Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 280 or 7-08 for Texas ??

Think case capacity

I get case capacity.

That doesn’t make it bigger, only faster.





P

Would seating a .30-cal in it make it bigger? I seated a .257 in a 6mm once. Not sure just exactly what I was trying to do.

If the OP has been shooting a .270 for fifty some odd years I'm not sure there is much difference in recoil for similar rifles, similar bullet weights, loaded to the same velocity chambered for 7x57, 7-08, .280, .270, or for that matter, .284. Yes, some will do it with a bit more or less powder (which will have a minor effect on recoil), some have the ability to go a bit faster (with a bit more recoil), and some might handle heavy bullets better (again with a bit more recoil.) As far as finding ammo in some out of the way place, my money is on the .270. I guess the 7-08 is not far behind, but I admit I haven't looked.

Unless I am trying to build an uber light rifle, I tend toward the longer action and case so as not to crowd either case or action. Lever, semi-auto, or maybe pump I can see the advantages of the shorter rounds, especially for an AR as previously mentioned by another member.

In my experience 270 ammo is way more common than 7mm/08. The only thing that rivals it is the 06 and perhaps the 7mag

243 will do anything you want all day long. But between the 2 above, its only a take your pick.

Deer are not hard to kill.

When my buddies dad did the same, he went from 270 to 223. For some reason he still shot a buck each year with the 270 but we had isssues finding those deer soemtimes, used my dog quite often for that. He shot the rest of his deer with 223 and other than one shto that my dog said was only a wound, not a kill, never had any issues with the 223. Even though he used bullets that I would not have in it....

Of the two my vote is for the 7mm-08.

Many, many moons ago my first deer rifle was a used and Weaver 4X scoped Marlin 30-30 from a pawn shop and I killed several deer with it and then thinking that I wanted to kill them "more dead" I went to a Remington 30-06 and I killed a bunch of deer with it also.

Getting older and getting tired of the '06 thump' a few years back I went with a Savage 7-08 and I couldn't be happier with the accuracy, lighter recoil or it's killing abilities.

I'm loading Sierra 120 gr. Pro Hunters over a good charge of Varget.

How do those stack up against the 120 NBT, which is quite popular in the 7-08. In fact, that's my go to WT bullet right now.

DF

Actually, 7mm’s of any flavor are so 1980’s....this thread should be about 6.5’s...

DF

Talk about a 308 vs. 30-06 thread

I own one 7mm-08 Ticca and two Model 700 280’s, one is marked 7mm Express so I keep it in the safe. I just put together a 280 AI and have not got past putting a bore conditioner in it. Right now I have shingles in my right eye and have not been shooting for a week or more.

My other 280 shoots 150 grain Nosler Partitions in UNDER 1/2” at 100 yards with 5 shot groups. My 7mm-08 hasn’t done that with any load.

My sampling is small.

But if the recoil of a 280 is too much, then go with the 7mm-08. I doubt very much you’ll be able to tell the difference though, I cannot. Is the couple of ounces too much for you to carry? Then go with the 7mm-08. Again not enough difference to be able to notice for me.

I like the 280. I have been shooting one since the 70’s. The first one was a Mauser, the second was a Ruger (the Ruger was a very accurate rifle with several loads), the third was a Mauser, the last two are 700’s. The 280 AI has a 700 action too.

The only ones that were fickle were the Mausers - they liked heavy long bullets with fairly blunt ogives. Speer Mag Tips I think. With the right bullets they shot pretty well.

If I could have only one high power rifle for game the 280 would be one of my top choices.

One grouping, one not grouping has to be a function of the gun and barrel, not the round.

My 7-08 shoots sub inch all day long. Maybe the Hart barrel helps, but it's an accurate rifle.

280's are accurate, 7-08's are accurate, .280 AI's are accurate. Depends on gun, load and shooter, IMO.

DF

DF is right again.

Got a 280AI just to be different before it went factory and it is one of the best. Passed on the 270 because it was common but then got one for my son and wonder why I didn't get one sooner for myself. Same with the 6.5x55 shot a surplus 38 carbine when I was a kid and left it behind because the bolt was on the wrong (right) side. Now that I am getting re-aquantted with 6.5x55 I am impressed at what a great deer round this is, almost as good as the Creedmoor.

You can pick just about any cartridge between 243 and 308 and it will meet your needs just fine. Me I am going for quality not quantity and so far still like my medium magnums from 300 to 375 but stop there. I would probably customize a pair you already have before getting two new rifles, but then again always nice to get a new one.

Agree and that's the way I've been moving.

I'd rather have a few really good guns than a safe full of so-so stuff.

A lot of my so-so stuff has already gone down the road to fund nicer stuff. I've done a good bit of trading over the years.

Most of what I now have isn't trading material. I've cycled thru most of that, now am down to keepers.

DF

Much as I love my 280's, if I was limited to hunting in TX, I'd be happy with the 7-08, maybe even if I wasn't just limited to TX, too................maybe. As I said, I love my 280's.

I have both, & to 400 yards using the same bullets, & on animals smaller that elk, you will never see a difference as there really is none that matters.

There's really nothing not to like about the 7-08 at all, IMO.

MM

I am 78 years old, and about 3 years ago I got interested I the 7x57 (aka 7mm Mauser) and all it's associated history. I eventually ended up with two 7x57s; a sporterized Mauser made in the Czech factory at Brno back in 1932 for the Peruvian Army, and a Ruger M77 MKII. Love the light recoil and the performance which seems to always exceed what the ballistic tables would lead you to believe. This classic old caliber has a great reputation and anyone that has "googled" 7x57 knows this to be true . It will handle up to elk sized game (especially with the 160 and 175 grain bullets). It's modern day ballistic twin is the 7mm-08. If I didn't have my 7x57s; that is the rifle caliber that I would be buying. It will handle most all your North American big game hunting needs; with the exception of the big bears of course.

CJ

I wouldn't hesitate to head to Africa with my 7-08 and 140 TTSX pellets.

After doing so well with 160 NAB’s out of your 7RM...?

DF

Gee, what an "interesting" thread.

Apparently some people still wander around the days when muzzle energy was the criteria for big game cartridges.

Back in John Taylor's day, when only cup-and-core 140-grain bullets were available for the.275 Rigby (aka 7x57), he thought it was plenty for any African game under 1000 pounds.

I've killed plenty of big game with the 7x57 (aka .275) up to 1000+ pounds using "modern" bullets of various weights up to 160 grains with no problems. Have also used it with various lighter bullets on somewhat lighter game, again no problems.

It would be somewhat astonishing if any appropriate bullet bounced off a Texas deer--or indeed a water buffalo, also found in Texas.