how is 7-08 in the field?

[s&w 24]

how does 7-08 rate as hunting cartrige? I here good things about them from some but not that many people. What are your expierences ?

 

[Selfdfenz]

Excellent deer cartridge. Excellent all-round-308-class-cartridge.
That is based on my experience with my Remington Model 7 and several pick-up loads of deer.
An inherently accurate cartridge me thinks.
S-

 

[cratz2]

For most uses, the 260, 7mm-08, 308, 6.5x55 7x57 are all pretty much interchangable assuming modern high pressure ammo is used in all cases. That is to say they will all kill most North American game deader 'n a doornail if the shooter does his part.

 

[DAL]

I'd like to hear from people with first-hand experience with the 7-08 too. Not that I'm going to buy one anytime soon. Of course, if I lost my .30-06 for some reason, the 7-08 would probably replace it. As it is now, though, my ol' '06 will probably take me through the rest of my life 'cause it just plain works. For what it's worth, Tom Gresham seems to like the round.
DAL

 

[Selfdfenz]

For me, the '06 in sporter weight rifles is a headache waiting to have the trigger pulled on it. (long story, it was a car crash that started that)
7-08, 6.5x55 etc. I can shoot and shoot very well all day.
Strangely I can bang away with intense 45-70 reloads in a light sporter w/o problem.

JMOExperience.

S-

 

[Art Eatman]

On paper, the 7mm08 pushes a 140-grain bullet at or above 2,800. That compares quite favorably with the .308's 150-grain bullet.

I'm getting 3-shot, 3/4" to 7/8" groups from mine. I wanted a light-weight walking-hunting critter, so the 700ti with its 22" barrel is just the ticket for me.

The only "shot fired in anger", so far, was at a feral dog of some 60 or 70 pounds. Chunky, thick-chested animal. Only about a 40yard shot. The bullet punched through, with a large exit wound. DRT.

Recoil off the benchrest from the 6-1/4-pound package is no problem at all.

Art

 

[Byron Quick]

Art, I want to shoot that rifle of yours. Heard too much about it.

 

[cratz2]

The first heavy-barrel Savage rifle I shot much was a 7mm-08. Killed a few coyotes, racoons and several crows. Of course, I've killed all those with a 22 Magnum so the terminal ballistics don't count for much.

Minimal recoil, good, flat trajectory, proven killing ability. Anything that you've read about the 7x57 can be applied toward the 7mm-08 as well.

 

[Trick Pony]

The 7-08 is the balistic twin of the 7x57 mauser. That cartridge has killed every animal on the planet with out exception. It is most definitly a fine all around hunting cartridge capible of anything that needs doing in N. America. The same can be said for many cartridges however. The biggest thing that the 7-08 has going for it over the bulk of its compition is light recoil (and i do mean light) and a tendincy to shoot small groups from the bench. As a reloader, its simply perfect. There are a large amount of .284 projectiles available from 100gr. to 195gr and like everything in the .308 family, it sips powder at a very modest rate. My chronographing results have also shown that factory balistics are for the most part right on, and in the case of my 24 inch remington, i excede them regularly by 50+ fps. My 7-08 has been the end of several white tails at ranges between 75 and 300 yards, and has also taken a 300lb black bear, several coyotes, and a very angry boar. I am heading to colorodo next fall for elk where it will acompany me up into the rockys. I have used the 140gr. core lockt over H4895 for everything so far, but the elk will be getting either a 150gr. or 160gr. partition over the same powder. Im still working on that load to see which shoots better though.

Hope that helps.

 

[ADKWOODSMAN]

I've used my 18 1/2 inch REMing ton model 7 for deer for about 10 years now. I hand load Nosler combined Tech. 140's and lately Hornady 154's with which I took my second deer with it fall of 06, only 25 years. The deer only traveled 25 feet after being hit in the heart/lung area. The bullet passed threw and was not recovered. The first deer in 02 dropped in its tracks at 30 yards with the 140 Nosler combined Tech. 140.

Another member of my deer camp has taken 5 deer, the heaviest 234lbs. with he Winchester 140 supreme load. His deer 50 years, one shot, all other deer one shot.

 

[GunTech]

My wife picked a Model 7 7mm-08, and I load her up with 140gn Accubond. It's taken several deer and has proven to be a lightweight accurate shooter. Her last deer was a head shot at about 140 yards.

 

[Shawnee]

Thumbs Up to the 7mm/08 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
On this continent the only other cartridges a fellow could really need would be a .44 Special and a 16 ga.

P. S. And several .22s, of course. :>)

 

[ranger335v]

"how does 7-08 rate as hunting cartrige?" Fine for deer but not so great for moose and brown bear.

 

[brasskeeper]

I have a 7mm-08 it is a Remington model seven stainless sythetic. This is my first 7mm-08. My son and I hunted with it for the first time last year. We both took a deer with it. Neither deer took a step after being shot. Both deer were shot within 100 yards. I use 139gr remington CL PSP bullets and IMR 4064 powder.

He is going to use it this weekend and I'm back to my 308, we are both going on a quota hunt.

I like the 7mm-08 enough that I'm considering buying another one for myself and letting my son keep the other one. If I do it will be another model seven stainless synthetic as I really like this Rifle/cartridge combination.

 

[KBintheSLC]

I used to own a Browning 7mm-08 lever action... needless to say it was a fine rifle. Deadly accurate, plenty of punch (unless you hit the animal in the tail). My only issue was that as it is not a very common round, it was hard to find a good variety of ammo. Usually the places that carried it would have 1 or 2 types to choose from. This was about 12 years ago... maybe things have changed. Other than that I have to say that I wish I did not sell the gun.

 

[birdbustr]

A 7mm-08 is a .308 necked down to 7mm (.284). It's that simple. It can do anything that a .308 can do except that the it doesn't drop quite as fast as a .308, and you lose a little (almost negligible) downrange punch (50 or so Ft/lbs.).

I have a 7mm-08 and I have been able to handload rounds over 3000 fps. I have 4 different loads that are < 1" @100 yards. I hope to take a deer next week to find out how the terminal performance is also. Factory Federal Fusions will also produce 1" moa at 100 yards if you don't handload.

 

[Hokkmike]

One of the BEST!

 

[Ala Dan]

While I prefer the .25-06, the 7mm-08 is gaining ground. A great deer sized
game cartridge, with a range of approximately 300 yards.

 

[Bwana John]

Anything that you've read about the 7x57 can be applied toward the 7mm-08 as well.

The 7-08 is the balistic twin of the 7x57 mauser. That cartridge has killed every animal on the planet with out exception.

Yep.

While Id guess the 7mm Mauser never took out a Blue Whale, Bell did a pretty good job on elephants with it.

I killed a cow elk with mine last year, 1 shot @ ~150 yds, 175 gr, second elk, and > 20 deer.

Because of the aura and history of the 7mm Mauser I think it has a way higher coolness factor., but external ballistic are the same.

 

[jmorris]

+1 on the model seven in 7-08 light, handy and is a very light kicker for smaller shooters when loaded to 7mmbr speeds. It will do what the 308 can except the mom and pop stores are more likely to stock 308 ammo than 7-08.

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

My deer gun is a Remington 700 in 7-08. It's accurate, pleasant to shoot, light (thin profiile barrel, synthetic stock) and handles nice. Ammo selection isn't the greatest but that's why God invented reloading presses

 

[bhk]

While I have several deer rifles, my 7-08 Remington Model 7 stainless is my favorite. I have probably killed 15 -20 deer with it - always working exceptionally well. My other favorite deer rifle is a 30-06 and I can't really tell that it kills deer any quicker. Pull the trigger on both and the deer dies - pretty simple. Eight more days where I live and the 7-08 will bark again, probably several times with several deer down.

 

[glimmerman]

Well lets do the math here: 7-08 rem mod7 laminated with leupold 3-9. Deer hunting 29 yrs, 2 deer per year x 29yrs = 58 deer, about 6 deer per pickup load = 9.6 pickup loads of deer!! I would say it does very good in the field.

 

[tnieto2004]

I use it for deer .. Never had any issues

 

[Jimmy Newman]

I dearly love my 7mm-08 (it's a Remington 700 from about 12-13 years ago - synthetic stock, stainless barrel, no sights, Burris Fullfield 3.5-10x50). I've killed about 15-20 deer with it, and it's done a good job every time, out to 250 yards. I've had one deer run farther than 15 yards (and it only went about 45).

I shoot the Hornady Light Magnum 139gr SST (ballistic tip). 3000fps/2777ft-lbs. It's about the same as a 140gr .270 load.

I have never had one of the bullets fail to exit and I have never recovered a fragment.