Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa Pros & Cons: 7mm-08 vs. .308 Win for plains game

I'm getting a new rifle for shooting pretty much everything here in the Western US and I plan on doing a plains game safari soon to RSA and/or Namibia with the same rifle.

I'm very sensitive to recoil (lots of shoulder surgery/reconstructions) and prefer to have rifles that shoot .30-06 class cartridges or less in terms of recoil.

The two cartridges I'm consiering ar the the 7mm-08 and the .308 Win. I'd like to get the 7-08 if for no other reason than it kicks a bit less so I'll shoot it more, and I don't really see much difference in its performance on game compared to the .308.

I'm hoping some old Africa hands can persuade me in one direction or the other, though, for usefulness on the Dark Continent. I'm interested in plains game, the largest of which would be kudu, zebra and wildebeest. I'd think both cartridges whould suffice, but am open to suggestons. What say you all?

And, if both are light, what about a .338 Federal? It would seem a 200 grain, .338 bullet would offer a bit more than both in terms of knockdown power while still being within the outer limits of my recoil tolerance.

.308win is used extensively over there, and so is the 7x57mm, so either choice would do ok..

My only concern would be ammo availability for the 7-08 should you loose your ammo on the trip over...its a small consideration really, and I am sure your PH would advise on the local availability prior to the trip...

.308 is a safe bet all-around. The 7-08 will work fine...unless you run into ammo problems like Pete mentioned, though its never happened to me in half a dozen trips...

Not sure how far and how much carrying of the rifle you'll be doing, however, with your shoulder issues is it possible to up the weight of the rifle (heavy barrel) and add a muzzle brake?

Thanks for the response. Unfortunately, I'm pretty deaf in one ear, and I'd kinda like to keep the other one in good working order, so a muzzle break is out of the question.

I am going to be carrying around the rifle here in the states, so I'd like for it to be at least a comfortable weight and a good handler. I'm liking the new M70 FWT very much.

Get a good lime saver recoil pad an forget it.All 3 cal. u said would work fine I have all 3 my pick would be 338 federal then 308

Have you considered the 280 Remington? You can load it down below 7mm-08 or load it up to being on the heels of a 7mm Rem Mag. The 150 gr PT would cover almost everything.

JD338

I have thought about a .280. But every one I've shot feels pretty close to a.30-06 so I figured I might as well go with the .30 cal if I'm going to take that much recoil.

If Winchester made a Model 70 in .338 Federal, my question would be answered.

I'd own one. Very happy with my Ruger in 338 Fed though. FWIW, the 338 Fed doesn't kick bad at all shooting 180s and 185s. That's even considering the relatively hard recoil pad of the Ruger.

I just wouldn't take less than an '06......YMMV

I'm a big fan of the 7mm-08. I have 3, Browning x-bolt, Sako Grey Wolf and the new Win 70 featherweight. All 3 shoot sub MOA @ 100yds with Federal 140gr TSX. I primarily hunt deer and hogs and have been very pleased with the terminal performance with the 140gr TSX in this caliber.

Which do you like best? Why?

I really like all 3. The browning is the lightest and therefore kicks a little harder, nice trigger and accurate. I'm just breaking in the Win 70, beautiful gun with nice balance and the MOA trigger is good OOB, tad heavy for my taste. My favorite though is the Sako 85 grey wolf, slick bolt, trigger breaks like glass at 2 lbs and extremely accurate. I think the Winchester 70 is the nicest looking factory rifle I've owned and this is my first. But, I have been spoiled by my Tikkas and Sakos, Great triggers and slickest bolt action I've ever handled. I haven't owned one yet that wasn't accurate out of the box.

Get the Win M70 Featherweight!

DITTO! I'd take the 308

get the .308......



maddog

I have been using the 308 with 125 gr. ballistic tips for whitetail here in Arkansas with much success. They have very little recoil so would be good for practice and smaller game and then you could go with heavier bullets as needed. I also have a 7mm08 and can see little difference on game. miles

The .308 bullet is about 20% bigger area then the 7mm. That is a significant amount!

The 30/06 and the 308 are not much different in recoil when the gun is fitted to the shooter properly. I've shot several 308's that were hard kickers and a few 30/06's mine especially that you would never guess was a 30/06.

I would not choose a 308 over a 30/06 but I would pick both over the 7mm just for bullet frontal area and the blood trail advantage.

Both are good, but I'd veer towards the 308 for a number of reasons: slightly better suited for larger game, much more common, probably the easiest cartridge to find accurate loads for. As for recoil, the difference is not noticeable with similar bullet weights (140 vs. 150). I'm afraid I don't concur with JJ on the recoil issue, as I own both 308 and 30-06 and the difference is easily noticed - the 308 is more friendly.

... oh, and definitely go for the Win FWT - maybe in stainless, considering where you live.

That is currently at the top of my list, followed closely by the Extreme Weather. Truth be told, the EW probably makes the most sense for me, but I've always loved the FWT and having stainless as an option with it may just tip the scales in its favor.

I still plan on checking out the Ruger All Weather and Sako Grey Wolf (if I can find one) in .338 Federal, too.