7mm 08 vs .308

O

Onies

CGN Regular
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Location
Niagara
Hi all. I was looking at the possibility of a new deer rifle, in a new to me calibre. While in my search, I came upon the 7mm 08, which is a necked down .308. Ballistics charts look comparable, so my question is, what advantage does one have over the other, other than availability of ammunition, and filling the gap betwen the .243 and .308?


Thanks,


Fred
 
Onies said:
Hi all. I was looking at the possibility of a new deer rifle, in a new to me calibre. While in my search, I came upon the 7mm 08, which is a necked down .308. Ballistics charts look comparable, so my question is, what advantage does one have over the other, other than availability of ammunition, and filling the gap betwen the .243 and .308?


Thanks,


Fred
Click to expand...


7mm-08 offers a 10 to 20% recoil reduction to offer the same ballistic trajectory, so if you have iron sights set to military .308 (7.62x51) you can make a load that hits all the same ranges with the sights, and have a lower recoil, with almost the same effectivness

alternatively, for the same recoil, you can get a flatter trajectory, which reduces the chance you will miss due to poor range estimation.
 
Both are fine cartridges in my opinion. As the parent case, the .308 has the slight edge. Although the 7mm-08 has a little less recoil, I don't know if that should factor into your decision too much, as .308 recoil is more than manageable. If I had to choose one I'd go .308. It's my favourite caliber.
 
I doubt deer will tell any difference between the two, really.

The .308 is going to give you easier access to factory ammo anywhere, but the 7mm-08 isn't too hard to find either.

Personally, I prefer the .308, since I'm a fan of 'If it ain't broke, dont' fix it" and the .308 ain't broke. And the 7mm-08 is kind of the answer to a question nobody asked, as far as I can tell. Lots of guys do love it though, and bring home lots of game with it.
 
scott585 said:
7mm-08 offers a 10 to 20% recoil reduction to offer the same ballistic trajectory, so if you have iron sights set to military .308 (7.62x51) you can make a load that hits all the same ranges with the sights, and have a lower recoil, with almost the same effectivness

alternatively, for the same recoil, you can get a flatter trajectory, which reduces the chance you will miss due to poor range estimation.
Click to expand...

This was part of the reason I have a 708 hunting rig. I have no use for recoil and the 7-08 does "more" with less.

I have also eased up on the load but because of the better ballistics, I still have decent trajectory with less recoil.

The 260R is more of the same and another for you to consider.

The game will not care one way or the other so I left the decision to my shoulder.

Jerry
 
I'm a little biased because I own a 7-08 and I don't have a 308 (yet), but I made my choice for a reason. I also prefer the noticeable recoil reduction, and when I started loading and shooting the 7-08 I couldn't help but think "this is how they should have designed the cartridge in the first place"

It seems a little better balanced to me, but that's just my opinion. I think the 308 is a little overpowered for just a deer gun, given that the deer will be just as dead with less recoil and a flatter trajectory in the 7mm. If I wanted to go for moose or elk with the same gun I might choose the 308 instead, although honestly I think a 140gr TSX in 7mm at 2800-2900 fps gives more than enough oomph to do the job too, or alternatively a premium lead 160gr bullet would also get the job done.

For just deer, if you're not worried about finding ammunition at every mom and pop store, I would (and did) choose the 7-08

Red
 
The fact remains, you get more energy for any given bullet weight from the .308 than the 7mm, and it uses heavier bullets (for heavier game) much better. At very long ranges, the gain is lost, but the .308 was designed that way because it is very efficient at anything less than 300 yards. Recoil just isn't an issue at that level for most people. The .308 is a very nice round for hunting. Any "advantages" for the 7mm-08 are just not very significant, compared to the advantages the parent round has, IMO.

So do you shoot long or close? Actually, the .358 Win is even better up close, but we digress.
 
In a hunting rig, toss a coin as they are that close. Anyone trying to make a big case for one over the other are splitting hairs.
 
I own both , I have shot deer with both, the deer did all die.

Both are also capable of larger game as well.It is hardly a gap filler for effectiveness , only from a numerical standpoint.

I just compared two factory loadings at Remingtons website:

140 gr Accutip for 7-08 and 165 gr Accutip for .308.

The 7-08 and .308 are virtually identical.The 7mm offering is slightly flatter shooting way out there if that is your thing, other than that, the same.

Why not take the less recoil and be just as effective.7-08 has a slightly higher cool factor.
 
the 308 does allow you to use on a moose or bear hunt, you can always shoot light buluets out of 308 or reduced loads to get 7--08 recoil but you cant make a 7mm-08 shot 180 gr bullets. 308. is available everywhere, and would be easy to sell. 7-08 affords lighter recoil and a flatter shot out past 300 yds. the 280rem takes it one step further by necking down an ought6 to .284 making it somewhere between 7mag and 7-08. if you plan on owning several rifles get the 308 later if this will be your main gun get the 308 now
 
I chose 7mm-08. You can run it faster with better ballistics. Load it up with 140 TTSX and your ready for anything in north america.
 
Mystic Precision said:
This was part of the reason I have a 708 hunting rig. I have no use for recoil and the 7-08 does "more" with less.

I have also eased up on the load but because of the better ballistics, I still have decent trajectory with less recoil.

The 260R is more of the same and another for you to consider.

The game will not care one way or the other so I left the decision to my shoulder.

Jerry
Click to expand...

Well said.
 
If you don't reload, stick with 308!

Onies said:
Hi all. I was looking at the possibility of a new deer rifle, in a new to me calibre. While in my search, I came upon the 7mm 08, which is a necked down .308. Ballistics charts look comparable, so my question is, what advantage does one have over the other, other than availability of ammunition, and filling the gap betwen the .243 and .308?


Thanks,


Fred
Click to expand...

The relation between 7mm-08 and 308 is the same as the one between 270 Win and 30-06.
In short, 7mm-08 is something like 10-15% better at long range on medium game while 308 is something like 10-15% better at medium range on large game.

The real advantage of 7mm-08 are lower recoil and slightly better ballistics.
The real advantage of 308 is immense choice of factory ammunition.

If you don't reload, my advice is to simply get a 308, if you do reload 7mm-08 is a superb cartridge, (slightly) superior to 308 in many ways.

Alex
 
Thanks for your help. I was looking at a Model 70 Featherweight compact. Seemed to come down to 7 08 and .308. Strong cases for both, and seemingly no real disadvantages. Might have to let the store's stockroom decide.
 
12many said:
the 308 does allow you to use on a moose or bear hunt, you can always shoot light buluets out of 308 or reduced loads to get 7--08 recoil but you cant make a 7mm-08 shot 180 gr bullets. 308. is available everywhere, and would be easy to sell. 7-08 affords lighter recoil and a flatter shot out past 300 yds. the 280rem takes it one step further by necking down an ought6 to .284 making it somewhere between 7mag and 7-08. if you plan on owning several rifles get the 308 later if this will be your main gun get the 308 now
Click to expand...

The 6.5 Swede with orig late 1800 ballistics has been dropping moose for a very long time and to this day.

the 7 Mauser was quite a capable rd in Africa and even used to take the largest game.

would any of these cartridge be ideal in a BEAR fight? NOPE.

also, with modern bullets, is bullet weight a measure of penetration and/or expansion anymore?

I am not saying the 7-08 (or any cartridge) is the end all. Just that it does offer many tangible benefits within this case family.

Like the 270/280 debates that continue after 50+yrs, the debates about a few thou in diameter and a paper clip here and there in weight will keep the camp fires warm for a long time.

YMMV

Jerry
 
It is interesting how some will state that a 120 TTSX in 6.5mm offerings have plenty of performance to drop a moose at moderate distances but some figure that you need 180 grains in 30 cal minimums to be effective for large game in N.America.

At the end of the season I guess the freezers will speak for themselves. ;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom