7mm-08

[jalire01]

Does anyone have pros and cons on a 7mm-08?

Or if you do have one, do you mind sharing the make and model and ammunition?

Looking to getting the wife a smaller hunting rifle. She currently uses a .270 and .308 at times but I think she'll be more comfortable shooting the 7mm-08. Never shot one but from what I see with the good shooting placement it can handle deer and elk well. Not expecting to shoot over 500 yards but never know how the hunt will go.

 

[Rob5589]

My daughter, now 16, started shooting a 7/08 at 14. It's a Tikka T3, all factory, mild recoil, accurate, easy to load for. She hasn't killed anything yet.

 

[Cant hit em]

6.5 cm is a good option

 

[Muleyczy]

I had a 7-08 built couple years back and love it. I shoot 140grn accubond and have had great success. Accurate round that’s a pleasure to shoot. My wife uses it as well.

 

[KHNC]

I have one in a 700 ADL. My son and i have killeds truck loads of deer in SC/NE/GA/NC with it. Mostly using 120gr Barnes factory loads. Currently i dropped the barreled action into an XLR chassis, cut the barrel down to 18" and threaded it for a suppressor. Shoots 3 shot 1/2" groups with me shooting off a tripod. Im sure its capable of even better. Hard to get ammo for it now tho. Thanks Obama

 

[Oregonmuley]

I'm a big fan of the 7MM-08 and usually have 3 or 4 in the safe just in case Currently have one Tikka Super LIte and a couple custom builds. I shoot factory Nosler 120 Ballistic Tips 99% of the time, its a great combo that is accurate in almost any rifle and just kills stuff.

 

[jalire01]

My daughter, now 16, started shooting a 7/08 at 14. It's a Tikka T3, all factory, mild recoil, accurate, easy to load for. She hasn't killed anything yet.

Thank you. I'm sure she'll get a kill with it soon.

 

[jalire01]

6.5 cm is a good option

I think my coworkers just talked me into getting her 6.5.

 

[elkguide]

I have a Kimber Montana in 7mm08 and a couple of custom 7-08's. Great round. Usually shoot 140's. Very accurate and very effective on game.

 

[jalire01]

I have one in a 700 ADL. My son and i have killeds truck loads of deer in SC/NE/GA/NC with it. Mostly using 120gr Barnes factory loads. Currently i dropped the barreled action into an XLR chassis, cut the barrel down to 18" and threaded it for a suppressor. Shoots 3 shot 1/2" groups with me shooting off a tripod. Im sure its capable of even better. Hard to get ammo for it now tho. Thanks Obama

Yeah the ammo is my biggest worry about but overall nothing but good responses and reviews from what I have seen.

 

[SpringM1A]

before i got a scope for it i used cooker338's rem700 in 7mm-08. smooth action deer dropper. i tried tradin him but he wouldnt do it...im now on the hunt for a 7mm-08 love the round. dont worry about the cons..theres not any.

 

[Macintosh]

Unless you are worried about exceptionally long range where the slightly higher BC of the 6.5cm will start to outweigh the initial velocity, 7mm-08 is a bigger, more capable cartridge than a 6.5cm, it's going to push the same weight projectile at about 100-150fps higher velocity and is available in some heavier bullet weights if you want that. I really like my 7mm08, current rifle is a tikka. Between me, my brother and my wife as well as a few friends, it's cleanly taken elk, moose, and many deer and a solid handful of antelope.
That said, it's still typically a 140gr bullet pushing 2800- 900fps, so if you get a really lightweight rifle it's going to kick unless you opt for a lighter bullet or lower velocity. My wife finds 140gr ammo uncomfortable to shoot out of her lightweight rifle, so for deer sized game typically uses 120gr reduced recoil ammo (about 2600fps), and has taken deer and antelope with this just fine. It's a pretty popular cartridge I'm told, but still not always easy to get ammo in lean times like now. My 7-08 rifle is abnormally finicky about ammo and I'm having trouble finding something it'll shoot well right now. At least around me, 6.5cm is overwhelmingly easier to find on a consistent basis. At the moment, between 4 local shops I have my choice of winchester ballistic silvertips and nothing else in 7mm08, or I can choose from multiple brands and bullet weights, in both lead or copper, bonded, varmint, target, etc bullets in 6.5cm. I also have not been able to find any of the ammo my rifle likes online in 7mm08. Absolutely nothing wrong with 7mm08, it's one of my favorite cartridges, but if reduced recoil and ammo availability were chief concerns I'd lean toward a 6.5cm.
edit: I also missed part of the questions, and I agree 100% with the post after this one, except I'd add .308 to that list

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

If you want to get a new rifle, then get a new rifle. From a ballistics perspective, there is not a lot of difference between a 270 Win, 7-08, and a 6.5 CM within 500 yards.

If you want to see about using your existing rifles and reduce recoil, then look at 1) using a Limbsaver and/or 2) using a "reduced recoil" load.

 

[william schmaltz]

I love mine. I've killed deer, caribou, sheep, black bear, and mtn goat with it. I'll probably let my wife use if for her cow moose in December. It's a cheapo Savage Axis with a few mods but it shoots much better than I'm capable of. It will easily shoot 1/2" at 100 all day long with the right ammo. Oddly enough, like others mentioned, mine was very picky with ammo and finding what worked was an exercise in frustration. At least at the time there were several options to work through. The 120 grain Barnes factory loads paired with that gun shoot extremely well. As others mentioned, 7-08 ammo is almost nonexistent. I haven't seen any on the shelves for two years here.

 

[jzeblaz]

I'm a huge 7mm fan and my 7mm-08 is a delight to shoot and carry. I think for 500 and under the cartridge has a lot of options from 120s light and fast to 160s that will hit pretty hard. I'm not sure what the 6.5 Creed has going for it over the -08, maybe slightly less recoil and possibly ammo availability. Do you handload? Lots of options in both calibers if you a reloader.

 

[Rimneck]

I started both of my sons out on 7mm-08 Savages shooting 139 Managed Recoil Hornady 139gr. They only shot the managed recoil's for one season and move on to 140 grain. I have nothing bad to say about the 7mm-08 other than I wish I had bought my own a lot sooner. If you hand load all the more better.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

Unless you're just looking to buy another rifle, there's not much performance difference at the ranges specified between the -08 and the .308 you already have. The deer/elk certainly won't know the difference. Plus ammo for the .308 is more readily available and likely cheaper.

If you have cash burning a hole in your pocket, look at the 6.8 Western if you want to upgrade in performance with sleek skinny bullets.

Just my $.02.

 

[jalire01]

I'm a huge 7mm fan and my 7mm-08 is a delight to shoot and carry. I think for 500 and under the cartridge has a lot of options from 120s light and fast to 160s that will hit pretty hard. I'm not sure what the 6.5 Creed has going for it over the -08, maybe slightly less recoil and possibly ammo availability. Do you handload? Lots of options in both calibers if you a reloader.

No I don't handload but something I've been thinking about doing. Maybe in the future. Thanks for comment!

 

[Laramie]

My wife and younger son both shoot a 7mm-08. They have taken everything from antelope to elk with the same 140 grain Nosler partition loads. Terminal performance has been great. The furthest any of their animals has gone was a big cow elk shot at 250 yards. She went about 30 yards before going down. On elk I personally like to stay inside of 400 yards with that caliber.

What others have posted above is true - not a ton of difference between what you already have in the .308 but the felt recoil was noticeably lower to my wife.

Felt recoil for the 7mm-08 (8lb rifle) shooting 140 grain at 2860 is 12.6lbs.
Felt recoil for the .308 (8ln rifle) shooting 150 grain at 2800 is 15.1lbs.
The .270 kicks harder than both of the above.

As far as ammo availability, the .308 wins. That said, I have been able to buy premium 7mm-08 rounds easily over the last few years. A quick search before posting this message showed many different options in stock today.

As far as the comparison between the 6.5CM and the 7mm-08, to me it comes down to personal preference. The 7mm-08 shoots a little flatter and has more energy inside of 300 yards. At longer ranges, the 6.5 pulls ahead a bit but the differences really aren't noticeable from a terminal performance standpoint.

The 6.5 does have slightly lower felt recoil but to me, that is the only benefit.

Ammo options readily available are pretty limited for the 6.5 if you are looking for a controlled expansion load to use on elk. I was only able to find one option available when typing this - 143 grain ELD-X for $63 per box of 20.

Good luck in your decision making and kudos for trying to find the best options for your family.

 

[RS3579]

I’ve become a fan of the 7mm-08 the last couple years. I have a Savage Light Weight Storm. 20” barrel and weights 6lb 13oz with a Swarovski Z3. Ammo is a little scarce now but it is available if you look around. Browning makes one as a XBlot Micro Composite, it comes with a factory installed muzzle break. I think it’s also available in a 6.5. Good luck with your decision.