.30 cal vs. 7mm

vikingocazar

vikingocazar

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Okay, I'm sure this has been done to death so if anyone has a link that they can share where this has been sorted I'd love to see it. Having said that, I recently had a number of very long conversations with a friend who says that all North American big game can be hunted with calibers that I would never before considered. What I found to be interesting was that he said the sectional density of the 7mm (.284) is so superior to the .308 calibers out there that there is no reason to go with that venerable cal. Does this make sense? He says that 7mm penetrates better, has superior ballistic coefficient and penetration. I have always been of the mind that the bigger the bullet diameter, the bigger the whole=better, quicker, more humane kill. He's telling me that a 7mm-08 is capable of taking down elk and moose. I am very open to getting into a caliber that doesn't kick like a moose if I don't need to...so any thoughts? And, like I said, if this exact post already exists I'm happy to read it (my search results were less than fruitful)
 
Yes, the 7mm-08 will kill moose and elk. The 7x57 was, and still is, highly regarded for its ability to take big game while being mild on the shoulder.
 
I'd have no problem shooting elk and moose with a 7-08, especially with good bullets. The 7mm and 30 caliber cartridges do the same thing on game- kill them cleanly with good shot placement.
 
A 7-08, 7X57, and a .280 Remington are all viable big game cartridges. So is the .308 and the .30/06. Do 7mm bullets have a higher SD than .30s? Only if you only consider normal weight bullets, but considering that Woodleigh makes a 240 gr .308 bullet, there is no 7mm bullet I know of that comes close to an SD of .361. Is there anything that can be done with a .30 caliber rifle that can't as well with a 7mm, with a bit less recoil and slighter flatter trajectory? I doubt it; but that said, I'll stick with my .30/06.
 
There is a group of effective calibers that are favored in North America, and all the above mentioned are in it. To make comparisons between 7mm and 30 cal is doing a lot of splitting hairs. Good hunting shots are a combination of velocity, energy, projectile construction, skill, and often luck. The other question would be what is its intended purpose? A caliber for hunting on the open prairies would be different pick for what i use in the heavy bush. I have most of the calibers mentioned above and have been hunting for 35 years, If i had to pick one, I would keep my 30.06. It does everything I've ever needed a rifle to do. Animals just seem to fall over from just pointing it at them.
 
I own and shoot examples of both bullet diameters.
The difference on game is moot, at best.

Place the bullet properly from either, and the work starts.
I have shot 8 moose and a couple of elk with the 7x57....all died within 30 yards of where they
were standing at the shot.
This with bullets weighing 140, 150 or 160 grains. Tried them all, couldn't see a lot of difference.

30 cals have seen a lot of action in my hands. The results on a lot more game has been similar.

There is no argument that a 175 grain 7mm Spitzer Partition has a better BC and SD than does the 30 cal 180 of the same design.
But...I have personally never seen a great need to use the 175 gr 7mm bullet.

Maybe on a grizzly hunt, but by choice I would take my 338 Win Mag for that pursuit anyway.

It's a bit like the argument of which are better...white eggs or brown eggs, lol.

Regards, Eagleye
 
Ballistically, to make both equal, the 30cal will sling a heavier slug out of a larger case.

So you get more downrange energy but more recoil at your end.

Simple.

As for ongame performance like penetration, expansion, I would be more concerned about matching the TYPE of bullet to the anticipated IMPACT velocity range vs the game and angles you are shooting.

Berger 7mm 180gr VLD is a massive slug with amazing BC and SD IN FLIGHT. However, smack a large animal with a less then ideal presentation at over 2500fps and suddenly, you loose all that wonderful SD and bullet might just fragment into itty bitty pieces.

Conversely, a stubby 30cal 150gr TTSX buzzing along from a 308 might just punch through 5ft of animal at the same impact velocity

For a hunting bullet, I feel SD of a bullet is how it reacts IN an animal and that has much more to do with construction and impact velocity vs a numerical calculation.

Jerry
 
Thanks to all of you. I have just gotten back into rifles after a 23 year break. The last one I owned was a .338 magnum and although I loved it, I found myself dreading shooting a bit. I figure if I can get into an effective cal. that is a pleasure to shoot...well it's like the best of all worlds.
 
If you miss with a 7mm or 30cal , it is still a miss, if you hit the vital with a 7mm vs a 30cal, this is where there is a BIG difference, guess what , the animals both die as well.

I have both and they both work, maybe just how you feel that day will be the big difference in what you want to use.
 
The 7 Mag can do what the 30 Mag can with 30% less recoil. Not a hard one to figure out. It's also the nut behind the butt that makes the difference.
 
You need to get into a .260 or 7-08, by the sounds of it. It's not a matter of whether 7mm or .308 is "better", but rather which is a better fit for you while still having the capability of doing what you need to do.
 
Grain for grain in the same style bullet the 7mm has the edge with both BC and SD, but I really don't think the game you shoot with either of them are going to get into a debate about which one hurt more or killed them faster.
 
Kelly Timoffee said:
If you miss with a 7mm or 30cal , it is still a miss, if you hit the vital with a 7mm vs a 30cal, this is where there is a BIG difference, guess what , the animals both die as well.

I have both and they both work, maybe just how you feel that day will be the big difference in what you want to use.
Click to expand...

I'm torn between the two! Yep, it is what you feel like using on any given day! The 26 cal is also making a gallant effort to sneak into our house, too!
 
Eagleye said:
I own and shoot examples of both bullet diameters.
The difference on game is moot, at best.

Place the bullet properly from either, and the work starts.
I have shot 8 moose and a couple of elk with the 7x57....all died within 30 yards of where they
were standing at the shot.
This with bullets weighing 140, 150 or 160 grains. Tried them all, couldn't see a lot of difference.

30 cals have seen a lot of action in my hands. The results on a lot more game has been similar.

There is no argument that a 175 grain 7mm Spitzer Partition has a better BC and SD than does the 30 cal 180 of the same design.
But...I have personally never seen a great need to use the 175 gr 7mm bullet.

Maybe on a grizzly hunt, but by choice I would take my 338 Win Mag for that pursuit anyway.

It's a bit like the argument of which are better...white eggs or brown eggs, lol.

Regards, Eagleye
Click to expand...

there just might be a diff, 2 out of 3 son's demand the brown eggs! and I'm even starting to say, yeah Ma git the brown ones! Free-run, maybe the reason! :p
 
kel226 said:
The 7 Mag can do what the 30 Mag can with 30% less recoil. Not a hard one to figure out. It's also the nut behind the butt that makes the difference.
Click to expand...

30% less recoil? I don't think do. A 160 grain bullet at 3000 fps from a 7mm Rem Mag generates about 3300 foot pounds of energy at the muzzle, a 180 gr bullet from a 300 Win mag at the same velocity is a bit over 3500 foot pounds. Both rifles typically weigh similar mounts, the 300 has a bit more powder, at most 10 to 15% more recoil.
 
Big game don't know squat about ballistic coefficients or sectional densities. For almost all hunting situations, your time would be much better spent honing your shooting skills than worrying about a few thou bullet diameter.
 
martinbns said:
30% less recoil? I don't think do. A 160 grain bullet at 3000 fps from a 7mm Rem Mag generates about 3300 foot pounds of energy at the muzzle, a 180 gr bullet from a 300 Win mag at the same velocity is a bit over 3500 foot pounds. Both rifles typically weigh similar mounts, the 300 has a bit more powder, at most 10 to 15% more recoil.
Click to expand...

Horrifing to say the least, that 10-15%! Let alone the 30% less!!! the 308 Win Rules!!! :p
 
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