Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles opinion of 7mm-08 rem. vs 308

208 AMax, BC - .648

truth be told, I got an 0.4 inch group at 100 with that load. I took the load out to distance and I was still making hits at 200, 300, 400, 500, and 600 yards (measured ranges, from prone, 17x12 steel plates). So, I just stopped right there.

BMT

Point conceded, that bullet is slippery.

BMT

Thanks.

The 208 is a good bullet, but started 200 fps slower than a 162, it can't catch up, despite a slightly better BC.

That said, I've had good accuracy at 1120 yards with the 208, started at a meager 2480 fps. 40 moa el correction, at 4500' local elevation. Old pic, but it illustrates a point.
560 yards:


1120 yards:

Damn Fine Shooting.

BMT

Yep

I enjoyed that! I am going to resist the temptation to "neck the suck" out of my .308 in order to arrive at S30V! LOL! Well done! I applaud your wife and hope that she keeps a switch nearby in order to fend-off such wit.



That's simply where I am in this. I don't have the open terrain that would necessitate shots over 300-400 yards. 400 yards is a LONG shot for me.

Considering the investment one would make to reload, I'm not sure that the 7mm-08 would deliver the type of returns the average non-handloading (and not always dumb) hunter would expect to see while avoiding the factory fodder route.




I just don't think the novice can discern the degree of brightness between then two at any range and the best of the best at close to moderate ranges. Moderate being 200-400 yards.

TryMe,

I understand your arguments and have no choice but to yield to any suggestion that experience dictates. However, I just don't feel the 7mm-08 demonstrates the type of superiority that would cause me to suggest it, over the .308, to anyone that was asking advice on which rifle to buy. The factory ammunition offered in .308 keeps it soundly in first place with me. And, in my humble opinion "knowing doesn't hurtcha" in this case.

Yes indeed they do and I won't hesitate to use them, but enough to matter?

..................................400....500....600....700....800
VLD 308/168/.473/2,800.-29.5..-53.9..-87.7..-132.5.-190.4
VLD 284/168/.617/2,700.-30.0..-54.0..-86.4..-128.3.-181.1

At 600 yards there is only 1.3" of difference.
At 700 yards there is only 4.2" of difference.

Hey, I like ballisitc advantage and gacking as much as you do, but will a few inches or a few fps advantage make or break my hunt?

Not with turrets friend.


Question of the day for Tryme,

When using Berger bullets on game.
Is bullet weight going to matter?

Great post and it does put it all in perspective. I guess counting fairies on pinheads is an exercise for those long Alaskan winters. For me either the 7mm-08 or 308 Winny both work and both have their virtues. Hell buy both, shootem both and then use what you like best. Naw, that makes too much sense. Better to just argue about "How long is a piece of string"?

Bob

Forgot about the 168 Berger VLDs. I have 1000 at the relaoding bench. As soon as I run out of partitions. . . . . . .

BMT

Zactly... Now if you really wanted to have some fun with it...

Throw in the 6.5-08 running a 140 Berger Match BT (looks like a skinny 142 Sierra MK) at .617 BC and a 2800 FPS MV.

But we're not going to get into "Necking the suck out of the 7-08" today.

Shane,

Can you gun 208's from the belly? I can't recall whatcha had going on in that regard.


BMT,

The 175's always shoot very nicely,whether it a 1-12,11 or 10 (assuming 20" or better),but they are amongst my least favorite for terminal affects...as SMK's routinely tout that Title. A-Max's simply smoke them hard.

If a guy is talking but 300-400yds,that is squarely 223AI,22-250AI,243,243AI Territory,as all will beat up on the 308 easily. While Critters don't read headstamp,they remain much impressed by bullet selection.

Reloading is cheaper than buying over the counter,especially if Precision is of interest,especially in cnjunction with terminal affects. Win/win. Delving deeper,the .284" 162A-Max is a fair bit less coin than the Berger .308 168's,if one is truly srutinizing loot.re-hint)

I don't know that a guy has to be all that bright,to taste the differences extolled,as the culmination is more than a touch enlightening in actual application. In few words...you simply can't poke a bullet in the 308,that'll have it outpace the 7-08,though you can reliably make it recoil more. Reality is,I do not know a single soul who has gunned a 308 and a 7-08 side by each in real world circumstances and who aborted the 7-08 in the fray. I can however account for a long list of aquaintances who gun the 7-08 due to those findings and typically in the utility role. I reckon that tally is better than 50 barrels and humorously enough,I'm the sole 308Win "champion". Tough crowd,but they shoot/kill a bit.


Shadow,

Would love to see a pic of your 7-08.

Laffin'.


'35,

I can't like Bergers on Critters,thus my obvious barb in regards to the notion of same.


Dan,

Good call to forget the Woods talk,as it is squarely commensurate with your Ballistics "knowledge".

Feel free to muse the .264" 140 Berger's terminal affects,as per your accountings and talk a little about how you like your 260 chambers set up to receive them and say a little somethin' about COAL. That ought to be way more than ample.

For conversation,it is a breeze to arrange a 2.810" COAL 7-08/162 kiss,with ogives well above casemouths and typical SAAMI chambers are suprisingly in synch with the notion in general. The 162's svelte bearing surface is handy in more than a few ways,whether it speed or COAL.

I dig that you feel compelled to guess so wantonly,keep it up.

TryMe (aka Big Stick),

You said "Shadow,

Would love to see a pic of your 7-08.

Laffin'."

I could send you pictures of my two 7mm-08's, one a Sako 75 Finnlight, the other a Kimber Montana, but alas I sold 'em both.

Not because I did not like 7mm-08's, but I had to pay to divorce the Witchey Woman. Better to get rid of the rifles, and than keep that Woman. But I did keep my Steyr SSG KII in 308. I could send you pictures of that.....

Since were going to be pen pals, and swap spit and such, I could send you pictures of naked dead animals.....that's the animals naked not me.... or I could send you keep sake photo's of me chopping down cherry trees with my hatchet. The tree photo's alas will not be with me standing on the cherry tree, because in that case you would not see the tree.

But hell's bell's stuff does grow bigger in Alaska, so please excuse us flatlanders, with our .308's and small trees.

Look forward to hearing from you again real soon Stick.

TTFN,

Bob
LMAO

I forgot that you smack game with A-Maxs. A-Maxs rock in that regard.



WHAT! NO 25-284? You'se got a reputation to uphold . . . .

BMT

You gonna set-back that HS tube or just pole-vault for now?

The 7-08 has always tempted me mostly in the Kimber Montana platform with the 1-10 twist barrel, the 260 tempted me more. Then todays reality of just finding any reloading components and then if not components trying to find any loaded ammunition just puts a different spin on things, especially if you have other 30 caliber rifles. The 308 is just more ubiquitous and for the ranges I shoot under 200 yards identical to the 7-08 in performance that I just cannot see going in that direction. There is no doubt to the long range merit of the cartridge.

Lee, I have thought about laws affecting 223/308, 9/45s, but heck, why will they stop there? Hmmm, anything with a 12x or higher scope, scopes with knobs, heck, I'd reckon they'll stop when owning ammo, components are all banned, anything explosive, inc. caps...let alone CCI's, all guns and glass...heck I hear slingshots are classified as guns/handguns in NJ and NY! Those are .....shooters (not pea ....) btw.

BUT, good point, as I could see a first step in what other countries have done with say 7x57 IIRC.

As to the above debate, heck the shooter WILL be the deciding factor and range estimation and clicking properly will win the day IMHO.

That said, I like the 7 better than 30, JUST because of the gack.

Now one better, I like the 6.5 better than the 7. Why? That's all I need for what I do....

I do say that I recognized long ago, an amax 7/08 is more gun that many might realize......just as a properly loaded 260 or 6.5x55

Well Larry... When I was at the All Prone LR match in Deep Creek last September, I saw exactly ZERO guys shooting 7-08s at the 6,8,and 1000 yard line. Between 260's (6.5-08s) 6.5 Creedmoors, one 6.5-284 everyone else was shooting 6XCs. The top ten scores at 1000 were all 6.5's...

Wonder why that is???

Now the 260 I've got shoots 140 grain Partitions (with a BC of .495) at 2740 FPS, and its dropped everything I've pointed it at (including an Elk.) As far as specs on my reamer, You'd have to ask Dave Kiff. All I can tell you is that on a fresh Lilja or Lawrence pipe, its in the .2's and .3's for 5 rounds on an Ultralight contour, and they're pretty well used up by 2800 rounds.

In an average year, I send 4-6000 rounds of centerfire rifle ammo downrange (add in RF and pistol ammo and I haven't shot less than 10K a year since I was 20.) But you're right, I don't know a [bleep] ing thing about shooting a rifle. Wonder how long you'll be around this time??

You can count me in the 6.5 group too.