7mm-08 Remington

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Just curious. One of the guys at work claimed that it was a more accurate round (just breakroom BS).
 
I will say that I have run into a rather disporportunate number of accurate 7mm-08 rifles, but I think its the owners who know the equipment they use, more so than cartridge ability. 308 rifles are darn accurate when someone knows how to use them. That said, a lighter 7mm bullet with similar flight characteristics than a heavier 308 bullet will produce less recoil in similar cartridges like these two, which can lead to more accurate use of the rifle.
 
I agree with adcoch1 that the 7mm-08 has excellent ballistics and less recoil all else equal. Most people (self included) can potentially shoot a lighter-recoiling rifle more accurately ... but that is more about the shooter than the inherent accuracy of the cartridge. By the same logic, a .260 Remington or a .243 Winchester, which share the same case as the .308 and the 7mm-08, could be more accurate than either the .308 or 7mm. I just think there are too many other variables in play--quality of the barrel, consistency of the ammo, quality of stock to action fit, crispness of the trigger, strength of technique--to conclude that one of these cartridges is inherently more accurate.
 
From all that I read (because most of us aren't scientists, although I appreciate those on here that are), the 5% that isn't BS is not about the cartridge itself, but the availability of bullets with high ballistic coefficients (BC) for the cartridge in 7mm. Since they are available, the cartridge can shoot them well. The comparison I usually see, though, isn't with the .308, it's with the .270. In that case, bullet availability is a much bigger deal. What I always wonder, though, is why we do so much comparison. If it'll shoot, good, shoot it well. Be happy with what you have and if you want something else, go for it. I, for instance, love 8x57js's. Are they my most accurate? NOPE. Do they kill better? Not a bit. But I love them. They do nothing that my .308 won't. They do nothing that my magnums won't. But it's what I like... for no reason at all. That's good enough.
 
image.jpeg image.jpeg I've had good results with both 308 and the 7-08. Your preference. Top is a 308 and bottom 7-08 ATTACH=full]790427[/ATTACH]
 
For the average “Joe Igottagun,” there’s a common misconception which blurs the lines between “flatter shooting” and “more precise,” or “more accurate.”

In fairness, there’s a strong argument a flatter shooting, faster, higher BC cartridge, will mean more impacts on target at longer ranges, even given equivalent 100yrd raw precision.
 
The 7-08 was developed to take advantage of (at the time) bullets with higher BC's and to generate less recoil than 308 for the metallic silhouette shooting games . The problem is that we now have bullets in .308 caliber with very similar BC's and there isn't enough difference in recoil to matter.

When firing comparable bullets of similar BC, at similar MV the 7-08 does have a very slight edge at 500 yards over 308. It drops about 2.5" less, it hits with about 30-40 ft lbs more energy and with 1 ft lb less recoil. At under 500 yards the edge is even closer. Gentlemen that is close enough to call a tie, no game animal or shooter will ever notice that small difference.

As far as precision is concerned I doubt there is any real difference in potential, but the 7-08 never caught on as a target round. It does enjoy some popularity as a hunting round. The 308 did, and proved to be more accurate than most other rounds. And the 308 is now being pushed out as other newer rounds are proving to be even more accurate, and with less recoil.
 
Both are excellent cartridges with a reputation for accuracy and both have been used as target rounds. While I prefer the 7-08 by a slight margin and the 7-08 will launch higher B.C, bullets at equal weights it is too close to call. The 7-08 has an advantage at very long ranges but that doesn't matter to me and is largely offset by the 308's greater popularity and use as a military cartridge. I do appreciate the lighter recoil of the 7-08 as I have a bad shoulder. It may not matter to you but it does to me. So for me the 7-08 has a slight advantage but there are good reasons to prefer the .308. I don't know of proof that either is superior for accuracy.
 
Matching the BC of a 162-168grn 7mm requires a 30cal pill in the 208-220grn ballpark, and stuffing them in the same 08 case leaves the 7-08 around 150fps ahead of the 308 (I’m about 200fps if I take both to “sticky bolt lift”). For whitetail at 400yrds and under, the discussion is largely academic between any of a thousand or so centerfire bottleneck cartridges, but picking up a mil and a half less drop at 1,000yrds sure is nice.
 
It may very well be. It was developed for metallic silhouette shooting. Yes I know lessened recoil is a factor there but they all handload and can reduce recoil with accurate loads to their hearts content. I bought my rem 788 carbine back in EARLY 80's because Pat was cleaning up at the local shoots at the club with one. Went in to Bob Wards Sporting Goods where he worked and he told me his rifle was a stock 788 with an ugly molded stock on it. Never have had such an accurate hunting round. Was accurate with about everything I sent down the tube.
 
Another point is that since its creation 7mm-08 has been throewing the same weight bullets, so like the 6.5creedmoor, it was built with a certain weight bullet in mind, and most rifles have a tight enough twist to stabilize heavy for caliber bullets. At long range it shows up. So just like the parent 308, heavy for caliber bullets have always been available, unlike say 243, which rarely have a tight enough twist to run a heavy bullet. Shooting lore is mostly peoples opinion, but when every rifle in a certain caliber you ever see is hitting small targets at decent ranges, well, that's how the legends get started.
 
Slater said:
Is this generally considered to be a more accurate round than .308?
Click to expand...

Not to me. But in my mind the ultimate lever action rifle would be a Henry Long Ranger 7MM-08 with a 22” barrel.

Second would be a Long Ranger in .338 Federal with a .22” barrel.
 
Slater said:
Is this generally considered to be a more accurate round than .308?
Click to expand...

Not to me. But in my mind the ultimate lever action rifle would be a Henry Long Ranger 7MM-08 with a 22” barrel.

Second would be a Long Ranger in .338 Federal with a 22” barrel.

Much to my chagrin I didn’t come up with this idea. Chuck Hawks did.
 
Many centerfire rounds offer adequate accuracy for hunting and non-benchrest accuracy requirements. When it comes to choosing a hunting round, it's more important to consider flatness of trajectory and sufficient energy/expansion at the maximum distances to be encountered. It's not as important to have minimal recoil, just manageable recoil for the few shots necessary to sight-in, practice, and shoot without flinch in the field.

That's a mouthful, but I've seen a lot of poor choices in hunting cartridges, rifles, and bullet selection. I've made a few myself over the years, but it's hard to make an error if a round is chosen for quarry like deer, between the 6.5 to .308 bores. The .243 Win is a good cartridge, but lacks punch beyond 200 yards on large deer.

It really doesn't matter whether your rifle/cartridge shoots half-MOA for hunting. It matters more to know where it will hit at the farthest distance to be shot in the field and whether you can hit with near-certain consistency at any distance/condition/shooting position that exists when you squeeze the trigger.

That said, I like hunting cartridges that maximize killing power and trajectory, but don't involve magnum recoil. I particularly like the .270 Win, 7mm Express, and .30-06 that will consistently harvest game out to 400 yards...but not unduly batter the shooter. Bullet selection is also part of the equation, but I won't get into that here.
 
Both the .308 and 7mm-08 are capable of extreme accuracy. Having said that, I've owned about five .308's and four 7mm-08's. For me personally, I shoot the 7mm-08's more accurately. But I don't think that's because the cartridge is inherently more accurate. I think it's (as some have said) connected to recoil. Keep in mind though that when I load 160 grain bullets in my 7mm-08, it doesn't know it isn't a .308.
 
The one universal truth, assuming a good quality rifle, trigger, barrel and bedding etc, is that just about any cartridge based on the .308 Whichester case in inherently accurate. The whys and wherefores have kept the hot stove league talking for years. The consensus is that the diameter and height of the powder column just seem to hit an optimal balance lending itself to improved accuracy. Even this theory is a matter of conjecture. Bottom line is that no one knows for sure...just seems to be that way.
 
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