So, someone tell me here...

Is there any real difference in the two calibers?

in the field there is no real difference but this is true of many rounds.

The 308 allows 180 grain bullets for better performance on elk. I do have a 308, but also 3 diff versions of 7's , so I am not biased

You can crunch and twist numbers from a piece of paper all day but I don't think you could ever prove any difference in terminal performance in the field.

I lean towards the 308 as I own them 5 to 1 over the 7-08, but have to agree that is just personal preferance. No whitetail ever told me they knew the diffrance.

I think personal predudice and probably nothing more. You can shoot 120 grain bullets from the 7-08 for less recoil as a plus on its side. I also think that the .308 is too easy to reload for and too easy to get to shoot and can be boring!

quote:

Originally posted by Jimmy P Coaltrain:
I also think that the .308 is too easy to reload for and too easy to get to shoot and can be boring!

Absolutely ... and add the 30/06 to that. The challenge is half the reason I like playing with wildcats.
Cheers...
Con

quote:

Originally posted by Jimmy P Coaltrain:
I think personal predudice and probably nothing more. You can shoot 120 grain bullets from the 7-08 for less recoil as a plus on its side. I also think that the .308 is too easy to reload for and too easy to get to shoot and can be boring!

Once again just a new guy, but I find nothing boring in 1/2" groups wether its from a 7-08 or a 308. I say 1/2" becuase its my limitaion not really the best the caliber or rifle will do.

I have both and love each of them but...I can shoot 180's from the .308

I've had several rifles in both calibers, and the usual concept is that the 7-08 handles lighter bullets for the recoil shy and the .308 usually gets fed the heavier bullets. But both of the 7-08's I owned would shoot 175gr bullets well and you can load light .308 ammo with 110-125gr bullets too.

About the only difference I could see is that if you forget/lose your ammo it may be easier to find a better selection of factory .308 loadings at the corner ammo store.

I think there are a few important differences between the two.

Lapua doesn't make 7-08 brass but they make the best 308 brass.

You can't hunt with the 308 in some European countries since it's a military caliber.

Ammo is MUCH more available for the 308 but 7-08's easy enough to not really worry.

Patches never seem to fit 30cals as well as they do the 7mm's ......................DJ

The larger caliber will reward you with more energy in the bullet per quantity of powder.
.

Hi RNOVI

This would have to be the main point of contension in this country of any calibre.
the 708 is said to be the ultimate/most versaitle round for NZ.

The sales pitch here is simple'OH IT SHOOTS FLATTER THAN A 308" there for its better.

Well it has to shoot flatter cause "genrally speaking" the 708 shoots a lighter bullets so of course it will!

But if you measure apples with apples and put a 140 gr bullet in both the 308 WILL shoot flatter than the 708, the reason for this is that the 308 has more surface area at the back of the bullet,(7mm vs 7.62mm) therefore it gets more push from the charge.

IMHO the 308 is far more versatile, in the heavier end of the bullets,
but both will shoot heavy bullets,and ironically the 308 will shoot heavier bullets flatter than the 708 for the above reason also.
As with recoil, personally if you shoot at a animal you wont feel anything anyway, but they are nearly the same.(if shot from the same type of rifle).

Should I go on......NA!

And after all this, I dont think it really makes any difference between the two,
both are great calibre's, but if I was to decide for you it would be a 308 in your cupboard!

Regards Runas

PS the short answer for your question,NO not really!

I originally bought my 7mm-08 for mule deer but to date my son has taken two elk with that rifle using 140 gr. A-Frames and RL-19.

I think it is more about finding a rifle that fits you and your hunting/shooting situation/likes/dislikes rather than these two calibers. I hate hunting with a gun with LOP too long for my heavy clothes, or too light in the barrel for a steady shot, or too long of a barrel that snags every bush, or too short of a barrel with too much report, etc. etc.

Without a doubt, the 7mm/08 is my favorite centerfire cartridge (though I find myself lacking one at the moment). It's a mild, easy to load cartridge that'll do for everything from varmints to elk and is dynamite on MI whitetail at any reasonable range. Comparing it to the .308 Win is akin to comparing peaches and nectarines.

It's a funny thing - the choice of a new cartridge. I've built a collection of firearms that is anything but "common" - and then I find myself in need of a "common" cartridge for back up reasons. You know, for those times when the stores just don't stock .350 Rem Mag with a 250gr. load (like...never?)...or when my .257 Bob runs dry...

So I need a common cartridge - and I hate it. I need it for back up purposes...and I hate it.

Ultimately, when I do make Africa (2010), I'll be brining my .350 RM (250 gr. @ 2500fps & 1/2" groups at 100 yds) and I'd much prefer to bring my Roberts for smaller game. But...if my ammo get's lost? Gotta have a more common round...

So why would I consider a 7-08? I doubt it's common enough in Africa to find it on the shelves...308, 30-06, 7mm mag, 7x57 (perhaps) - yes. I just have to consider the awefulness that is...

Being common.

I would opt for the .308 as it has all the advantage over a 7-08, but if handloaded the 7x57 can equal the .308 as it has more powder capacity with 175 gr. bullets..

Enough to make a real difference in the field, well probably not but then I haven't seen much difference in anything from the 30-30 to the 300s if you put a bullet in heart or lungs. Perhaps trajectory is the difference, but not much of one...

Read here:

http://www.snipershide.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=sho...t=all&gonew=1#UNREAD

You know, this is a common debate locally. Nothing gets folks at the gun counter riled up more than when someone asks to see a .308 instead of a 7mm-08 or a .270 instead of a .30-06 and you say "because it's better". Its simply too hard to qualify.

The 7mm typically shoots lighter bullets. Using the Ballistic Tip for example, a 140gr 7mm bullet has a higher BC and SD than a 150gr .308 bullet. What it may lack in weight and frontal area it makes up for in other ways. Same thing goes for the 150gr 7mm bullet and the 165gr .308 bullet. There is just too little difference between the two to say for sure.

I personally would grab a .308. Simple reasoning, I have 3 boxes of unopened Hornady 150gr bullets and for some reason 50 empty cases, throw in an extra pack of primers and I've got access to potentially 150 rounds. I really don't know how I accumulate it!

You can go cross-eyed looking at ballistic charts trying to find a difference between the two that amounted to anything. If you're starting from scratch, find the rifle you want first then ask what calibers they have available. If they have one but not the other, your decision has been made for you. If they have both but you already own a .30 cal gun, buy the 7mm. If you already own a 7mm gun, get the .30. Alternately, flip a coin!

Same thing goes for the .280 and .30-06. A hunting buddy has a gorgeous Sauer 7x64 that shoots everyting well. He's good friends with my dad, who shoots .30-06 religiously. Performance for both rounds is predictable and pretty much identical.

It's not until you get to the 7mm Remington Magnum and .300 Winchester Magnum that you start to see a notable difference in performance of more than a few hundred ft./lbs. of energy, and even then I've had 175gr 7mag loads out of a 26" tube come close enough to 180's out of a 24" Winnie to close the gap somewhat.

I won't argue the facts at normal distances they are both VERY close but I LONG ago chose a 7/08 around 1994 or so getting my first. NEVER had a desire for a 308, but I can say I never owned one. Never wanted to ADD recoil to have a similar BC/SD bullet in 308 that needed say a 165grain to do the same killing. A 130-150 class 308 would be fine on recoil and flat I am sure, but on larger game one might want more bullet. Seems there is a 140x bullet though...

I have just always been one to prefer 6-7mm cartridge until I NEEDED something more, and then it's 338/358 bore for me for NA game. Just another opinion, my choice, but nothing wrong with the very common 308 that has a long history.

MANY long range guys have been switching to 6.5mm's i.e. 260/6.5 creedmoor and 6.5x47 Lapua for flatter shooting with less recoil. Cannot blame them, I'd want those attributes also.

If I did not reload, it MIGHT make me look again at the 308, but there is a plethora of 7/08 ammo now on the market. Both work.

If your intended game is medium size, it won't matter. A deer killed with the 7-08 and a deer killed with the .308 couldn't tell you the difference.
With the bullets normally used in each respective cartridge, the .308 will have slightly more recoil, and the 7-08 will have slightly better downrange ballistics, but not by any amount significant enough to matter for deer sized game. I normally use my 7-08AI with 140gr bullets for deer at any range that I can hold a steady sight picture in the field, and it works just fine. If I really need horsepower, I don't split hairs. I simply move up to my .300WinMag.

I don;t own a hunting rifle in .308 & probably never will. I would opt for a 260 or 7-08 ov er a 308 for deer size game, especially if you handload. The smaller/lighter the rifle, the moer the 7-08 makes sense.

RUNAS you got it right!

I would also get the 308 first, just because its so neat. But I would still pick a 270 Win or a 280 Rem over a 30.06 as long as I have something bigger in the closet.

Gidday RUNAS,

Mate you are off track just a wee bit. The 260 is the best cartridge for NZ. Anyone who is really in the know has it as their favorite

Really mate there isn't a knob of goat shit between them. They all work well for NZ so grab whatever yanks your chain and go out and kill your deer.

Happy Hunting

Hamish

About 0.024 inches. Which isn't exactly splitting gnat's hairs, but it's close.

If I were to choose between the two, I would go with the 7mm-08.

If I feel that I need the increased bullet weight/energy of the 308, I want something bigger than the 308.

With that being said, pick the rifle first. The cartridge second.

The 7mm-08 is the better choice if you are kid under 15 years old or are a senior citizen over the age of 55 It's also a great choice if you are a girl.

quote:

Originally posted by duckboat:
The 7mm-08 is the better choice if you are kid under 15 years old or are a senior citizen over the age of 55 It's also a great choice if you are a girl.

I hunt bunnies with a .350 Rem Mag. I'm quite comfortable with my manhood!

quote:

Originally posted by duckboat:
The 7mm-08 is the better choice if you are kid under 15 years old or are a senior citizen over the age of 55 It's also a great choice if you are a girl.

That didnt help much since the same goes for the .308

I prefer the 308 as I have used it in hunting, competition, work rifles, and paramilitary type rifles.

For kids and girls the Remington Managed Recoil rounds kills deer and wild pigs very well, with less recoil than a 243.

quote:

Originally posted by rnovi:
So, someone tell me here...

Is there any real difference in the two calibers?

No, EXCEPT for the fact the 308 is available everywhere in the world BG is hunted (except France and a few other locales)... 7-08 ammo is often hard to find here in the US on shelves.

Personally, I prefer the 7mm bore diameter over the 30. If I need to shoot heavier bullets than 140s, I go to my 7x64 or 35 caliber and up. IMO, chosing between the two boils down to personal preference. Lou

As a target round in Highpower rifle, the 7mm-08 was a hot item around 1995. Mitch Maxberry won the Nationals with the round, maybe David Tubb, and as usually what happens, all the wannabees went out and bought 7mm-08's.

It also helped that Sierra bullets published an incredible number for the ballistic coefficient for the 168 grain 7mm SMK.

Without a doubt the 7mm had a better ballistic coefficient than a 168 grain 308. Then something funny happened, Sierra reduced the published ballistic coefficient and the guys using the cartridge just walked away. Many shooters are Numerologists, if the numbers are not good, then they just can’t shoot well.

Well now, the 7mm and the 308 are seldom encountered on the firing line, now it is all 6mm’s and 6.5 mm’s. It took a while, but the bullet companies finally came out with decent sub caliber bullets.

the 308 and the 7mm-08 are excellent cartridges, both are easy to reload for, there are a lot of good bullets of all weights for the 308, less so for the 7mm.

I really doubt out to 300 yards there is any significant difference on paper.

quote:

I really doubt out to 300 yards there is any significant difference on paper.

I have no doubt that the same is true for deer, they both kill well. None the less I prefer the 7mm-8

There really is not a wit difference between the two, you maybe able to tell the difference in the field after shooting game for 50 or 60 years. Then again maybe not. I shot a 7mm-08 for a few seasons back in 1981-82 with nothing but 140 gr Remington loads ( they were really 139 gr Hornaday SP bullets back then) and my Uncle shot nothing but a 308 and we shot a lot of deer in those two years. And we could not tell the difference. He liked 165 gr bullets back then for his 308. Its like one of those tastes great less filling arguments. I have to admit that the 308 holds the edge when it come to ammo on the store shelf. Its every where and more loads that you can shake a stick at, the 7mm-08 not so flush in the ammo on the shelf side of things. But what is to be had is first rate. In the end it becomes a question of what rifle and how much recoil real of imagined.

Some of you have Kimber Montana's in .308, how does the Kimber shoot 165 grain bullets or....180 grain bullets??

Obviously there are some real differences. But, there is perhaps a 90% overlap of what either can be expected to do well. Which is "better" depends on what you need done.

On animals the only diff is the 308 handles 180gr bullets just a little bit better. For all practicle purposes almost no difference

On the wallet the 308 wins hands down. Cheaper brass for reloading, cheaper and more plentiful off the shelf ammo.