Who likes the 7mm-08....

T

TRguy

New member
Who likes the 7mm-08....

I definitely have enjoyed the round.

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When the U.S. Military looked to replace the venerable 30-06 in its battle-rifles and machine guns, it came up with the 7.62×51 NATO, aka .308 Winchester in civilian guise. The .308 Win is a great cartridge, but, in some respects, the 7mm-08 is better. The 7mm-08 is a necked-down version of the .308 Win. With the exception of neck diameter, the 7mm-08 is virtually the same dimensionally. But when you compare heavy bullets, grain for grain, the 7mm-08 offers better ballistics. In other words a 168-grainer fired from a 7mm-08 will exhibit less drop and less windage than a 168gr bullet fired from a .308 Win. The 7mm-08 enjoys most of the advantages of the .308 (inherent accuracy, long barrel life, excellent terminal performance) while offering better ballistics grain for grain.

http://www.accurateshooter.com/cartridge-guides/7mm/#7mm08
 
Don't even own one and yet may be my favorite. I've shot a friend's a fair amount. It truly is a "short .270"--".270 (.280) Lite" if you will, with virtually same ballistics/effectiveness out to 300 or so--or most hunting distances. I'm a .270 guy and have shot them for 40+ years, and will continue to shoot that great round (have.Win 70 that's a tack driver), but my next purchase I believe will be a 7mm-08 Win Featherweight just because--ultimate "mountain rifle" combo! May be the best and most under-rated all 'rounder out there.
 
I bought a Sako 75 in the chambering and fell in love with the thing. I recently assembled what I feel is an awesome rilfe (Remington 700SPS Varmint with 26" Barrell) in the round for my deer hunting that I can carry in our swamps, bogs, woods and haul up into a tree stand. I've never thought that factory ammo offered enough variety for this little cartridge but handloading makes it really shine for me. I load 45.5 grains of H4350 and push a 150grn Nosler BT to a modest 2700ps. The accuracy is superb and the attributes of the .243 and 308 are meshed into one.

IMO, there is no better round for all around southern whitetail hunting. Right now I have the Sako, the 700 and a Browning BLR chambered in 7mm08. I'm sold on it and will continue to be for a long time.
 
I have a TC Venture in 7mm-08. I originally bought the same rifle in .308 but had issues with it (long story) so the store agreed to take it back and give me the 7mm-08 instead.

It is a great rifle. I like it a lot. Everything said about the 7mm-08 seems to be true.

But several months after I got that rifle I picked up a Mossberg 100ATR 30-06 . I'm racking my memory and I don't believe I've taken the 7mm-08 to the range since I got the 30-06. I'm fascinated by the versatility of the 06 and I've been trying it out with as many different factory rounds as I can get my hands on. It has ALMOST convinced me to buy a reloading setup.

I am intending to trade/sell the TC 7mm-08 in as part of the acquisition of a Glock 21 I've had my eye on. For me, a non-reloader and only occasional hunter the 30-06 can cover the whole gamut from varmints to whatever, and 30-06 factory ammo is cheaper.

7mm-08 is nice and versatile. But 30-06 is more so, to me.
 
Twern't for the ubiquitous .30 hanging around for so long (for proven/good but also historical momentum reasons), the 7mm-08 just might make for an even better "battle rifle" round. Would seem to make for an excellent M14/M1A and other NATO formats, and light machine gun vs its .308 "father." (Not trying to start a "what should our battle rifle be" war here -- just sayin' :) ) I've also shot a friend's 7-30 Waters Win 94 quite a bit. Great round and just makes for a "better .30-30" in many instances. Same (exact) relationship.
 
I like the .284 bullet, but in particular no i'm not a huge fan of 7mm-08 because i can't drive the 180gr-195gr bullets fast enough. When i want a 7mm it's going to be between a .284 win, 7SAUM, 7WSM, or maybe even the 7RM.

.260 on the other hand is a more favorable SA cartridge IMO because you launch the high BC 140gr at 2800 easy. Something you don't see as often with the 168gr or 180gr in a 7mm-08.
 
Keg wrote - TRfella..I did'nt think that the 7-08 could handle heavier bullets like the 308?
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While I typically reload 140gr and 150gr, they do make 168 gr 7mm that will match the .308 on weight of course but with a better Bullet Coefficient.
 
I guess I'm starting to adhere to the whole KISS rule. I'm not belittling the round at all but if I want something small I go with 223 or 22-250, if I want a midgrade round I go for 243 or 30-30 and if I want something heavier I go with a 30 cal of some nature... nothing wrong with a 7mm-08 but there's nothing it can do that a 308 or 7mm rem mag can't and anything that's overkill for those rounds can be handled by a 243 or 257.


I have no idea where I was going with that but that jumbled mess of sentences is my thoughts on the matter.
 
I realize some of us are touting the 7mm-08 as a close-to-perfect do all, and I think it is, but I'm not so sure it should be made into being something it's not with perhaps too much of the bullet weight comparisons. Isn't this another "it is what it is" situation? And what it is is a great round by itself--with still a decent bullet selection. Mine wouldn't be trying to push a 180 (and perhaps not the OP's 168, but I'm not expert in the 7mm) out of the '08. Yes, I would think that other configurations and calibers *would* (as in should) handle heavier bullets better. It's my understanding the 7mm-08 excels in the 140 in particular, at least historically. Just like the .270's 130 is the one that put it on the map (and still excels), though 150 is still a decent performer in elk, and with the .308 I automatically think 150 for most applications. If I want to drive 180 in a hunt, I'm probably (ideally) going skip the .308 and tote a .30-06. That's what I'd get--among these--as a "discrete" purchase for an elk hunt if I didn't have anything.
 
uhhh.....yeah i like the 7mm/08. excellent accuracy, moderate recoil, reasonable price ammo, good for anything in the lower 48, good choice of rifles, shoots flater than the 308, less recoil than a 7mm mag. what's not to like?
 
I'm not a fan of any 7mm cartridges, I like them on paper but have as yet to see any real world advantage for what I do. I've tried the 7-08 twice in a pistol and rifle form and wound up selling both. I can't argue with the success of the people who like it, I just found calibers I like better than the 7mm. If I ever want another 7mm I'll get the .280 again I feel it offers a lot more when properly hand loaded.
 
gak wrote - and perhaps not the OP's 168
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I know you can load that heavy in the 7mm-08 but prefer the 140gr bullets myself. I have some recipes for 150gr but don't put a lot of that together.

I mention the 168 only in correlation to the 308 168 matchkings to say head to head with the same weight it seems you get a better BC from the longer slimmer 7mm projectile as opposed to the .308 Win 168gr.
 
Less recoil than a 7mag?...(I would hope so)...lol

I think the 7-08 is a good round for certain situations....
The 308 with 150's (for deer) and 180's (for hogs)....Works for me....
I hunt mainly brushy riverbottom land....200 yrds is a long shot....
I will choose a 308 every time over a 7-08....
308's....
 
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I like the 7-08, good bullet selection, excellent BC and SD, and low recoil. It won't do everything a 7mm Mag does, but it comes pretty close without the kick.
 
As i said the only beef i have with it is it's inability to launch the heavier 7mm bullets at moderate speeds. Why push the 168 at 2700 reaching max, when i can take a 180gr 2800+ with a shortmag, reduce recoil with a suppressor, bam you've got a 1500yds gun easy.
 
I don't own a 7-08. I already own more rifles than I need, and own other calibers that are too close to justify having the 7-08. But if my house were to burn down and I lost everything a 7-08 would probably be the 1st rifle I'd buy after getting my insurance check.
 
jmr...I think U would have a good deer rifle cartridge..as long as the Ins. Co. could'nt prove arson....:D
 
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