7X57 or 7mm-08 or 308

[CaribouLu96]

Looking at getting a new lightweight hunting rifle mainly for deer,hogs, and potentially Africa plains game in the next decade. I recently went to Africa with my 308 Bergara and it did great but it was in the heavy side although not unbearable. Anyways I’m looking at a 16” 308 or 16” 7mm-08 and a Winchester model 70 7X57 that I’d have threaded (I know threading it would ruin the value of the gun but if I can help it I’m going to shoot suppressed no matter what) does anyone have any experience with these guns in these configurations? More so asking about the 16” guns as I know the 7X57 would do great but just figured I throw that bit of info in there for context.

 

[mdwest]

If you want lightweight it’s hard to beat a kimber Adirondack in 308… 16” barrel.. 4 lbs 13oz…

Mine has taken countless whitetail and pigs, a blacktail, and I don’t even recall how many PG in South Africa…

Laser beam accurate, so reliable it’s boring, and with a swaro z3 3-9x36 it is light as a feather.. super easy to carry, super easy to maneuver inside a blind… and with 168 gr Barnes TTSX I wouldn’t hesitate to use it on anything up to zebra, wildebeest, etc out to 300… (it’s taken both wildebeest and zebra.. but not quite at that distance so far)…

 

[CaribouLu96]

If you want lightweight it’s hard to beat a kimber Adirondack in 308… 16” barrel.. 4 lbs 13oz…

Mine has taken countless whitetail and pigs, a blacktail, and I don’t even recall how many PG in South Africa…

Laser beam accurate, so reliable it’s boring, and with a swaro z3 3-9x36 it is light as a feather.. super easy to carry, super easy to maneuver inside a blind… and with 168 gr Barnes TTSX I wouldn’t hesitate to use it on anything up to zebra, wildebeest, etc out to 300… (it’s taken both wildebeest and zebra.. but not quite at that distance so far)…

Thanks for the reply, I will have to check it out!

 

[Frederik]

16" barrels are very short why not 20" all the calibers you have mentioned do not have heavy recoil why make them louder and bring down the ballistics to marginal out of a 16" barrel.
A well constructed premium bullet in 150gr weight would take on most plainsgame at 2500-2600fps

Something like a howa 1500 with a hogue stock would be a perfect candidate most models come with 22" barrels and you could even opt for a stainless all weather model.

 

[Sideshow]

Have a look on the NZ forums they cut their rifles down there as the bush is so thick. Do you know how long the mod is that’s going on the front?

 

[Tarata]

I’m from NZ. Most common 16 inch calibre is a 308.Handliading can make a 130gn bullet go 3000fps (ttsx often used out to 300 yards) or for a bit longer range a 168gn eldm going slow. A suppressor is a must. Here you can buy a Tikka in this configuration off the shelf. Mostly used like this for red, fallow or sika deer in areas with mostly close bush shots but with the possibility of a longer shot across as clearing.

 

[Luger00]

In a strong, modern rifle, the 7x57 has a slight edge over the 7mm08 but it's slim until bullets weigh over 150 grains. Similar to the ballistics comparison of the 6mm Rem and 243 Win(same cases, diff caliber).
I have rifles in both cartridges and they are basically the same with medium game type bullets. I second the idea of using the 7x57 in Mausers since their mag and feed lips are designed for this cartridge size/shape.

 

[Sarg]

Same NZ experience here, 308Win 16in even 14in with Suppressor, still easy 400 meter rifle & I don’t even like the 308 but it does work !

I’m a 30/06 - 338/06 - 9.3x62 - .458Win guy !

Maybe a little.416Rem now ?

 

[skydiver386]

I think all 3 calibers are great on Plains Game. Bullet selection would be a higher priority, with the Barnes X or Swift A-Frame getting the nod from most here. The 150 grain is what I would recommend, and save the heavier 175+ bullets for the magnum calibers that can push them faster.

Since you specified a light rifle, I think the action and stock of your choice with a Proof Research carbon fiber barrel, or other high quality carbon fiber barrel would be a joy to hunt with. Something about 18 inches with a good Titanium suppressor wouldn't be to long even in the thickest brush, and would still be lighter than many long barreled magnum rifles.

If you aren't worried about looks or classic styling, a rifle in the calibers you listed, with a light Carbon Fiber stock, Carbon Fiber wrapped barrel, a moderate size scope, and a titanium suppressor like the Banish 30 from Silencer Central, and you'd have as fine a modern Plains Game Stalking Rifle as I could imagine.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

Get a 7x57mm Mauser. You won’t regret it. I don’t.

 

[thi9elsp]

If you are interested I have a Browning Stainless Stalker in 7mm-08 with a Swarovski Z3 3-9x36 duplex reticle on it I'm considering selling. PM me if you want photos and we can discuss pricing.

 

[Josh P]

If you’re going to build a suppressor host, the 308 cans are going to be the most plentiful when it comes to options in weight, size, mounting options, etc. Build it with the can in mind if that’s truly your intention. Slapping one on as an afterthought will diminish both the can and the host.

 

[Deepfork]

I know some one already mentioned it. Look at the Howa 1500 Superlite. It comes in .308, 7mm-08 and 6.5CM. 4lbs 7oz with a 20 in barrel or 4lb 3oz with a 16in barrel, and its already threaded 1/2x28. I would get the 20in, why give up performance with calibers that are on the low end of what is appropriate for plains game? I have one in .308 with a 20in barrel, it will absolutely shoot sub MOA groups as long as you let it cool down a bit after 2 shots..

 

[JG26Irish_2]

For my first Safari, I took my FN Browning Medallion Grade rifle in 308 equipped with a vintage Balvar 2.5-8x optic. That rifle loaded with 180g Federal Fusion ammo took 5 animals. All were one shot kills and most dropped in their tracks. Ranges were from 20y to 202y. The rifle is an ultralight vintage Belgian Browning with a 20" pencil bbl. Weighs about 6.5lb with the scope. Too pretty to hunt with but very effective.

For the next trip, I am taking an even lighter Fierce Firearms CT Edge in 7mm/08. These are pricey but I got a great deal on it. The action is Titanium clone of the Sako 85 and the carbon wrapped stainless bbl is 22" and threaded. This rifle is substantially more accurate than the little Browning and shoots about 1/2 moa with all the loads I have tested in it except for the Hornady Superformance CX which it did not like. I will be taking a variety of ammo including the Swift 150g Scirocco, the Barnes 140g TTSX, and the Federal Fusion Tipped in 140g. It shoots all of these to the same POI out to 400y and I do not plan to shoot out past about 300y if I can help it. This little rifle is as modern as the other one was vintage but they both fit the same niche very well.

Why the change? I hunted Limpopo last time and the shots were all close. Similar to KY deer hunting. This next trip, I will be also going to Free State and the open terrain forces some longer shots and can be 300y or a bit and I would have needed a better scope with at least a mil-dot reticle for the 308 to be effective out that far. The plain tapered reticle of the Balvar was too retro to do the job but fits that little rifle so well, I hated to pull it off. So, the fix was to buy another rifle. I found a great Husqvarna Swedish Mauser in 30-06 that is uber accurate but then fell into a killer deal on the CT Edge in an estate sale and it was so light and handy and shot so well, it won the contest. I am taking a 375HH for DG and other larger PG so the lighter 7mm/08 can cover the lower end of the spectrum. Ballistically, is is about the same as the 7x57 but in a short action that is lighter and stiffer. Looking forward to its deployment in a few weeks.

FN Browning 308 in Limpopo

FF CT Edge in 7mm/08​

 

[skydiver386]

Absolutely love the checkering on your FN Browning.

 

[CaribouLu96]

16" barrels are very short why not 20" all the calibers you have mentioned do not have heavy recoil why make them louder and bring down the ballistics to marginal out of a 16" barrel.
A well constructed premium bullet in 150gr weight would take on most plainsgame at 2500-2600fps

Something like a howa 1500 with a hogue stock would be a perfect candidate most models come with 22" barrels and you could even opt for a stainless all weather model.

I’ll be attaching a suppressor so I want the shorter overall length that a 16” barrel would give me. 20” barrel plus a 7” suppressor starts to get a little long.

 

[JG26Irish_2]

Absolutely love the checkering on your FN Browning.

Yeah, that rifle is simply elegant. When I got it, it looked like it had barely been shot but the stock had the typical blonde finish with 10 coats of shiny varnish on it which was in vogue in the 60's. The wood was bruised from lots of truck time and handling. So, I stripped it down to the wood and gave it a coat of mahogany stain and then a coat of honey oak stain and a rubbed oil finish. I think it turned out great and looks like new now. I did a similar re-finish of the more plain looking 375 FN Safari Grade. It did not turn out nearly as well. It was still an improvement on the pukey looking shiney varnish look. IMHO

Below is a shot of the pair of FN's together. When choosing between the 308, 7x57 or the 7mm/08 for PG hunting, you really cannot go wrong. They are all nearly perfect.

 

[8 x 60]

If for some reason I had to get rid of the 8 x 60r , .243 and my beloved 222 , I would get a 7 x 57.
I reckon with one of those (along with the venerable .22lr) I would have things pretty much covered rifle-wise.

 

[Jim Golden]

I have a Model 70 Featherweight in 7mm-08 with a Leupold VX-5HD 2-10 on it. It's a sweet little rig. I've not dropped any Bambi's with it yet though.... I have two curly maple stocked Model 70 Super Grades, one in .264 Win Mag (my favorite) and one in .270 Win, that have each smoked Bambi's. So the little guy gets left on the rack....but it IS a nice light weight rifle

 

[Pasme]

They’re ballistic twins.. You may attain fairly similar velocities in a contemporary rifle by starting with 7mm-08 load data. The distinction is that nothing needs to be "reworked" because the 7x57 action is lengthy. Since the action length is short, you can use the case capacity and longer/heavier bullets by throating in longer bullets.