7mm-08 questions (compared to .243 and .308 for small and medium game)

J

jdthaddeus

New member
I am getting a stainless steel Steyr Prohunter Compact (like the Mountain Rifle but with additional open sights) and I found an outstanding price that I just can't pass up but my caliber choices are limited to .243, .260 or 7mm-08.
I like power and I am not recoil shy so that is why I opted for the largest caliber offered. I would prefer even a .308 or larger. But if I buy the .308 it costs me over $200 more for that caliber!

I will be hunting in Arizona mostly. I am mainly hunting pig and javalina, Mule Deer and occasionally mountain lion, and probably a fair number of coyotes just to thin out their numbers because there are WAY too many around my parts (so in other words, I don't really care if I blow the coyote to pieces, I just want to kill them quickly).
Sounds to me from the above that I basically need cartridge small enough for pig and javalina, coyote and the like, but enough to take an occasional Mule Deer.

I am thinking that the 7mm-08 would be an outstanding cartridge for the larger game, but I am bothered by the fact that as I look around it seems to only be offered in very a limited bullet weight range and mainly only one bullet weight (140gr). That should do well for Mule Deer I think, but I sure would like something lighter for coyote, javalina and other smaller game.
Does anyone offer a really light load for the 7mm-08, that would be good for game teh size of javalina and coyote?

I am tempted by the .243 because it has such a variety of loads and is so popular, but I don't think it is enough bullet for Mule deer or to anchor a mountain lion from any distance.

How come the 7mm-08 does not come in more varieties? Is it an unpopular cartridge? I do not want to buy a new gun for an unpopular round, because this will be my only hunting rifle for a while and I don't want to have trouble finding ammo.

The 7mm-08 looks like a great round, with some possible advantages over the .308 such as more sectional density, flatter shooting, and plenty powerful with a little less recoil. But, it does not seem too popular. Is it fading in popularity? Has it been around a long time and holding strong, or is it a fad cartridge?

Also, does anyone know of any websites that give a history and info for the 7mm-08?

Thanks in advance for the information.




[Edited by jdthaddeus on 03-12-2001 at 06:08 PM]
 
And why not 260 Rem?

At similar bullet weight, i.e. 140gr, the 260 has a better BC, IIRC shoots flatter than the 7-08 and is commercially available in 125 and 140gr loads.

AFAIK, 260 would give waaay enough uumph for the kind of hunting you plan on doing.

But if you are dead set about 7-08, just forget everything I just said and go be happy with it!

Just my 0.02 :)
 
Why not 260, you ask?

Well, he did say,
I found an outstanding price that I just can't pass up but my caliber choices are limited to .243, .260 or 7mm-08
Click to expand...

Read twice. Post once.

BTW, Tom Gresham of http://www.guntalk.com says that the 7mm is the best over-all hunting cartridge for North American game (FWIW).

Rick
 
I don't know anything about the .260 although seems like a might be a good compromise, but it seems to be very unpopular. I mean, many places I go to don't even carry it. I kinda wanted something that I could go to Wally World and buy a box, and I don't see it there.
In fact, of the choices, the most popular and readily available seems to be the .243? Correct me if I am wrong.
 
.243 by far the easiest to get ammo for.

7mm08 has a steady and very loyal following. Seems to be gaining in popularity as time goes by. I see it regularly stocked at Walmart now.

260 Remington is a 6.5mm -- 6.5s have not been popular in the USA -- overshadowed by the 7mms I think. Personally, my next rifle will most likely be chambered in 260 Remington. The 260's virtues are admirable: awesome sectional sensity in the 140 grain load, low recoil, more than capable to kill deer out to 300 yards if you do your part. The modern day equivalent of the 6.5x55 Swede -- which has a small, almost cult-like following in the USA. I love my 6.5x55 and am looking forward to the 260 Remington for the short action.

Factory ammo for the 260 won't be found at your remote mom and pop stores. Haven't seen it at Walmart or Kmart either. You either reload or order it from your favorite gunshop or on line at a place like cheaperthandirt.com
 
if you shoot allot you will save big money with the .308 in the long run over the $200 you are having to shell out on the front end.if one or two boxes of ammo holds you for 4 or 5 years then I think the answer is simple,get the 708.

There is not enough difference between the 708 and the 308 to amount to a hill of beans, the fact is clear that there is a much wider availability of .308 ammo in different weights, bullet type and price to make the .308 my choice.

The 243 has its place in the rifle rack and is a outstanding cartridge. if you go with the .243 you might want to consider taking the $200 savings and getting a larger 30-06 or 270 for the bigger game like the muleys and elk.

I think of rifles as golf clubs.i can play all 18 holes with a 3 iron but I sure play better when I have a choice.
 
I like the logic in that last post. I will take the saved money and buy a 30-06. Then I will have the .243 to cover all the smaller game that I hunt a lot like javalina, coyote, small cats and varmint, and I will have the 30-06 for big cats and large deer on up.

Regarding ammo cost, the .243 does pretty well in that area. A box of hunting rounds at Wally World is under $10. That likely means I can practice with the same exact rounds that I hunt with.

One question not answered yet: the .243 is known to take Whitetail very well, but will a .243 do well against a Mule deer?

[Edited by jdthaddeus on 03-12-2001 at 09:22 PM]
 
btw the reason styer is closing out the .243 and the 7 08 is because they are slow sellers.

my thoughts exactly.
 
Can't go wrong with a two gun battery composed of a .243 and a 30-06. The problem is you will start to read, and compare notes, and look for the little nuances that make different calibers "special". And then you will start to think that, "Hey the 30-06 is great, but it really is overkill on deer. But that 260... or that 7mm08... now they are just perfect!" Before you know it you will be preparing a space for the 7mm08 beside the 243 and the 30-06...

:)
 
at the gunsite masters class i took in february there was a instructor there by the name of john gannaway.jeff cooper gives him credit as one of the best 4 riflemen in the world.

he hunts everything with a 243 including african plains animals but is a very good shot and ballastic expert.he knows his guns and his ammo and knows where to place his shots.

with the right bullet i would agree with his choice but the 243 does not give you much margin for error like the 270 and 30-06 calibers do.....
 
dogger,are we related:):):):)

maybe but not with the 260 remark.i really cant see the need for it but it is a great cartridge.
 
if i could only have one gun it would be the 30-06.

you can down load it with factory bullets all the way down to a 125 gr(close to a 708 or 270).

i can also load it up with some 180 gr noslers and hunt anything on the planet...(within reason)

thank god i dont have to live with one rifle.
 
Steyr is discontinuing the .260 but I had not heard anything of them discontinuing the 7-08 or the 243?

The place I am buying from had a big selection, but the .308's all got bought out and the other calibers I listed are all that is left in that model. Oh yeah, they do have the 6.5x55 but it seems like such an obscure cartridge I had not considered it.
 
jdthaddeus: I just checked the Sierra site for 7mm bullets. They have a 100-grain varmint bullet; I'd guess it could be loaded to around 3,400 ft/sec.

For deer, the 140-grain or 150-grain oughta work just fine. Just a bit shorter ranging than a 7mm Mag, is all.

If the majority of your shooting is at the small stuff, I'd suggest going with the .243, now; and find a good used '06 at a gunshow.

If you don't already handload, buddy up to someone who does, for a while. Learn the ropes and be helpful and companionable to "earn your keep". That way, if you want, you'll already know what equipment to get, and the least costly ways to do it.

$0.02, Art
 
RickD,
I guess same applies to you, read twice, post once...

Nowhere in his posting, besides caliber selection available, jd mentions 260.

His viable options, as it can be understood, were 7-08 and 243.

No flames, just common sense...

:)
 
I've owned and hunted deer with both .243 and 7mm08 and was completely satisfied with both calibers - for that purpose. I've not shot the .260, but ballistically speaking, it just falls in between the other two.
Given a choice though, I would buy the 7mm08 for one reason - you have the option for greater bullet weight. If you pick up a black bear tag or get the bug to go off on a caribou hunt or something, the 7mm08 will give you enough added weight to be a reasonable choice while the other two won't.

These are all great deer calibers, but the larger bore gives you more options.
 
sorry,Steyr is only dicontinue the 260 but are closing out (i guess due to over stock) the 243 708.

i have been a dedicated remington fan for years and custom make my own.i have had problems with the steyr action being sluggish on certain brass and lite primer strikes on cheap ammo with hard primers but have not found one yet that wont shoot good.

i have the .308 scout and the 30-06 pro hunter.the .308 is a bit more ammo sensitive but shoots 165 gr trophy bonded at just under a inch.the 30-06 so far has shot everything i have put in it undder a inch.this is truely remarkable performance from a factory rifle.

my buddy who is a sniper with the tac team just got a heavy barrel steyr and i got to shoot it this weekend.with 168 gr federal match it shot a true 1/2 inch group center to center.WOW!!!
 
Keith raises a valid point with the heavier bullet options for the 7mm08. But I have always heard (never done it) that a properly constructed bullet with high sectional density, traveling between 2200-2600 fps on impact, is all you need to harvest any non-dangerous game, provided the hunter does his part -- put the bullet in the heart/lungs. That said, a good hunter with a 260 Remington shooting a 140 grain premium bullet should do the deed as well as a hunter with a 7mm-08. You just can't do it as far away as you can with a 270/280/30-06 or magnum caliber. Just my 2 cents, but it has helped me lose my fascination with blinding velocity and energy figures and focus more on careful load selection and shot placement with a light recoiling rifle for all my eastern hunting... that and more emphasis on woodsmanship and stalking.
 
I am a big fan of the 7mm-08. With todays choices of bullets. If you reload 7mm has a big edge on choices.Last week I noticed even Wal-Mart is carring 7-08 ammo now. My $.02

Best Regards
Sam
 
Go with the 7mm-08. There are many more factory loadings for it than you think. Remington has 140 and 125 gr. loads, Winchester Ballistic Silvertips are awesome in 140, Hornaday even makes a high velocity load. Plus if you handload, your bullet range extends from about 110 to 158.

I've found my 7mm-08 to be very accurate, nice on the shoulder, and very effective. Some people say that 7mm-08 is more accurate than .308.

I don't think you'd be disappointed in the least.
 
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