Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Finn Aagaard On The 7mm-08...

No doubt Brad - Finn like other great writers and riflemen are practical- I've run the gamut and working my way to the 308 and 30-06

Ha! I thought you meant Lewiston.

I need a drink.

His widow Berit used a rifle 7mm08 if my memory is correct.

Mike, I'm pretty sure the rifle in the article became Berit's.

I need to find a "compendium" of Aagaard's writings. Preferably in print. I had forgotten how much I like his writing. Your post brings back some good memories, Brad.

340boy,

Luckily, most of Finn's writings have been collected in books. The NRA published two, HUNTING RIFLES AND CARTRIDGES (the volume with the 7mm-08 article, which I believe only appeared in paperback), and AAGAARD'S AFRICA. It's hard to find HUNTING RIFLES AND CARTRIDGES in decent condition (my own copy is held together with tape and glue) but the content is what matters.

Three other have been published since his death, including AAGAARD'S AFRICAN ADVENTURES, which includes all of the NRA book, along with several introductory essays by various other people, including his two sons, and various gun/hunting writers including Craig Boddington and Phil Shoemaker. It also includes what's essentially a second book of African stories by Finn's widow, Berit Aagaard Pace, also an excellent and well-published writer, which adds considerably to Finn's perspective. Personally, I would buy it rather than the first African book.

There have been two other collections published since, FINN AAGAARD, SELECTED WORKS, and GUNS AND HUNTING, with a foreword by another gun/hunting writer with a Norwegian name.

All can be purchased from various websites, such as Amazon.

John,
Thank you!
I will look for those titles, for sure. I've some good winter reading to look forward to now.

I just ordered a clean copy of AAGAARD'S AFRICA so now I'm one book short of a complete Aagaard library.

Finding an affordable copy of HUNTING RIFLES AND CARTRIDGES might take a while..........

ABE books might be a good place to check, also.

While digging around for a "deal" on the last Aagaard book, I found this visit from Berit five years ago. I wish this place was still one that she would visit again.

Mrs. Aagaard

Abe, Alibris and Amazon are all have consistently CRAZY prices on that last book.

I have always enjoyed FA's writing, and of course, especially enjoy a piece he did in reference to my favorite hunting cartridge.

Tim, this article came from the book Hunting Rifles And Cartridges. Mine, like John's, is heavily dog eared!

Thanks, Brad!
More books to buy. Always more. Good thing I have a Kindle for most of the recent stuff. I'd run out of room in a hurry otherwise.

I just ordered a Kindle version.

I'd be interested in his writing on the 308 for plains game. PH I hunted with used a 308 for his personal rifle. The two other PHs used 7x57 and 30-06. They each used heavy for cartridge bullets.

One reason many African PH's use heavy-for-caliber bullets is not as many "premium" bullets are available over there. Though that has been changing, ALL bullets are much higher-priced over there.

One of the PH's I've hunted with owns a big sporting goods store in Kimberley, South Africa. When I was there for a month in 2007, I visited the store several times. The shelves were dominated by cup-and-cores priced about like Nosler Partitions here, and the relatively few Nosler Partitions were at least twice the price they are here. Of course, most of the bullets sold were to local meat-hunters who often shoot a lot of animals, and heavy cup-and-cores work for them.

Today more premiums are becoming available and more PH's have discovered their virtues, partly through their clients using not just Partitions but TSX's and other bullets. But prices are still high, and the heavy-bullet mentality still exists.

Makes sense. I know they really like two holes as it helps with tracking herd animals and a heavier bullet has more momentum. Launching slower helps the C&Cs stay together as well. The 308 and 7x57 guys shoot A-Frames (and generally think they are the best available bullet) while the 30-06 guy shoots 220 Hornady round noses. While I was there a guy borrowed his 30-06 one day. Took a shot at a Zebra where the bullet hit a tree first, went through the tree and entered the Zebra going sideways. Zebra died quickly.

Brad : Terrific article , Thanks for posting it for us to share.

Finns' comments from 4 decades ago are truly prescient in so many ways.

At the time that the 7mm-08 came along, I thought that it was just fine for Eastern Whitetail hunting, but that the .280 Remington did more for the western Hunter who also went after Muleys and Elk.

Of course the 7 Mag was the king of that hill.

It's very interesting to note the disparity in availability of ammo, new rifles etc. reflecting the 7-08s current popularity, compared to the .280 Rem and the 280 AI.
For myself I've never had one of the SA sevens, but do use a .308W for a bad-weather backup.

I think I need one, or a 6.5 CM for my boys to ascend to, as their hunting tastes evolve.

Thanks Again for another good read.

The 7mm08 is very popular here. Every third hunter will have one.
(Every second hunter will have a .308, and the other guy will either have a .270 or a .243. Every now and then someone will wander past with a .260 or a .300WM just because they are gun nuts. You can spot the .303 guys by their grizzled beards and the old boats they work out of, driving around the lakes shooting at deer under a spotlight, deer shooting really being an excuse for drinking beer in a boat.)

LOL, great post... thanks!