Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats Barrel for 7mm-08

Any recommendations on a barrel for a 7-08?? I thought about a Douglas chrome moly, in a 1-9” twist. It was recommended about 24” in length. Does that sound about right?? This will be put on a Howa 1500 short action and I plan to shoot about 140s out of it.

Someone educate me bc I am not the expert. I have heard everything from a #2 contour to a bull barrel to a feather weight. Also someone mentioned doing something the same as a Remington 700 contour. Any and all recommendations are welcome. Thanks guys!!

How are you going to use it?

How do you want it to handle?

Hard to not like a Bartlein 2b contour finished at something like 22"-22.5" with no more than a 1" shank. For twist anywhere from 1-8 to 1-9 should work, think the 2b's come in 1-8.7 when you find them over on Bugholes barrels.

I like #2 and #3 hart and douglas contours....your going to get all kinds of answers to this question
do you want a stainless or chrome moly barrel...may decide your maker and contour question
22,23 or 24 in length they all work....you shooting from a tree stand or shooting house

Assuming it's for a hunting rifle? It would be hard not to go with a Douglas. But I'd have no interest in a 24" barreled 7/08. Be much more interested in a 22" spout.

I have a XX on a .308 that shoots fantastic. Turn around time was < 2 weeks. Mine is on a 700 action in the factory sporter contour and is 22".

Waiting for the "But they don't handlap their barrels"

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That's a shooter!

I want it to handle like a normal hunting rifle…. I tend to sit in a blind. I don’t really stalk and shoot…

Nice groups but what is a 22” spout? And, a XX on a .308?? What is an XX and 22” spout.??

Shoot from a deer stand or “bench rest”. I would want chrome moly so I could have it coated. Not much difference between that and the SS, other than the chrome moly might take longer to break in…

Spout = barrel....22" barrel

XX is a grade of Douglas barrel.

Thank you for the clarification. I’m only 37 years old and I still have a lot to learn. I don’t know a whole lot.

No worries. Gotta start somewhere sometime. Here is what a factory 700 sporter contour looks like.

Measures .610 at the muzzle. Which on a general purpose hunting rifle is about perfect to me.




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do you have a stock already if not what do you plan to use

That's the easy button!

Stainless can be coated.

Right now, all I have for the stock it’s just a factory Hoge. I thought about looking at HS, precision, bell, and Carlson, or maybe avoid stock possibly…? any recommendations are welcome!!

If it's in the budget...a McMillan would be the way I'd roll as I'm a stickler for checkering on a rifle stock.

I can however live with a B&C. I'd ditch the hogue idea. Never could warm up to them.

For some great ideas and a fantastic build you might want to look at the Shaen Rifle build thread, that one nails it all the way. And if/when you are ready to rebarrel I'd send it to Shaen to do his 7MM-08 magic

Dandy little hammer Gary 👊🏻

Having shot a 7-08 for almost 20 years now, I would recommend no longer than a 22" barrel. 20" is my preference, especially for blind or treestand hunting. Any of the major barrel manufacturers will work for what you intend to do with it. McGowen, Douglas, Bartlein, Rock Hill, Wilson, Shilen, Brux, Krieger, and Hawk Hiill, just to name a few. You will have to decide what you are comfortable spending, but for a hunting gun, you honestly don't need benchrest accuracy. I am not saying that all of the barrels listed above will perform to the same level (you get what you pay for), but for a gun that most likely never going to shoot past 300 yards and those shots are going to be at deer-sized targets, a good barrel will do you just fine. No need for great.

All of the above answers are correct as well, but just keep in mind that there is nothing us gun-nuts like more than spending other people's money.