I THINK you would be banging branches with 7-8" of too much barrel, & lose handling/balance, depending on the build of the gun.

 

Is that some kind of typo? The 7mm08 is an efficient caliber that works well with shorter barrels FOR HUNTING. If I had it to do over I'd go with a 20" on my model 7. I really can't see going beyond 24", MAYBE 26" with larger rifles. I'd have to do some research on ANY POSSIBLE advantages (FPS) that long of a barrel might bring to the table, FOR BENCHREST type shooting. If I needed that much more speed a 280 with a 24" sounds better, TO ME. If the #'s justify your choice, please enlighten me. For an EASTERN rifle I THINK you would be banging branches with 7-8" of too much barrel, & lose handling/balance, depending on the build of the gun.

The rifle will be a TC Encore. I am a still hunter and on my feet all day. In the Encore rifle the longer barrel is more comfortable for me to hold onto when I am standing I often set the rifle butt on my toe or ground while I am scanning the area. The longer barrel brings It up to a more comfortable height To hold onto while doing so. I currently use that set up in a different caliber and have no issues banging branches and so on with it. It's just a personal choice, ease of use thing. It also will add some velocity but at woods distance that is not a factor.

 

The 6.5x55 Swede for 160gr military ammunition had a 29" barrel. In time I shall do exact comparative tests with it and the 24" barrel I also have, with various bullet weights. I personally like 26" and none shorter than 24". Have been hunting for 45 years in dense bush and open plains with my 26" Musgrave .308W and not once did I feel in any way encumbered. Carried and shot a 25.6" CZ 550 in .416 Rem in the densest and darkest riverine forest imaginable for three months with hippo and buffalo and lion all around and never did I have the feeling that I will be late in bringing it into my shoulder. Most dangerous game rifles have minimum 24" barrels.

The much greater steadiness of aim of a longer barrel is much more important than the split second you may bring a shorter barrelled, lighter front end into your shoulder.

 

Barrel length

Thanks for the explanation. I didn't think of the shorter OAL of the single shots, & the velocity gains not being the main reason for your choice. As for the OLD 29" military lengths, I have to wonder if they would make the bbl's as long, & want to save wt, if they had todays powders. I agree with the steadiness thing. Way back when, Kentucky long rifles were state of the art and some pretty long barrels were considered standard as well. Some Mountain men preferred their Hawkens to have shorter bbl.'s. TEHO, then and now I guess.

 

I have a pre Revolutionary War rifle that has a barrel approximately 58" long.

 

I've always been a faster is better guy, I love my shoulder thumpers. But I love the 7mm-08,it is about the perfect caliber for North America (the lower 48 atleast).

I helped work up a 7-08 load using 175gr Partitions. It kept a coal of 2.80". 45.6gr of IMR4350. 10 feet from the muzzle, average velocity was 2529 fps. But let me say This is a max load, it is compressed, please work up to it, do not start there, PLEASE

Good luck and happy shooting!

 

16 1/2 inches has served me well in the last 20 odd years maybe more on my Encores. Absolutely no complaints from the customers.

 

Mm

It's always puzzled me why the heavy bullet for caliber guys give the 30 caliber's the pass, going by sectional densities{an accurate way to predict a bullets ability to penetrate} guys will swear up and down all day that all you need in a 30-06 is 165's for deer and 180's for elk, yet when asked about 7mm's and 6.5mm's the same bunch insists on shooting pencil length bullets.

.284 bullet sectional densities
120 213 to light for rifles but work great in pistol cartridges with there slower velocities
140 248
150 266
160 283
175 310

.308 bullet sectional densities
150 226 many a deer has been killed with 150 grain 30 caliber bullets
165 248 same as a 140 7mm bullet, my favorite weight in 7-08
180 271 in between a 150 and 160 7mm bullet, 180's been the go to bullet weight for elk hunters in this country for decades
200 301 this bullet has a slightly less sectional density than a 175 7mm bullet, when was the last time someone walked into a sporting goods store and asked for 200 grain bullets for there next deer hunt, that would be never friends.
210 316 I've never seen anyone hunting with this bullet
220 331 seen a few old guys years ago that would put these in when climbing through downed timber after elk

Here's a fun little video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQ5fkdN0tuI

 

I added an interesting youtube video to the bottom, thought some of you might enjoy it.

It's always puzzled me why the heavy bullet for caliber guys give the 30 caliber's the pass, going by sectional densities{an accurate way to predict a bullets ability to penetrate} guys will swear up and down all day that all you need in a 30-06 is 165's for deer and 180's for elk, yet when asked about 7mm's and 6.5mm's the same bunch insists on shooting pencil length bullets.

.284 bullet sectional densities
120 213 to light for rifles but work great in pistol cartridges with there slower velocities
140 248
150 266
160 283
175 310

.308 bullet sectional densities
150 226 many a deer has been killed with 150 grain 30 caliber bullets
165 248 same as a 140 7mm bullet, my favorite weight in 7-08
180 271 in between a 150 and 160 7mm bullet, 180's been the go to bullet weight for elk hunters in this country for decades
200 301 this bullet has a slightly less sectional density than a 175 7mm bullet, when was the last time someone walked into a sporting goods store and asked for 200 grain bullets for there next deer hunt, that would be never friends.
210 316 I've never seen anyone hunting with this bullet
220 331 seen a few old guys years ago that would put these in when climbing through downed timber after elk

Here's a fun little video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQ5fkdN0tuI

 

I always lean towards heavy, even in Pistols. My 300 WM was loaded with 200gr Partitions, and my 300 RUM was loaded with 210gr Berger VLDs. All I've ever hunted is small VA whitetail. I think it's just a personal preference thing. A 110gr in a 300 WM would flatten a deer just the same.

 

Wow, big cartridges for whitetails, what was the train of thought that led you down that path or did you just do it?

 

I used to post here a lot a long time ago, but I'm guessing it was before you joined. I've always had an Elmer Keith way of thinking, too much gun always beats the alternative. My varmint rifle was a 264 Win Mag, as it was the smallest rifle I owned. Those weren't my primary deer rifles, they spent most their lives on paper. My primary was (also my favorite cartridge) a 338 Win Mag loaded with 225gr Accubonds. But I guess you might say, "I just did it". I love shooting the big boomers.

My rifle list:
Remington 22-250 (briefly owned)
Ruger 264 WM
Ruger 7mm RM
Savage 7mm RM
Ruger 300 WM
Remington 300 RUM
Savage 325 WSM
Ruger 338 WM

My apologies to the OP for the hi-jack.

 

Rifle list

Sold the 22-250 cuz it didn't have the word magnum in it? JK.