Bowjack here's an Excerpt from Dave Anderson's Article "Four Favorite Sevens". Published in Guns Magazine Jan 2002 Were he discusses - 7mm Mauser, 7mm-08 Remington, .280 Remington and .284 Winchester. If you would like to read in it's entirety -
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BQY/is_1_48/ai_80635892/ - Excerpt: - Dave Anderson The Practical 7mm-08
The 7mm-08, based on the .308 Win. case, was a popular wildcat for many years before Remington made it a factory round in 1980. It was particularly popular for metallic silhouette due to its light recoil with ballistically efficient bullets.
As a hunting round, it initially didn't generate much excitement. The case looks small compared to the .270/.280 cases, not to mention the 7mm Rem. Mag. It was often used in short-barreled carbines, which reduced velocities from advertised figures taken in 24-inch barrels.
Eastern whitetail hunters were the first to appreciate the virtues of light, compact bolt-action carbines and the effective ballistics of the 7mm-08. These carbines have to a considerable extent supplanted the .30-30 lever-action carbines that were a whitetail standard for so many years.
Most western hunters, however, tended to ignore the 7mm-08 in favor of old standards such as the .270.
But in the last few years the 7mm-08 has slowly but steadily gained in popularity. Shooters are beginning to appreciate that it is a highly efficient cartridge. It works well with medium-burning powders that don't need extra-long barrels to burn effectively. These smaller powder charges reduce recoil and muzzle blast as well. Taken in 24-inch barrel lengths, velocities of 7mm-08, .270 and .280 bullets of the same weight are surprisingly close.
With 140-grain bullets, Remington lists the 7mm-08 at 2,860 fps. The 140-grain bullet in .270 is shown at 2,925 fps and in .280 at 3,000 fps.
The bigger cases really benefit from 24-inch barrels that burn their powder charges effectively; reduce barrel length to 22 or 20 inches and the difference becomes even less.
The 7mm-08 really needs to be used to be fully appreciated. It wasn't until about 1990 that I started to shoot and reload extensively for the cartridge.
Chronographing and accuracy testing various loads was an eye-opener. Report and muzzle blast were noticeably less than the .280/.284; recoil was a pitiful little nudge, yet velocities with comparable bullet weights were usually within 150 fps. (See chart #3)
Like its parent case the .308, the 7mm-08 is a pleasure to reload, untemperamental and accurate. Medium to medium/slow burning powders seem to give best results. The slowest burning powders I use in 7mm-08 are W-W 760 and H-414. In the IMR series, IMR-4064 and IMR-4320 give good results. Hodgdon Varget often produces outstanding accuracy. Reloder 15 and Accurate Arms 2700 are good choices as well.
An effective, flat-shooting load for game such as antelope is the 130-grain Speer, which can be loaded to around 3,000 fps in a 22-inch barrel, approximating .270 Win. performance in barrels of the same length. The best all-around load is a 140-grain bullet loaded at 2,800 to 2,900 fps (depending on barrel length). Bullets over 150 grains have to be seated deeply to suit the short magazines and shallow barrel throats of most factory 7mm-08s, but they can still be very effective.
Premium 160-grain bullets can usually achieve 2,600 fps in 20-inch barrels and break 2,700 fps in 24-inch barrels.
Due to its medium capacity and its use of powders with medium-burning rates, the 7mm-08 maintains velocities quite well, even in barrels as short as 20 inches. It has become a popular cartridge choice in the handy bolt-action carbines that are increasingly popular. However, don't overlook 22-or even 24-inch barrels that do provide an appreciable velocity gain.
Four favorite sevens. Which is the best choice? I can hedge and say I like and use them all; this is perfectly true, but it ducks the issue. I like the 7mm Mauser for its tradition, longevity, and its association with great hunters and explorers of the past. The .284 is a superb cartridge and will always be a favorite, and the .280 provides the best ballistic performance of the lot, albeit by a small margin.
But consider everything -- performance, recoil, rifle size and weight, rifle availability, ammunition availability and selection -- and the winner, rather to my surprise, is the 7mm-08 Remington. Ten years ago, even five years ago, I wouldn't have said that. But this efficient, effective little cartridge is a good one, and it's going to be around for a long time.
