7 SAW vs vanilla 7mm-08

[CBB15]

Anyone have an real world experience?

I am considering the SAW 1 chambering to get back a little speed on a short barrel, suppressed .284

Comparing to a vanilla 7mm-08. I don't plant to run anything over 160s through the rifle either. I will load to 2.96 or so OAL.

Factory ammo is not a consideration. Neither are 180s.

 

[HandgunHTR]

If you have your 7-08 chamber throated so that you can seat 162 grain bullets only in the neck and have the mag setup to allow for that cartridge length, you aren't going to see a ton of difference between the SAW (or AI) and the standard 7-08, provided you are using premium brass and are willing to load the 7-08 to 65K (4k over SAAMI). To be honest, if you use premium brass (Alpha, Lapua, etc) and you load until you see pressure signs and then "back off a little" you will probably be in the 70K range anyway.
Either way, you will see a 50-125 fps difference between the two, which may not be worth it for you.

I shoot a 7-08AI. Not because I want the increased velocity (I load for accuracy first), but because I hate to trim brass and the case design means I have to trim once every 10 firings instead of every 2. Plus, if I am going to custom chamber, I might as well go full wildcat. Can I make use of the extra 100 fps? Not yet. But I am working on that too.

 

[CBB15]

With the vanilla 7mm-8, the 150 eld-x will seat with the bearing surface/BT junction at the neck/shoulder junction at right around 2.96" OAL. Of course, the 162 will seat a touch deeper, but not enough to worry.

I went down the AI path years ago with the 280. That was before commercial brass was available for the 280 AI. I hated fireforming more than I hated trimming, so I went back to the standard 280 Remington. Never missed it.

The 7 saw seems to solve that problem. Less trimming and no fireforming which is what ingrigued me to begin with.

 

[PAHunter777]

If you can load to 2.96 really no reason to go 7 saw unless you want 180s. 162 eldm and 7mm-08 has been an awesome combo for me.

 

[Pharmseller]

I load 150 ELDX to 2800 fps in my Tikka 7mm-08s. That’s all I need.

 

[OXN939]

With the vanilla 7mm-8, the 150 eld-x

Any reason you're set on the ELD-X? Lots of stories about subpar performance on game, which makes sense considering that it was originally a target projectile Hornady just kind of marketed as a hunting bullet and made some minor tweaks to.

Especially if you reload, 7mm-08 and 120 grain copper monos like TTSX or Hammer hunters go together like peas and carrots and will easily handle anything up to moose. More efficient, minimal recoil, easily available components, lots of rifles available

 

[CBB15]

I shoot light monos in another 7mm-08.

On this one I am setting it up around extended/binderless mags at 2.980 max OAL.
I want to take advantage of the longer higher bc bullets. I am not sold on the 150edlx but it's geometry is perfect at 2.960 OAL. I'll try others.

 

[Formidilosus]

Any reason you're set on the ELD-X? Lots of stories about subpar performance on game,

From people that have never used them, or don’t know what they are looking at.

which makes sense considering that it was originally a target projectile Hornady just kind of marketed as a hunting bullet and made some minor tweaks to.

What? No it wasn’t. It’s functionally an SST that was optimized for BC.

 

[NWBLKTAIL]

I shoot light monos in another 7mm-08.

On this one I am setting it up around extended/binderless mags at 2.980 max OAL.
I want to take advantage of the longer higher bc bullets. I am not sold on the 150edlx but its geometry is perfect at 2.960 OAL. I'll try others.

Give a 162eldm/x a try at 2.960with either H4350, Varget, SB 6.5 or Xbr 8208.
If the 150eldx doesn’t do the trick for you, but that 150eldx is just about perfect for that cartridge.

I have not shot an animal with the 150’s, but have with the 162 variant and it’s done quite well

 

[OXN939]

From people that have never used them, or don’t know what they are looking at.





What? No it wasn’t. It’s functionally an SST that was optimized for BC.

This article gives a good history of the ELD-X's development and corroborates what I had heard from a former colleague who worked in ballistics, which is that it is derived from the A-MAX. Either way, the basic concept is a thinly jacketed cup-and-core projectile. I'm sure guys have had success with them, but I personally lost a nice animal shooting them once.

Not saying I'm the saltiest dude alive but I definitely know what a disappearing blood trail and a dead end tracking job looks like.

 

[Bado20]

Can’t speak to the SAW but 162 ELD-M’s have worked well for me out of a vanilla 7mm-08.

 

[Formidilosus]

This article gives a good history of the ELD-X's development and corroborates what I had heard from a former colleague who worked in ballistics, which is that it is derived from the A-MAX. Either way, the basic concept is a thinly jacketed cup-and-core projectile.

Amax, ELD-M, V-Max, PowerPoints, game Kings, ballistics tips, etc, etc are all just cup and core bullets. Saying an AMAX is a “target” bullet terminally is akin to saying a standard soft point hunting bullet is a “target” bullet terminally.

The ELD- has an interlock ring, just like the SST. The ELD-X also has a tapered and thicker jacket, and a larger nose opening than an AMAX or ELD-M.

I'm sure guys have had success with them, but I personally lost a nice animal shooting them once.

Not saying I'm the saltiest dude alive but I definitely know what a disappearing blood trail and a dead end tracking job looks like.

I lost an animal once that was shot with a Barnes TTSX- so? I’ve also tracked and not recovered animals shot with Partitions, NBT’s, Accubonds, GMX, Interlocks, Corelokts and Corelokt Golds; Barnes X/TSX/LRX and MRX; Partition Gold, TBC’s, Bergers, and all manner of other bullets. People have lost animals with every bullet made, and most blame the bullet.

I’ve watched and taken apart well over a hundred big game animals killed with ELD-X’s since the first prototypes. They create very good wounds, they penetrate and kill well.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

This article gives a good history of the ELD-X's development and corroborates what I had heard from a former colleague who worked in ballistics, which is that it is derived from the A-MAX. Either way, the basic concept is a thinly jacketed cup-and-core projectile. I'm sure guys have had success with them, but I personally lost a nice animal shooting them once.

Not saying I'm the saltiest dude alive but I definitely know what a disappearing blood trail and a dead end tracking job looks like.

Looking at ELDX from 80 grain to 212 grain and all sizes in between, I’ve not used a more overall lethal and consistent bullet in hundreds of big game animals killed with them.

In saying that, the 20 or so kills with 77 and 130 TMKs are probably the only bullet that I would say are on par or better in what I’ve seen (need more kills still).

Using onsesie twosie examples on a single animal and basing a future decision on that, I’ve found, has lead me astray in the past in big game killing.