Author Topic: Any point in owning rifles in both 7mm-08 and .308 Win? (Read 8339 times)

Coyote Hunter · « **Reply #60 on:** March 28, 2010, 06:44:24 PM »

Was looking at a Ruger Compact Hawkeye in 7mm-08 today at Sportsman's Warehouse. Handy little rifle. Would have made a nice birthday present and a nice companion to my Remington M700 BDL .308 Win. I wouldn't be surprised if that is my next rifle.

burntmuch · « **Reply #61 on:** March 29, 2010, 04:20:55 PM »

I looked at a Ruger compact hawkeye couple mths back. What a sweet little rifle. It was in 243. I love my rem model 7 in 7mm-08. Just the perfect little deer rifle. Never shot a steel sihulette with it though

Walks with Fire · « **Reply #62 on:** March 30, 2010, 05:11:57 AM »

I have both .308 and 7-08 in Browning Micro Hunters. I like the 7-08 and will sell the .308 this summer. I have a .243 as well that I use for long range varmints. The 7-08 with 100 grain bullets is a .243 deer gun; with 120 grain bullets it's a 25-06; with 130 grain bullets it's a 270; with 140 grains it's being itself and with 150/160 grain bullets it's a 1/12 twist .308. What's not to like; I hunt deer in PA only and it works for me in the timber and brush conditions we have. I don't need the .308 and the extra kick anymore and if I wanted more bullet weight I would go 30-06 or bigger. 7-08 covers my needs quite well but wish it was a 22" barrel instead of a 20" for a little less muzzle blast.

coyotejoe · « **Reply #63 on:** March 30, 2010, 05:39:04 AM »

Gun guys just love to split hairs and to find any difference between a 7-08 and a .308 you have to split the hair mighty fine, in hunting rifles used within 300 yards the difference is so small you could never prove it exists.

scootrd · « **Reply #64 on:** March 30, 2010, 02:25:23 PM »

Quote from: Walks with Fire on March 30, 2010, 05:11:57 AM

I have both .308 and 7-08 in Browning Micro Hunters. I like the 7-08 and will sell the .308 this summer. I have a .243 as well that I use for long range varmints. The 7-08 with 100 grain bullets is a .243 deer gun; with 120 grain bullets it's a 25-06; with 130 grain bullets it's a 270; with 140 grains it's being itself and with 150/160 grain bullets it's a 1/12 twist .308. What's not to like; I hunt deer in PA only and it works for me in the timber and brush conditions we have. I don't need the .308 and the extra kick anymore and if I wanted more bullet weight I would go 30-06 or bigger. 7-08 covers my needs quite well but wish it was a 22" barrel instead of a 20" for a little less muzzle blast.

I looked at the Brownings as well , I liked the fit, feel and finish were nice, only a few things swayed me towards the Remmy.

The browning was a 20" barrel
I didn't want a Target Crown
I don't care for Detachable box magazines.

when I was lookin just so happened Remington came out with their Model seven 25th anniversary , (I didn't care one way or the other it was an anniversary edition , but what I did care about was it came with a 22" barrel , finish was nice , checkering was beautiful, Remington SuperCell recoil pad (usually not offered on such mild caliber) is extremely comfortable. The package was finished off with the X-Mark Pro trigger and the caliber Rem chose to celebrate their mod seven 25th anniversary 7mm-08.

It was destiny that it had to be mine

Squib · « **Reply #65 on:** October 30, 2010, 09:04:23 PM »

I went with .308 awhile back because I found that shooting standing at 100yds and beyond I was horrible with a 300 win mag... half the time I'd shoot at about 2 moa and other times I'd miss stuff completely. light manueverable field grade rifles aren't fun to shoot with rediculous recoil, though they look great on the ballistics charts. that paid off the first time I took the 308 out and took a one handed shot (still shouldered and slinged up though) on a deer at 40yds and actually put him down drt- if I'd have done that leaning out the side and around my stand with a win mag I'd have dropped my gun most likely and maybe busted my face too, if I even connected and I wouldn't have!

it's a matter of where you are now and where you want to be. it's all perspective. a .243 and above in the vitals will do the job up close just fine but when the hypothetical 300yd shots come in we all get so worked up.. hey I'm damn happy with .308 myself but I kind of want a 7mm-08 just so I can shoot light bullets and achieve higher velocity without sacrificing ballistic efficiency in the process. any need to, NO!!! the bullets wouldn't hit as hard once they got there and IF I was such a great shot that I could call them at over 300yds out then I might be able to justify the tiny gain in exterior ballistics BUT I'm not that good so I think the extra .308 punch is good for me. personally I'm thinking that getting a .270 win is my next move- more powder and lighter and more efficient bullets BUT not so much smaller that my punch is reduced substantially by bullet profile. faster and flatter shooting, but lighter bullets and slower powders, heavier rifle (from short to long action), and maybe a bigger scope- I might end up with slightly less recoil and still gain something for my efforts instead of "stepping down" to achieve comfort and fun factor.

sorry for hijacking

Swampman · « **Reply #66 on:** October 31, 2010, 02:10:35 AM »

The 7mm-08 has the same recoil as the .308 without any advantages. It was invented to sell new rifles. It did....

Sweetwater · « **Reply #67 on:** November 02, 2010, 07:47:50 AM »

Concerning these two cartridges, without getting into the math of the calculated recoil, having the same felt recoil or not is almost entirely subjective to the fit of the rifle to the shooter. I've had 308's kick me harder than a 30-06, and 7mm-08's that felt more like my 257Roberts. MILD.

I have a pal with a 308 that he loves. His next will be a 7mm-08 for his wife. He also wants a 243 and a 260 as well as a 358 down the road a ways. Why? Because a) he can afford it and b) he wants a rifle for each of the 308-based cartridges, without getting into wildcats.

To me, the only point in having more than one of any centerfire rifle in the lower 48 is to accomodate other family members, or purely "I want it". Paper ballistics do not fill the freezer. Being a hunter does. Any hunter can take any legal centerfire rifle and fill the freezer. Anything else in "conversation". Fine chat, here.

Regards,
Sweetwater

scootrd · « **Reply #68 on:** November 02, 2010, 08:56:34 AM »

Quote from: Swampman on October 31, 2010, 02:10:35 AM

The 7mm-08 has the same recoil as the .308 without any advantages. It was invented to sell new rifles. It did....

Hmm lets look at the advantages ....
7mm-08, lighter bullet, Better BC (affected less by drag and crosswind) , higher velocity, less recoil , Flatter trajectory, Greater energy delivered out past 100 yards. Awesome choice for Lightweight short action deer size game rigs ... ...and my remmy mod seven in 7mm-08 is also a pleasure to shoot carry and hunt with all day long in steep mixed terrains.

- works for me.

it wasnt "invented" to sell new rifles - it was a wildcat since way back in 1958.. It was adopted mainstream because of it's remarkably fine attributes.

Swampman · « **Reply #69 on:** November 02, 2010, 10:28:56 AM »

That what the sales ads say anyway.

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #70 on:** November 02, 2010, 10:52:28 AM »

Newton may not agree nor would I . I have had both . The 708 is mild and the 308 a bit more kick. in normal bullet weights . Even with like bullet weight the smaller bore of the 708 would make a heavier bbl thus reducing recoil.
And yes own both the 708 will shoot smaller bullets at varmits well and the 308 larger bullets at larger targets . Who needs justification ? hope wife ain't reading

DGrig · « **Reply #71 on:** November 02, 2010, 11:06:50 AM »

It was suggested that you look at the 260 rem over the 7-08. I second this. I have both the 308 and a 260, and honestly, the 260 is so much fun and incredibly accurate (1.5" groups at 300 yds) that I grab it more often that the 308. And if someone says it performs poorly on North American game, they don't know what they're talking about. The 260 is one of the best penetrating cartridges available. Further, at long range the 260 with its superior BC will pass the 308. My most common bullet is a 120 gr Hornady A-Max but you can go down to 95 gr for varmints or up to 160's. The 260 is a great cartridge and would overlap less than the 7-08 with the 308.

BRL · « **Reply #72 on:** November 02, 2010, 11:43:33 AM »

No point at all! But, I have both. Although, the two rifles are completely different. I have a .308 in a Winchester M70 and a Bushmaster AR10. The 7-08 is a Browning Lever action. All completely different rifles with similar capabilities.

Swampman · « **Reply #73 on:** November 02, 2010, 04:14:22 PM »

I'd rather have a .243 than a .260 or 7mm-08.

Squib · « **Reply #74 on:** November 02, 2010, 04:58:33 PM »

that's the route I'd probably go too... and I happen to like .243. it's like a 22-250 but not optimized for varmint bullets and not quite at barrel burner status. plus cheaper and easier to get ammo, and it's based off the .308 winchester case and all. 7mm-08 is a compromise and a good one if you can live with giving up 7.62 nato (or even use it at all) but if you do and/or have a .308 then the 7mm doesn't seem like much of a difference.

go .243 or .358!

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #75 on:** November 03, 2010, 03:04:57 AM »

if you are thinking 243 step up to the 25-06 and be done with it . Anything the 243 can do the 25-06 can do better and farther

scootrd · « **Reply #76 on:** November 03, 2010, 01:15:54 PM »

Quote from: Swampman on November 02, 2010, 04:14:22 PM

I'd rather have a .243 than a .260 or 7mm-08.

That's cause those dinky swamp deer are the size of small dogs .. hahahahhahahahahahha

yooper77 · « **Reply #77 on:** November 04, 2010, 04:38:15 PM »

Any cartridges based off the parent 308 Winchester are proven winners and work flawlessly for their intended purpose, also wildcats are fun and just plain work.

22-243 (22 Cheetah)
243 Winchester (Known as the 240 Page Pooper)
25-08 (wildcat yep)
260 Remington (originally called the 6.5 Panther)
270-08 (another wildcat, but I have seen them made)
7mm-08 Remington
338 Federal
358 Winchester

yooper77

billy_56081 · « **Reply #78 on:** November 04, 2010, 05:53:45 PM »

If you need a valid reason or point to own a gun in one caliber wereses another, you really need to get another hobby.

john keyes · « **Reply #79 on:** November 05, 2010, 02:27:02 PM »

7mm-08 is as good as it gets for deer imo

mine shoots every bullet weight i tried very well, and handles 150's very accurately

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #80 on:** November 09, 2010, 08:15:33 AM »

Quote from: billy_56081 on November 04, 2010, 05:53:45 PM

If you need a valid reason or point to own a gun in one caliber wereses another, you really need to get another hobby.

really !

Squib · « **Reply #81 on:** November 09, 2010, 03:05:25 PM »

I still don't understand why or how a .308 is painful to shoot? If you are not set-up correctly a .243 will hurt your face or shoulder too, use a good recoil pad and hold the gun tight.. problem solved until you get into the magnums. Then again my first ever bolt was a .300 win mag so maybe I'm just used to getting smacked in the face... ?

I find that getting an aftermarket cheekpiece and whittling it down with a dremel-tool to fit my face does wonders. You can handload light bullets in .308 to break 3,000fps pretty easily too- you don't really need to neck-down. You gain speed potential by using lighter bullets that are still ballistically efficient by moving down in bullet diameter BUT if you're not worried about long shots then just use light bullets in a bigger caliber. If you don't believe me then look at hodgdon's site and cross-reference the 100gr (approximate) bullets between .243 and .308. .308 goes faster, and has more frontal area. It punches faster, heavier, harder... but loses in penetration and wind resistance at range.... which is totally negated by 150gr and above bullets with decent construction (good luck FINDING anything above 100-110 for 6mm). If you go with 7mm... I think it's splitting hairs for weight vs shape and not gaining anything.

.308 for heavier bullets, .243 for light. 7mm for...

nothing