Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles why no love for the 7mm-08???

why not a .308 win? cheaper does the same job.

Me no understand...

Not what you're accustomed to Scott, but decent Ga. deer...7-08 each of them

Nice deer Nick!

David

Me neither. Max load of Varget under a 140 SPH gives me about 2775-2800 out of M70 Fwt.

Just curious. Does anyone know what the ammunition industry runs for pressure on their ammo? If max is 61K what do they load for?

Fremont - in my former 20" Syn/Matte M70, I was using 139...

Again I refer to this:


http://www.reloadersnest.com/detail.asp?CaliberID=43&Powder=Hodgdon+Varget&LoadID=8760

As to the 308......someday

Perhaps its a .435 for a 150AB vs .485 for a 140AB in 7mm....
Not that the diff in downrange is substantial, not run the #s but the 130 TTSX option does warrant consideration given 3k mv and that MUCH work in the field is this side of 1/4 mile.

I own a 7mm08 and hate it.. Not accurate in the gun i own. Recoil is just as stout or more than my 308 and ammo is about $10 more a box.

Why not just go to the 308? or even 270 if you want long action. Also, can't find ammo half the time but always find the big 3 calibers even at some remote gas stations.

Personally i think it was a solution looking for a problem. I loved the idea at first but now it makes little sense to me. 308 does it better!

Most people I know sell guns they hate. Why keep it?

And the difference between a .308 and a 7mm-08 is negligible, so saying either is superior to the other is ridiculous.




P

That's why I lean on 6's and 6.5's - fly flat and accurate killing well with minimal recoil. More enjoyable to shoot and allows more range time.

I haven't said anything in this thread, I don't have a dog in the fight, so to speak.

Back in the early 80s I was hunting with a bud who bought 1 shortly after they came out. The rifle and cartridge were fine, especially since we were hunting woods/thickets. I had a 77 UL in 308.

I HAD - HAD - 270s since the mid 70s so the 7-08 didn't attract a lot of interest in me.

I'm up on the assets of the 7-08 and I don't hate it.....

I still have 270s & 7 Mags so.....

Short actions and a little less recoil mean nothing to me.
If it floats your boat....fine with me.

Jerry

Same reason some people stay with a wife or job they hate, for some strange reason they actually enjoy the aggravation.

Very nice, I put off getting six-lug Wby cause I wanted a diff. stock to factory, but IIRC a number of yrs ago McMllan
weren't offering such inlet when I enquired.

The difference between a 308 and a 7mm-08 is the difference betwixt a 36C and 34D, respectfully.

I've had the rifles I want in 7RM and 308 WIN for a long time. Think I've got that base covered. No interest here.

Plus, for the non-handloaders (most people), 7/08 factory ammo is a ripoff. When/if you can find it. Seems that might be a HUGE factor for "no love", among the masses.

I agree with all that, except the "ripoff" part. It's priced higher because there's less demand than 243, 270, 308, 30-06. Those four and the 30-30 are the stalwarts of American Hunting.

Here in Montana, for every box of 7mm-08 on the shelves, there's five in 308. Still, the 7mm-08 is VERY popular here. It's typically considered a kids and ladies round for all the state's hunting up through elk, though I've always wondered why it's ok for ladies and kids but not grown men?

Regardless, I have three 308's, but I do have a 7-08 too.

As the late Finn Aagaard said;

"The 7mm-08 is also a fine cartridge that possibly makes the optimum use of the .308 case... The more I use the 7mm-08, the better I like it. It is an altogether superb little cartridge, a modern version of the 7x57mm that will do everything the renowned old Mauser ever did - which makes it an ideal choice for a good 90% of all big game hunting."

I have no more love for the 7-08, but only because our youngest has mine now, many miles away. I guess you could call it a long-distance love affair.

I love it as the modern version of the 7x57 which I also love. It is probably the perfect balance for deer. But it ain't worth fighting over. Lots of cartridges can do more or less the same thing.

I will say this though, after Sandy Hook when nary a box of .270, .308, 30-06, or even 30-30 could be found, there was always 7mm-08. I reload so I wasn't too worried about it, but even then, 7mm bullets of one sort or another usually could be had.

Finn was a great writer and wealth of knowledge. He also liked the Swede though not sure he was around for the 260

He also wrote a piecing the 7BR saying how many shots in the field are done with rifles far more powerful than necessary. Sparked a long affair I had with a Pac-Nor barreled M7. Took several deer without issue.

The ammo argument is Always there and relevant. I've done a lot of hand loading in my day including wildcats but the fascination does seem to wane over time.

The older I get the closer I may come to owning a 308. Done most of the R&D on various cartridges in my past. Odds are I will do less experimenting in the future. That said all the time invested loading and range/field testing has been very valuable more importantly perhaps it was fun. Life's too short not to enjoy it.

Cartridges are more alike than they are different...someone said that somewhere. Just not into the minutia these days, I just shoot animals with $1.00 a shot, .308 caliber cup and core loaded cartridges and it dies.