7mm-08???

[Jakes10mm]

My varmint cartridge post generated a vote for 7mm-08. Thought I'd throw out a post for some feedback on this round.

My knowledge on 7mm-08 (please fill in the holes and add opinions):

Based on a necked down 308 case.
Strong sell for a youth deer rifle.
Seems to lag 243 and 308 as a long range cartridge.
Lighter on recoil than the 308.
Good bullet variety for handloading (thanks 7mm Rem Mag).

What have I missed? Just a bit confused about the cartridge. Hear lots of chat about long-range capabilities of the 243 and 308 and would expect 7mm-08 to be right in there too...but have not seen must mentioned to such long range capabilities.

 

[Zak Smith]

308 vs 7-08,

For the same muzzle velocity, the 7-08 should have a slightly higher BC than the .308, but in a slightly lighter bullet.

-z

 

[Art Eatman]

For equal velocities, the 7mm will shoot a bit flatter than the .30.

The 7mm08 commonly uses a 139- or 140-grain bullet; the usual muzzle velocity is around 2,800 or 2,900 ft/sec, depending on barrel length. This compares to the .308's 150-grain bullet at the same velocities.

IOW, no significant difference.

At one time, the 7mm Rem Mag held the record for tight groups at 1,000 yards. R&D of bullets has allowed equal or better results with less recoil.

Competitiveness at matches would depend more on the rifle than the cartridge itself, IMO.

If there is a drawback to the 7mm08, it would be the same as the .308: You're rather limited to the light and to the medium weight bullets. Heavy bullets, being longer, will protrude more deeply into the case, limiting muzzle velocities...

Art

 

[dakotasin]

i like the 7-08 for long range shooting. the bc's of the 7mm's are tough to beat (off the top of my head, you have to go up to 338 cal to beat it, or if you want to go smaller, only the 6.5's will beat it)... what that means is the 7-08 will shoot flatter than the 308 at any range, assuming same weight bullets (7mm stops at 175-ish grains) - and since they share the same case, same weight bullet would be very close velocity.

the 7-08 is very under-rated.

 

[Jakes10mm]

Thank you for the feedback

I am considering adding a Varmint rifle to the collection and started by debating calibers. I have been weighing the advantages and ddisadvantages of the "apparent" standards, 220 Swift, 22-250, 223, 243, and 308. I noticed Weatherby offers one of their Varmint rifles in 7mm-08. Hence, my interest in getting feedback on the 7mm-08.

Thank you.

 

[Jim K]

For a pure varmint rifle, the .22-250 is hard to beat. The .243, 6mm Remington, and 7mm-08 are compromises, usable for both varmints and light "big" game (i.e., deer) with different bullets. .308 is a bit big for varmints, but fine for deer size game.

The differences for game size is not so much the caliber as the bullet. For varmints, a thin jacket bullet is desireable both for performance and so it will blow up on hitting anything solid, eliminating ricochets when shooting over flat ground at a small target. Thicker jackets are needed for penetration on larger game, which is usually hunted in forest areas.

Jim

 

[Peter M. Eick]

My rem 700 Stainless BDL for some reason just loves 100 and 120 grn bullets. As long as I dont shoot to fast, dime sized 100 yrd 5 shot targets are available at demand. At 200 yrds, you can usually cover 5 shots with a quarter. I don't think that would be to bad for varmiting.