Keith, good points, and one might say a 50BMG stomps them all combined, yet I look at what gets the job done in good fashion and I believe the 7/08 is as Bludog says w/in a gnats ..z of the WCF as my loads ran 2900-2960 w/139-140gr in 21" bbls where 130s would do right at 3k, more than many 270 factory loads which have proven fine to the 400 yd mark on deer, no doubt both are capable much further with shot placement w/a bullet that expands ok at the distance, which I would say is 500-600 yds, in the hands of an expert marksman, not what I go about, but proven many times over.
Agreed, my sentiment is exactly what you said, the 270WSM is a 7Mag in a short action. Its a strong round no doubt but I contend not necessary under 400 yds on deer. Hunters in flat open spaces can make the case for ballistics for the WSM, and logically so since drop/wind estimation/error is the caveat to shot placement, which is more the issue than the speed/energy retention IMHO.
I think the 7/08 needs to be quantified, is it a 22-24" bbl, or a carbine 18.5" as that will make the difference of about 150 fps and often I have just not seen the accuracy w/pencil thin bbls in Rem M7s to be shooting beyond 300 yds, partly due to inherit accuracy, the rest perhaps due to having a light gun that is harder to steady. I would not hesitate to use a short tubed 7/08 to 400 yds, but if I wanted a gun for all around use, it's gonna have preferably/ideally a 22-23" standard sporter contour as a minimum. I most always hit better, and most often my guns shot better groups with thicker tubes.
Any of the three w/good loads and a good driver will have one needing a sharp knife
