7mm-08

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TrevorMack

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So I am going to start finally reloading. I will be reloading for my new rifle build that is in the works in 7mm-08. I am having a hard time finding components for the 7mm-08. Is this a popular round to reload, if so why. Also where does everyone recommend buying your reloading supplies from? I also shoot a 300 win mag a lot so I may reload for that as well while my 7mm-08 is in the works so I have an idea of what to do reloading. Do I need many different supplies to reload 2 different calibers? Very very new to this so sorry if this is a repeat.
 
Components can be hard to come by. Due to hording and such south of the border and supplier issues which leave us canucks in the lurch. At very least you can buy a box of loaded ammo and start there after fire forming for brass. Or, in a pinch you can use 308 brass. Run it into a 7-08 FL die and voila..you have 7-08 brass (al be it a little short than standard length.)

Once you have a supply of powder, primers and projectiles, and have learned from reading above said reloading books, or use the hodgdon reloading site for a place to start.
Remember, you must always work up a load from recommended starting points.
Measure your chamber length by using a dummy round
At some point you will want a bullet puller.
A good set of calipers for measuring.
Record all your data to reference it later.
Then scour your resources for fine tuning suggestions. Great places are here in our reloading forum, varmint al's web pages, Jerrys suggestions on Mystic Precisions website.
Some great deals always exist on our exchange forum. The more you look around the more you will find.

Enjoy, you will never return back to factory ammo.
 
TrevorMack said:
So I am going to start finally reloading. I will be reloading for my new rifle build that is in the works in 7mm-08. I am having a hard time finding components for the 7mm-08. Is this a popular round to reload, if so why. Also where does everyone recommend buying your reloading supplies from? I also shoot a 300 win mag a lot so I may reload for that as well while my 7mm-08 is in the works so I have an idea of what to do reloading. Do I need many different supplies to reload 2 different calibers? Very very new to this so sorry if this is a repeat.
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The only specific component you need for the 7mm-08 is the brass. I see that Peter Dobson at Hirsch Precision in Nova Scotia has 136 boxes of Lapua (which is the best brass) in stock. 7mm bullets are common, and easy to find, although I like Berger, which can be a bit harder to locate. For powder you could use H4350 which would be suitable for some bullets in both your 7-08 and the 300WM. In the long run, you may want to use a bit slower powder in the 300 mag, like H4831 or H1000, especially if you go for the heavier bullets. You could also use magnum primers in both cartridges like the CCI250, but they are not expensive, so it would make more sense to use the 250 in 300WM and the 200 for the 7-08.

You do of course need different dies for both cartridges and different shell holders. You can get Lee Collet Dies in both of your cartridges. Lee Collet dies work the brass the very minimum amount and will give you good case life.

As for supplies I have used Hirsch Precision, Higgenson, X-Reload, Mystic Precision, & Wholesale Sports. It is nice to find primers and powder locally as they incur extra shipping costs.
 
Ron AKA said:
Lapua (which is the best brass) in stock.
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Not in my opinion. I bought a box and it is the worst brass I have used in my reloading career. Give me hornady, remington, winchester, any day. But winchester and you can buy 3x the amount of brass for the same as 100 lapua. I get over 15 reloads from my brass easily.
 
jethunter said:
I thought you didn't believe in weighing brass to check uniformity? I thought you believed in measuring water capacity?
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As I said before, it depends on what your purpose is. If you want to know volume, then you need to measure volume using water, or more conveniently with powder. If you just want to sort your cases, then weighing is fine once the cartridges have been fire formed and trimmed to length. I have done it too.

RemingtonBrass.jpg
 
Ron AKA said:
As I said before, it depends on what your purpose is. If you want to know volume, then you need to measure volume using water, or more conveniently with powder. If you just want to sort your cases, then weighing is fine once the cartridges have been fire formed and trimmed to length. I have done it too.

RemingtonBrass.jpg
Click to expand...

Gosh, thanks. That sure makes me feel better. :)
 
Ron AKA said:
The only specific component you need for the 7mm-08 is the brass. I see that Peter Dobson at Hirsch Precision in Nova Scotia has 136 boxes of Lapua (which is the best brass) in stock. 7mm bullets are common, and easy to find, although I like Berger, which can be a bit harder to locate. For powder you could use H4350 which would be suitable for some bullets in both your 7-08 and the 300WM. In the long run, you may want to use a bit slower powder in the 300 mag, like H4831 or H1000, especially if you go for the heavier bullets. You could also use magnum primers in both cartridges like the CCI250, but they are not expensive, so it would make more sense to use the 250 in 300WM and the 200 for the 7-08.

You do of course need different dies for both cartridges and different shell holders. You can get Lee Collet Dies in both of your cartridges. Lee Collet dies work the brass the very minimum amount and will give you good case life.

As for supplies I have used Hirsch Precision, Higgenson, X-Reload, Mystic Precision, & Wholesale Sports. It is nice to find primers and powder locally as they incur extra shipping costs.
Click to expand...

Thank you
 
hometownhero said:
My personal experience trumps what I read on the internet. Lapua is by far the worst brass I have used. Yet the weights are all very close but usage sucks and groups are the same or larger then resized Winchester 308 brass.
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Does the brass that the top PRS shooters use count as personal experience? Basically they use Lapua if Lapua makes brass for their cartridge. Hornady is second as the 6 and 6.5 Creedmoor is popular and Lapua does not make brass for it, although I believe there are rumors that it is on the way. Hornady makes the Creedmoor.

Rifle-Brass.png
 
I use .308 and run it through my full length sizing dies to convert it to 7mm-08.
My suggestion would be to get a Lyman Case Length Headspace Gauge that way there is no guess work. They will quickly let you check length and head space. they are cheap at about $30 and very quick and easy to use. I have them for a few calibers but for my 7mm-08 they are invaluable because I know instantly if something went wrong sizing down the .308 brass. i get mine from amazon canada and they arrive fast. here is a link to a .223 version just you can see what it is I am talking about.. you simply put your resized brass inside the gauge

http://www.lymanproducts.com/lyman/case-prep/rifle-headspace-gauges.php
 
Ron AKA said:
As I said before, it depends on what your purpose is. If you want to know volume, then you need to measure volume using water, or more conveniently with powder. If you just want to sort your cases, then weighing is fine once the cartridges have been fire formed and trimmed to length. I have done it too.

RemingtonBrass.jpg
Click to expand...

In my experience comparing volume is far more accurate and "convenient" using water - since its density is 1.00, using water allows for quick estimates of how much powder can be used if you know the density of the powder.

I have also found an exceptionally high correlation between weight and volume within brass lot but even between brands.
 
Andy said:
In my experience comparing volume is far more accurate and "convenient" using water - since its density is 1.00, using water allows for quick estimates of how much powder can be used if you know the density of the powder.
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Water is not so much fun when using a balance beam scale. I can see it working on a digital scale. With powder you keep transferring it from case to case.
 
pinkmoon said:
I use .308 and run it through my full length sizing dies to convert it to 7mm-08.
My suggestion would be to get a Lyman Case Length Headspace Gauge that way there is no guess work. They will quickly let you check length and head space. they are cheap at about $30 and very quick and easy to use. I have them for a few calibers but for my 7mm-08 they are invaluable because I know instantly if something went wrong sizing down the .308 brass. i get mine from amazon canada and they arrive fast. here is a link to a .223 version just you can see what it is I am talking about.. you simply put your resized brass inside the gauge
http://www.lymanproducts.com/lyman/case-prep/rifle-headspace-gauges.php
Click to expand...

I didn't know those Lyman gauges existed. They are an interesting idea. Do they let you measure the case to get an exact number or are they just go and no-go?

An alternative for case length measurement and trimming is the simple Lee system. You start with a universal cutter and lock stud for about $10, and then add the length gauge and holder for about $6 per cartridge. So total cost to set up to trim the 7mm-08 and 300WM would be about $22.

On case length to the shoulder, another alternative frequently used is the Hornady Headspace Gauge tool. The kit to do essentially all calibers is about $57, and if you only want to do 1 or 2 you may be able to trim that down some.

The difference between the Lyman and the Hornady gauge, is that the Lyman concept seems to be based on returning the case to SAAMI standards. Those who want to keep their brass from being overworked, will only bump the shoulder back from the as fired condition about 0.001 to 0.002". This keeps the case from stretching significantly on each firing. The Hornady gauge lets you take the measurements to do that.
 
RL 17 is supposed to shine in magnum calibers and it works well in the 7-08, too. But even if you have to get two different powders you'll get through if you spend any amount of time at the range increasing your trigger time. I found the biggest snag for me was locating 7-08 brass at a reasonable price. I like to buy once fired because I find that's a good way to save a few buck on my reloading components.

I now have about 175 pieces of brass, 70 of it is still only once fired and hasn't even been resized yet. That being said, I've thought seriously about using .308 brass to make my own even though the the thickness of the brass at the neck will be a smudge more because I have a lot of it. However, I also shoot a .308 A LOT and I'm a little leary about accidentally mixing up the rounds I've made up for my .308 in the 7-08 even though I'm a very careful about that kind of stuff. That being said, I did fire off a couple of rounds of 7-08 ammo in my .308 once which won't cause any damage, but my accuracy with it was so bad I knew something was up immediately. Now if it had been the other way around I could have easily damaged the barrel of my 7-08 if i had been able to chamber the round into it.

The thing is, if you don't mind shooting 7-08 rounds you've made up that will always have a .308 head stamp on it ,,,,and that there will never be a chance that you could accidentally mix them up with .308 ammo, I'd try resizing .308 brass for sure because there's ALWAYS lots of once fired .308 brass around being sold for $20 per 100.
 
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