Enlighten me on the 7mm-08

During my cartridge cull a couple of years ago, I got rid of all my .30 cals. Last to go was my long-time go-to hunting rifle; a Model 7 in .308. I promptly replaced it with another Model 7 in 7mm-08. The .308 had an 18.5-inch barrel, the 7mm a 20-inch; I put both in HS Precision stocks. Had I known then what I know now, I'd have started with the 7mm-08.

My original .308


The 7mm-08 that replaced it (it doesn't normally wear the bipod; just there to hold it up for the picture)

I recall an article back in the 80's stating that 7mm-08 is the perfect deer round. I think that's still true today, regardless of the 6.5 cult. All of my boys started deer hunting with a 7mm-08 and all had great success, even past 300 yards. Of course they had to move on to bigger and better, even when it's unnecessary but that's how it goes.

LoonWulf said:

Im currently running 120s in front of Varget right at 3K.

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That's a great deer load. Lots of deer killed here with 44 grains of Varget with 120g Pro Hunters.

Not much to say - it's got very good power for hunting deer and is pretty mild on recoil. My go to rifle for quite a few years now has been my Marlin XS7 in 7mm-08. I've never shot a deer with it that I didn't put on the ground.

Prior to this I used a .30-06 mostly, and I still like .30-06, but it recoils just a bit harder for no noticeable benefit - particularly at the ranges I hunt at (I don't think I've ever shot a deer at more than 100 yards - the forest is thick here).

Granted, there are plenty of other cartridges that are about the same: 6.5 Creedmoor, .257 Roberts, .300 Savage, 6.5x55 Swede, 7x57 Mauser, etc. They all fall close enough to overlap a lot, but I've found that range of cartridge suits me best. I don't care to go as low as a .243 or back to the .30-06 and these seem to be the sweet spot.

Armored farmer said:

Will it fill the gap between 30-30/ 7.62x39 and .30-06?

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I think that's exactly what it does. So much so that no one in my circle here even owns a .308 <gasp> but we own numerous 30-30's, 7.62X39's and 30-06's.

Enlighten me on the 7mm-08.

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Essentially it's a less 'kicky' .308 for the ladies or small-framed males.

The .270 Winchester is the same concept applied to the manly-man .30-06.

By far my favorite deer caliber. I am one state to the west of you and have shot scores of deer with mine. I gave my Remington Model 7 7-08 to my son after last season and just bought a new 7-08 Winchester 70 for myself. I very carefully sighted it in at 200 yards and shot a nice buck at SIX yards! Yep, it works up close too. Shot two does after that for 115 total.

InTheField said:

I gave my Remington Model 7 7-08 to my son after last season and just bought a new 7-08 Winchester 70 for myself. I very carefully sighted it in at 200 yards and shot a nice buck at SIX yards! Yep, it works up close too. Shot two does after that for 115 total.

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6 yards! Was it half cooked from the muzzle blast?

I have a Model 7 in 7mm-08 and it's become about my favorite hunting cartridge. It's ideal for deer and even works really well on elk. Very little recoil but really good ballistic performance. It isn't quite as efficient as a 6.5 Creedmoor and it shows at really long distances, but at all reasonable hunting distances it outperforms the Creedmoor (only by a little bit, but still).

My first deer kill was with a 7x57 Mauser custom rifle built by my Grandfather. I have killed around 10 deer with the rifle. I read an article long ago in a book published by The North American Hunting Club written by Clay Harvey and he had high praise for a Remington model 7 in 7-08. He called it the "Perfect Deer Rifle". So I bought the first one I could find and its just as good of a deer killer as the 7x57 was.

I let a 15YO tiny girl who stands 5'2" use this rifle for a youth deer hunt at her school. She shot 5 deer with the rifle in two different trips. I got to go and help the kids and man that was fun. I loaded her some Sierra 120gr Pro Hunter bullets at a slightly reduced velocity. As far as I know those bullets are designed for the lower velocities from handguns like the Contender. So I gave them a start velocity of around 2600fps.

They dropped the deer within just a few yards of where they were shot. All were pass through's except one that was almost a straight line frontal shot and I found just the base of the bullet in the gut pile. Anyway its an excellent round for deer or bigger with the right bullet. Everyone that see's it or shoots it tries to buy it from me. I bet you are going to really like the rifle and the round. I like the 139-150gr bullets and 4350 powder.

It is (7mm08) basically a short action.270.
It fits between the .308 and .30/06 performance wise.
With Reloader17, it essentially duplicates the .284win and is within standard deviations of the .280Rem.
My REM Model-7 w/20” bbl has a “fast” barrel. When I bought it in ‘04, I was intending to rebarrel to 6.5-.284 or .284AI.
Running some PMC 139gr PtSpt factory ammo and seeing 3,000fps changed my mind!
It’s my all time favorite rifle and cartridge, right behind my Colt Lt Rifle in .30/06.

It punches above its weight class except for recoil. But, so does it’s doppelgänger, the .270win.
My M-7 is the “luckiest” rifle I own, too.
I just seem to see and take more game hunting with it...

It prefers 150gr bullets. And I’ve seen 2,900fps using RL17, H414, and H4350.
However, the Handi Rifle action might not be as tolerant of pressure as the Model -7.

For smallish deer and pronghorns, check out the Speer 130gr BTSPT. 3,000fps should be easy from the Handi Rifle. I routinely see 3,100fps from the Remington.

InTheField said:

By far my favorite deer caliber. I am one state to the west of you and have shot scores of deer with mine. I gave my Remington Model 7 7-08 to my son after last season and just bought a new 7-08 Winchester 70 for myself. I very carefully sighted it in at 200 yards and shot a nice buck at SIX yards! Yep, it works up close too. Shot two does after that for 115 total.

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My first doe with rem 700 dps 7mm08 was at about 15 yds. Only shot I had was her throat patch. It flipped her in mid air.

Armored farmer said:

Hopefully it works well with us large framed males with prior shoulder surgery.

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Should work well for you, though not large framed I'm constrained with shoulder issues as well. Was a little uncomfortable at first, but steady practice and increasing number of rounds fired cleared that up within a couple sessions at the range.

A better cartridge than the parent 308. Should be pretty good in the Handi Rifle (I’m a fan), but the 7-08 really excels at distances beyond which most Handis are accurate. If you put the work in to accurize the Handi, or if the previous owner has done so, it’s a great moderate recoil cartridge that will work well in the Handi.

Eagle103 said:

That's a great deer round. Lot's of deer killed here with 44 grains of Varget with 120g Pro Hunters.

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Think thats the charge im running behind the 120s, id have to go look at my note book. Its 44 or 45, cant remember what I settled on.

Armored farmer said:

Hopefully it works well with us large framed males with prior shoulder surgery.

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It works exceptionally well, even for large framed males, with or without the surgery.

42.0grn Varget under a 140 NAB in 7-08 is a magic load for me. It has shot sub-MOA for every rifle in which I tried it.

Looking back at my old loading notes, 150gr Nosler BT over 36.6gr IMR 4064. I didn't have a chronograph then so didn't know how fast that was going. Charts I used put that mix right around 2500fps. By the time I sold the rifle and components, I was experimenting with seating depths to find a better sweet spot for accuracy, if it existed. I had worked up to 39gr but saw a slight decrease to accuracy.

Mitch Maxberry won a couple of NRA Highpower National Championships with the 7mm 08. I was squadded with him one day, and he was upset that bullet technology had advanced to the point that the 6.5 mm shooters were shooting inside the drift of his bullets. Regardless, the 7mm 08 is a fantastically accurate cartridge and will do everything a standard pressure 7 X 57 mm Mauser will do. However, run the 7 X 57 at 7-08 pressures, and the 7 X 57 moves faster.

I've seen an M1 Garand chambered in 7mm-08. No doubt in a 9.5lb semi-auto, it would make for soft-shooting.

It would also put it pretty close - ballistically speaking - to the M1's original chambering, the .276 Pedersen.

For medium calibers it would be among my first choices. I recommended the caliber to a friend who bought it and after all these years he still thanks me for my advice.....

IdaD said:

I have a Model 7 in 7mm-08 and it's become about my favorite hunting cartridge. It's ideal for deer and even works really well on elk. Very little recoil but really good ballistic performance. It isn't quite as efficient as a 6.5 Creedmoor and it shows at really long distances, but at all reasonable hunting distances it outperforms the Creedmoor (only by a little bit, but still).

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Please, please, don't tell the 6.5C guys that the higher BC doesn't make a significant difference till out past normal hunting distances (and I'm a .260Rem guy...)

The 7-08 would have been my current deer caliber, IF it weren't for me setting up a REM M7 for my then 12 year old and wanting to load 100 grain bullets for deer. IMHO for deer at normal ranges (out to 400yds) it has the advantages of the the 6.5 calibers with the extra advantage of heavier bullets if needed. I'd think in a short action it would come very, very close to the one "all purpose" hunting rifle.

Although I've killed a a lot of deer with a couple .270s, I've come to realize that a short action .308 based cartridge is about ideal for whitetails. Add a 20" barrel and you end up with a compact, light weight rifle that's a joy to use in stands/blinds, but still very capable for the longish shots.

IF I found on in a REM M7 I'd have to get it "just because".

Legionnaire said:

During my cartridge cull a couple of years ago, I got rid of all my .30 cals. Last to go was my long-time go-to hunting rifle; a Model 7 in .308. I promptly replaced it with another Model 7 in 7mm-08. The .308 had an 18.5-inch barrel, the 7mm a 20-inch; I put both in HS Precision stocks. Had I known then what I know now, I'd have started with the 7mm-08.

My original .308

The 7mm-08 that replaced it (it doesn't normally wear the bipod; just there to hold it up for the picture)

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M7 in 7-08 is just about my idea of a "perfect" whitetail rifle! and it's good looking!

Except maybe the .260 M7 I'm building now might be a little "more perfect".

All I use for Pa whitetail deer. 139 grain sst handloads are my favorite spit. Drops them dead in their tracks. Have not missed a deer yet with mine. TC Venture is the rifle.

Outstanding deer cartridge. A tweaked .284, but better. IMHO you really have to hand load to appreciate it.
Better suited for west of the Mississippi, but never a less than great choice.