Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters So why not 7mm-08?

OP question: So why not 7mm-08?

Because the 7x57 Mauser and .275 Rigby twins are still alive and well. No need for a bastid step child from another mother, that’s why. LOL!

[/quote] being able to seat the bullet out to near the lands often makes a positive gain in accuracy. In addition, as the rifling gets eroded the bullets can't be set out further. My complaint avbout short actions wasn't velocity.
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Have you ever owned a 7mm-08? If so, do you use high-BC bullets in it, and have you shot one enough to wear the throat significantly.

I've owned a few 7/08s, shot my BDL VS quite a bit, no issues on throat wear, it's not a 243 or Swift........

Now yes I will usually load to maximum COL that will run in a mag fed bolt. That said, never not hit vitals due to any COL issue.

If one desires, there are some mag boxes after market that can give you a bit more, some also use longer mags in the Tikka's, and change the bolt stop. Running a 270 or 280 would also solve that........but that said, I took 2 rifles to CO for a hunt. A 24" 270 running 150 PTs at 2850 mv, and a 20" M70 7/08, 139 at 2850. Since I had already ran the former stem to stern on another hunt in CO, I carried that handy M70 Carbine.........and my Mule Deer dropped right there, COL running thru the mag..........

So yes, when possible, I jam lands for max accuracy, that VS above would bughole 140 BTs.....when loaded out around 2.85.......but I just seated a bit deeper when hunting, never an issue. Folks need to try a load combo, to KNOW accuracy, as sometimes a jump is not as bad as one might worry........sometimes you get really great accuracy. Try it and see.

Btw, JB, you have a smart wife....but you knew that

I've sold off a lot of rifles since owning my Kimber Montana in 7-08. I buy every Horn 154 round nose I can find (still on some shelves if you look). I agree with an earlier comment that the 7-08 is the best thing to happen to a .308 WIn case. Combine that with the smack of that 154 in a light done right package is all I need for where and what I hunt.

Have lighter bullets ever failed you?

Current load is 160gr grand slams at 2775fps and have reached speeds over 2800 but accuracy falls off slightly but still 1.5 inch groups at 100 yards. It can reach 280 rem speeds and with less powder

What barrel length are you using?
I never got over 2650 with 160 GS's and a 22 inch barrel.

24 inch

Have you ever owned a 7mm-08? If so, do you use high-BC bullets in it, and have you shot one enough to wear the throat significantly.
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I have bought exactly one 7mm-08 (Tikka) - it's my wife's, she's a lefty. I found a load that worked well for her with the139 grain Hornady Interlock bullet and stopped experimenting, I shoot a lot more than she does and I'm sure she won't shoot out that barrel. I have worn out a few barrels some with cartridges a fellow wouldn't think of, 6mm on Mauser action (not the short action 700) I have a 722 in 244 that I'd dearly love to set the bullet out further, it's on it's last legs, maybe 3 or 4 30-06's, 2 280's, a.223 and 2 22-250's, My second 22 LR - a Marlin 57 was shot so much that powder and gas leaked by the shell and into my face, so I suppose I could say that I shot out a 22 LR.

I'll probably will have the 244 barrel set back and keep on shooting it for a while.

I am sure that those high BC bullets would shoot well. Since you educated me on my attempt to shoot high BC bullets in my 280 AI - that is "they often shoot better with the bullets backed off from the rifling" -- or at least that is how I remember the lesson. (Strange one of my 7mm RM's shoots high BC bullets accurately very easily.)

I'm not that interested in using high ballistic bullets in most of my rifles, because high BC doesn't always mean best bullet performance on game, I think. My priorities:
First - bullet performance on game,
Second - accuracy (I know I am a little nuts on having the best accuracy even on my big bores).
Third - I am interested in high BC where I am hunting in wide open spaces (high velocity fits right in there with high BC for me - I don't spin the elevation knob on my scopes).

For my shooting high BC bullets would mean mostly varmints, and pronghorns. The 7mm-08 would do OK with both, I suppose. But I have other cartridges/rifles that I would prefer for those tasks.

52 grains and a 162 eldx got me bright, shiny ejector marks and 2730 FPS from my Tikka. Easy bolt lift, though.

I get 2790 with the 150 eldx using 46.2 grains of Big Game. Doing the math, there’s very little difference until I get past 700 yards, which is waaaaay beyond my limit.




P

Bugger,

Thanks for the info.

The reason I asked is that have owned several 7mm-08s, all on standard "short" actions with typical magazines around 2.85" long. Have yet to experience any difficulty seating hunting spitzers seated near enough to the lands to shoot well under an inch. My present one does so with both 139 Hornady Spire Points and 140 Barnes TTSX.

My wife's shoots well and it was easy to get to shoot too. I have but two complaints regarding the 7mm-08. One: it's almost always in a short action. The other is I like the 7x57 better because it is a "classic".

In my opinion the "Creedmoor" cartridges and the 300 Savage, the 250-3000 and the 22-250 fit the short action better than the 308, 7-08 and the 6mm. The 6mm being the worst fit, in my opinion and I like the 244/6mm. I'd like to see an intermediate length action for the longer cartridge's.

For a one rifle shooter that hunts deer once a year and occasionally a coyote or a pronghorn or even an elk, the 7-08 will do. I just am an opinionated old fart that some writers refer to now and then.

I'd add the 257 Roberts to your list of SA "offenders."

For "a one rifle shooter that hunts deer once a year and occasionally a coyote or a pronghorn or even an elk" type person, I'd recommend the 6.5 Creedmoor. The difference between it and the 7-08 is academic, and the Creedmoor has 100%+ more factory offerings, AND works mo-better in a 2.8" SA, as well as recoiling less.

Brad,

A few coimments:

Eileen and I have been shooting my grandmother's Remington 722 since the early 1980s, when she used it as her first big game rifle. Within a couple years she "graduated" to a .270, and I started using the 722 as my "light" big game rifle. The 722 was the rifle that standardized the short-cartridge magazine at around 2.85 inches--and grandma's rifle was the first big game rifle I handloaded for that would consistently group 5 shots (not just 3) into under an inch. That was accomplished with (believe it or not) 100-grain Nosler Partitions loaded warmly.

We also used the rifle for shooting varmints from prairie dogs to coyotes, often getting the barrel pretty hot. Dunno how many rounds were fired through it before we acquired it, but we have put well over 1000 rounds downrange, and the chamber throat is visibly "gator-skinned." Consequently it won't shoot 100-grain Partitions as well anymore--but will shoot 100-grain Ballistic Tips and Barnes TTSXs and 115-grain Nosler Partitions at least as well.

Have probably owned a dozen other .257s during that period, including two pre-'64 Model 70 Winchesters, a Kimber 84 Classic (made after they solved the early problems), and Eileen's NULA Model 20--which has a 3" magazine. The NULA shoots a little better than the 722, but not by a vast amount. Oh, and I also had a custom-barreled Ruger No. 1 that shot well, where obviously bullets could be seated without regard to magazine length--but not any better than the 722.

My most recent .257 is a custom with a top-grade cut-rifled barrel, on an FN Mauser 30-06-length action. The action was "blue-printed," and the stock's a precisely bedded Barnser High-Tech. Have played with it some (though not as much as I will) but so far it doesn't show any indication of shooting more accurately than the 722 with it's too-short magazine.

Would appreciate hearing your experience.

i now own 1/2 dozen 257 Robert rifles ,this is my favorite that i did replace a barrel on a Remington 30 Express this year with a Brux 25 inch 7 1/2 twist barrel with 115 gr. B.T. Nosler and 115 Berger bullets this rifle shoots 1/2 inch - 5/8 inch 5 shot groups at 100 yards, rifle has a Timney trigger,bedded and floated stock too. i never expected this rifle to shoot this well so easy. the rifle likes Reloader 17 1st powder i tried with this new barrel,so why change it shoots better than it should for a old hunting rifle. my new 6.5 Ruger target rifle doesn`t shoot that much better than this old huntin rifle ?makes me shake my head.? this 30 Express 257 Roberts almost shoots as well as my custom Remington 700 7mm-08 too.i own all these 257 Robert rifles to give to the family to hunt with same cartridge when we deer hunt ,low recoil, ,accurate and i just like this old unique cartridge with the name 257 Roberts ,this old cartridge just has class.

When I started getting serious about the "One rifle" I was looking at the 260 Remington... on paper the 7-08 did everything the 260 could do but better.. at dang near every range with a traditionally twisted 260... now the creed with a 1-8" twist is a little different. I think enough to push it over the 7-08 hump.

I think the 7-08 will ultimately suffer the same fate at the .338 federal. (probably should phrase that the other way as the 7-08 significantly predates the 338 fed.)

too close to the 308 Win to appeal to the masses.

It's not that it isn't as good, or better in its intended usage, its downfall is that it isn't as common, known, available, or cheap.

Yep!

The other factor, of course, is that you could probably hunt a lifetime with the .308 and 7mm-08 and never see any difference in field performance....

I've had every opportunity to buy a 308 Win and almost did, but chose a 7mm-08 instead. Glad I did and have since bought another rifle in 7mm-08. Easy to reload and easy to find accuracy nodes, especially if you are not obsessed with velocity.

And how is that different from the .308? Just asking.

The 308 is like driving a Chevy 4 door sedan. The 7-08 is a 2 door hardtop! My favorite caliber. If you don't reload, the 308 makes more sense due to more and cheaper factory ammo. I've owned 308s but they are all gone. In my opinion, there is enough recoil difference for me to prefer shooting the 7-08. Might be because I shot high power silhouette with a 700 BDL 7-08 for many years. I always felt sorry for the 308 shooters....more recoil and less downrange power with equal weight bullets.

I may still buy a 6.5 Creedmoor but it won't replace my 7-08 or my 7x57.