Looking for opinions on the 7mm08

ryanloco said:
There is a post on CGN re: "is the 7-08 enough for moose" (or something like that...). In the post there is a pic of a member and an absolutely massive Elk taken with his 7-08. That pic (and thread) and Wrong Way's past posts on the 7-08's ability almost convinced me to go with the 7-08. I went with the .270, but there's still a part of me that thinks the 7-08 may have been the better choice. Then again I change my mind just about every other day on these things.... wanted the 6.5 swede before the 7-08/.270 debate.

Good luck to you...
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I can help, there is no doubt, the 7-08 is a better cartridge than the .270. :) Far more bullets available, heavier bullets, less powder burnt and as such less muzzle blast, and barrel heat. Plus it is a short action cartridge. The .270's plenty effective, but a very dated cartridge with extremely limited bullet selection compared to 7mm's and .30's. I also feel it's an awkward cartridge, with far too long of case and too much case capacity for what it accomplishes. Doesn't mean it's bad, just that there are much better cartridges available.
 
Ardent..

I think your last comment can be said about almost every caliber vs. intended purpose discussion - That's what makes reading all these debates on CGN fun..

I have no issue with the 7-08. It's more than capable, but I might disagree that it has more bullets available in factory loads than the .270win. No debate that the 7mm RM has more selection, but not the 7-08. Perhaps for a handloader you can develop a load for the heavier bullets?? But so far I haven't seen anything over a 150grn in a factory load for the '08

Any thoughts from a 7-08 handloader? Wrong Way, can you comment?
 
Ryan, Ardent is talking about bullet choice and almost certainly in terms of hand loading. Take a look at any bullet catalog and you will see about 2x as many 7mm bullets as .277, and you can go up to 175 grain. Hornady makes a couple of slugs in the 160 range that are ideal.

In factory loads there is more 270 out there than 7mm08, no question.
 
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ryanloco said:
Any thoughts from a 7-08 handloader? Wrong Way, can you comment?
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Yup, what he said ^^^^

IMO, the 7/08 is probably the best all-around caliber for everything from LR varmints up to and including moose, simply because of the wiiiiiiide range of bullets available. The 7mm bullets can be had from light varmint bullets right up to 175 gr. hammers. I personally shoot the 140 TSX (Thanks to Silverado for the load development :D) They will do everything I need them to do from deer-b. bear-moose, and there are no hogs out here so no need for "varmint capability"...but it's available if I need it.

Strictly factory ammo? Yup...the .270 wins, by a looooong shot. But if you handload, the 7mm-08 will offer at least twice the selection, and ten times the fllexibility of the .270.
 
If you're getting a T3, then don't bother with a short action cartridge. All T3's use a long action, which totally defeats the purpose of short action rounds in the first place. If you get a Tikka t3, look for a 7x57 (do that chamber for that?) or a 280 (ditto). Or, better yet, get a gun with a truly short action design, and take advantage of the shorter bolt thow and overall length, and corresponding weight savings.

I shot a deer a few weeks ago with my Stevens 200 in 7mm08 with a 140 TSX. It worked, although the Stevens is hardly a pretty gun out of the box.

Don't overlook the Ruger m77, either. They make a short barrel/carbine rifle as well.
 
Strictly factory ammo? Yup...the .270 wins, by a looooong shot. But if you handload, the 7mm-08 will offer at least twice the selection, and ten times the fllexibility of the .270.
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I think my wife would divorce me if I started re-loading :D

The closest I moved in that direction is acceptance of a muzzleloader :)

The TSX is a fantastic bullet! The 130grn will be my ammunition of choice in the .270 this November if I can pull away for a few days from our controlled hunt group.
 
Rem. 7mm/08

I have an older model Remington Model 7 in that caliber....very light, std. length action, and lots of horsepower for deer size game. If you handload you can cut down the recoil somewhat but in any event it is not excessive.
The 7mm caliber gives you a tremendous range of bullets weights and styles, and is economical to shoot.
An excellent choice.
 
M65 said:
I'm thinking about buying a 7mm08 for my girls to shoot,Of course they will be recoil reduced. Then again i'll be shooting the rifle myself, or just a excuse.
What I would like to know is, what are the opinions of the 7mm08 and preferred rifle of choice?

I think I'll need something in the 71/2 to 9 # range in stainless action/barrel. Ive looked around and researched and I like the Remmy in the model seven. Then again the Kimber makes a 7mm08 aswell.

Thanks in advance guyz, This is one of my few posts, but I always look to this site of info. Thanks again M65 In 300 WM.
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I believe Guntech took a nice moose recently with a 7-08:D
 
ryanloco said:
I think my wife would divorce me if I started re-loading :D

The closest I moved in that direction is acceptance of a muzzleloader :)

The TSX is a fantastic bullet! The 130grn will be my ammunition of choice in the .270 this November if I can pull away for a few days from our controlled hunt group.
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I forget many here use factory ammo, I can't remember the last time I bought some... :redface: Yes, I mean reloading, which I consider a requirement for most serious shooting. There's likely five times the bullet selection out there for the 7mm vs the .277" bore, and they are frequently better designed, and come in far more flavours. Grab a 7mm-08, and a basic reloading set and you'll never touch a .270 again! ;)
 
Ardent said:
Haha, well it's actually cheaper long run anyhow if your shoot enough. Figure more than halfing the cost of your ammunition, while simultaneously improving the quality.
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And reloading is fun, fun, fun! It's what I do when I "Jones-ing" for range time - and I can't be there. A sport in itself! ;)
 
In the last fifteen years I have shot 7 big game animals (3 mule deer 3 white tails and an antelope) and about 1000 gophers and prairie dogs. I have been extremely happy with the cartridge! I have fires exactly 8 factory rounds from my gun, and I am not in a hurry to shoot the rest of that box...
There are more .270 FACTORY loads available, but more bullets available to hand loaders for the 7-08.
The only reason I don't hunt with mine more is that it is one of the old Remington Varmint Specials, and is way too freakin' heavy by the end of the day.
My next hunting rifle will be another 7mm08. I just love the cartridge for so many reasons I know I wont be making a mistake.
 
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