thanks for all the replies. i plan on loading mild loads for the range with the interlocks. for hunting, i'll load the "hotter" rounds, but he won't shoot them till his cross hairs are on an animal. with all the adrenaline, he won't even feel the kick

now that hunting season is coming up, my son will turn 12 and be able to hunt big game, i decided to get him a NEF 7mm-08 for his first gun.

my questions are:

can i use .308 brass (i'm assuming so)?
for bullets, i'm a trending towards hornady 139gr interlocks. for powders, i have varget, h4350, h4831sc, rl 22, AA2520, h335. what do you recommend?

Yes, you can use .308 brass. I buy Winchester .308 brass to form cases for my 7-08AI. As for powders, Varget is closer to the ideal burn rate than the other powders you listed for 139 gr bullets. I wouldn't recommend anything faster than IMR4064 or anything slower than H-414. 4350 is very accurate, but you just can't get enough of it into the case to achieve the velocities you can easily reach with a little faster powder.

You might want to check the neck thickness when making 7mm-08 brass from .308, but I doubt you'll have any problems. As for powders and bullets, I like Reloader 15 a lot. I've gotten some one hole groups with it in my 308 and 7mm-08. Other great performers are, Varget, H4895 and H4350 works really well. I'd shy away from really slow numbers like 4831 and RL22, they are not the ideal powder speed for medium cases like the .308. They might work, but I'd bet they won't be ideal.
As to bullets, the old Nosler Ballistic Tip is a good 'en. As are the interlocks you mention. I also like the Speer 130/140 grain HotCor, I've gotten some super groups with these bullets, and they're huntin' fodder.
My favorite choice would be a tossup between Varget/Reloader 15 and the 130 grain HotCor Speer for deer. I've been experimenting with a 7mm-08 myself for this comming deer season and asked some of the same questions about bullets. Most of the posts confirmed that nearly any 7mm 120 or 140 grainer will work, so go for the most accurate in your gun.

I use 38 gr of Varget in my kids 708 with the 139 Interlock. Last year: 2 shots 2 dead deer. It is also a real accurate load in their Model 7 Rem youth. It comes out the tube at about 2400 fps.

i've decided to buy 100 hornady 139gr interlocks and 100 139gr interbonds. i figure after 100 rounds of the interlocks, he should be use to the rifle. i'll use the interbonds for hunting. since i live in montana where the temp gets down to the single digits, i'll use a temperature insensitive powder like varget.

thanks for all your input!!

My best load is using varget and a CT BT around .75". A friend loaded some Sierria 140s and 4350 and shot .4something. This was only one three shot group and of course he could have got lucky. Using the same load and CT BTs I shot over an inch. I'm shooting a 700vsl. capt david

be sure the interbonds group the same outa your 7mm-08, out of mine they do not group well at all while the SST shoots sub-MOA all day long,,,,and speer 100 grainers group well but impact 3 inches to the right at 100 yards.



Oh yes I am using 44 grains varget and seating darn near to the lands in a Rem. Mnt rifle.

Somebody who's brain is functioning better than mine (I just turned 50 ) may be able to help with this, but, IIRC, cases formed from 308's MAY be a little shorter than the manuals will show for the 7-08. Or, was it longer? Darn this gray mush between my ears

Why not just get a bunch of 7-08 brass? It's available everywhere, AND, there's less chance somebody with a 308 will grab one and stick it in his rifle by mistake.

In any event, definitely check the thickness of the case necks if you go the 308 route. Necking down usually thickens the necks.

BTW - Varget will probably do the best job of the powders you have. One of the 4064's usually works best with 139/140's in my experience.

I got the same gun for my 11 year old. He'll be 12 by deer season.

He shoots my Encore in this caliber just fine (except for the long stock), but the recoil from the NEF is a LOT stiffer.

I have him shooting Sierra 120's with 22 grains of Blue Dot for 2400 FPS. A real soft load that even his 9 year old brother likes.

I've used Sierra 140 Spitzers for the last three years and every deer has dropped in it's tracks. No complaints.

The NEF didn't group very well until I put a small rubber shim between the barrel and forearm. It fits around the screw and covers the flat the extends into the forearm. Now it consistently groups under 1" at 100 yards, with me shooting off the bench with a 4 power scope.

I suggest that you use brass with the correct headstamp for safety reasons.

The top break rifles were always the cheapest thing one could get. I just can't see it as a savings to have to replace it along the way. Another thing is that when I was a kid I wanted the gun that held the most shots!

Safety is paramont and the M70's have the best safety and trigger for that matter.

reformed .308 cases will be shorter but not by enough to matter. Just trim everything to the same length. Other than making you feel stupid (if anyone is around), shooting a 7-08 thru a .308 is no biggie. Now shooting a 7-08 that has been formed from .243 brass in a .243 might prove interesting.
I do agree however that 7-08 brass is common enough to buy 100 cases. They should last til the kid leaves home and marries.