Thoughts on 7mm-08?

[Rated21R]

Just curious if anyone has any experience with the 7mm-08. I know that you can get a Savage, Remington 700 and some others in this caliber. Seems like solid option and from what I have read folks like the round.

[DTHN2LGS]

Also take a look at the .260 Rem. which is a 7mm-08 case necked down to .264 (6.5mm). I've used it for deer hunting for about 9 years and love it. The more you research it, the greater your interest willl grow.

[ucrt]

I bought a cheap 700 SPS in 7mm-08 last year, had the barrel cut to 16-1/2" and put a 4X Leupold on it. My 10-22 is longer than my deer rifle. Handles super in a stand.

It is a tackdriver. Took a while to find an accurate factory load but when I did, I got 100 yard 1-1/4" 3-shot groups.

Shot 3 deer and they all dropped. Seems to hit not quite as hard as a 270 Win but it still dropped them at 150-200 yards. My daughter is trying to "pre-inherit" it. Oh well...

[MarkG]

Also take a look at the .260 Rem. which is a 7mm-08 case necked down to .264 (6.5mm). I've used it for deer hunting for about 9 years and love it. The more you research it, the greater your interest willl grow.

Smart man! It is arguably the best all purpose cartridge available.

[Rated21R]

The .260 Remington sounds nice, who makes rifles in that caliber? It seems the 7mm08 is a bit easier to find. What are the major differences between the .260 and the 7mm08? Thanks.

[Watrdawg]

I've been hunting with a 7mm08 since 1990. I hunt with either a Kimber Montana or a Remington Mountain rifle. My son will be using the Rem. this year so I'll be using the Kimber pretty much for good now. The 7mm08 is a great little round. Recoil is very mild and accuracy is outsatanding. Both of my rifles shoot most any round very well. You can find ammunition very easily and there is a great variety of bullets to choose from. Ballistically the .260 in the same weight bullet is on average 150fps slower at most ranges and 150ft lbs less energy at all of those ranges. The .260 is a very nice round also but the 7mm08 has better numbers all around.

[PlatoCATM]

It's extremely difficult to find .260 ammo on the shelf, so you would probably have to reload your own, which always seemed to involved to me due to the forming of the cases, or order it. I just did a quick search and turned up a few different makers loads, but there still aren't many factory loadings. Ballistics are awesome though, comparable to the trajectory of the 300WM. Lots of good 6.5mm bullets, too, with a high BC and SD.

**Note: This is what I recall after doing some extensive research, I've never shot a .260.

[ucrt]

I agree on the availability. That should play a big part in the decision making.
There are like 4 tiers of ammo: (This is my list)
#1- Common. This is where a Mom & Pop store out in the country would probably have it. (30-06, 308W, 30-30W, 270W, 243W)
#2- Less Common. This is where a good gun shop or a sporting goods store would have it, like Cabelas, Academy, etc. (7mm-08, 7mm Mag, 25-06, 22-250, Weatherby’s)
#3- Uncommon. This is where you'd have to order it and that's the problem, that privilege could go away one day.
#4- Rare. Self explanatory
Note that this list is “not all inclusive”. It’s just something that has been in the back of my head buying used guns for years.

The 7mm-08 isn't as popular as the big 5 but it is pretty close.

Once I found a factory round that shot well in my 7mm, I went back and bought 10 boxes of the same lot number. Just keep them inside the house and they’ll be fine for years.

I think everyone should have a 30-06 or 308, just because of the ammo availability. After that, I wouldn't stray too far from the main stream and I don't think a 7mm-08 is too far but a .260R might be. But those guys with a .270WSM and .300SAUM might be very disappointed one day.

.

[DTHN2LGS]

The .260 Remington sounds nice, who makes rifles in that caliber? It seems the 7mm08 is a bit easier to find. What are the major differences between the .260 and the 7mm08? Thanks.

Remington and many other manufacturers produce rifles in .260 Remington. I have a Remington Model 700 SS/DM and my friend and his wife each have Remington Model Sevens in .260 Remington. I have been reloading for a lot longer than the .260 has been around. I reload my hunting ammo using Barnes Bullets. I bought the virgin brass at local Sporting Goods stores (Gander Mtn. and Scheels), there was no brass forming involved.

If you look at your local stores and they don't have any .260 ammo/components in stock and you do not reload, then if the 7mm-08 IS locally avialable, you may want to go with the 7mm-08. Only you can decide what works best for you.

The 6.5mm bullets have high BC's and perform at longer ranges very well. Check out how popular it is with competition shooters with a google search. The 6.5/284 is a very common long range cartridge. I became a 6.5mm fan while I was in gunsmithing school and was researching what cartridge to build my custom rifle for school in. The more I read, the more I liked the 6.5mm caliber. I ended up building a 6.5 X 55 Ackley Improved on the Mauser 98 action we had to use for our custom gun for school.

The .260 is much easier to find and deal with than my 6.5 Swede A.I., so when it came out I bought one. My 6.5 X 55 is only used at the range now (it is also built with a heavy barrel) and I use the .260 for hunting.

7mm is a good caliber too, but I am the type who always wants something different than what everybody else has. Good luck and enjoy the process of researching and deciding what to get, that's half of the fun.

[titsonritz]

I bought my son a Savage 10 in 7mm-08 and ended up liking the caliber so much I decided to pick up a 7mm-08 barrel for my Encore. Great round.