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I have a factory HB Remington 700 7mm-08, I have read the specs on these and have read all the specs on the ammo. However, is anyone using one of these as a precision rifle? Is this an accepted caliber to do so? Range and velocity seem to be better than the standard .308, however it seems to be an odd-ball caliber outside most circles.
Any information would be appreciated......
I believe that once upon a time the 7mm/08 was the preferred cartridge for metallic silhouette shooting due to the ballistic efficiency (i.e., impact energy versus powder burned, manageable recoil, trajectory, wind drift...) that if offered. These same characteristics make it an excellent choice for a medium-game hunting cartridge, especially for recoil-sensitive shooters in light-weight rifles.
These same characteristics should make it a good precision cartridge for moderate-range applications, but I believe that the reason it has not been popular is that no military has adopted it, which limits the practical ammo availability.
Excellent caliber.
Based on the 308 case, necked down to 7mm.
Has great accuracy, flat trajectory, and great ballistic coefficient bullets.
Not a thing wrong with it.
Right now, the 260 Remington is stealing a bit of thunder from the 7mm-08, because it has everything the 7mm-08 has, and even better velocities and better BC.
But the 7mm-08 is still a real good cartridge.
I'd echo what Aubrey said about ammo availability. If you're going to shoot casually with it, you're probably in good shape. If you're burning through 500-1000 rounds every month or two, and not handloading, ammo might be an issue.
I don't know enough about the 7mm-08's ballistics to know how it would compare to a .308 at long range. The lighter bullets will shoot flatter at common hunting ranges, but I don't know how they'll hold their velocity at long ranges (say, 800-1000 yds). Once bullets drop through the sound barrier, they tend to do things like keyhole, and this degrades accuracy. heavier bullets for a given cartridge, even though slower at the muzzle, tend to hold onto more of their velocity as range increases. (For example, 175gr .308's tend to hold their velocity better at 900-1000 yds than 168's, even though the 168's have a higher muzzle velocity.) You might see something similar with a 7mm-08 140gr vs. a .308 175gr. I do not have any experience with the round to verify this statement, so I'm not putting it out there as an incontrovertible fact - it's just a consideration that would need to be taken into account when working at long ranges.
Other than the above, I'd say that if your rifle works well for you at the ranges you normally encounter, and ammo availability is no problem, then have fun shooting!:)