7mm-08 or 308 recommendations

[Dark timber]

Find which shoots best.

I’ve killed deer with the following:

120 BT
140 AB
140 PT
150 ELDX (my current favorite)

Pick whichever shoots best and is readily available (hint, ELDX), no deer you shoot will know the difference.

My older daughter has killed a couple blacktails with the 120 BT. It kills great. After seeing your praise for the 150 ELDX, I loaded up a bunch over BG and converted it to long action. I’m pushing the 150s at 2865fps. My youngest daughter killed a mulie this year with it and I was really impressed with the performance. She has a late youth cow tag here in Idaho coming up that we’re gonna try the 150 ELDX on.

 

[insanelupus]

Of the two listed, 7mm-08.

If just wanting a new rifle, looking at what you currently own, I'd consider a 30-06. Boringly consistent, not real flashy, but a get 'er done cartridge.

 

[Tedhunts]

Food for thought...I couldn't find the exact configuration I wanted in a Tikka 7-08 so I bought a stainless Tikka action and built a rifle the exact way I wanted. It's purpose built for how I hunt whitetails. You will spend a little more than a factory rifle (and can spend a lot more if you go crazy).

 

[mitchellmountain]

I was in the same boat last winter and found a stainless tikka superlite 7mm-08, couldn’t be happier. I was a big 308 fan for years, still am , but the 7mm08 is a little more versatile deer cartridge.

 

[SC HUNTER]

A 7mm08 is one of my favorite rounds to shoot deer with and I've killed a few truck loads worth with 7mm08's. Maybe its because my buddy had one in 8th grade and I thought it was the coolest thing ever. Fast forward and between myself and that buddy I think we own 5 or 6, all factory guns. we have kids now so everybody needs one right? I'm going to pick up a tikka action in the near future and put together another 7mm08 exactly how I want it and probably hunt with it for several years until one of my kids lays claim to it. A tikka is a wonderful rifle and a 7mm-08 is wonderful. So extra super wonderful!

 

[Snipper60]

I’d advice you go with 7mm-08 if you value ballistic performance with moderate recoil and you already reload for 7mm Rem Mag — same .284” bullets, flatter trajectory and better BCs than .308

 

[TaperPin]

To 400 yards the animal won’t know the difference between 7mm08 or 308. Even for the shooter it’s hard to tell the difference, other than a few extra clicks on the scope. If you’re using holdover tics on the scope, whichever better matches the tics is what I’d use. For Kentucky windage with both cartridges I zero at 300, hold a hand width low at 100 & 200, a hand width high at 350 and two hand widths plus a finger width high at 400, with the 308 requiring two extra fingers at 400 for it’s extra drop.

Using your 7 mag bullets, the 7mm08 is what, only 200ish fps slower? About 150 to 200 yards worth, depending on the bullet. That’s pretty good performance.

I don’t see a benefit to anything heavier than 140s in the 7mm08 for ranges to 500 yards. Same for 160s in the 7 mag and 165s in the 308.

 

[N2TRKYS]

I have a Remington Model Seven SS in 7-08 and 308 with factory 20” barrels. I like them both equally and would be hard to choose one over the other. Here are my two loads for each: 120 grain NBT @3000 fps and 140 grain AB @2850 fps with the 7-08

125 grain AB @3100 fps and 165 grain AB @2745 fos with the 308.