Thread: 7mm-08 benefits

I just sold my mossberg 308 and now in the market for a new rifle leaning very heavily towards 7mm08 as I can not find a decent 6.5x55 in my budget going on what I have googled but all info is from american sites so I would like to know from NZ'ers what advantages over the 308 will I have with 7mm08 apart from less recoil. Rifle I am looking into is a marlin XS7 scoped package (now that I have had to give up my redfield to get a sale) was originally looking at a howa but that is now out of my reach price wise.

Advantages over the .308....




no



wait....




no


crickets chirping.....

If you're not shooting long range? Not many, except lower recoil. Not many disadvantages either. It doesn't make much difference. Get whatever.

For general hunting a 7-08 is fine. In fact as a bush gun a 7-08 with Barnes 120gr TSX pushed fast would be pretty sweet. Just a tad boring.

Advantages over a 308....... Bc of practical pills would be about it.
The 308 vs 7mm08 debate has raged for years, there is no real world practical difference in performance.

Ok was a bit of a silly question which I worded wrong but got a laugh out of what Tussock said will definitely be going 7mm08 as I do a small amount of shooting on farms for wild pigs and another block I hunt on there are clearings that range out to approx 400 meters. Mind is made up will be going 7mm08 will be geting on the blower to to ring around and find who has one in stock.

Originally Posted by Tussock

Buy this FFS.
7mm 08 thompson center | Trade Me

+1.

Then when you decide that you can't hardly tell the difference between a 708 & 308 you won't be so pissed off because you didn't spend much changing

Originally Posted by Tussock

Because Im bored (Africa bored) I thought I would cut and past in a few links.

Buy this FFS.
7mm 08 thompson center | Trade Me

+2

Pretty sensible option. Reviews that have been done on them were all good.

People keep going on about the less recoil thing but I seriously think it's bollocks. I haven't noticed that at all. My 7mm-08 shooting a 160g kicks the same as a 308 shooting the same.

Think about it. Same weight bullet, same powder charge, same rifle. Where's this mystical loss of recoil going?

I suspect if you get two model 700's, one in 308, one in 7mm-08 you wouldn't be able to tell the difference in kick. Even if there was a minute difference you won't notice it in the heat of the moment in a hunt.

You can load slightly heavier bullets in a 308, but the 7mm-08 has a better ballistic coefficient. As Vietnamcam said "there is no real world practical difference in performance."

Originally Posted by RimfireNZ

People keep going on about the less recoil thing but I seriously think it's bollocks. I haven't noticed that at all. My 7mm-08 shooting a 160g kicks the same as a 308 shooting the same.

Think about it. Same weight bullet, same powder charge, same rifle. Where's this mystical loss of recoil going?

I suspect if you get two model 700's, one in 308, one in 7mm-08 you wouldn't be able to tell the difference in kick. Even if there was a minute difference you won't notice it in the heat of the moment in a hunt.

You can load slightly heavier bullets in a 308, but the 7mm-08 has a better ballistic coefficient. As Vietnamcam said "there is no real world practical difference in performance."

+1 I had 2 Steyr Scouts at one stage, a while ago now, 708 & 308, the 708 recoiled more, but to be fair it was shooting 139s & the 308 was shooting 130s..........

Nasty things those with no "recoil pad" to speak of, reasonably light too, not nice off the bench with big pills.......

If you have a 7mm08, you are so, so, so much cooler.

Cough* I have a 7mm08 cough*

Well I just made a phone call to a shop I used to deal with a lot before I shifted I now have a brand new marlin stainless synthetic in 7mm08 with scope set aside for me for a total of $799 (normally $999.00) my neighbour is part owner of the shop so he is able to pick up money and license details then drop off to me on his way home from work.

Originally Posted by Tussock

Reality is, .308, the projectiles most people shoot give worse than .223 ballistics. You can shag around with it, but to get even ordinary acceptable ballistics you are flogging the guts out of it. My experience, pushing big heavy pills at any speed results in a sharp, unpleasant recoil.

There is more to recoil than bullet weight. Recoil is best considered if you think about it as a little rocket. Most (but not all) of the movement (backwards into your shoulder) happens after the projectiles leaves the barrel. Watch time lapse video of the muzzle of the firearm as a projectile exits. All the movement happens after the projectile exits and the gases propel the rifle backwards. Thus, suppressors and muzzle breaks make great recoil reducers. Suppressors especially show the effect of muzzle gases being slowed. There is no propulsion backwards of the rifle (internal muzzle breaks are a myth). Its purely slowing of the muzzle gasses.

Therefore, its how those muzzle gases exit that give you the recoil "signature". I prefer the recoil of 30-06 to .308 with the same pill. I own/owned both. In my logic, 30-06 is nicer to shoot for ~8-10 rounds as its more of a shove backwards than a smack in the shoulder. .308, in my case would be higher pressure gasses exciting in a shorter period of time, resulting in sharper recoil, versus a larger volume if lower pressure gas for the 30-06. Im sure I could duplicate and excede the .308 recoil with the 30-06 with a faster powder.

Etc etc.

I understand completely what you are saying but most Deer are shot well inside 200 yards so ballistics are a non issue for most "hunters"

Originally Posted by Kiwi Greg

+1 I had 2 Steyr Scouts at one stage, a while ago now, 708 & 308, the 708 recoiled more, but to be fair it was shooting 139s & the 308 was shooting 130s..........

Nasty things those with no "recoil pad" to speak of, reasonably light too, not nice off the bench with big pills.......

Whack a supressor on it and it saps most of the recoil out. They're good for that.

Originally Posted by hunter308

Well I just made a phone call to a shop I used to deal with a lot before I shifted I now have a brand new marlin stainless synthetic in 7mm08 with scope set aside for me for a total of $799 (normally $999.00) my neighbour is part owner of the shop so he is able to pick up money and license details then drop off to me on his way home from work.

What's that, a Marlin XS7? That's a good price. I used to have one (sold it to my brother) but mine was blued. It cost me around $900~ from memory so you got a really good deal.

Excellent gun for the money and the accutrigger clone makes them great to shoot off a bench too.