7mm08 significantly different from .308/.270 ???

vpsalin

vpsalin

CGN Regular
Rating - 100%
18   0   0
I might be shopping for a back up rifle very soon. I am already into reloading.

As a back-up rifle to my .308, I was thinking that a .270 would make a great complementary companion. I already have 150-200 once fired brass for it. However, I have been warned that .270 has relatively short barrel life which somewhat puts me off as a long term investment. This brings me to the 7mm08. Is the 7mm08 considerably flatter shooting (near 300yard mark) then the .308 and is barrel life considerably longer then with .270?
 
If this is a back up hunting rifle no need to worry about barrel life unless you target practice a lot.

The practical difference in the field is pretty much nil between all three.

.308 if you want a touch of Military back ground or history.

.270 if you want a LA with a traditional following as a classic.

7-08 if you want a more modern touch but with the same usefulness as the other two.
 
I am personally a fan of the SA .308 family, so I would recommend the 7mm-08... It is a wonderful caliber and makes perfect sense as a back up to the .308... You can FL size your .308 brass for it... And the 120 TTSX will take pretty much anything down and with great trajectory. I am shooting .243, .260, 7mm-08, .308, .338F and .358.
 
my 7mm-08 has turned in to my main. deer rifle and the 308 has became the back up. this might just happen with you also after you start shooting it and develop the load for the rifle. take the time a pick a nice rifle. it will become one of your never sell rifles ;)
 
Another .308 will save you money. There's not enough difference between the .308 and 7-08 to matter.
 
I have had a 7-08 since the mid 80s. It was designed to shoot 139BTSP or other 140 gr bullets. I have a 700 BDL that makes three shot one hole groups at 100M with both the Hornady 139 BTSP and the Nosler 140 gr Partition, not in the same area! They are 3 inch apart. It will also do same with 100 gr Hornady at 3340 FPS measured velocity. The caliber is very versatile. I use it for gopher hunting up to 700 paces and everything from deer to caribou and even moose. Ballisticly, it out performs a 150 gr 30-06 with much less recoil.

BTW, I also have a Remington XP100 in 7-08 pistol with a 14 inch barrel that has shot nearly all N.A. game with the Hornady 139 BTSP including some 400 pound boars!

Henry
 
just wondering what your plans are for the back up gun and what type of shooting your doing now, and any plans for the future? the reason i ask is the 308 and 7-08 are so close already that if you ever wanted to take larger game, or reach out a little farther then here's your chance to get something different and have your base's covered. all of the caliber's you mentioned are excellent and yes will get the job done if you do your part, and before you think i'm going to start going off about how you need a short mag to kill anything i shoot a 30/06. either way you'll do fine with any of your choices.
 
Im a huge fan of the 7-08. I have probably shot 1500 rounds in the last few year thru a sporter weight and a heavy barrel. I also shoot a 308 and a 270. The 7-08 has become my favorite short action round. You will find it has less recoil then both the 270 and the 308. Plus the bullet selection is greater than the 270. Great little round for most game that are to be taken at resonable distances. Oh, and mine have proven to be the most accurate rifles I own!

The 270 win does not have short barrel life! However the 7-08 my have longer? Like the 308, I dont think you need to worry about burning out a 7-08. My show no signs of throat erosion with well over 1k rounds. If your a reloader you can make almost any caliber shine with the right bullet combination. But yes in general the 7-08 with typically higher BC bullets will shoot a little flatter (at longer distances) and most importantly buck the wind better than the 308. The 270 is NO slouch.

For performance, best to look at reloading manuals (http://www.nosler.com/load-data/) and plug in the BCs and velocities in a ballistic calculator (http://www.jbmballistics.com/cgi-bin/jbmtraj-5.1.cgi) to see what suits your needs.

Your picking all great calibers, so there is no wrong decision here.
 
I dont see the purpose of the 7-08, a 308 is all you need for all circumstances, just adjust your reloads for the intended game... In my book that is... JP.
 
If you stick with the .308 than a lot of your time spent and knowledge gained developing loads can be transfered to the other gun. You can also use one gun as a mule while you develop loads and than use your main gun to do final testing/developing. You also don't have to worry about grabbing the wrong box of ammo as you go out the door.
 
All three are fully capable rounds, but if you already have a 308 and it works well for you then another 308 in a different configuration makes a lot of sense. Having said that, the only duplicates in my gun room are 22 rim fires and 12 gauge shotguns, and two 308s which are both inherited rifles from my dad and father in law. All the rest are unique and interesting. Variety is the spice of life!
 
I would get a 270 over a 7-08 but that's just me and I have both. 270 does not burn bbls out at any rate that is going to matter. Lots of easy to get factory ammo if you want and you already have enough brass for years. I have used the Winchester 130g Power Points on about 20 deer and they work very well. They chronograph 2950fps out of my 22"bbl and will drop deer on the spot as good as anything I have ever used, I cannot say enough good things about the 270 and the 130g bullets.
 
... "as a backup rifle"?

Why would anyone want a a second rifle chambered in different calibre as a "backup"?
I own two .308's .. and if anything ever goes wrong with one, then the other uses the same ammo.

As for 7mm-08 vs .270 vs .308 ? Well, I own (or have owned) all three ..
and, in practical (i.e. hunting) terms there is little to no difference between them.

Yes, there might be some SLIGHT advantage to using a 7mm-08 or .270, over .308, for 500+ yd shots .. but
(1) I never shoot at such long distances, and
(2) if I did, then I'd use something that gives a REAL advantage at long range, like a .257 Weatherby magnum
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom