hears my opinion for what its worth. Both are 300 yard max deer rounds. Anything over 300 and i want something more powerful. Out to 300 yards the 708 no doubt is a bit more powerful but hit two deer in the same spot in the vitals and I doubt youd see a pinch of differnce in actual killing power. Both deer will be dead and last i checked theres not degrees to dead.
I know you are not making this as a statement , as you said IMO.
Your comment just reminded me of what I have heard others say as a statement regarding 7mm-08 only good out to 300 yards , but then in the very next breath say something like for longer use a 30-06. (At which point I just smile and walk away. )
Just a cut and paste example as close to apples to apples as I could find quickly (others feel free to chime in.)
30-06 Premier® AccuTip 150 grain
7mm-08 Premier® AccuTip 140 grain
30-06 velocity
400 yards 2077 - 500 yards 1893
7mm-08 velocity
400 Yards 2146 - 500 yards 1986
30-06 energy foot lbs
400 yards 1436 - 500 Yards 1193
7mm-08 energy foot lbs
400 yards 1432 - 500 yards 1225
30-06 Long range trajectory
400 yards -21.5 500 yards - 43.7
7mm-08 Long range trajectory
400 yards -21.1 500 yards -42.5
For me , my 7mm-08 will never be a 500, 400, or even 300 Yard rifle, for a few reasons , 1) My eye sight is old, 2) The terrain I hunt does not offer such an opportunity, 3) Even if the terrain did I would never be comfortable even attempting a 300 + shot with my remmy because I don't practice for it . But non of my personal reasons are because a 7MM-08 is not capable of doing so, and I'm sure plenty of guys out there fill their freezer every year with a 7mm-08 out past 300 yards.
I hung up my '06 and adopted '08 caliber for my dedicated niche whitetail rig , Purchased a nice little lightweight pkg that suits me for steep terrain I hunt. I like the short action, compact size and it's a pleasure to shoot. In my opinion it was definitely a trade UP so to speak.