A Little Help Please

[Johnny Reb]

I recently purchased an Encore, and I'm trying to decide between 7mm-08 or 308 for deer hunting.  At this time all it will be used for is deer hunting, I may decide to hunt elk one of these days, but that will be years down the road.  I realize there is not much difference between the two, and I had my heart set on the 7mm-08, until I realized there aren't many options as far as factory loads go (I don't reload, although my hunting buddy used to, and I'm sure he'd be willing to help me out.)  I hunt in Southwest VA, most of my shots are in the 100-150 yd range, although I have taken deer over 200.  I would feel comfortable taking a shot at 300 yds, but that's my limit.  I guess deep down I know I should probably go with the 308, but I wanted to get a little outside adivse.  What do you think?

[Ramrod]

My thinking is always that if you don't reload, go with a military caliber (.308 in this case), and enjoy the ability to plink with the cheap ammo available for it.

[Slamfire]

Having a lot of loads to choose from is not the wonderful thing it's cracked up to be. You'll eventually end up with one load you rely on for most of the shooting you do, and then you won't have the cartridge you lusted for.  :cry:

[Ron T.]

Excellent advice (from Ramrod) since the more you practice, generally, the better you get.

HOWEVER… you must also take into account that a .308 in an Encore will have, I suspect, a pretty hefty “kick” due to the relatively light weight of the firearm.  But if you intend to mix elk along with your venison, then the .308 is certainly the better choice.

As far is there not being “much difference” between an elk and a deer (J.R’s thinking)… I think someone has been giving you bad advice.  There is a HUGE difference between the two animals… not only in size, but in tenacity!  The elk is MUCH larger and TOUGHER… while your .308 Win. Cartridge is a fine deer cartridge, it’s BARELY an elk cartridge in many seasoned hunter’s opinions.

In fact, for elk hunting, I’d strongly urge you to use Federal’s “High Energy” or Hornady’s “Light Magnum” .308 Win. cartridge for elk and keep your shots UNDER 200 yards… or better yet, under 150 yards using a .308 Winchester.

To give you an idea of my thinking on the two animals, I hunt deer with a Model 99 Savage in .300 Savage caliber... the "father" of the .308 Win. cartridge.  However, I used my pre-'64 Model 70 Winchester in .338 Win. Magnum to hunt elk in Colorado and moose in Canada.

I've always believed in "matching" the caliber to the game hunted... and these calibers on these game animals are a perfect match in my opinion.

But... most important of all (on either elk or deer, but especially on elk), place your shot CAREFULLY… put your bullet into the elk’s “boiler room” (2/3’s of the way down from the line-of-the-back, just behind the shoulder)... and with a 7mm/08, a .308 Win. or a .338 Win. Magnum, you'll be eating elk steaks & roasts after the hunt while the icy Winter winds blow just outside your kitchen window.

If you don’t place your bullet well, you may learn a "hard lesson" about an elk’s “tenacity” when you have to trail a wounded elk up & down over many ridges for several miles.  Packing out the meat over THAT distance can and does become a major problem.

While I’m not completely familiar with the Encore, I understand that one of it’s best features & greatest advantages is that it can use inter-changeable barrels, so why not opt for a 7mm/08 barrel for deer (now) and a .308 (or larger caliber… like a .358 Win.) barrel for elk if you decide to hunt elk at some point in the future?

Regardless of what you decide… may the gods-of-the-hunt “smile” on you and bring you only “good luck”.    :-)


Strength & Honor…

Ron T.

[Johnny Reb]

Thanks for the input.  I need to clarify one thing, when I made that statement that "there is not much difference between the two" I was referring to the 7mm-08 and the 308.  I know there is a huge difference between a deer and an elk.  Sorry for any confusion.  I am one of those people that likes to have a caliber that is a little different from everybody else.   Most people around here shoot 270, 30-30, 7mm mag, 308 or 30-06.  The 308 is very popular, that's why I was leaning toward the 7mm-08.  I just can't get past the lack of factory loads for the 7mm-08.

[Graybeard]

Not many options? Yer kidding right? Everyone who makes ammo makes some for the 7-08. There are at least 12-15 good choices out there. I use nothing but the Hornady Light Mag stuff myself.

[Lone Star]

Get the 7-08!  If you want something different that will do it for you, and you'll never notice a difference in game performance between them. Buying a firearm based on what you might do "years down the road" is poor decision-making; get what will suit what you are hunting now.  Heck, in five years you may be in a position to get a new .300 magnum for elk.

GB is right of course, there is a large number of options in 7-08 ammo, but the issue is not the total number but the local availability of 7-08 ammunition.  You will likely be able to pick up over a dozen different .308 loadings at the local gun shop, but perhaps only a few in 7-08.  Still, in today's global marketing paradise that should not be a limiting factor if you want something different from your fellow local hunters.  

[Johnny Reb]

I was referring to the lack of options as far as bullet weight for the 7mm-08, compared to the 308.  I'm sure I'll be able to find one that works well for me.  Is there much difference in recoil between the Hornady Lite Mags and the others?  I was set on the 7mm-08, but after a recent talk with a guy at the local gun shop (he tried to steer me towards the 308 based on more bullet options and availability) I started to doubt my decision.  I just wanted someone who was familiar with these two calibers to help me make my decision.  Someone to let me know if I was heading in the right direction or not.  Thanks for all your help.  I think I'll stick with my decision to go with the 7mm-08.

[Graybeard]

I can't honestly tell any difference in recoil between the light mags and standard loads. But the Chrono will tell you there is a difference. For what it's worth there are more than enough excellent bullet choices available in factory ammo to do anything you really need to do with a 7-08. The Federal loads with Nosler PTs and the Winchester loads which I think have the Fail Safe are perfectly adequate for elk should you wish. But since you say it's for deer why does it really matter? I've never used anything but 139/140 grain bullets in the 7-08 and I've been hunting a wide variety of game and exotics with it since the mid 80s. Every single time the trigger has been pulled it's been a one shot kill with me, my oldest son and wife all three using the round.

[John C-S]

The 7 would be my choice in the Encore. A 300 or 338 Mag would be my choice for elk. They are big. They are tough. They are in bear country.

[John C-S]

The 7 would be my choice in the Encore. A 300 or 338 Mag would be my choice for elk. They are big. They are tough. They are in bear country.

[oso45-70]

Johnny Reb

I think you would do all right with the 7mm. People shoot most all the game with them with no problems, SHOT PLACEMENT is the answer to all good clean kills, Good luck........Joe.........