Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles 7-08 Rifles

jay,

Most of the rifles I buy are pre-enjoyed. Any that follow me home have a particular feature(s) that I find interesting. This is one of those. I traipsed into my favorite Gunshop some 12 to 15 years ago and there this was sitting in the used gun rack.

Whoever owned it before me took the time to have the trigger worked on. It breaks with no creep or over-travel at +/- 20 oz. Best Browning trigger I've ever felt. He then had a fluted barrel screwed on. Next he took and had the barrel and receiver and bottom metal Teflon coated. Finally the stock was bedded and the barrel channel opened up so the barrel is free floated from the recoil lug forward. Came with the Talleys. All for about $500 IIRC.

I overlooked that statement earlier. Indeed, I have three of them. Jack O'Connor would be proud.

GWB,
Wow, nice! Great rifle at a great price. I have heard so much about how well Brownings usually shoot but I just never seem to buy one. You got me thinking about it now....
Thanks
Jay

I got a browning 7-08 micro hunter xbolt. I absolutely love it.

Knowing how well my Sako L461 Vixen in .222 shoots I have to surmise a Sako would at the top of the best of the lot list for accuracy in about any caliber to include the 7-08.

I have been really impressed with my boys Browning Abolt hunter II in 7-08. I replaced the trigger spring and it is a solid shooter. I am so glad he earned his Eagle Scout so I could bring it out for him. Now I have to figure out how to shoot his rifle more often. I absolutely love it.

Fire Hawk,

Congrats to your son on earning his Eagle Scout. I have heard that there are more Eagle Scouts in Utah than in any other state.

My Ruger American .30-06 as a pretty good trigger. It is adjustable but so good I have no plans to mess with it. My Ruger Hawkeye L6 trigger was pretty good as well but a little polishing improved it. The single stage triggers on the MKII and M77 rifles are easily improved with a bit of work. All of my Rugers have factory triggers as even the worst have cleaned up very nicely.

Built on a long action, though, IIRC.

Purchased this one for my wife & she loves it.

Savage Lady Hunter, in 7mm-08 Remington.

Has a 1" shorter length of pull & a 20" bbl.

It now wears a 2-7 x Redfield Revolution & has been the extinguisher of life for her 4 deer over the last 2 seasons.

Remington Mod 7 MS

I think you may be doing yourself a disservice by excluding Ruger Hawkeyes because you think the triggers aren't any good, especially when a little work and/ or a little money would correct that. They have a lot of positives to consider, including great reliability and strength, good accuracy, one piece bolts, CRF, and steel bottom metal, all at a very reasonable price.

That said, I would encourage you to handle as many of the rifles suggested here as possible to find the one that feels best to you. That feel is something that only you can really judge.

Being a long time many decades fan of the late Jack O'Connor, I read in one of his books of his giving the M77 high accolades. I wonder if he'd to that today? Sometimes a man just gets tired of having to do this and that to most all rifles to get them to shoot well. Everything from re-bedding to trigger work. Maybe it's just a pipe dream but I think, although I really know better, that a manufacturer should deliver a product to a customer without his having to take out the barrel/action to do any of the above. I guess that's just not the real world. Sako is the only brand I've never had to do anything but mount scope, work up loads and get great consistent groups.

I had to change the trigger spring on my pre-64 270 Winchester and after that it was great at 2lb 12oz. I had a Remington 700 that no mater what you did to it it just would not shoot under 1 1/2" at 100 yards. Worse rifle I ever had. I've never had a Savage so can't testify to that one. Ditto on the M77. I've only read of the terrible trigger.

But that don't seem to stop you from running your yap......

You said (wrote) pretty much exactly what I was thinking.

I agree in principal, but it's not realistic to expect the same level of detail on a gun that has a street price of maybe $800 as one that goes for twice as much. My new Ruger Hawkeye Predator has a good 2-stage trigger, is well inletted, and functions perfectly. It cost $769, including rings. Blued, walnut stocked ones go for somewhat less.

Sakos, Coopers, Weatherbys, etc. are better finished, smoother out of the box, and I think worth the money, but it's not neccessary to spend $2000 to get a good rifle. Besides, most of us enjoy dinking around with our guns and take pride in our "improvements".

What was that for? If you don't like what I write I have a suggestion...don't read it.

This is really trick question, right? No one had given the correct answer so far I gather too. Hummmmm... This family has 4, Dakota, Browning , Rem 7, 700 Mtn..... Maybe something custom? How about an AI? No, that can't be it, too easy. Golly, I'm so stumped. Since every major, minor and custom maker puts out a 7-08 there has got to be some clue we are missing. I'll keep watching the thread for the surprising and shocking conclusion.

I just tried a Browning BLR in 7mm-08. It was very accurate if you like levers.

"The only winning move is not to play the game."