seeking advice on a suitable caliber and make/model

Hello all. My first post on this forum!
It might be time for a new gun for me. I am mostly hunting tops and open areas, main target being deer but I will likely go and chase some tahr in the near future. I'm keen to look into a longer-range setup than my current 7mm08. I'm looking for advice on a suitable caliber, and suggestions re make/models, that would allow me to shoot out to approx 500m using factory ammo. I've been thinking about a 7mm rem mag based on some reviews and conversations. I wont be able to go custom or overly fancy but keen to get something that is proven, reliable, not too heavy, and available in NZ. Quite interested in the Bergara models, although they do seem on the heavier side. Anybody got experience with these? Or other suggestions? Thanks all.

Welcome to the forum. Check out the intro section and then search for threads on the topic you want. Lots of info on here regarding cartridges, rifles etc.

Hard to go past a tikka in 7rm you’ll want a magnum dpt as their a bit obnoxious otherwise your 708 will do 500 but I understand factory ammo is scarce and with the given cartridge hand loading would make it reliable at that range theirs a real beauty 280akley on here for a darn good price that will do everything easily

@Oeschi01 Welcome along.
I have been using a 7mm rem mag for the last 18 months. basically a standard tikka with DPT. I have tried a few different factory rounds.
The sako 165gr i found at 500 and closer it was going through animals. like both front shoulders AND it stopped coming into NZ for a long time. Mainly started using it too get brass. Wouldn't buy it again
Hornady precision was ok but never shot past 400 when using it, so no experience at greater distance. Also has become impossible to buy.
Currently running Hornady 162gr sst and more then happy with them so far but again not always available to buy.
Never tried the fed blue box as never been in stock the last couple years.
So Hornady is my choice of ammo.
Worth taking to your local shop on what ammo they have been able to get or stock. Pain in the arse chasing ammo all over the country side.

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Originally Posted by bigbear

@Oeschi01 Welcome along.
I have been using a 7mm rem mag for the last 18 months. basically a standard tikka with DPT. I have tried a few different factory rounds.
The sako 165gr i found at 500 and closer it was going through animals. like both front shoulders AND it stopped coming into NZ for a long time. Mainly started using it too get brass. Wouldn't buy it again
Hornady precision was ok but never shot past 400 when using it, so no experience at greater distance. Also has become impossible to buy.
Currently running Hornady 162gr sst and more then happy with them so far but again not always available to buy.
Never tried the fed blue box as never been in stock the last couple years.
So Hornady is my choice of ammo.
Worth taking to your local shop on what ammo they have been able to get or stock. Pain in the arse chasing ammo all over the country side.

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Good to here different feed back on the sako ammo iv only herd positive until now it’s the 165 Sierra game changer

your 7mm08 will do the same job minus 200fps /yards....if you believe the 7mm mag is up for 700 yards,the 7mm08 is up for 500 yards....some folks will stretch the 7mm mag out well past that too....
look at ammunition availablity..... the 7mm mag will face same constrictions/shortages as the 7mm08
do you own a rangefinder???? are you dialing up???? PERSONALLY I believe unless you are answering yes to rangefinder...shooting past what you think/believe is 300-350 yards is getting real dodgy on anything other than pest control/culling

also with price of new factory ammunition,shooting lots of rounds to prove the drops etc is a point to consider... 7mm mag rounds are rather pricey and you can still get 7mm08 not too pricey if you can find any.... POSSIBLY consider getting the likes of belmont or a known reloader to make you up a couple of hundred rounds all to same recipe and just learn what its going to do and be happy with the 7mm08....

@Kelton shot a few deer with them 550 yards on a big hind in one shoulder out the other, it did drop on the spot and was dead when i got to it. A 3/4 exit hole. I just expected at that distance the projectile wouldn't coming out.
Had a few bullets when placed behind the shoulder pencil through when not hitting bone.
Shot enough deer with them to get a personal overall experience with them and they weren't the bullet for me had much better results using the sst or the precision

I'm using 7mmRM, mostly on fallow at the moment, last weekend dropped 5 fallow(max range 270m) and 4 goats(max 50m), and tbh I find there's not too much meat waste, maybe a kg or 2 of trim, more than my .243, but obviously the ammo is a bit dearer. I've a DPT on it and don't notice kick when shooting at animals.
.308 ammo seems to be more readily available than most calibres these days.

I was saving up for a 7mm08 and since the ammo shortage is in full swing I have revised that to saving up for a 308 probably a Howa unless you can win lotto without buying a ticket

7mm08 ammo starting to come back in

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Originally Posted by bigbear

@Kelton shot a few deer with them 550 yards on a big hind in one shoulder out the other, it did drop on the spot and was dead when i got to it. A 3/4 exit hole. I just expected at that distance the projectile wouldn't coming out.
Had a few bullets when placed behind the shoulder pencil through when not hitting bone.
Shot enough deer with them to get a personal overall experience with them and they weren't the bullet for me had much better results using the sst or the precision

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Iv had the same with eldx I find the tipped hunting bullets like to hit bone

708 will get you to 500 yards, as will 308. You’d might be better off holding onto your 708 and investing in reloading gear. And/or upgrading optics if needed.

Gun city in Richmond held reasonable stock of 7mm-08 last weekend when I was in there. I grabbed a few boxes to see me through.

My old 7mm08 tikka bushpig, with its 18inch barrel would regularly take goats and deer around 500 meters with the 162gr Amax and Eld-M.
Longest kill shot being 602 meters.
But that's with plenty of range time on steel

Welcome aboard. You seem to have answered your own question with regard to calibre so then it comes down to make and mode of the firearm you purchase. This is where you get to choose whatever you like as the simple reality in my experience is that most all rifles you can buy are capable of shooting far more accurately than the person that buys them

I would buy the 30 06 AI that is for sale here with reloading dies. Load up, load down or shoot factory 30 06 ammo. A lot of options

Reloadrs supplies are advertising Norma 7mm08 ammo. Buy 200 and use 150 on targets check recheck trajectory at altitudes and wind experience before shooting past 300m. Factory ammo will be just good enough but quite expensive to get the experience needed to use to 500m. Look at the “dinner plate challenge” thread.

Keep the 7m08 and buy some reloading gear. Then load good high BC bullets and you will easily keep 1000 ftlb of energy out to 500 mtr.
Just looked up some.
ie berger 168 gr G7 BC 0.316, launched at 2600 fps will hold 1000 ft lb of energy out to almost 700 mtr.
Hodgdon reloading data suggests speeds well over 2700 fps is possible with StaBALL6.5

Even factory 139 SST's super performance at 2950 fps still has 1200 ftlb at 500 mtr,
Should be fine for Reds and Tahr as long as you take sensible shots, ie don't attempt to shooten from behind.
Z

Buy 7-08 ammo from belmont. $2 per round and and you can sell ya brass too so it’s costing me $1.70 per round.
They do runs of 139gr sst rounds. Super consistent and shoots awesome in every rifle i’ve seen it go through.
Contact them on FB to see when the next run is, buy a box of 250 and you are set for ages.

A different take - go and see Dave Ward in Dovedale and get him to ream your 7-08 to .284 Win. Then but 100 Lapua brass and reloading gear and roll your own. Dave has done 2 x .284s for me and does good work.

.284 will give more velocity and range than 7-08 and less than 7RM, but will deal with anything in NZ comfortably.

Cartridge choice given what you already have is probably a pretty minor aspect of what you have in mind.
Perhaps our help with these sorts of questions could be better directed in emphasising the need for a sub-MOA rifle, and with a scope that dials consistently, making sure the load's capability is known (trajectory and terminal) and the ability to both determine and then apply look-ups for any distance where humane shots might reasonably be taken on game, and encourage folk that for every one bullet they let fly in the field, another ninety-nine should be going into targets for practise.

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Originally Posted by Puffin

Cartridge choice given what you already have is probably a pretty minor aspect of what you have in mind.
Perhaps our help with these sorts of questions could be better directed in emphasising the need for a sub-MOA rifle, and with a scope that dials consistently, making sure the load's capability is known (trajectory and terminal) and the ability to both determine and then apply look-ups for any distance where humane shots might reasonably be taken on game, and encourage folk that for every one bullet they let fly in the field, another ninety-nine should be going into targets for practise.

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Under that scenario I would go broke :roll:

I doubt there would be a hunter on this forum that would fire 99 bullets at targets for every 1 shot fired at game.

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Originally Posted by 7mm Rem Mag

Under that scenario I would go broke :roll:

I doubt there would be a hunter on this forum that would fire 99 bullets at targets for every 1 shot fired at game.

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Haha. You might be surprised.

The OP was wanting to stretch out to longer ranges — 500m. If we are discussing humane shots on larger game at 500m then I've seen little evidence on here or anywhere else online that it is anything other than a low single-digit percentage of hunters who would be able to achieve this. The logbook says I put 50 shots through my rifles on ranges for every one that goes into a deer, but I'm not intending to shoot live animals at 500 metres either.
This was the purpose of the dinner plate challenge. In my view if the OP puts a 10" plate out at 500m and can't hit it first shot with a 7mm-08 in field conditions, then the focus needs to be on something else other than a change in the cartridge. If no-one else felt the need to raise this — fine. I have.

I don't know what your 7-08 shoots like but mine would get me out to 800yds if I wanted. It'll shoot steel (30x30mm) at 1060yds and carry over 1000ftlbs out to almost 900yds with a 162gr pill.
Personally, 600yds would be my limit so don't go changing due to the chambering alone.
You may have other reasons to be looking at other rifles so with that said a 7RemMag is hard to go past.
If youre looking for something a little more comfortable to shoot then the 6.5s are great. Either a 6.5x284 or 6.5PRC will give a little more performance over the 7-08

7 rem mag for 500-600 yards.

No doubt 7 08 could do it but 7 rem does it much better. And much much better with any wind about.

Yeh- like some of the posters above- I went 300wsm- mostly cos my mates dad has one- lol- that's a bad joke, seriously it has a fair bit of safety margin/insurance out to 600m. Sure I could have used 708- 308-243- 280rem -270 that I've had prev-but 178grains at more than 2800 fps makes effing sure to a higher degree that you don't get walkoffs= spending hours looking for sick deer.
In your case I racoon, go the 7mmrm- or 300wsm or 270wsm or 300wm.
Insurance by the bucket loads.
I love insurance and not hunting for winged deers.

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Originally Posted by Ginga

7 rem mag for 500-600 yards.

No doubt 7 08 could do it but 7 rem does it much better. And much much better with any wind about.

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This man knows the truth.

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Originally Posted by Puffin

The OP was wanting to stretch out to longer ranges — 500m. If we are discussing humane shots on larger game at 500m then I've seen little evidence on here or anywhere else online that it is anything other than a low single-digit percentage of hunters who would be able to achieve this. The logbook says I put 50 shots through my rifles on ranges for every one that goes into a deer, but I'm not intending to shoot live animals at 500 metres either.
This was the purpose of the dinner plate challenge. In my view if the OP puts a 10" plate out at 500m and can't hit it first shot with a 7mm-08 in field conditions, then the focus needs to be on something else other than a change in the cartridge. If no-one else felt the need to raise this — fine. I have.

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AMEN to that......its why I just dont go out past 350ish I know my limits and without rangefinder etc the guesswork is just not cricket.