I am thinking of a new rifle. I am thinking of either the .260 rem or 7-08 rem? Which do you guys think. Deer primary targets, looking for a lightweight rilfe. It will be primarily used here in Michigan but it might travel west with me. I have the 300 win for bigger critters. Thanks

Ever cook your own hamburgers? Dressing it out do you want 6 pickle slices or 7. Only difference is the weight of the pickles. Same here. They are almost ballistic twins with equal bullet weights. Slight advantage goes to the 7/08 because it shoots heavier weight pickles. Both are great rounds. I have a 260 and just love it. Down south I do not need the extra pickles.

chain,

If you reload, pick the 260.

I would suggest the .280 Reminton. It uses the 7mm bullets, but has less blast than the 7mm Mag. I think of the 7-08 as a 280 lite. Teh 280 can handle a heaver 7mm than the 7-08, in my humble opinion. My son has the 7-08 and likes it, but he could not find a 280 in a lefty and the Gun shop had an Encore in 7-08.
Judge Sharpe

THe 708 will serve you very well and will become your favorite rifle.

My cousin uses a Rem. 700 Mtn rifle in 7mm-08 for deer. Her 7mm-08 kills just as well as my .280 Rem. The gun is near perfect in balance and weight. It is noticably more enjoyable to carry than my 700 Mtn rifle in .280 Rem. With that said, I would suggest the .260 Rem. You can get it in several light weight quick handling rifles, and it has a little less recoil than the 7mm-08. Either caliber will make a great deer gun. Good Luck

I wanted a short action rifle as I do not own one. I also want on ethat is pretty light, I have been setting up the 300 win for longer ranges and with stock, soon to be bi pod and new barrel. I just want something lighter.

I think Ray Sendero got it right. But then either will be fine.

I live and hunt in Michigan so i know the area. I had a 260 at one point (sold it, my mistake). I just built a 7-08, just to try something different, either one will serve you well.

if you want to simplify yer life, have a light short action and not have two diff cal bullets get the kimber lightweight in 308!!!

http://www.kimberamerica.com/rifles/84m/

want a flatter trajectory...hotload light bullets...want a smaller bullet use 22 sabots!

want less recoil...use rem factory ammo

Of the two calibers you mentioned I would pick the 7mm/08 as I think it is more popular and easier to find ammo for it. Any animal hit could not tell the difference between either of them.

I don't have any of the 'new' cartridges, I have never found a REAL reason to use them. The old ones still work for me. But as he said above about the pickles some people would rather have hot dogs than hamburgers. It's really about what YOU as an owner want. My light 7 is a 7x57 and they don't get much better than that. Works on anything in th US except big bear and I have used it very effectivly in Africa on all plains game. Just my personal like but then I like both hot dogs and hamburgers but only like SWEET pickles on them. Flip a coin.

snowwolfe...would it not be easier to go with 308??? the deer wont know the diff...

easier than 7-08 to find ammo...use surplus ammo for paper hole punching/plinking

the only reason to go 7-08 that i can think of is if you reeeeeeeeeeely want one and not want to be vanila.

Buy another .300 win mag...
That is my favorite and I have a couple of them. I have never shot the .260 or 7mm-08 but they will do the job as will anything from .223 to .375 H&H - depends on where you hit'em....

I used to have a 700 mountain rifle in 260 that I sold to buy some other rifles. Wish I never did. It was such a great package. Light, nimble, accurate and good looking too. 120gr TSX or 125gr partitions are great deer medicine. I would definatly recommend the 260.

Take care.

In the past I would have said 7-08 but I have been shooting a .260AI for a year now & am really impressed w/ accuracy & recoil is 0. The .260 is a fine deer/antelope round.

6,5X55, 6,5X57 or 7X57

Cheers
/JOHAN

I highly reccomend the 7mm08. Great round for your purpose. I own two, a browning micro medallion and a ruger compact. Ruger is the best shooting ,out of the box, rifle i've owned. 7mm08; pleasant to shoot, zero recoil. Remington makes some nice rifles for that caliber.

I own 3 different 260s, two Rugers and one Rem VLS....

If you go with the 260, get a barrel with the 1 in 8 twist... Rem has a one in 9....Ruger has a one in 8....

The one in 9 will only stabilize bullets to 129 grains.. the one in 8 will stabilize the 140 and 142 grain bullets...

But in the 260, there isn't much that a 120 grain, 125 grain Nosler, or 129 grain Hornady won't do...in the lower 48....

The 6.5 bore also has some nice 100 grain bullets to pick from that a handloader can easily duplicate 25/06 velocities out of...
ALONG with 85, 90 and 95 grain varmint bullets also....

In the 7mm bore, I don't own a 7/08, although I highly recommend that round to a lot of people.... factory ammo is a lot more available...

But I am a handloader, and my 7mm needs in life have been satisfied quite nicely with a couple of 7 x 57s...

Bottom line, I'd recommend the 260 to a handloader and the 7/08 to a non handloader...

quote:

I have the 300 win for bigger critters. Thanks

I would go with the 260.

I was leaning toward the 260 side of things when seafire reminded us of the twist issues. I am squarely in the heavy for calibre bullet camp and being stuck with light bullets in 6.5 is no better than shooting a 25. Not that that is a bad thing, but it keeps one in deer sized critters only. I am a firm believer that serious hunting bullets start with 6.5 140s, and that is what seperates the 6.5 from 27 and smaller calibres.
Having said that, I think I'd go for the 308 and be happy.

A Kimber 84 Montana in 7-08 or 260 will make you very happy. I have both the Montana and classic in 7-08 and thoroughly love them. They are a real plaeasure to carry and shoot. However, if I had to shoose one, I'd probably go with the 7-08 if you don't hand load. Lou

I suggest you do a search on these boards, for the 7x57 and the 6.5x55. Read that advice and apply it to the calibers you mentioned. Same thing, just a matter of pre-war or post-war case design really. The consensis on the whole is that the 6.5s tend to be more accurate and the sevens can handle a heavier bullet. I say, find the rifle you really like and let the choice between these calibers, old or modern be a secondary consideration.
boet

quote:

Originally posted by boom stick:
snowwolfe...would it not be easier to go with 308??? the deer wont know the diff...

easier than 7-08 to find ammo...use surplus ammo for paper hole punching/plinking

the only reason to go 7-08 that i can think of is if you reeeeeeeeeeely want one and not want to be vanila.

Well, maybe the 308 is a better choice Boomstick but that isnt what he asked, lol. Seriously, I bought my wife a Kimber Montana in 7mm/08. One day when I was out at the range the guy next to me had the same rifle in .308. He was shooting 165 grain bullets I think. I was shooting 140's in my wife. That .308 really knocked the snot out of me, the 7mm/08 was tame by comparison. I know they were not equal but none the less the difference in recoil was pronounced.

There's not a lot of difference between the two for what you're wanting. I'd find a good price on a rifle you liked in one of those chamebrings and run with it.
-But all else equal, I'd take the 260!

Gidday Guys,

Either is going to do what you want it to do but the 260 does give you more scope at the lower bullet weight range.

As you already have a rifle capable of handling the big stuff it makes sense to get something to handle the lower end.

I love my 260 because it does just that between the .222 and the 30-06. It has become my favorite.

Happy Hunting

Hamish

Hard to go wrong with either one. Im currently building a couple 260's, but I hold the 7mm in high reguard. Wonderfull bullet selection for any NA species. Very versatile caliber.

I am faceing the same question myself. I have a .300 mag and want to build something light weight and light recoiling. The donor rifle is allready a .308 that just plain won't shoot but has a beautifull mauser action. I don't want a 7-08 but am really leaning towards the .260. Only problem is quite a few guys at the club have 6.5x284's and I am wondering if that might be what I want. More recoil but not bad. Of course Federal had to bring out the .338 Federal and that caliber has me thinking I don't need a light recoiling rifle. Oh the choices.

To answer your question though, I would go .260 over 7-08. I am playing around with my brothers .260 just to see how I like it and so far it's a winner.

I appreciate all the comments. What I am looking for is a good deer caliber that I can get in a light rifle with max range of about 350. Recoil is an issue, I have all the recoil I want in my 300 win and with that being said, The calibers I mentioned due they have that range or is that a stretch?

To reiterate previous comments: Both the 7-08 and the .260 will handily dispatch deer and are chambered in lightweight rifles. Depending on rifle, neither are going to recoil much. Recommend 7-08 if you buy your ammo, .260 if you handload. I prefer long, heavy for caliber bullets offered by 6.5mm cartridges, so my preference would be the .260 Rem.

Both chamberings should have 300-350 yd effective killing cabability on deer sized game if the shooter is capable.

Get a Ruger M77 Ultra-Lite in 250 Savage, 257 Roberts, 260 Rem. or 7mm-08.

Since you already have a 300 Win and you specify the least possible recoil in a very light rifle the 260 would be the better choice (by a slight margin).

Make mine a 6.5x55 any day!

Buckshot, if the twist is an issue, go with an 8 twist gun, Ruger makes them, and so does Tikka and Sako in the 6.5x55, Howa MAY have changed from 9 to 8 so a rumor was heard, but Blackhawk does well with 129's. I have shot a deer with that bullet and it SAILED through.

I doubt you will find a 125 partition OR a 129 Hornady SP wanting for penetration. They have a good SD and will dig deep. I would guess they do at LEAST what a 165 if not a 180 equivalent 30 cal does.

I believe a 129 would do as much as any 25 bullet, with as much or more speed, and very slight increase in frontal area with bullet weight options to 160, though many stop at 140.

A Ruger 260 has the 8 twist if you want a short action, and it can be 'throated' if you seriously want/need to shoot heavies. I honestly would not hesitate to shoot an elk with the 125 or 129 but I would shoot for the lungs and not try busting a shoulder. An elk might travel a little more than if hit with a larger bullet, but I do believe it would be a dead elk within 300 yds if you place the shot.

85-95's are great for varmints, 100-120's all fine for deer, the 125/129 start putting it in larger game territory if that is what you want.

Shooting 140/160's in the 6.5 seems to me like shooting 200's and 220's in the '06. They will and do work, but many shoot 165/180's and are happy.

Seriously, that 125/129 will penetrate and a 9 twist if that is what you desire, will handle that bullet.

I love my 30-06 just for the fact that I can load so many diff bullet weights.For deer I shoot 150R.N bullets with 52 1/2gr. of IMR4320.they are quite efective.For this reason I agree with a few others you need a .308 .You can do the same thing with it. I load 150gr s.p bullets for an uncles .308 He loves the light recoil and has killed many deer with them.
But if your heart is dead set on getting one or the other get the 7-08.
I like a 30cal bullet for deer personaly, But there are a few aceptions the 260,6.5's,270,280.thats about it as far as I'm concerned. Its ALL about shot placement anyway.

Since you are using it for deer, the .260 Remington. Less recoil. You can get yourself a super featherweight gun and carry it all day long. You have your .300 Mag. if you need heavier bullets. Amen?

Corey

quote:

I would suggest the .280 Reminton. It uses the 7mm bullets, but has less blast than the 7mm Mag. I think of the 7-08 as a 280 lite. Teh 280 can handle a heaver 7mm than the 7-08, in my humble opinion.

Both the .260 Rem or 7mm-08 Rem will be good - really a toss-up, as the prey you intend shooting will not know the difference - deer being your primary target.

In my books the 7x57 mm is unbeatable as a low recoiling rifle that can still shoot the heavier bullets (160gr to 175gr) as it has a faster twist rate than any other 7 mm-cartridge on the market. In your country you will find moslty 140 grainers in factory ammo, which may not be to your liking - mostly under-loaded and with cheap conventional bullets. If you are serious, you would want to use premium bullets anyway and so the negative would fall away.

However, if you are a reloader you have an array of bullets availble to you; from 130 gr to 175 gr. That means you can match the whole spectrum from "light & fast" to "heavy & slow". The 7x57 mm case would also provide you with more powder capacity, and as such makes for a more versatile caliber where you are able to up the bullet mass.

The 7x57 mm offers a 1-in-8.66" twist, whereas the 7mm-08 comes only with a 1-in-9.5" twist, leaving you at risk with the longer and heavier bullets. The slow twist of the 7mm-08 will force you to limit the bullet mass to 150 grains for one, and for others, the longer bullets (160 to 175 grains) will be seated too deep in the short case (.308 Win case) eroding powder capacity, factory chambers are short throated and you cannot seat the bullet out further due to the magazine-length limit. In contrast, the long throated 7 mm Mauser also accommodates the heavier and longer monolithic bullets much better.


The 7 mm Mauser is perhaps one of the most under-rated medium sized calibers in the States. Most American hunters base their opinions of the 7 mm Mauser on using a 140 grain bullet, as that is the sole load that their factories offer. Pity though, as the cartridge was actually designed for the longer 173 gr lead-core bullet and hence its long throated chamber. The virtue of the caliber actually lies in shooting heavier bullets - the higher sectional density bullet at moderate velocity will perform much better on impact. The infatuation with high velocity was fostered by Roy 'Wheatherby with his adage that "high-velocity bullets hit harder at all ranges", when in fact the most important element was being ignored ... namely bullet performance. High impact velocity is in fact self-destructive on soft lead-core bullets and makes a mess of the meat.

Only difference, you need an intermediate length action and not a short action. I do not see a few millimeters as an issue, as we talk a few ounces of weight difference. You may have to custom built a 7x57 mm or order one from CZ who will make one for you - even in their custom shop with your specification of better wood and finish.

It should be clear why the 7 mm Mauser is an all-time classic.

Chris

The 7mm-08 Rem was originally a wildcat development for the game of High Power Rifle Metallic Silhouette Shooting. It utilizes a .308 Win case necked down to accept 7 mm caliber bullets. Everything being short - the action, the magazine, the case and the throat and that is why the 140 gr to 150 gr bullets provide the best fit so as not to be seated too deep into the case.

Then Remington decided to introduce the 7mm-08 as a factory cartridge in 1980, having received rave reviews for accuracy by the gun press.

My contention is that the 140 gr Barnes TSX bullet would make for an all purpose bullet, especially if you seek deeper penetration on larger antelope.

Chris

quote:

What I am looking for is a good deer caliber that I can get in a light rifle with max range of about 350. Recoil is an issue,

129gr Hornady or 120 Barnes TSX and your good to go. Go with a faster twist if you ever feel you may want to bump up in bullet weight. But in all reality, you would be better off with your 300 for a heavier bullet.