[bulletmaker]

Never tried this cal.and was wondering if it is a good one for deer
and what bullet most of you that have used it are finding to be
a good one...I am looking at one of the new Stevens rifles in this cal.
Does Savage make this rifle?? If so do they use the same trigger in
both rifle? Thanks,John

 

[Rubberduck]

The 7mm-08 falls somewhere between the 308 and 243. Its very capable of taking deer sized game and offers mild power with even milder recoil. Look into a Remington Model 7 in 7mm-08. They are smaller than the Remington 700s but are still as tough as nails.

 

[Tang]

The 7mm-08 falls somewhere between the 308 and 243. Its very capable of taking deer sized game and offers mild power with even milder recoil. Look into a Remington Model 7 in 7mm-08. They are smaller than the Remington 700s but are still as tough as nails.

I agree 110% ! The 7mm-08 is a fantastic cartridge ! Consider it a modern, slightly more powerful 7x57. With a 140gr Nosler Accubond or Partition, it can take any size deer out to 300+ yards with ease. I'd take it over a .25-06 or .270 Win any day of the week. No questions asked, its a far better cartridge, and more efficient.

Here is some data from the 6th edition Nosler Manual

140gr @ 2953fps with a 26" barrel

150gr @ 2869fps

For Elk

160gr @ 2780fps

Most 7mm-08's have shorter barrels, and that makes for a great carry/hiking rifle. Velocitys will be a little lower than the ones I listed. With a 20" barrel, you can expect around 2700fps with a 140gr bullet.

Accuracy is great in any that I have seen.

I would go with the Remington Model Seven CDL with its 20" barrel

Or the Ruger Hawkeye Compact with a 16.5" barrel

But the Stevens you asked about, is a Savage. Savage builds them, its just a Savage model 110 style action without an Accutrigger. So you can expect Savage accuracy with them, and they are a bargain for the price !! I say choose your flavor of rifle and dont look back.

 

[hillestadj]

I'd take it over a .25-06 or .270 Win any day of the week. No questions asked, its a far better cartridge, and more efficient.


Accuracy is great in any that I have seen. So please, don't let anyone talk you into a .30-06 or any of it's offspring.

Tang,
Not to take anything from the 7mm08 as it is a fine cartridge, BUT, I'd like to know what criteria make it a far better cartridge than a .270 or .25-06? Aside from your own illogical disdain for the 06 that is... Also, you'll have to forgive me if I dont buy efficiency being the major selling point from a guy that wont touch something unless it has MAGNUM ( or now ULTRA MAGNUM) stamped on the barrel.

To the OP,
Im not here to talk you into buying anything as its your money. The 7mm08 will do everything you need it to most likely. But a .270, a .25-06, or about 20 other cartridges will do it too. All I'll say about it is dont let someone else talk you out of considering something else because they like to sh*t all over the case its based off of.

 

[Tang]

Im editing, sorry for the hijack.

 

[hillestadj]

I’ve not argued that the 7mm08 is not efficient. It most certainly is. I can read and quote a reloading manual or other resources just as well as you. I simply stated that coming from someone who has a history of touting magnums as the be all end all in the cartridge world that any importance placed on the comparison between the efficiency of an ’06 based cartridge vs. a .308 based cartridge should be taken with several grains of salt.
Im also still waiting on an answer as to how the 7mm08 is “no questions asked, a better cartridge”.

 

[Tang]

Ten Char...

 

[nimrod375]

Popular variations on the .308 case include, in ascending order, the .243 Win, .260, Rem, 7mm-08, and .358 Win. I think the .338 Federal might fall in there too now but I'm not familiar with the cartridge.

I wouldn't go out on a limb and say that these cartridges are better than those built on a '06 case, because a 6.5/06, .280 rem and .35 Whelen are awesome cartridges, but in my opinion with the exception of the .243, they are probably more versatile hunting cartridges than their parent the .308.

I would call the .260 Remington the best of the bunch, with a wide range of projectile choices from 85 to 160gns, which will handle everything from varmints to big game.

The 7mm-08 is a slight step up in bullet diameter and therefore weight, with pills from about 100gn to about 175 being available. A 140gn bullet is fairly standard in 7mm cartridges for deer hunting etc, and they seem to work well. You couldn't really go wrong with the 7-08, which basically duplicates the performance of the classic 7x57 mauser. Tang's suggestion to go with a model 7CDL is also a good one; I have one and they are a joy to carry and shoot.

I nearly bought a 7mm-08 but went for the .260 instead. To me it is the pick of all the .308 based cartridges.

 

[hillestadj]

My intent was also not to hijack the thread either, so my apologies to the OP in that regard. I’ll leave the post after this. <O</O

I guess if we are going to measure firearms knowledge based on something as trivial as the number of posts one has I’ll admit to being a novice and submit that we should all bow to Tang and his wealth of information (2419 posts and every one of them indispensible to be sure). I guess in the time I have been here I’ve chosen to keep my mouth shut while others choose to run theirs. It really would be silly for anyone to take any advice from someone such as myself who does own (or has owned) rifles chambered in .260 Rem, 7mm08, .308, .25-06, .270, ,30-06, and .35 Whelen. ESPECIALLY when someone who owns/shoots a 7mm Rem Mag, .300 Win Mag, .338 Win mag, and a .300 RUM is here to tell you everything you need to know about anything based off a .308 or .30-06 case!<O</O

Tang, I trust you know how to use the PM if anything further needs to be said.

 

[bulletmaker]

WOW---Sorry to start a argument about this....In fact some of your replys are the reason I am going to go this route...Yes,I have decided I will go ahead and get the rifle....This way I can use my .243 brass to make cases and save some money there as well......And for what it may be worth,I have always been a 30 cal fan myself as at one time they had a larger supply of different bullets...To each his own...So Tomorrow I will have a new rifle in hand and a set of reloading dies on the way..Thanks to all who replied.....Have a great holiday...God be with you all...John

 

[broom_jm]

Wow...way to answer a guy's question!

Bulletmaker,

Like 50 other cartridges out there, it is hard to find any fault with the 7mm/08. It IS a very efficient cartridge and has few limitations. If your plan is to use it for deer hunting keep some other excuses handy because this round won't be the reason you didn't harvest a deer! You can buy cartridges capable of more, or less, velocity while shooting 7mm bullets. You can also buy cartridges which shoot slightly smaller, or larger, bullets. Not surprisingly, they will all kill deer pretty much exactly the same.

I have never understood the merits of "efficiency" arguments because the same guy usually drives a full-size pickup around all day, instead of a 4 cylinder econobox. If one gun's cartridge is better than another because it will kill a deer with 6 grains less powder, the distinction is lost on me and completely irrelevant to the deer in question. The important thing is to enjoy what you shoot and have confidence in it. If that's a 32 Winchester Special at 50 yards in heavy woods or a 30-378 shooting 600 yards across a canyon at an elk...then that is certainly the gun for you!

 

[BrentAric]

Two close friends use Winchester Model 70 Featherweights in 7mm-08 and have had incredible success with this combination. One shot a truly staggering buck with his in Michigan's Upper Peninsula and had a nice one shot kill.

Another friend uses it in a Cooper rifle that is freakishly accurate. All three love the caliber's accuracy, lethality and mild recoil.

Brent

 

[Saskshooter]

I appoligize to the original poster. I didn't come here to get in a pissing match with someone over a .30-06 fetish. hille has been here 2 years and only has a little over 100 posts. Not a very good contributor to the forum (0.15 posts per day) if you ask me, and I hope the OP disregards any advice from such a person.

Ad hominem arguments are always irrelevant and indicate someone has exhausted all real argument and logic. This is a new low.

The 7mm-08 is a fine deer cartridge. There are many, including anything built on the -06 case. I don't think the 7mm-08 has anything special over several others, but it is perfectly capable of anything the OP says he wants to do with it.

 

[UTGrad]

Is the 7mm 08 a good long range caliber?

 

[broom_jm]

Is the 7mm 08 a good long range caliber?

I consider any gun bigger than .223, that shoots a mid-weight bullet (for caliber) out to a MPBR in excess of 250 yards, as a long range cartridge.. As such, yes, the 7mm/08 is a long range cartridge. In an informal survey I conducted of hunters from this forum, 51 big game animals were harvested and, of those, only 3 were taken at more than 250 yards. The longest range an animal was killed at was 325 yards and that was with a 308Win. and a 150gr bullet. The 7mm/08 and 140gr bullet has (predictably) almost identical ballistics, as compared to the 308, so with the proper hold over or scope adjustment, it too could cleanly harvest game out to 350 or perhaps 400 yards.

 

[bulletmaker]

I appreciate all of your replys about the 7mm08.....I was a little skeptical about it at first,not know that much about the Stevens rifles..But after doing some research on the web.And know what I do about Savage rifles,I decided I am going to get this rifle...I have always been a fan of Savage rifles for a long time..I have won several matchs with them in the 22-250 cal...So I know what They are capable of doing as long as I do my part...I do not plan on any really long range shooting of deer with it..Maybe 300 yards will be the longest...But that is doubtful . And being here in North East Pa...I may never shoot a deer..I hunted for 2 days this year and never seen a freaking deer....Heard several reports of the same thing...So anyway, by the time the next season arrives I will have this rifle sighted and ready to go.....Even if I am just taking it for a walk..And that was another thing I liked about it.It's nice and light...Thanks again and if there are more comments I would like to hear them...Maybe such as what powder some of you have been using in your own 7mm08....John

 

[kdub]

Didn't realize how quickly this thread could produce such animosity. Everyone is passionate about their favorite cartridges, but there's no need to flame someone over how many posts or how long they've been a member.

Remember folks - the primary rule of the board is to be considerate of the postings of others. Best way to get a thread closed is to ignore this rule.

 

[Jim H]

i had a hankerin for a 7-08 for a while and this year i just got 2 of them. one in a Browning A-Bolt Micro Hunter and the other in a Savage Striker just a month ago. i haven't spilled any blood yet with either but that will happen next year. range time though has been a real pleasure so far. i've come to like the seemily inherant accuracy i tend to get with the 7mm bullets, as well as the broad selection of bullet wt and type. over the years i have owned or own 7mm rem mag, 280 rem and now the 7-08. i also like and shoot the .243 win. the next chambering i plan on persueing down the road will be a lever action in either a 35 cal or .338 flavor to round things out but i don't know why.

 

[UTGrad]

I just checked out Winchester's ballistics software and the 7mm 08 and the .308 were very similar.

 

[MikeG]

Yup. As are nearly every single other modern, bottleneck cartridge using spitzer bullets (at least in regards to trajectory). They all work, properly applied.