Factory ammo is important if you plan to use said rifle on international hunts. For that, I would use something much more commnon and available - 7mm rem mag comes to mind. But your 6.5 C looks like a sweet deal. I am starting to play with a "new for me" SA 7mm-08 with 120 TSX through a lighweight Kimber Montana; shoots great but I am leery of downrange (350+) performance on big game. Curious to hear how yours works out....
Creedmoor has Landed
- Thread starter sheephunter
- Start date
I've got lots of common chamberings but I wouldn't hesitate to take the Creedmoor overseas either.
Ardent
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
A 7-08 would have been cooler.
Except a .308 shoots flatter due to the higher efficiency of the larger bore, on the same amount of powder, even with bullets as light as 120/125grs (the .308 is even flatter in comparison with the heavier bullets) out to as much as 500 yards and more and it's available off any shelf.
I've found a lot of people are surprised by that fact, the 7-08 is unfortunately just a nice piece of marketing, and actually decreases performance a smidge and versatility over the much more boring choice of .308.
In the end, I can get .308 in the little northern towns and there's more high quality ammunition available I find as I get busier / lazier and buy factory premium, easy choice for me.And finally, the cincher; it's not made in 7-08!
Except a .308 shoots flatter due to the higher efficiency of the larger bore, on the same amount of powder, even with bullets as light as 120/125grs (the .308 is even flatter in comparison with the heavier bullets) out to as much as 500 yards and more and it's available off any shelf.
I've found a lot of people are surprised by that fact, the 7-08 is unfortunately just a nice piece of marketing, and actually decreases performance a smidge and versatility over the much more boring choice of .308.
And finally, the cincher; it's not made in 7-08!
I'd go on and disagree with the usual mumbo jumbo ballistic masturbation, but really I was just effing around, my friend.
As you probably knew, anyway
Absolutely, second only to the 270 Win.
Except a .308 shoots flatter due to the higher efficiency of the larger bore, on the same amount of powder, even with bullets as light as 120/125grs (the .308 is even flatter in comparison with the heavier bullets) out to as much as 500 yards and more and it's available off any shelf.
Are you comparing bullets of similar weight or similar sectional density?
If you compare bullets of similar sectional density, which IMO is the correct way to do it, then a 140/7mm should be compared to a 165/,308, or a 154/7mm to a 180/.308. If you do it that way then the 7-08 has a slight advantage in velocity and trajectory.
- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
If SD is going to be the measure, then a 7mm bullet would have to weigh 204 grs to match a 240 gr Woodleigh or 187 grs to match the more common .308/220. Whether or not the 240 Woodleigh is appropriate for a .308 is another question of course, but it wouldn't be impossible to do something with it, especially if your rifle was blessed/cursed with a long throat. But when we consider expanding hunting bullets, does SD mean anything when the final frontal bullet diameter becomes twice the diameter of the shank? Once that happens, the combination of bullet weight and remaining velocity determine it's effectiveness.
As for the Creedmore, if I was a small bore enthusiast, (as I get older I feel a tug in that direction) I'd be all over it.
As for the Creedmore, if I was a small bore enthusiast, (as I get older I feel a tug in that direction) I'd be all over it.
Ardent
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Matched bullet weights, as if you're pushing the same weight faster, you're making more energy and it's that kinetic energy that ultimately lets a bullet kill game. Folks often assume that the 7-08 comes into it's own in the lighter bullets when compared to the .308, and I just ran the numbers again for commercial loads (120gr Nosler in 7-08, 125gr Nosler in .308) and the .308 not only produces more energy, it's still flatter shooting by an inch and a bit even at 500 yards. Real world application for an inch less drop at 500 yards? Very little.
However there is a good deal of real world application in having a hundred times the availability of components and ammo. Finally, while I am a huge heavy for caliber fan (.308 leaves the 7-08 in the dust in heavy bullet performance as well), in the deer, black bear, and moose hunting world premium bullets really do make SD nearly an obselete concept. Zero doubt from what I've seen that a light TSX from a .308 and a light TSX from a 7-08 will kill equally well despite a slightly lower SD for the .308. At a certain point we're only spitting accelerated pieces of metal out of tubes and they all kill game!
I just urge new buyers of niche chamberings like the 7-08 to check the numbers; it can be surprising. Assuming we're comparing bullets of like construction, i.e., partition vs. partition, the one with the higher s.d will still have better penetration and a higher b.c.
I think the 240/.30 has gone too far to the heavy end. My .30-06 doesn't even shoot 220's all that well. I've done some (not much) experimenting with the 220 in a .308 and almost made it to 2200 fps, in an 18.5" barrel.
I think the 240/.30 has gone too far to the heavy end. My .30-06 doesn't even shoot 220's all that well. I've done some (not much) experimenting with the 220 in a .308 and almost made it to 2200 fps, in an 18.5" barrel.
Ardent
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
I must agree, even light for caliber TSXs will pass right through a Moose in 7mm or .308, so how much is SD really helping?
Only animal I've met that reliably stopped TSXs, even 300gr and from a .375 H&H at that. On Bison, sure I'd agree but everything else it's becoming a moot point with high quality bullets in North America.
Only animal I've met that reliably stopped TSXs, even 300gr and from a .375 H&H at that. On Bison, sure I'd agree but everything else it's becoming a moot point with high quality bullets in North America.
Ardent
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Thanks hoyt, I made sure to put a hand on his back there for scale. I'm not much for the stone face, but to each their own! And man have I taken this thread off course, my apologies Sheep. Speaking of smiles, noticed Sheep looks happy in his trophy pics too.
