I am of the opinion that my rifle would be fairly adequate for mule deer out west, especially out to 300 yards. I am not comfortable shooting at anything past this anyway. I have a remington mountain rifle in 7mm-08 with a VX III Leupold 2.5-8X36. It is light and easy handling, as well as being able to shoot an inch to an inch and a quarter. I have some friends who use a bit longer range rifles, (i.e. 7mm rem.mag). I am interested to hear from those of you who regularly hunt mule deer. My hunting has been dione primarily in the east. Thanks for your consideration
mule deer rifle 7mm-08
- Thread starter frednaz
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Vern Humphrey
Member
I mostly hunt elk, but the 7mm-08 would make a fine elk rifle. Use a fairly heavy premium bullet, and practice shooting out to 300 yards.
i hunt a ton of mulies - prefer them far and away over whitetails. so, there's my experience. my opinion is: your rifle and chambering are a-ok for mulies - even big'uns. your scope is adequate. personally, i'd swap the scope out for an fx-3 6x42, and swap out your mounts for talley lightweights... but that's just me.
the gun, which is what you asked about, is just fine.
the gun, which is what you asked about, is just fine.
MCgunner
Member
I see nothing at all wrong with the gun or scope for the application. While I don't buy Leupolds, consider them over-rated and over-priced, I cannot claim they're junk. 
And, nothing wrong with the 7-08 as a deer rifle. It's a little light for elk, but can do the job just fine if you match the bullet to the application. Lots of elk have been felled to the 7x57 Mauser, which is basically a ballistic twin to the 7-08. And, I love the bullet selection in 7mm.
I'm currently shooting a .308, and the 7-08 is just as good, maybe a little flatter with better BCs for the application. My .308 is in a M7 stainless Remington and I have a 7mm Rem Mag in a Savage 110, so I hear ya on the light, handy rifle thing, especially in the mountains.
And, nothing wrong with the 7-08 as a deer rifle. It's a little light for elk, but can do the job just fine if you match the bullet to the application. Lots of elk have been felled to the 7x57 Mauser, which is basically a ballistic twin to the 7-08. And, I love the bullet selection in 7mm. I'm currently shooting a .308, and the 7-08 is just as good, maybe a little flatter with better BCs for the application. My .308 is in a M7 stainless Remington and I have a 7mm Rem Mag in a Savage 110, so I hear ya on the light, handy rifle thing, especially in the mountains.
Bwana John
Member
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My Rem 700 Mnt Rifle in 7mm X 57mm Mauser kills muleys just fine.
It has averaged ~1 deer a year since 1992. The farthest one has gotten after being shot by me is ~20yards. I try to keep my shots to less than 250 yds.
I have also taken a couple of elk with it with the same results.
It has averaged ~1 deer a year since 1992. The farthest one has gotten after being shot by me is ~20yards. I try to keep my shots to less than 250 yds.
I have also taken a couple of elk with it with the same results.
Vern Humphrey
Member
I have nothing against guys who own magnums, but I personally only own one (a 7mm Rem Mag that rarely leaves the safe.)
In Scandanavia, the 6.5X55 is routinely used for moose, and does a fine job. There's no reason the 7X57 or the 7mm-08 can't do just as good a job.
In Scandanavia, the 6.5X55 is routinely used for moose, and does a fine job. There's no reason the 7X57 or the 7mm-08 can't do just as good a job.
Fred;
I'm in Montana & hunt mulies every year. Your 7/08 is fine. Mulies aren't armor plated, and neither are elk. Proper bullet placement is the key, not some wunder-caliber.
Given a 300 yard range limit, I don't see why the scope isn't perfectly adequate either. Go ahead, divide 300 by 8. I'm gonna take a flier here & figure that you're gonna come up with 37.5 just like I did. Thirty-seven and a half yards is what an 8 power magnification brings the distant target to in mark I eyeball terms. Now that's just the optical end of the equation. As we all should know, there are numerous other factors that will influence one's ability to actually make the shot at the distance. But the scope is perfectly capable of doing its part as far as I'm concerned.
900F
I'm in Montana & hunt mulies every year. Your 7/08 is fine. Mulies aren't armor plated, and neither are elk. Proper bullet placement is the key, not some wunder-caliber.
Given a 300 yard range limit, I don't see why the scope isn't perfectly adequate either. Go ahead, divide 300 by 8. I'm gonna take a flier here & figure that you're gonna come up with 37.5 just like I did. Thirty-seven and a half yards is what an 8 power magnification brings the distant target to in mark I eyeball terms. Now that's just the optical end of the equation. As we all should know, there are numerous other factors that will influence one's ability to actually make the shot at the distance. But the scope is perfectly capable of doing its part as far as I'm concerned.
900F
Vern Humphrey
Member
I killed my first deer almost 50 years ago, and while I have several variable power scopes, only one time have I used more than the lowest setting -- and that was to shoot through a hole in the brush when I had a steady rest and plenty of time.
My elk rifle wears a Leupold M8 in 4x. In my opinion, that's about the highest power the average shooter can use in a fast-moving situation.
30-06 lover
Member
7mm-08 is a great deer round. At 300 or less, you will drop any deer that walks planet Earth provided you put the bullet where it needs to be. I used to hunt with a 300 Win Mag, but now I hunt with either a 308 or 30-06. Mags are fine if you can shoot them, but most can't. I am 6'2" and 225 LBS and can't handle the recoil of a mag. I switched to the 308 most recently because I hit well with it because I have no fear of pulling the trigger. I will be bold and say that most people that bring home meat don't shoot mags, but rather a "wimpy" round. My favorite blacktail round is a 6mm. I have yet to lose a deer with it becasue I can put the bullet right where I want it without fear. It sounds like you can shoot your 7mm-08 just fine, so I wouldn't hesitae bringing it to deer camp.
you fellas are mis-interpreting my scope suggestion...
the man is hunting w/ a mountain rifle. the theme of mountain rifle is light, dependable, simple, and rugged; a solid mix of classic good looks doesn't hurt, either.
by swapping to talley lightweights and putting the fixed-6 scope on, he simplifies everything, loses weight, increases speed, and (imo) improves balance of the rifle. i wasn't suggesting his scope wasn't up to the task.
also, the scope swap would make for a more simple set-up, and it would maintain the ruggedness and dependability. the talley system is integral - only 1-piece - not the 2-3 pieces of most ring systems.
the man is hunting w/ a mountain rifle. the theme of mountain rifle is light, dependable, simple, and rugged; a solid mix of classic good looks doesn't hurt, either.
by swapping to talley lightweights and putting the fixed-6 scope on, he simplifies everything, loses weight, increases speed, and (imo) improves balance of the rifle. i wasn't suggesting his scope wasn't up to the task.
also, the scope swap would make for a more simple set-up, and it would maintain the ruggedness and dependability. the talley system is integral - only 1-piece - not the 2-3 pieces of most ring systems.
Gentlemen,
Thank you for your advice, comments and opinions. I appreciate the time you have taken to express them. I am very comfortable with this rifle as I have taken a number of deer in western Pennsylvania with it. My main concern is to cleanly and humanely take a deer, but also to give consideration to the weight involved in carrying a weapon for hours and miles in rugged terrain. Again, I appreciate some very helpful suggestions and comments. Thanks !!
Thank you for your advice, comments and opinions. I appreciate the time you have taken to express them. I am very comfortable with this rifle as I have taken a number of deer in western Pennsylvania with it. My main concern is to cleanly and humanely take a deer, but also to give consideration to the weight involved in carrying a weapon for hours and miles in rugged terrain. Again, I appreciate some very helpful suggestions and comments. Thanks !!
T.R.
Member
My sister-in-law lives in Worland, Wyoming. She has taken several mulies and a couple bull elk with her Browning 7mm-08. It is a great cartridge but has been slow to catch on in popularity.
TR
TR
michael_aos
Member
I'd have no reservations about using my 260 Remington (think 6.5mm-08) for mule deer.
Mike
Mike
A 6X is a fine scope when you have time, but you are walking you do not always have time. Then the value of a 2.5 x or lower variable will come in handy. I have 1.5 x 4.5 leupolds on my big game rifles. I like the fact that on low power I can snap shoot almost as fast a peep sight, way faster than i can on a 4 X or 6 X and hit what I am aiming at. With the 4.5 top end I am comfortable taking shots at 300 yards, maybe a touch more too. Varmint guns have much higher scopes but they are meant to be shot that way.
I really like the 7-08 thinking it has really been shorted by the gun community. A healthy dose of Reloader 19 and a 140grain partition will kill any deer on earth. I can almost hit 3000 FPS with that combo in my rifles, and it really is the schnizzel if you back it down just a bit, giving dime-sized groups with nearly boring regularity. There is no real reason to need anything bigger for anything but hump backed bears in the lower 48 and so far, they are not letting us hunt grizzlies anymore.
I really like the 7-08 thinking it has really been shorted by the gun community. A healthy dose of Reloader 19 and a 140grain partition will kill any deer on earth. I can almost hit 3000 FPS with that combo in my rifles, and it really is the schnizzel if you back it down just a bit, giving dime-sized groups with nearly boring regularity. There is no real reason to need anything bigger for anything but hump backed bears in the lower 48 and so far, they are not letting us hunt grizzlies anymore.
AStone
Member
So nice to see my caliber of choice supported by so many once again.
I've been researching what caliber I want to buy my next "deer" rifle (white tail & mulies & antelope & elk) in for months (to the chagrin of at least a few members cause I ask such detailed questions ), but time and again, I keep coming back to the same answer: 7mm08.
Frednaz, here's another thread (among several on THR; use SEARCH) that will make you feel even more confident about your choice.
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=182828
Nem
I've been researching what caliber I want to buy my next "deer" rifle (white tail & mulies & antelope & elk) in for months (to the chagrin of at least a few members cause I ask such detailed questions
), but time and again, I keep coming back to the same answer: 7mm08.Frednaz, here's another thread (among several on THR; use SEARCH) that will make you feel even more confident about your choice.
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=182828
Nem
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