I am curious to know how popular the 7mm-08 became in the US and other countries? Here in SA you never hear about it.

Pieter

love it here- I have one, as my 2 sons, father, brother, and nephew.

I've been shooting the 7-08 since it was a wildcat. I currently have 4. That's in addition to the ones I gave my son and 2 grandsons.
Without a whole lot of hoopla, it has become one of the premier deer cartridges. And, according to some of the posters in AR, folks routinely shoot elk with it.

I have one but I pretty much like anything based on the 308 case. In the USA, if they offer a short action, you can count on it being offered in .243 Win, 7-08 and 308.

Its popular and it works,
I had a couple over the years, but have a mild preference for the .308.
Can't see how there is enough difference between
the two to matter...
...tj3006

i've had several, including a striker --

rebarreling my wife's (it shoots great) but we want 308s

Up here they aren't that popular. I got one for my daughter, and enthusiasts shoot them.(or whatever else interests them) Joe average hunter probably hasn't even heard of it.

I hate the 243 and the 7mm-08 for similar reasons: They displaced the 257 Roberts and the 7x57. The 7x57 was really displaced much earlier by the 270, and 308 in this country, but the 7mm-08 may have put the nails in the 7x57's coffin in the U.S. The 7mm-08 is undeniably a great round that does about anything the 7 Mauser can do just a little more accurately and with easier load development. If my recently made model 70 in 7x57 is any indication, short throated 7x57's are not too finicky. By the same logic, I should hate the 308, but I love it. Go figure. Guess I'm just an idiot.

My father in his latter years used one and really liked it, this after using a 7x57 for many years and then graduating to a 7x61S&H at the height of his deer shooting years. My brother continues to use that MK1 Ruger and swears by it for knocking down deer.

I now use a 7mm-08 after selling off my own 7x61S&H as do two of my sons. I can reload to 2900fps out of my 22" barreled Marlin with a 139gr bullet and all this in a nice light short action rifle with low recoil and much lower noise levels than the 06 or magnum sized cartridges

My nephew who does a lot of deer, chamois and thar hunting has now changed to a 7mm-08 in a Tikka L3 rifle, putting his Tikka 7mm Magnum to the side.

It sees to have become an extremely popular cartridge choice in NZ.

quote:

The 7mm-08 is undeniably a great round that does about anything the 7 Mauser can do just a little more accurately and with easier load development.

Colorado Matt

Why is this? Because the 7mm-08 has a shorter throat and short 140 gr bullets are used whereas the comparison is made by shooting the same short bullet is the longer throated 7mm Mauser whereby a 'long' bullet jump is created.

The 7 mm Mauser was actually designed to shoot 173gr bullets originally and hence its faster twist of 8.66". I believe like the benchrest shooters that a bullet should fit the chamber like hand should fit a glove. Also I believe that a barrel is the most important component is the accuracy chain.

Winchester put a 10" twist barrels on their Model 70's as US Ammo stops typically at 140 gr bullets unlike European ammo.

Just curious to know what your reasoning is?

Pieter

Pieter,

Yes, the throat is the main issue. Winchester advertising suggests a 1-9.5" twist. I must admit that most of what I think I know about the 7x57 is from American writers John Barsness and Dave Scoville. Both report accuracy issues with long throated factory rifles. Ruger, in particular, used long throats in their 7x57 rifles for a very long time, but more recently made Ruger 7x57's are reported to have shorter throats and are said to be more accurate. I have a sporterized 1908 Brazillian Mauser and a recently made Winchester M70. I have also owned a sporterized 1935 Chillean K98 style Mauser for a short time about twelve years ago. I only fired some old Winchester 175 grain soft points through that rifle. They grouped about 4" at 100 yards. I've run federal 140 and 170 grain soft points through the Brazzilian with poor results, but 160 grain Sierra SPBT's and 175 grain Nosler Partitions seated out near the lands shoot well with a healthy dose of 4350. It does not like 139 a and 140 bullets, no matter where I seat them. I am afraid to raise pressures up very much in this rifle, as the DWM action is soft. My short throated Winchester shoots Federal 140 grain soft points under 1.5". This is the only factory load I've tried. Handloads with 160, and 175 grain bullets all shoot just under 1.5" in my Winchester, with 140 grain Nosler BT's going just under one inch. All with H4350. I still have some load development to do with this rifle, and I think some better brass may be in order. I've been using used Remington brass, but I just got a hold of some new Winchester and Hornady brass. I would happily hunt with loads that only group 2". While I like to ring the best accuracy out of a rifle, I recognize that 1/2 MOA is not necessary. Having played with a few 308's and 222's I am spoiled when it comes to accuracy.
Matt.

I drug my 7-08 over to Africa in 2010 hoping to use it for a couple of the smaller targets on the wish list. In the end, I ended up using my 300 Win Mag for everything on that trip.

However, here in the States, I use my 7-08 every year. Last year it accounted for 2 cow elk, 1 whitetail buck and 1 whitetail doe. I'm sure it will see more action again in the coming months.

I've found a very accurate load using the 120 grain TTSX and RL-15 that will shoot 1/2 MOA provided I do my part.

I don't think I'll be going without a 7-08 any time in the very near future.

When I bought my AWR a few years back I was really looking for it in 7-08. The rifle I found was in 7mm SAUM.

I have rifles in 7x57, 7x57r, 7 SAUM, 7mm RMag...

One might say I rather like the 7's.

My 7mm-08 is the fist 7mm rifle I've owned. I have access to a 308, a 243 and I own a 358 Win. I really like the efficiency and inherent accuracy of the 308 based calibers. The big bonus is that they are incredibly easy to reload for and perform well with a wide selection of powder. The 7mm-08 has good selection of available bullets and bullet weights. I'm currently reloading NP's, Barnes TTSX, Norma Oryx and a couple of other bullets. I will choose the one that works best. Another plus, it works well on most all of the game I hunt….hogs, deer and elk. My Tikka T3 7mm-08 is going elk hunting this year and hopefully speed goats either this year or next.

More of a 260 fan myself. 7-08'ish on the top end, 243'ish on the bottom.

Best of both worlds...

The 7mm-08 has many USA fans but it is much less popular here than the 30-06, .308, 7mm Mag, and .270. My gut feeling is that 7mm-08 is much less popular than the .280 and is probably just a tad more popular than the 7x57. Again, this is only speaking of the USA. I don't know the popularity of the 7mm-08 in Europe but I'm guessing the popularity of the 7x64 and 7x57 would be difficult for the 7mm-08 to take on. I am not at all surprised you don't hear much about it in SA.

In my opinion, the only thing advantageous about the 7mm-08 happens to also be its greatest disadvantage and that is its overall length. The relatively short 7mm-08 is sometimes used for a "short action" rifle. In a bolt action that is not very meaningful because the "short action" only saves about 1/4" compared to a standard Mauser action and about 1/2" compared to standard actions made for .30-06 length cartridges. Yes, cutting 1/4" or 1/2" of bolt body, action rails, magazine, and stock will also shave off some ounces, but not very many. Some vehemently defend the removal of 6 ounces of weight and 1/2" of length as the difference between portability and too big to carry but I can't fathom the logic. If you already have a "short action" and you want to rebarrel in a 7mm cartridge then the 7mm-08 is a good choice. Other than that, I don't see any meaningful "short action" advantage to chambering 7mm-08 in a bolt action rifle.

The length of the 7mm-08 does make it a very good choice for a lever action or semiautomatic rifle originally designed to shoot .243 and .308 cartridges. In the USA, lever action and semiauto rifles shooting .308 based cartridges have fallen by the manufacturing wayside with the exception of the various AR-10 type rifles. 7mm-08 brings versatility to an AR because a simple swapping of the upper receiver lets the owner shoot various .308 length cartridges over the same upper using the same magazines.

Unfortunately, the short overall length of the 7mm-08 is also disadvantageous. Today's popular mono-metal bullets are longer than their lead core counterparts. The bullets extend the same distance into cases of the 7mm-08 and .280 but doing so results in a greater percentage of loss of powder capacity in the 7mm-08. The same is true for the heavy 7mm bullets and bullets with extended, VLD type, ogives. If you want to see how big a difference that makes all one need do is compare loading data for the two cartridges. A quick look at Nosler's loading data, for example, reveals nearly half of the loads for the 7mm-08 are compressed loads but there are only a few compressed loads listed for the .280. It DOES matter, especially if you want optimum performance with the heavier bullets. If loaded to SAAMI dimensions the 7x57 allows bullets to be seated a hair further out than the 7mm-08 and .280. But many 7x57 rifles are built on .30-06 length actions giving them more than ample room for the longest 7mm bullets, throat allowing.

Again, the 7mm-08 does not earn a top ten in popularity in the USA. It had a big start but fewer and fewer rifles are chambered in it and it is moving back in popularity. I think the things I mentioned above are part of the reason. It is also worth noting that the .260 is gaining ground in the USA and hedging into a lot of what might otherwise be 7mm-08 territory.

quote:

Originally posted by ColoradoMatt:
Pieter,

Yes, the throat is the main issue. Winchester advertising suggests a 1-9.5" twist. I must admit that most of what I think I know about the 7x57 is from American writers John Barsness and Dave Scoville. Both report accuracy issues with long throated factory rifles. Ruger, in particular, used long throats in their 7x57 rifles for a very long time, but more recently made Ruger 7x57's are reported to have shorter throats and are said to be more accurate. I have a sporterized 1908 Brazillian Mauser and a recently made Winchester M70. I have also owned a sporterized 1935 Chillean K98 style Mauser for a short time about twelve years ago. I only fired some old Winchester 175 grain soft points through that rifle. They grouped about 4" at 100 yards. I've run federal 140 and 170 grain soft points through the Brazzilian with poor results, but 160 grain Sierra SPBT's and 175 grain Nosler Partitions seated out near the lands shoot well with a healthy dose of 4350. It does not like 139 a and 140 bullets, no matter where I seat them. I am afraid to raise pressures up very much in this rifle, as the DWM action is soft. My short throated Winchester shoots Federal 140 grain soft points under 1.5". This is the only factory load I've tried. Handloads with 160, and 175 grain bullets all shoot just under 1.5" in my Winchester, with 140 grain Nosler BT's going just under one inch. All with H4350. I still have some load development to do with this rifle, and I think some better brass may be in order. I've been using used Remington brass, but I just got a hold of some new Winchester and Hornady brass. I would happily hunt with loads that only group 2". While I like to ring the best accuracy out of a rifle, I recognize that 1/2 MOA is not necessary. Having played with a few 308's and 222's I am spoiled when it comes to accuracy.
Matt.

My wife's 1988 Ruger tang safety 7 x 57 is long throated and loves the 173 gr. Sellier and Bellot out of the box shooting a raged three leaf clover all day long.

I also get a chuckle when folks ask her what caliber she shoots and she says 7 x 57. There's quite a few people out there that no longer have any knowledge of the caliber.

Cheers
Jim

Here is NZ it has all but pushed out the 308 in the new rifle market. It has also taken some of 270's share.

I South Africa the 7X57 is so well entrenched along with the 308 that I cannot see a newer caliber making a big dent. The restrictions on the number of rifles you can own should also have an impact. JMHO

the 708 is likely more popular than the 280 - largely due to the fact that several vendors have aimed this at the ladies and kids in making rifles

heavier than a 243, light kicking.. all the stuff one says about the 7x57

Some good comments already posted. No it is not as popular as a 308, 30-06, 270, nor will it ever be. Where it shines is in a light weight short action rifle that are often carried by a young shooter or a woman or anyone of smaller stature. With 120 gr mono-metal bullets or cup and core bullets in the 130 to 140 gr range this calibre is almost ideal for a recoil sensitive hunter. Far more effective than a 243 on larger game like elk. I have one on a short 700 action and this little rifle is perfect for sitting in a deer blind. I've taken a number of deer with the 139 Hornady Spire pt in the 7-08 at 200 yds or less.I can't say it was any less effective than my 280 (which is my go to deer rifle). I'm thinking the 7-08 is more popular than a lot think it is. Also you don't see many used 7-08 's for sale. When someone gets one they usually keep it.

i have the .260 rem. that i really like. but i have been shooting the 7-08 for about 20 years now. my sister has had one for about 27 years. if you had the same 2 rifles to offer me, one in a 270 win. and one in a 7-08 rem. im taking the 7-08 again...

It was until about ten months ago popular in France as military calibres - 7.62mm NATO were banned in any including simple turnbolt actions so anything in .308 Winchester was therefore also banned - so 7mm-08 (as in Mexico) was the 7.62mm NATO/.308 Winchester "substitute".

This has now been repealed and the French are discovering .308 and .30-06 both of which they like.

Thus the two substitutes for the .30-06 which were .280 Remington and .300 Winchester Magnum are falling out of favour.

But I think that 7mm-08 will maintain its marketshare in France regardless of the "arrival" of the .308 Winchester.

Some use it here in UK as they believe that it either has some magic performance over and about the .308 Winchester that 7mm bullets offer.

Can't add many positives than what has been posted here already. I have 2 of them, a Tikka T3 and a Nosler Patriot, both very, very accurate. It is very efficient, great bullet selection, very accurate and easy to load with a variety of powders, moderate recoil. A 7-08 w/ 140 accubond or partition makes a very reliable killer.

The shit is more alike than different and nobody kicks their own dog.....

quote:

Originally posted by Frostbit:
My wife's 1988 Ruger tang safety 7 x 57 is long throated and loves the 173 gr. Sellier and Bellot out of the box shooting a raged three leaf clover all day long.

Cheers
Jim

Dave Scoville reported similar results with old tang safety Ruger. Excellent accuracy with long/heavy bullet handloads with bullets seated far out, but issues with the short/light bullets having to jump so far.

On another note, I agree whole heartedly with Jeffeoso's comments about the 7mm-08 being more popular than the 280 these days. Remington has chosen to only offer the 700 Youth model in 7mm-08 the last couple years, and has dropped the 308 in the youth Model. Savage offers a bunch of calibers in the model 11 youth model, but the two Sportsman's warehouses in my neck of the urban sprawl only seem to carry it in 7mm-08. The Axis is only offered in 7mm-08 as well. The 280 was offered by Winchester as a Shot Show Special featherweight, this year, but I have yet to see or hear of one. Last years Ruger 1-A in 280 was an underwhelming seller. I like the 280 a lot, but demand is pretty dead.

Matt

Very Popular in my opinion. Easy shooting, and no negatives I see provided you're using the right tool for the right job. Using it for lower 48 game should be fine!

Is a .308 popular? (other than surplus ammo etc.) Why? Short action, and ballistics just shy of the 30-06 range. 7-08, same difference. Just shy of 7X57 ballistics, in a short action, very comfortable hunting rifle.
We all tend suffer from (splitting hairs) when it comes to caliber of choice. Almost all of them are very good. What, and how you load them makes all the difference.
7-08 shooting a 140 gr. Swift A-Frame, TTX,or Nosler Partition vs a .270, shooting a 150 gr. Nosler BT, or Sierra Gameking. Which would you choose? Swap it around, and which would you choose?
Not a nickel's worth of difference, cal. vs cal. in my opinion.
Bullet selection matters.

Those who have them usually like them----- Thankfully there aren't that many. roger

Buy what you like, like what you buy. Every rig is a pile of concessions in one way or another. A fella just has to determine which is more important.

Gun schit has gone the way of beer and wine. Its all about the label.....

I have never seen one in Africa. It is at least fairly popular in Britain, Australia and New Zealand.

In America it seems to be have quite a bit of relgional popularity in the South, East and Midwest.

I have seen them in Western gunshops, but not a lot of them.

Canadians seem to get whatever they get based on the whimsy of the importers.

Oh, and I saw exactly one in mainland Europe and it was in Spain.

quote:

Some good comments already posted. No it is not as popular as a 308, 30-06, 270, nor will it ever be. Where it shines is in a light weight short action rifle that are often carried by a young shooter or a woman or anyone of smaller stature.

well i am 52 years old 200 pounds, bought one when i was 30, the 7MM-08 is a round that a young person or any person can buy and shoot at any age, man or woman. and never out grow it. killed 2 white tail bucks at 309 & 315 yards i sold my .280 rem. didnt need it cause i have a 7MM-08 nothing wrong with a .280 just long a action. dont need that for any deer size game

To add somewhat to what enfieldspares has said, the most popular 7mm cartridge in France is the 7X64. Personally (I don't own one), if I were to get a 7mm, that would be my choice. It fits in a standard action, factory loads are even produced in the USA, and I think it would be a better round for the heavy-for-caliber bullets like the 175 grain bullets with better velocity than the 7X57. If you wanted to shoot a military semi-auto it had its place under the previous legislation, but is no longer necessary.

Wink now that you can own the Mighty Springfield, are 30-06 rifles flying off the shelves?

quote:

I think it would be a better round (7x64) for the heavy-for-caliber bullets like the 175 grain bullets with better velocity than the 7X57.

The 7x64 hardly sells in SA, partly because the 7x57 had an early historical lead, and 7x64 cartridge cases are scrace and not readily available in the shops around the country. And perhaps lastly, American manufacturers do not chamber for this round.

Pieter

quote:

Originally posted by enfieldspares:
7.62mm NATO were banned in any including simple turnbolt actions so anything in .308 Winchester was therefore also banned - so 7mm-08 (as in Mexico) was the 7.62mm NATO/.308 Winchester "substitute".

This has now been repealed and the French are discovering .308 and .30-06 both of which they like.

I wasn't aware that the French had modified this archaic restriction on military calibers. So are cartridges like the .223 and 8x57 now also legal in France?

quote:

Originally posted by Big Wonderful Wyoming:
Wink now that you can own the Mighty Springfield, are 30-06 rifles flying off the shelves?

Not really. But gun and rifle sales are a depressed market in France these days. Most gunshops have gone out of business.

quote:

Originally posted by Stonecreek:

quote:

Originally posted by enfieldspares:
7.62mm NATO were banned in any including simple turnbolt actions so anything in .308 Winchester was therefore also banned - so 7mm-08 (as in Mexico) was the 7.62mm NATO/.308 Winchester "substitute".

This has now been repealed and the French are discovering .308 and .30-06 both of which they like.

I wasn't aware that the French had modified this archaic restriction on military calibers. So are cartridges like the .223 and 8x57 now also legal in France?

Yes, you can now own what were formally classified as military calibers without special authorization (you still need a hunting licence or be a member of a gun club). But this not due to some sort of recent enlightenment of French legislators, but the harmonization of gun laws in the European Union. We can thank Brussels, not the French Parliament.

quote:

Originally posted by Pieter die 4de:

quote:

I think it would be a better round (7x64) for the heavy-for-caliber bullets like the 175 grain bullets with better velocity than the 7X57.

The 7x64 hardly sells in SA, partly because the 7x57 had an early historical lead, and 7x64 cartridge cases are scrace and not readily available in the shops around the country. And perhaps lastly, American manufacturers do not chamber for this round.

Pieter

Remington and Barnes both produce and sell 7X64 ammo in the United States, so finding factory loads or brass is not that hard to do. In France there are even more options. But you are correct about major rifle manufacturers producing rifles in that caliber, they hardly exist. Too bad, it's an excellent cartridge.

If I wanted two Euro caliber rifles I would get one 7X64 and one 9.3X64. That would be a very useful battery.

At least you can still get foie gras without being yelled at.

quote:

Originally posted by Pieter die 4de:
I am curious to know how popular the 7mm-08 became in the US and other countries? Here in SA you never hear about it.

Pieter

A buddy of mine has one in a Model 7, he's whacked a few deer with it.