I have a 7mm08, and it wouldn't be the first gun I'd choose to take with me if I was specifically after moose. However, I wouldn't feel uncomfortable shooting bullwinkle with it if I happened to come across him while carrying the 7-08
7mm-08 question
- Thread starter 7mm-08
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Wrong Way
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
I bought a 7/08 mountain a couple years back....has become my favorite rifle. I still own (and shoot) everything from a .204 up to a 300 and .338 RUM (winmags are for pussies 
...J/K!) Anyway, the 7/08 does something that none of my other rifles do...I can go from crows to groundhogs to deer to bear to moose by grabbing a different box of reloads. IMO it is probably the most flexible hunting round for Canada/NA.
Way back when, I had Silverado help me work up a load for this rifle (Jamie...send me those specs again, I lost 'em!) consisting of a 140 gr. TSX coming out under max....but it puts two shots into the same hole at 100m (third opens up an inch..skinny bbl)
I can carry this rifle/cartridge combo, and be perfectly gunned for yotes /deeer/bear/moose...and anything else that presents itself thats legal.
YMMV, but out to 400 it seems to me to be a better choice than my rums.
...J/K!) Anyway, the 7/08 does something that none of my other rifles do...I can go from crows to groundhogs to deer to bear to moose by grabbing a different box of reloads. IMO it is probably the most flexible hunting round for Canada/NA. Way back when, I had Silverado help me work up a load for this rifle (Jamie...send me those specs again, I lost 'em!) consisting of a 140 gr. TSX coming out under max....but it puts two shots into the same hole at 100m (third opens up an inch..skinny bbl)
I can carry this rifle/cartridge combo, and be perfectly gunned for yotes /deeer/bear/moose...and anything else that presents itself thats legal.
YMMV, but out to 400 it seems to me to be a better choice than my rums.
Let's not get silly now....
7x57 and 7-08 are very close in performance. The 7x57's record of killing game up to and including elephants is well documented. Lot's of buffalo and eland fell to the 7x57...
The 30-06 has been used on all sorts of game, too....it may flatten out the trajectory a bit, but probably doesn't kill much better, and wiht premium bullets, there is abotu as much difference between a 30-06 and a 7-08 as a 30-06 and a .270...which is to say- Not much!
Walter Bell apparently used a 7x57 exclusively for culling elephants. It's all about shot placement....he was eventually killed by one though.
Must be thinking about a different Bell, because no elphant even got close to counting coupe on Karamoja Bell
Funny thing about the 7-08..
I've never owned or used one for hunting.
But (in this class) I've owned and/or used and/or seen 303, 270, 308,30-06, 7x57,7RM used...
With a similar hit, at a similar distance,wiht a similar bullet...I can almost guarrantee you won't notice much difference...
I've never owned or used one for hunting.
But (in this class) I've owned and/or used and/or seen 303, 270, 308,30-06, 7x57,7RM used...
With a similar hit, at a similar distance,wiht a similar bullet...I can almost guarrantee you won't notice much difference...
Must be thinking about a different Bell, because no elphant even got close to counting coupe on Karamoja Bell
Gatehouse is right. Bell extensively studied the anatomy of elephants in order to establish the trajectory of bullets from any angle. However several people died trying to replicate his achievements. They weren't the true expert he was.
That's just it. This wanker round doesn't do well with longer bullets. There isn't enough clearance in most short throw bolt rifles so you have to stuff most of this longer 175 grain bullet deep into an already small capacity cartridge. The 7x57 Mauser or a .280 Remington is a way better choice for the one rifle hunter. And if you happen to be using a long action bolt gun, why #### around with this thing.
Nope. Bounce right off. Why i read on the interweb about a guy who shot a moose with a 7-08 with 140's.. bounced back so hard he shot his eye out. YOUSE HTE MAGENUMM!!!!!
C'mon guys
A 308 gives up very little to a 30-06. Shooting an animal with a 308 at 250 yards is no different than shooting one with a 30-06 at about 290. And there's very few animals a 30-06 properly loaded can't flatten at 290. The 7-08 is a fine cartridge and while you might want to keep your shots to 300 yards on larger game within it's normal range it's quite lethal. And it should have even better penetrating powers than a 308, especially with the right bullet. Seeing as most shots are 100 yards +/- 50, it might be quite desirable to have a cartridge that doesn't do a lot of excess damage and still has the reach out power you need for the occasionally longer shot. Cheaper to feed, easier to practice with, kills game dead, won't turn animals into a fine red mist if you light into them at 50 yards. Those aren't bad features.
Cheaper to feed, easier to practice with, kills game dead, won't turn animals into a fine red mist if you light into them at 50 yards. Those aren't bad features.
That's why I leave my 7mm-08 set the way it is and turn the dial up to 7mm Magnum for those 400+ yard type longer shots.
Wink this!
The question was what's the biggest (and smallest) animal you believe could be respectably hunted with the cartridge - and i take 'respectably' to mean that it has more than the marginal amount of killing power required and will take an animal cleanly.
