My brother just moved to idaho and of course the subject of elk hunting came up, I own and reload for 3 different 7-08's I practice quite often with each and use them for deer hunting, he says they are marginal for elk, that you need a magnum. I of course disagree and say that with the proper bullet and not over 300 yds and 200 yds more to my liking. opinions?
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7-08 for elk
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reynolds357
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Countless Elephants fell to the 7 Mauser.......Tell him thousands of elk were killed with bullets from 7 & 8mm Mauser, 30-30, 30-40, 300 Savage, 32 Special, 348 Win and 30-06 before magnums were available. And game animals are not killed with rifles nor cartridges.
CarJunkieLS1
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A 140 grain Barnes TTSX pushed as fast as it can go (assumes accuracy) will take any elk on this continent. 300 yards would be the limit for me though.
I'd hunt elk with a 7-08. As most everyone else has stated with good bullets it will kill them just as dead as any of the magnums. The max range is the point where impact speeds are too slow for the bullet to expand. And that is easily 300 yards, probably closer to 400 depending on the exact bullet.
The magnums don't kill any deader. They just extend the range farther before impact speeds become too slow for reliable expansion. And modern aerodynamic bullets have extended that range quite a bit even with moderate cartridges like the 7-08.
Most people don't have the skills to hit game animals beyond 300-400 yards anyway. My personal comfort zone is 400 and then only in a dead calm wind in perfect conditions.
My 308 will do that, so will a 7-08. I've had 7mm and 30 caliber magnums in the past. When honesty forced me to admit I couldn't hit anything at 500-700 yards I determined that I didn't need them.
The magnums don't kill any deader. They just extend the range farther before impact speeds become too slow for reliable expansion. And modern aerodynamic bullets have extended that range quite a bit even with moderate cartridges like the 7-08.
Most people don't have the skills to hit game animals beyond 300-400 yards anyway. My personal comfort zone is 400 and then only in a dead calm wind in perfect conditions.
My 308 will do that, so will a 7-08. I've had 7mm and 30 caliber magnums in the past. When honesty forced me to admit I couldn't hit anything at 500-700 yards I determined that I didn't need them.
I'm a pretty big fan of 7-08, actually I'm a huge fan and I wouldn't choose 7-08 as my elk cartridge. Elk don't stand around at least on public land and let you choose that perfect broadside shot at 250yds like deer and antelope often do. If they do where you hunt than by all means use a 7-08, if they don't get something bigger, something you can reach the vitals with at almost any angle and hopefully get an exit wound that will bleed like h*ll.
My elk rifle is what I would describe as "minimum" a 7 short mag throwing 140 accubonds out at 3150fps, 350fps over a 7-08 doesn't improve the trajectory{35yds} as much as you would believe but it really helps with penetration and wound channel size. I don't need one of those textbook broadside shots to kill an elk, btw I've been hunting elk for 30 years on public land have never seen them stand around for more than a couple of seconds.
If all your hunting is on private ranches with a guide use whatever you want but make sure your guide is good with the choice.
My elk rifle is what I would describe as "minimum" a 7 short mag throwing 140 accubonds out at 3150fps, 350fps over a 7-08 doesn't improve the trajectory{35yds} as much as you would believe but it really helps with penetration and wound channel size. I don't need one of those textbook broadside shots to kill an elk, btw I've been hunting elk for 30 years on public land have never seen them stand around for more than a couple of seconds.
If all your hunting is on private ranches with a guide use whatever you want but make sure your guide is good with the choice.
Jack O'Conner
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My Grandad (1889-1973) hunted elk in Wyoming and Idaho with his iron sighted leverguns. His favorite rifle was a 95 Winchester in 30-40 Krag. But he also hunted with a 300 Savage fitted with a tang sight. Grandad always told me,"If you can get closer, do so, and wait for a good shot into the chest."
My elk rifle is a Savage 99 in .308 and I've used it to hunt within the Bear Lodge Mts. of Wyoming. It is a very good rifle that hits where I aim it. My longest shot was about 225 yards.
7mm-08 is a fine cartridge for big game. I recommend shooting your rifle from makeshift field positions as much as you can before your hunt. Plan to fire the second shot quickly but accurately. I always shoot an elk twice because they never topple over with just one shot.
Good hunting to you.
Jack
My elk rifle is a Savage 99 in .308 and I've used it to hunt within the Bear Lodge Mts. of Wyoming. It is a very good rifle that hits where I aim it. My longest shot was about 225 yards.
7mm-08 is a fine cartridge for big game. I recommend shooting your rifle from makeshift field positions as much as you can before your hunt. Plan to fire the second shot quickly but accurately. I always shoot an elk twice because they never topple over with just one shot.
Good hunting to you.
Jack
The 7/08 packs a good punch. I was shooting steel at 500 yards with mine, shooting Berger 168 grain bullets. The range guy started yelling at me "NO MAGNUMS", I was really rocking those plates. The 140 grain no name brand bullets were shooting to almost exactly the same point of impact at 500.
No doubt that the 7-08 is an excellent cartridge, I've worn out the barrels on two of them shooting highpower silhouette. The 168gr matchking is probably the smallest bullet used in that game that is guaranteed 100% to topple the ram target at 547yds. 6.5 140's are a close second but are probably 95%.
My wife and kid and I have killed deer and antelope with 7-08's since 1996, 50+ animals, lost one animal ever and it was a bad shot.
I still think it's light for elk especially bull elk on public land.
I saw a survey recently on cartridges used for elk hunting, the top 3 were 30-06-7mm rem mag and 300 win mag, that should tell you something.
My wife and kid and I have killed deer and antelope with 7-08's since 1996, 50+ animals, lost one animal ever and it was a bad shot.
I still think it's light for elk especially bull elk on public land.
I saw a survey recently on cartridges used for elk hunting, the top 3 were 30-06-7mm rem mag and 300 win mag, that should tell you something.
Where you hunt makes a huge difference in the choice of cartridges, if your hunting on public land with nasty near vertical canyons at 10,000ft above sea level where trying to recover an elk that ran 300yds down into a blowdown or ran over the top of a ridge into the next drainage before dying use the biggest gun you can shoot accurately. I spent plenty of time in elk camps with my father and his uncles as a teenager recovering elk shot with inadequate calibers helping them pack them out of just such places. I'd much rather hunt with my brother or cousins that all carry 7mags and 300 weatherbys that drop them within shouting distance.My buddy has killed elk with the 7-08 120 gr TTSX bullets in his Ruger laminate compact rifle. I don't think he has once felt he was under gunned, or the 7-08 was marginal.
Where I hunt in the foothills it probably wouldn't matter what I use because while it's pretty thick brush a truck or atv can get within a 100yds easily for recovery and it's all private land. I still like 7mags because even here it's unusual to get perfect broadside shots, they come out of the trees or brush for a second then run back in when called.
https://www.fieldandstream.com/12-best-rifle-cartridges-for-elk-hunting/
ligonierbill
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Here is a quick comparison for you. I shot my first elk at long range (400 yd) with a 7 Mag. That's about my maximum, no matter what I'm shooting. I would rather be within 300, and so would most hunters.
I shoot a 160 Accubond at a bit over 3,000. At 400, it should be going 2,343 and dropping 18" on a 200 zero. Fire the same bullet from a 7mm-08 at 2,750, and you will get the same numbers at 250. At 400, it's still over 2,000 fps, enough to expand the Accubond. More drop, of course. So, your 7mm-08 is fine, that is unless a 7 Mag is inadequate! Good hunting.
I shoot a 160 Accubond at a bit over 3,000. At 400, it should be going 2,343 and dropping 18" on a 200 zero. Fire the same bullet from a 7mm-08 at 2,750, and you will get the same numbers at 250. At 400, it's still over 2,000 fps, enough to expand the Accubond. More drop, of course. So, your 7mm-08 is fine, that is unless a 7 Mag is inadequate! Good hunting.
It's not about the trajectory, it's about the energy on target and the resulting damage done inside the animal, you want them to go down quickly.
Bullets with good high ballistic coefficients like accubonds shed velocity at about 100fps per 100yds, regardless of bullet weight the 7mm magnums are generally 300-400fps faster out the end of the barrel than a 7-08.
So expect an elk that's shot at 300yds with a 7mag{any flavor} to have the same reaction as one shot at 600-700yds with 7-08. Will a 7-08 kill elk, no doubt but unless they're hit in the spine or front shoulder it's very likely they'll run for quite a ways before succumbing to the hit. Unlike archery shots where elk aren't spooked by the blast of a rifle and lay down right away they could easily run more than anyone wants to follow especially if they're in a herd which is the case more often than not.
Bullets with good high ballistic coefficients like accubonds shed velocity at about 100fps per 100yds, regardless of bullet weight the 7mm magnums are generally 300-400fps faster out the end of the barrel than a 7-08.
So expect an elk that's shot at 300yds with a 7mag{any flavor} to have the same reaction as one shot at 600-700yds with 7-08. Will a 7-08 kill elk, no doubt but unless they're hit in the spine or front shoulder it's very likely they'll run for quite a ways before succumbing to the hit. Unlike archery shots where elk aren't spooked by the blast of a rifle and lay down right away they could easily run more than anyone wants to follow especially if they're in a herd which is the case more often than not.
I'd like to see the 7-08 that will shoot a 160 at 2750fps from a normal length 22" or 24" barrel. I have four 7-08's currently, three with 24" barrels, none of them will shoot an 160 over 2650fps. Even running loads hot I can barely coax 2800 from a 140gr. or 2600 from a 168 matchking.Here is a quick comparison for you. I shot my first elk at long range (400 yd) with a 7 Mag. That's about my maximum, no matter what I'm shooting. I would rather be within 300, and so would most hunters.
I shoot a 160 Accubond at a bit over 3,000. At 400, it should be going 2,343 and dropping 18" on a 200 zero. Fire the same bullet from a 7mm-08 at 2,750, and you will get the same numbers at 250. At 400, it's still over 2,000 fps, enough to expand the Accubond. More drop, of course. So, your 7mm-08 is fine, that is unless a 7 Mag is inadequate! Good hunting.
ligonierbill
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OK, we'll start the Accubond at 2,650. Now we match the 7 Mag 400 yard velocity at 190. And at 400, my bullet is still going over 2,000 fps. Kind of at the edge for good expansion, but should not be a problem at 250-300. If the OP were buying a new rifle to hunt elk, I would not recommend the 7mm-08. If he's going once to hunt with his buddy, I say take it with confidence.
Personally given the choice of rifle hunting or archery hunting on public land I'll archery hunt every time, there are way to many yahoo's in the mountains during rifle season road hunting, drinking to the point of inebriation and using their scopes as binoculars with loaded guns looking at me. On private land I just like to hunt, if it's possible to archery hunt with a good chance for success I'm in if not drag out the cannons have at it.
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