When I bought my first 7mm/08 a Sako Hunter AII, it was in early 1988 and it was a special import order. You couldn't buy ammunition for it here, strictly a handloading proposition and just about every hunter I came across had never heard of it. Since the late 90's it's soared in popularity.

Currently the 7mm/08 and .308 are the most popular deer cartridges here in NZ. Bear in mind that deer hunting has no season or licence requirements here. They're considered introduced pests by the government greenies, even though most of the seven species of deer have been here for over 100 years. You can hunt them anytime you want year round and we do. Because of this the average deer hunter here would spend a lot more time hunting and shooting deer than in other places around the world. If the 7mm/08 wasn't up to the task then you'd soon hear about it and the cartridge is becoming more and more popular. The proof of the pudding is in the eating, as the saying goes.

I've shot some very large Red deer stags with the 7mm/08 and it's decked them all without any fuss. The 139gr Hornady spire point is great for just about everything and for the really big boys the 150gr Nosler partition.


"The 257 Roberts, some people like to call it the “.257 Bob.” I think these people should be hung in trees where crows can peck at them." - David Petzal