Just one gun for me and kids...7mm08?

elkyinzer

WKR
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Pennslyvania
I decided I am going to sell my Sako .270. It's too nice a gun for me. It's a beautiful piece. I hardly even gun hunt, maybe once every 3 years or so, and when I do I am afraid to get a scratch on the thing which does not jive very well with the places I like to hunt. Mostly for whitetail, but I would like it to be varmint and black bear capable. Moreso varmints as I would like to start chasing coyotes more. I guess being elk capable is the only reason I am considering the 308 but I don't see myself rifle hunting them, I am addicted to chasing them with a bow.

With the money I'll get for it, I am planning on buying a cheaper rifle to replace it, and a new shotgun. So I am thinking I will get a Tikka T3 stainless. They seem solid and dependable and I won't have to baby it as much. I don't reload, don't want to, and really I am just a bowhunter who picks up a gun once in awhile...400 yards is my absolute max and I much prefer under 200.

With all that said. I am stuck on caliber and would like to hear some thoughts. I like the 308/7mm/243 family. My family all shoots 243, I shot one for a few years to start out, and I have seen them kill a whole lot of deer. But I may want the versatility of a little heavier bullet.

Most importantly, I also want this gun to be my kids' first deer gun and that's why I am strongly considering 243. Is the 7mm08 or 308 likely to be too heavy for a 10-12 year old kid? I am thinking the 7mm08 is a good compromise but it may still be too heavy and it seems off the shelf ammo can be harder to find? Any insights?
 
I picked up a 7mm08 for similar reason. I wanted a gun my wife and someday kids could shoot. I ordered a kimber montana with a brake on it.

Doesn't kick and is fun to shoot. I liked that I could grab ammo at academy. I'm able to find 7mm08 at every store in my area.

Tikka T3 is what I would have gotten if I could have gotten over the look of it. Great gun and the guys that shoot them love them.
 
I would go with the T3 in 7mm08. They are incredibly accurate and kill well. If you pick up one you may want to put a limbsaver pad on it. The new T3X is suppose to have a better recoil pad on it but I havent seen one to check it out. The old ones have a pad that is hard as a rock.
 
I don't know that I would ever get rid of a Sako for a Tikka. It seems like you would have more options of lighter bullets for your varmints and reduced recoil loads for the kids in the 308 than the 7-08. I started shooting a 270 Win with 150 grain bullets when I was 11 years old. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with either caliber that you're considering. Personally, I would research the factory ammo choices for each caliber that you're considering. I would then pick the caliber that offers you the factory ammo that you want to shoot. I would then stock up on that ammo and be set for a while.

Let us know what you decide.
 
I went the 7mm-08 direction form my 11/12 year old son. He is not a big kid and it has worked out well. You can also purchase reduced recoil loads if you look around for target practice and put in the full loads when it comes time to hunt. Out to 200 yards it's surprising how similar the two loads shoot and it helps a youngster get used to shooting a gun with recoil IMO.
 
With all the recent threads on here about the 243. Would have to look hard at it. Youth and old age go hand in hand with reduced recoil. Nice to know the smaller bore will kill just as dead on most .
 
I would go with the T3 in 7mm08. They are incredibly accurate and kill well. If you pick up one you may want to put a limbsaver pad on it. The new T3X is suppose to have a better recoil pad on it but I havent seen one to check it out. The old ones have a pad that is hard as a rock.

the T3x "new & improved" recoil pad is as hard as a SOFT rock BUT luckily we have Limbsaver gen 2 pads that are as soft as ... well, you know
 
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I like the tikka idea. Good guns.

I am contemplating a 308 with low recoil loads for my 9 yr old. Means the gun can grow with him.
 
I'm a huge fan of the 7-08....lots of killing power, moderate recoil, widely available. Hard not to love it.

My son has two now... he's decked a number of caribou with it and I even borrowed it this year to tip one over. A 140gr Fusion at 250 and done.
 
same debate with my wifes gun. went a 270 tikka. shoot a 110gr class bullets for yotes and 130gr-160gr for bigger game. you mentioned elk in the future... 270, 7-08 or 308 will all be lethal on elk within reasonable range. I want a 7mm-08 though too;)

deciding factor for us was a 140gr comparison which is a common choice for both. the 7-08 is in the 2700-2850fps range vs a 270 with a 2850-3000 fps range. just a bit more umph..
 
I bought a Tikka T3 s/s 7-08 for my 11-year-old (he's now 13), and it has worked out great for him from day one. At the time he weighed about 75 lbs.


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same debate with my wifes gun. went a 270 tikka. shoot a 110gr class bullets for yotes and 130gr-160gr for bigger game. you mentioned elk in the future... 270, 7-08 or 308 will all be lethal on elk within reasonable range. I want a 7mm-08 though too;)

deciding factor for us was a 140gr comparison which is a common choice for both. the 7-08 is in the 2700-2850fps range vs a 270 with a 2850-3000 fps range. just a bit more umph..


You can load the 110 grain TTSX for a screamer load in that 270, also.
 
Thanks for everyone's input. I do think I am going to go with the 7mm-08. I've never shot one but from what I read I think it will do everything I need it to. I like the bullet options I am seeing.

N2TRKYS - As I explained originally, this is not really a caliber showdown, and the Sako is a certainly tackdriver. But...it's just too "pretty" of a gun for me, and I can use the difference to finance a new shotgun I've been needing because I have mostly been using a single shot 16 gauge hand me down for the last 5 years. Plus I think this gun has killed a grand total of 4 deer in its lifetime and the last one was in 2008ish, so to say the least, I hardly use it. I usually tag out in archery so for deer I'm mostly looking ahead to when my kids start hunting. On the rare occasion that I do rifle hunt, and I do want to start coyote hunting more, I'd rather own guns I feel like I can use and not worry so much about beating up a bit. It's kind of hard to strap my mint condition Sako in the backpack and go chase coyotes around mountains all day without worrying about falling and gashing it on a rock.

She is a beaut..
 
Very nice rifle. Have you thought about keeping the Sako and putting a new or different stock on it? Just throwing ideas out there for you. Good luck in whatever you choose.
 
Its a solid caliber and my only caveat would be what you already mentioned isn't a concern: range. I'd keep it to 300-350max on elk with the loads I shoot out of mine. I wanted more range so I also have a 280AI (I like 7mm calibers). I burn varget in my loads and seems like I can shoot it 4-5times before the barrel heats up. Its a nice cartridge. Mine shoots 139-145gr stuff well.
 
My first hunting rifle when I was a kid was 7-08 in a rem model 7 I loved that gun. Especially as I got older even though I've been able to train my self out of it. I did develop a flinch from that gun. I was always able to kill with it but with out a doubt I flinched. I would recommend a 7-08 for a kid but the 243 may be a better choice especially if your not going to use it for elk.


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My first hunting rifle when I was a kid was 7-08 in a rem model 7 I loved that gun. Especially as I got older even though I've been able to train my self out of it. I did develop a flinch from that gun. I was always able to kill with it but with out a doubt I flinched. I would recommend a 7-08 for a kid but the 243 may be a better choice especially if your not going to use it for elk.


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260rem provides a nice middle ground between 7-08 and 243 as well.
 
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