Tell me about 7mm-08

[hawk-i]

I'd love to see ya use a 140 PPSN on the moose over there!

how often do you get out on the mooses? annually?

I haven't had access to the 140 PPSN you refer to so I can't comment on them.

I have used 139 Hornady interlock and SST's on moose with very good results, as well as a multitude of other bullets.

I started moose hunting in the mid to late 70's....since then, there has only been a few years where I did not get a moose.

Days hunting per year for moose depends on success, last year I got a moose 3 hrs into open season on the first day, other years it may take a week or two.

Wolves have a direct impact on success for given locations, they can totally void a good area of game in short order.

One other thing I will add is a 7mm-08 will kill a moose way quicker (better) than one would think it should....it just gets the job done!

 

[WhelanLad]

I haven't had access to the 140 PPSN you refer to so I can't comment on them.



One other thing I will add is a 7mm-08 will kill a moose way quicker (better) than one would think it should....it just gets the job done!

Yeah interesting and Awesome to know from experience! im a avid 7-08 user-
again i use 140gr PPSN Woodleighs in mine, If hittin moose i opt for the 160gr myself i rekon and stay within 300! A few members here are sourcing woodleighs from an importer maybe on this site- but its recently changed i think!

 

[dan belisle]

My first 7mm-08 was a Rem 788 carbine. Very accurate with 139 gr Hornady bullets. I've had three 7mm-08 rifles now, one in the AI version. I prefer heavier bullets for moose, but I have shot them with the 139's and they worked fine. - dan

 

[bearhunter]

IMHO, the biggest thing the 7-08 suffers from is barrels that are to short and slender.

When the round was first introduced, there were all sorts of articles on how well it would perform.

The late great Ken Waters wrote an article for Handloader magazine, Nov/Dec 1980, right after Remington took it from Wildcat status.

He did a very extensive article on loads he had worked up for the cartridge, with various bullet weights.

In 1980, very few people hot rodded the 7x57 Mauser. Some considered it to be sacrilegious. There were good reasons to play down the practice.

The 7-08 and 7x57Mauser are kissing cousins when it comes to case capacity. I believe the difference is 1.5 grains of water. Not enough to make a noticeable difference

The case design of the 7-08 allows for much higher pressures, in rifles designed to withstand a steady diet of those pressures.

That was around the time that reliably consistent slow burn rate powders became readily available to most North Americans.

Powders such as W760/H414/N205(appx MRP) and W748 were some of the better performers, all with magnum primers.

Consistent velocities from 2800fps to 2900+fps, with 139-145 grain bullets were easily achievable in 24 INCH BBLS and accuracy was very good.

The same powders and a few others were found to be acceptable with 175 grain bullets as well, generating 2600+ fps with very good accuracy.


It's a great cartridge, when it's chambered in rifles that can let it live up to it's full potential.

Short pencil thin barrels such as those on Mod 7 Remingtons have not helped in enhancing the image of this fine/handy little cartridge.

 

[todbartell]

The only 7mm-08 I have ever owned was a Remington Model Seven SS, 20" light contour barrel. It shot quite well, and the barrel was long enough to drive 140gr bullets to 2800 fps with RL17

 

[bearhunter]

The only 7mm-08 I have ever owned was a Remington Model Seven SS, 20" light contour barrel. It shot quite well, and the barrel was long enough to drive 140gr bullets to 2800 fps with RL17

I don't disbelieve you for a minute.

On the other hand either your rifle is unusual or you shoot it as intended, not long strings.

If you google the article I mentioned, powders such as RL17 weren't available at the time it was written, right around 40 years ago.

I also have a 7-08 that gives me 2800+fps but its barrel was swapped out from a Remington 700 short action and it's 22 inches long. No matter what load,or bullet, that rifle wouldn't shoot any decent group, no matter if it was a two shot or more.

I took it out of the original composite stock and put it into a MacMillan fiberglass stock, after re barreling, did a trigger job as well and it settled down into a very decent shooter with bullets it likes. It seems that the faster they are pushed the better they shoot.

I bought the original rifle from Austin Moorcroft, he was a British fighter pilot during WWII. Great fellow to have around the campfire, especially when he had a few snorts of rum in him.

He loved to take Model 7s and rechamber the existing barrels to a profile that would leave slightly less than a one degree taper on the body, and a 50 degree shoulder angle. Mostly just to be different.

He called the 7-08 conversion a 7mm Moorcroft. Never could get it to shoot.