Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 7-08 in Africa

You said it twice. Daughter. People tend to think it's best for youths or ladies. It will kill anything without great ballistic fanfare. It's just a easy on the shoulder killer. Whitetail to moose and beyond.

Zastava m70 controlled feed 7mm-08 awesomeness. Top 5 cartridge for me. My 7mag is a nicer rifle but the 7mm-08 beats a 7mag for me every day.

My 7-08AI shooting 162AMax's has been a hammer, as has my daughter's 7-08AI with 120gn TSX's, on both deer and some pretty good sized hogs. Deer are relatively easy to kill, bigger hogs can be tough. Never had an issue with the cartridge, and have enough confidence in it that I wouldn't hesitate using it on bigger game.

I developed a load for my nephew, 150 eldx at 2790, kilt a 6x5 bull at 409 yards.





P

I killed a warthog, impala and blesbok in one morning Africa (only the blesbok needed a finisher as I spined him). I used a Kimber Montana 7-08 shooting Barnes Vor Tex 120 grain TTSX. The rifle shot 3/4" all day long!

!!!

Well it is a great cartridge but I wouldn't say it has been "overlooked/underrated". It is routinely compared to the great 7x57, which is one of the most honored and proven cartridges worldwide! I'd say that is a pretty high rating!

Certainly your 7mm-08 will do the job. In fact if I could have only one~~~~

I’m bringing this old thread up to report on the results. Covid postponed the trip planned for 2020, but it finally happened last month. I took the NULA shooting the 140 grain Accubonds. My PH whom I had hunted with before was not panicked, but was concerned that my rifle and bullets were light for a Waterbuck. And I found out that the outfitter felt the same. But they didn’t tell me not to use it.

As testimony to the ability of trackers, mine spotted the horns (all that was visible) of a Waterbuck 150 yards away in the bush. We couldn’t tell if it was lying down or standing in a hole. I got on the sticks and waited. My PH says the wait was 30 minutes. It was hot — later we got a cell signal and the Weather Channel said it was 100 degrees Fahrenheit. At one point my PH literally asked me if I wanted him to pour a bottle of water over my head. At long last the beast stood up facing directly at us. It happens fast. I decided that if he turned either way, we probably wouldn’t see him again, so I took the frontal shot.

At the shot, he dropped but then got up and ran. That was a bit concerning though I had been steady on the sticks and liked the sight picture. Because of the bush, we couldn’t see him after he jumped up. But the trackers found blood and followed. Soon there were spots where he was coughing blood, and it didn’t take long to find him dead from the shot. He had bled out as he ran. The PH remarked that is a good bullet.

I can’t explain the Waterbuck dropping at the shot and then jumping up and running. I’ve been led to believe that usually happens when you hit close to the central nervous system and that shot is often not fatal.

The postponement pushed this trip close to my 80th birthday next February. I sure enjoyed a less than six pound rifle!

And what a treat to be on this trip with both of my sons!

Good deal, Al! Congratulations on the fine hunt.

If somebody knows how to shoot the 7mm-08 is very good plains-game rifle. In fact, on a month-long safari in 2007, in which a dozen other hunters participated during various parts of the hunt, I witnessed one of my companions taking a big blue wildebeest bull with exactly the same combination you used, a 7mm-08 with the 140 AccuBond. The bullet stood broadside at around 150 yards, and the bullet hit the right spot--and the bull ran about 50 yards before keeling over.

The hunter had also brought a .300 Winchester Magnum for the bigger plains game animals, but after a few days started flinching. He switched to the "little" 7-08 and it worked fine not only on the wildebeest but several others animals.

I haven't used the 7mm-08 in Africa, but as somebody pointed out when this thread was first posted, the 7x57 has worked well over there for a long time. I've used it considerably, and it worked fine on both wildebeest and kudu, as well as other animals, and on a safari in Namibia in 1999 our fellow Campfire member Ingwe used his 7x57 on both kudu and zebra. Not surprisingly, it worked then too.

There was an article in one of the shooting magazines years ago featuring Boddington’s daughter on safari with the 7-08.
A very photogenic young lady!

Congratulations and truly hope at 80, I am out there still getting it done. I've used the 7-08 almost exclusively for the last 10 or so years and wish I found it sooner. In fact, there's two in the safe right now

And he used the 7x57 on two subsequent safaris for game from jackals up to gemsbok.

It worked on everything.

With proper bullets and placement theres no reason the 7-08 wouldnt do the same.

I believe it even got your picture in one of the gun gack books.

Ingwe,
Did you use the same bullets for each safari or did you change with each one?

John

7mm-08 is Uber.

Are we still saying Uber?

Sir, I don't know you. I have never met you, but I can't tell you how much I have enjoyed reading this post. The past 18 months to 2 years have been crazy for everyone on the planet. I am happy to hear that you have been able to stay the course and make this hunt. Not only that, but make it successfully. Congratulations to you! My compliments on the choice of a stellar hunting cartridge. Here's hoping you get the chance to hunt with your sons for many seasons more.
Joel

Sir, I don’t know you either, but I’ll wager a considerable sum that you are a kind and thoughtful person to write that reply. When we drove through Grahamstown I saw a sign that read, “When in Life, Live!” I’m going to do my best. It’s not lost on me for a single second how fortunate I am to have the health, energy, and enthusiasm to do adventures like this. If my health holds, I’m not done yet.

Keep scratching, brother!

John I used the same bullets for each one, Nosler Partitions 175 gr. As you know in africa you dont know whether you'll be shooting a spring hare or a kudu at any given moment. The 175 NPT works on all of them.