New Deer Rifle..

I was a 30~06 guy for years till a buddy of mine let me shoot his 7mm~08 and I was hooked. Ballistics on it are very good also.

You have several choices rifle wise in your price range. Im a Remington fan with my Model 7 in 7mm~08 being my favorite but Ive bought 2 Axis and both were very good shooters. I bought the GF the Axis compact model in 7mm~08 and its shoots very well with the Hornady American whitetail loads @ $20 a box regular price.
 
"His preferred elephant rifle was a 7X57 firing 175 gr bullets at 2500 fps. He killed 1,100 with this combo."

OOPS! Bell's load was military 7x57 ammo shooting 173 to175 gr. bullets at 2300 FPS. His total elephant kill was 1,100 animals of which 800 were done in with the 7x57. He also used the .303Brtish and IIRC a 450/400 double rifle.

On the OP's request for info on the two cartridges, my choice would be the 7-08. I shoot the7x57 Mauser round and load it in the pressure range than equals the 7-08 in velocity. One of these years I really should buy a 7-08 but why? I do the same thing with the7x57. The 7-08 sighted in three inches high at 100 yards with a 140 gr. bullet will allow a center of chest hold on a whitetail deer out past the 250 yards the OP quoted.
Paul B.
 
I wont be buying Remington until they get this trigger issue fixed.. I really like the Savages. Ugliest gun on the market but ive owned 2 and they both shot excellent. Anybody ever handled a TC venture or a Weatherby Vanguard II
 
I've been out shooting my Ruger American today. Nice rifle for the money. Put the money you save on a better scope.
 
The .25-06 is a very fast 25 Caliber. The 7-08 is a very slow 284 Caliber. To me, they do not even seem like they would be in the same conversation with each other.
Of the two, I would prefer the .25-06. The Barnes bullets make it a lot more capable big game cartridge than it was prior to the arrival of the X.
I prefer the .270 Winchester to either of them. I prefer the .280 Remington to the 7-08.
 
+1 to what reynolds357 said.

A 130 gr .270 bullet is slightly faster than a 120 gr .25-06 and factory ammo is much more plentiful with the .270. Also a .270 will push a 140 gr bullet faster than a 139/140 gr 7mm-08.

I don't personally use the .270 but I must admit it is the ideal deer cartridge for the average hunter. It's flat shooting, recoil is tolerable, it has plenty of energy at any reasonable range 99% percent of hunters can shoot, and you can find ammo for it anywhere.

As for the rifle, it sounds like your looking in the entry level tier of boltguns. I would be very tempted to give the new Mossberg Patriot a try. Check them out and read some reviews. I really like the fact that they are offering a stainless/laminate version.

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I'd go with the 7-08, which Savage makes. Mine is a 260 Weather Warrior. Aluminum Bedded Accustock and Accutrigger. The most accurate rifle I've ever owned. 100gr Nosler Partitions into .339".
 
My stand-by

I have this rifle since the mid-80's:
270overview.jpg
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Model 70 (feather-weight) in .270 cal (with a 3X9 Burris Scope)

I this gun has taken deer from one coast to the other and a few places in between. By shots have been from nearly point-blank range to nearly 350 yards.

Here's two deer I took in AZ with it:
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Fixing Remington's trigger issue is a simple 10 minute fix. Buy the rifle, call Tmney and order a trigger set to the pull you want. Pull the stock, pop out the two pins, insert new trigger, drive pins back in and reinstall stock. You're done and have a great trigger on a rifle with tons of aftermarket parts.

Anyone that tells you the 7mm08 isn't a jam up deer round or that it's slow or under powered doesn't know what they are talking about. If you handload you can make it the equivalent to the .270/.280 as the .308 is to the 30'06.

I shoot a 150grn BT over 45.5grns of H4350 for 2700fps. I've taken DRT shots on deer to 350yds and regularly shoot to 500 with it. It's almost routine ringing the steel at that distance due to my gun's accuracy.

I have zero use for a .270, great cartride yes but a .280 has more options in bullet weights, I have a .280 that I don't shoot because the 7mm08 is more accurate, more fun to shoot and kills just as dead as the other two. If I'm stepping up from my 7mm08, I'm going to one of my 7mmRMs but honestly don't have any real need to do so for most instances on a whitetail.
 
tsreeves831 I have a weatherby vanguard S2 in 243 and it is surely a tack driver, the only thing about it is that its a bit heavy with the 24" barrel but I took it to SC and hunted out of tripods with it so the weight was not a issue. Its a very well built rifle and the synthetic stock is very sturdy, not plastic and it does have a adjustable trigger that breaks like glass right out of the box. I am sure a S2 in 7-08 would do you just fine. I own 2- 7-08's a Remington model 7 and a Ruger Hawkeye both of which shoot MOA but I have yet to get them to shoot as tight as my 243 Weatherby or 223 Tikka.
 
The 7-08 is a very slow 284 Caliber.
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:confused:

7-08 is pretty much "standard velocity" for high powered rifles..... it is to the .280 what the .308 is to the .30-06: smaller case, better suited to shorter barrels popular on modern hunting rifles ..... does not do as well with heavier bullet and slower powders, but in the deer weight bullets, it's every bit as effective, and more efficient in doing so, as the larger capacity cartridge.

There are some "very slow 284 Caliber" cartridges out there ..... 7-30 Waters comes to mind.....
 
As for the .25-06 .....it's an overbored "dragster"...... all the capacity of the .270-.280-.30-06, with a tiny bullet diameter ..... set 25-30 cents aside with each shot taken to finance a new barrel .....
 
Got to handle a TC Venture this weekend and I think that is the way Im leaning. LOVED IT. Its a little more than I wanted to spend after I put good optics on it, but I don't want to cheap out.
 
Got to handle a TC Venture this weekend and I think that is the way Im leaning. LOVED IT. Its a little more than I wanted to spend after I put good optics on it, but I don't want to cheap out.
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T/C Ventures don't seem to hold their value extremely well so you should be able to pick up a good used one in your price range. Have you checked Gunbroker?
 
If you don't plan on personalizing the gun to suit your preferences then you may be making a good choice. The Venture is available cheap on places like Armslist and GB because many have made the realization that they don't have a lot of options with the gun.

A word of advice, you're going to want to do things to your rifle after you buy it to make it "yours". Don't make the mistake of buying something that doesn't offer you that option or you'll have it back up for sale in short order, taking less than you paid for it. Savage and Remington are popular for a reason, everyone makes an aftermarket component for them.
 
I really have no desire to personalize the firearm. I just need this particular gun for my primary deer rifle. I have my recreational shooters that I can modify. Is Gunbroker.com legit? looks to be some great deals. Cant believe I haven't heard of it before.
 
Yes, the 7-08 is one of the slowest 7mm's available commercially.
7-30 Waters and 7x57 Mauser (When loaded to American Specs) are the only two that come to mind as being slower than the 7-08.
Faster ones.
.280 Remington
.280 AI (yes, it is commercially available)
7 SAUM
7WSM
7 Rem Mag
7 Wby Mag
7 STW (yes, it is commercially available)
7 Rum
28 Nosler

The 7-08 is definitely on the slow end of the Spectrum.

Saltydog, you can load the 7-08 to match the .280 factory ammo. You can load the .280 far past what you can make the 7-08 match. :D The .280 is quite anemic in its factory offerings. It has way more room for improvement with handloads than the 7-08 has.
 
you can load the 7-08 to match the .280 factory ammo. You can load the .280 far past what you can make the 7-08 match. The .280 is quite anemic in its factory offerings. It has way more room for improvement with handloads than the 7-08 has.
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As you can the 30'06 in comparison to the .308 but no one slams the .308. I doubt there is a deer out there that is concerned with whether or not the bullet has a 2800fps MV or a 2700fps MV or for that matter a 3200fps MV. Putting the bullet where it's supposed to be results in the same outcome, a dead animal. When you consider the distances 99% of hunters shoot on average, 200yds or less, the performance is negligible. To the shooter, that isn't necessarily so since recoil affects people differently.

Why not just step up to the venable 7mmRM, recoil isn't much more than the 30'06 but performance is much better.

I have all three chamberings, I've killed deer with all three chamberings plus the 7mmRM. All of those deer have died the same way, from a well placed shot but, the 7mm08 has accounted for a much larger number than anything else I own, next up would be a .243, then '06, 308, 7mmRM and the .280 & .270. You could add up the latter mentioned and it wouldn't equal 1/2 of the deer taken by the 7mm08 from my personal tally.

Velocity doesn't kill, accuracy and being comfortable shooting does. I bypass almost every rifle in my collection to pick up that turtle of a rifle.
 
Is Gunbroker.com legit?
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Sure it is. However, go into it with open eyes. Just like Ebay, there are guns being sold at auction and guns being sold for a flat price. There are new guns and there are used ones (in all flavors of condition).

To use it, you must be fully aware of the legalities of purchasing a firearm in your particular jurisdiction. For example, because of Kalifornia's really bad gun laws many Gunbroker sellers refuse to ship there at all. Other's charge a premium for shipping there.

You'll need to factor in both the shipping rate and the FFL transaction charge that your local dealer will charge you to handle the transaction. Know both of these before you bid. Also, it helps to contact your local FFL before buying so you know what his procedures are (and if he accepts deliveries from non-FFLs if you intend to purchase from an individual instead of a dealer).

I've purchased many firearms through Gunbroker and never had a bad experience. You'll find a few others on this forum who have had bad experiences -but I think those tend to be fairly rare.
 
QUOTEYes, the 7-08 is one of the slowest 7mm's available commercially.
7-30 ]Waters and 7x57 Mauser (When loaded to American Specs) are the only two that come to mind as being slower than the 7-08.
Faster ones.
.280 Remington
.280 AI (yes, it is commercially available)
7 SAUM
7WSM
7 Rem Mag
7 Wby Mag
7 STW (yes, it is commercially available)
7 Rum
28 Nosler
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You forgot .284WIN (Winchester still offers it as factory ammo..... ) :D

The 7mmTCU and 7mm IHMSA are available from small boutique shops for ridiculous prices ..... but they are available..... those could be considered "slow" 7mm's ......


That said, every one of the ones you mentioned, save the .280's (the 28 Nosler/7ShootsThroughWisconsin: those things ARE "magnum" in every sense of the word, even without the name!), has the term Magnum in their names somewhere ..... the 7-08 is can only be considered "slow" in very relative terms. It's faster than the standard .mil loadings of the 7.62x51 and .30-06 so it's pretty safe to call it a "standard velocity" round......
 
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