.308 vs 7mm 08 for moose.

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Clay00019

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My wife has been using a Ruger American youth compact in 7mm 08 and its been great for deer.

I want to upgrade her to a Savage 11 Lady Hunter that is available in several calibers including .308 and 7mm 08.

We have about 11 boxes of 7mm 08 in 140gr Hornady so it would be nice to stick with 7mm 08...but I think .308 may be more appropriate for moose.

I don't think the recoil difference would be a lot ....maybe 3 to 5 pounds.

Thoughts?
 
Same same.....
Stick with what you got and make sure the shot counts and you shouldnt have to worry about much after that.
Buddy uses .270 with 140grn ballistic tips and has taken many more over the last 20 years.
Rob
 
I don't think there is enough difference to bother... though I'd probably be inclined to use a heavier bullet than then 140g in the 7mm.
 
I’ve hunted my .308 moose and bears with lighter bullets (150gr) than the 7X57 I hunted with rather extensively prior to the switch (160 and 175gr).

There’s utterly no difference, and if anything the lighter bullets worked a little better on average in these small cases, which bodes well for the 7-08. I switched to 140s in the 7x57 before wondering why I was seeking those ballistics a more challenging way than .308 150gr offered.

Haven’t looked back, but the move to .308 was simply a pragmatic one for ease of supply and breadth of available rifles, rather than performance based.
 
The 7mm-08 is a great cartridge and with less recoil, she will shoot it better, which means more confidence of placing the bullet accurately in the vitals.

If the recoil doesn't bother her, the 308 with its heavier bullets will provide more penetration if the shot doesn't go as planned (e.g., moose moves and the shot encounters heavier bone upon impact, or needs to penetrate further to the vitals due to quartering shot placement, etc.) providing a margin of safety.

Both are good choices, and neither is wrong. It really comes down to her comfort level.
If you have the chance to, have her shoot a couple of 308 rifles to see how she likes it before buying her one (buy a couple of boxes of ammo (150 and 165 gr)and borrow a friend's rifle, use a gun club rifle if one is available, or if your LGS has a used one that they will let her try). Worth the investment of some ammo to learn rather than experience buyer's remorse after the fact if she isn't comfortable with a 308.
 
What kind of moose? What kind of ranges? How well does she shoot off her hind legs? Are there big bears in the area you hunt? Sounds like recoil is a consideration and if so do you hand load? 7mm08 is a great deer cartridge for sure but 308 with a 180 is a bit better and certainly more available if that is a consideration....

If I was going to hunt moose and a 7mm08 was all I had I would look at 160gr bullets and
try some 175gr loads on paper too so I could bring those along also....but that's me...my wife has a 358 lever but it recoils a bit for sure...bears are a big consideration for us...
 
wannabe said:
What kind of moose? What kind of ranges? How well does she shoot off her hind legs? Are there big bears in the area you hunt? Sounds like recoil is a consideration and if so do you hand load? 7mm08 is a great deer cartridge for sure but 308 with a 180 is a bit better and certainly more available if that is a consideration....

If I was going to hunt moose and a 7mm08 was all I had I would look at 160gr bullets and
try some 175gr loads on paper too so I could bring those along also....but that's me...my wife has a 358 lever but it recoils a bit for sure...bears are a big consideration for us...
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My first priority would be group size. I would not sacrifice a tight grouping 140gr bullet for 20 extra gains.
 
billdick said:
How is a savage an upgrade?
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While I am admittedly not a big fan of Savage rifles, their Lady Hunter is actually a pretty nice rifle built specifically for women, and their wood stocks usually had some pretty nice grain in them, and fit and finish is pretty good. In comparison to a Ruger American with a synthetic stock, it is actually an upgrade in aesthetics.
And admittedly, Savages are known for the off the shelf accuracy.
 
1) that's not an upgrade
2) 7mm is absolutely fine for moose - if you're that worried about it, use a bullet in the 160s or solids, but the moose won't know the difference.
 
skhunter said:
My first priority would be group size. I would not sacrifice a tight grouping 140gr bullet for 20 extra gains.
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Group size? It certainly is a factor but I think context is something to consider. Shooting coyote at 400 yards from prone for me would move group size to the number one spot for sure. Hitting a moose or a grizzly bear at 50 yards in thick cover I would not consider group size from the bench much of a priority and that's why I asked the questions I did....close range shots on a shiras moose who is standing broadside is one thing and a 60 inch Alaska Yukon moose at 400 quartering away is something else... a 7mm08 with a 140grain bullet will kill large game under ideal conditions but from my experience ideal conditions seldom occur....General thought is a 30-06 class rifle with 180gr bullets is a good place to start....personally most of my moose were taken with a 300 mag with 180 partitions....group size was indeed an issue because 180 X bullets wouldn't group past 100 yards...
 
My biggest concern with a lighter 7mm bullets and those velocities would be the bullet getting to the vitals on a moose.....again at 50 yards even 30-30s have taken truckloads of moose and at 200 have wounded just as many or more....penetration and bullet construction would be my number one consideration before group size....my 2 bits
 
I think Ron Spomer said if you have a 200 yard deer rifle you have a moose rifle. Regardless you have a pile of ammo she can practise with for that one important shot. Rest assured the 7mm-08 is adequate.
 
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