7mm-08 -- the forgotten caliber

[Hornedfrogbbq]

I don't know why the 7mm-08 has gotten such a bad rap. It's a "girl's" gun or a kid's first gun, all true. The light recoil is almost confounding compared to the cartridge's capability. If you like the 6.5 creedmoor, you should LOVE the 7mm08. If you like 7mm bullets, again, I feel this is a worthy choice. If you love your .308, the 7mm08 can - with modern bullets - do about everything the .308 can do.

I own a 7mm-08 in a Steyr Scout rifle and it is lights out the rifle I shoot the best...or close to it (I have a favorite .300 win mag that I shoot as well or better).

With all these new chamberings (I see a 7mm PRC in my future), I think the forgotten 7mm-08 is a cartridge worthy for a revisit if you want to kill game. If you want to push holes in paper, the 6mm and 6.5mm may be better.

What say you?

 

[Bandera]

The 7-08 does not have the mystical African air about it.
Nobody has killed 1011 Elephants with it.
Never mind that in many ways it out preforms the 7X57 / 275 Rigby.
The 7-08 screams whitetail woods.
The 7X57 screams African plains game.

 

[Firebird]

The 7mm-08 is one of my favorites! It has been a good “growing up” cartridge for my kids as well as a couple nephews and I like it so much I took it to South Africa last July. It was extremely effective on kudu and down. I have a hunting video as well as a written report on this site for those interested. Both my daughters have taken thier first deer with it and one of them took a good mtn goat with hers.
I still love my magnums and use them a lot but I have taken numerous big game animals with it, just matching bullet size and construction to the intended game animals. Underrated maybe but I don’t think forgotten-
To your point, I did kill my first whitetail with mine

 

[cash_tx]

I concur. The only reason I haven't sought out a 7mm-08 to acquire is because I already have multiple 7x57's, and so a 7mm-08 would be practically redundant; however, I won't turn down a deal if I ever find one that I can't resist. For whatever reason, I've always romanticized that caliber in my mind.

 

[Hornedfrogbbq]

The 7mm-08 is one of my favorites! It has been a good “growing up” cartridge for my kids as well as a couple nephews and I like it so much I took it to South Africa last July. It was extremely effective on kudu and down. I have a hunting video as well as a written report on this site for those interested. Both my daughters have taken thier first deer with it and one of them took a good mtn goat with hers.
I still love my magnums and use them a lot but I have taken numerous big game animals with it, just matching bullet size and construction to the intended game animals. Underrated maybe but I don’t think forgotten-
To your point, I did kill my first whitetail with mine
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I have shot a ton of BIG hogs with it...with the 150gr ELDX and it performs amazingly well. Coyotes out at 200 yards. The only issue i have ever had with it is more about the bullet. Inside 100 yards, those eldx bullets get funky.

 

[IvW]

Never mind that in many ways it out preforms the 7X57 / 275 Rigby.

How do you come to this optical elusion??

 

[Don458]

I don't know why the 7mm-08 has gotten such a bad rap. It's a "girl's" gun or a kid's first gun, all true. The light recoil is almost confounding compared to the cartridge's capability. If you like the 6.5 creedmoor, you should LOVE the 7mm08. If you like 7mm bullets, again, I feel this is a worthy choice. If you love your .308, the 7mm08 can - with modern bullets - do about everything the .308 can do.

I own a 7mm-08 in a Steyr Scout rifle and it is lights out the rifle I shoot the best...or close to it (I have a favorite .300 win mag that I shoot as well or better).

With all these new chamberings (I see a 7mm PRC in my future), I think the forgotten 7mm-08 is a cartridge worthy for a revisit if you want to kill game. If you want to push holes in paper, the 6mm and 6.5mm may be better.

What say you?

This will be the next caliber i buy 7mm -08

 

[grand veneur]

In France, the cartridge 7mm-08 was very popular before the laws prohibiting rifles with calibers of military weapons were abolished. Since then, she has been superseded by the cartridge 308 Winchester. The cartridge was highly valued by shooters for its accuracy and precision in various rifles. She was hardly used for hunting because the cartridge 7x64 was the dominant choice there.

The cartridges 7x57 and 7mm-08 are not comparable because they are designed for different bullet weights within the 7mm caliber class. The success of the cartridge 7x57 by shooting bigger game lay in the use of heavier bullets than those used normally for the cartridge 7mm-08. Accordingly, the throat and twist rate of the barrels.

 

[Jefferry404]

i am having a custom 7mm08 built now (integral barrel with express sights, double square bridge short Masuer action, French Walnut stock). I am so use to the big bores, i do feel this guy will feel quite a bit different.
I do love the 7x57, mostly for the history, but when I look at modern ballistics, the short 7mm08 is equal or better than the venerable 7x57.
7x57 24" barrel (45000 cup is 50kpsi), twist is 1:8.75"

and for the 7m08 24" barrel

so, the max pressure 50kpsi of the 7x57 gives 2392fps whereas the "forgotten" caliber gives
pressure of 41.3kpsi for 2395fps!
Much better and with the 175gn bullet that the 7x57 made its reputation.

 

[Arac]

I like the 7mm-08 very much. My son shot his first mule deer with one and my friend's son shot his first moose with it too. I've owned 7x57 in the past too, and in my view they are effectively equal.

Many of the 7mm-08 have a 1:9 twist and that is fine for bullets that cover everything from small deer to moose and, I suspect, just about all manner of plains game.

I prefer it to the 7x57, except for nostalgic reasons mainly because of the readily available high quality brass. Also, I can neck .308 down or .260 up if the need arises. When we had that big shortage of components a few years back I even necked up some .243 and it worked fine.

Low recoil, efficient and effective on game. What's not to like?

 

[Bonk]

Let me tell you how forgettable 7mm-08 is. I forget whether or not I still own one. Honest. I’m gonna have to go down to the safe and look around to be sure. I know I’m a fan of the cartridge and I know for certain I used to own one. A Ruger M77 I think. Whether or not I still own one is a complete mystery until I check the safe. As I think about it my ex-wife may have gotten it in the divorce. Still gotta check to know for sure though. Good grief…….

 

[Hooked Now]

It is kind of a forgettable round but in a really nice way. Like a cute girl you knew in high school that ticked a lot of boxes but you never really asked out. It's mild recoil, plenty of power for medium sized game, and an easy gun to introduce people to hunting with. It lacks the resounding thump of many other calibers, but in a world of massive caliber overlap its still a nice option. A buddy has one that everyone who has ever shot likes. And its nice to look at...like that cute girl.

 

[Brickman301]

My wife hunts with a 7mm08. She’s taken a few whitetails with it. She loves it!
It really is a sweet caliber. Good power, pretty flat shooting and low recoil, what’s not to like?

 

[Elkeater]

I love the 7-08 and even better the 7-08 ackley improved with a 40° shoulder. I have both. I also have a 7x57. In many ways the 7-08 rem will outrun the 7x57. It doesn’t have the history the 7x57 does though.

For years my go to rifle was a .300 Winchester magnum loaded with 180gr Nosler Accubonds. These days my go to rifle for 90% of my hunting is a custom 7-08ai loaded with 141gr Hammer HBCs. I’ve shot everything from coyotes, deer, aoudad sheep, feral goats, and even two bison.

Very accurate cartridge and will take care of business as far as I’m willing to shoot things.

 

[meigsbucks]

Back in 1980, I was in my LGS and some Rep was telling one of the owners Remington was introducing the 7mm-08 and that it would be in the 700 Varmint Special and a carbines 788. I told him to order a 788 for me and two boxes of ammo. The rifle came in on a Tuesday, I mounted a scope on Wednesday, Thursday I sighted it in and on Saturday was at a little hunting preserve in SE Ohio where I shot an exotic ram. Only animal I’ve ever shot with a factory load.
Since then started using Sierra 140gr ProHunters, but since have switched to Barnes 140gr TSX. Both have worked with great success on deer. It just works.
Due to my age, I’m not buying many more rifles, but I’d like to add a rifle length 7mm-08 to the herd.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

Not a bad cartridge, at all. I once shared a hunting camp with a young Idaho gentleman who had brought along a Winchester Model 70 Featherweight chambered in 7mm-08 Remington. He took a magnificent kudu bull and a waterbuck with it.

A British deer stalker whom I befriended recently exclusively employs a Remington Model 700 chambered in this caliber for hunting red stags. He has a four figure sum of red deer to his credit.

I personally prefer the 7x57mm Mauser, because I am an old soul. But calibers like the 7x64mm Brenekke, 7mm Remington Magnum & 7mm-08 Remington are all satisfactory.

 

[EBaker]

It's a cartridge that I would categorize as good enough. It doesn't stand out in any way in regards to design or ballistics and it doesn't have the mystique or historical interest of some other similarly performing cartridges, so nobody thinks about it. I have 2 7mm-08s and in both cases I got them because I wanted the gun and that was what they happened to be chambered in and it was sufficient to my needs of killing pigs and/or deer. One is a savage striker bolt action pistol and one is an encore pistol. They both shoot great. If either was chambered in an insufficient cartridge, I wouldn't have bought them but beyond that the cartridge wasn't a deciding factor. I've killed pigs with the striker and once I found a load it likes it shoots better groups than most of my rifles.

 

[leslie hetrick]

not forgotten here, rem 700 left hand carbine 140 gr nosler BT at 2700 fps with varget.

 

[DaddyFlip]

The 7mm-08 stands tall among the 243-284 caliber class cartridges in the Hodgdon powder data. These are listed using @Alistair idea of converting the powder charge's specific energy into bullet kinetic energy. The energy per grain powder charge order is close, but there are a few inversions depending on what powder was selected. Just for fun; I like comparisons and like them even better when there's data to look at. (All 24-inch barrel length unless indicated and average bullet weight ranges from 98-110 grains for all loads.)

 

[t7spoon]

Not forgotten here either. Tikka T3x 7mm-08 is my go to rifle for deer, elk, and black bear. A versatile caliber across various bullet weights.