I am thinking about buying a 7MM-08 for the wife, recomendations please.

For deer and similar sized animals the .260 (if available) is IMO a better (less recoil) cartridge.

For larger game (elk etc) while it'll work, the .30 calibers are preferable.

Ever since the introduction of the .260 Remington I've seen the 7-08 as a lost cartridge.....

Nothing wrong with a 7-08, but take a look at the 308.

Remington makes a Managed Recoil load with a 125gr bullet. My 10 old nephew and I have killed a few deer and wild pigs with it. The bullet holds together real well.

It has les recoil according to Remington than the 243.

In the 4 308 rifles I have shot the Remington load in I have not had to change the scope at all. It hits the same place as my full power 165/168 gr loads at 50 yards and 100 yards.

Federal also males a 170gr Low Recoil load for the 308, and the 30-06.

My wife and I have used the 30-06 load in our drillungs to kill deer and I have killed some pigs with it as well.

It too works great.

Both of these loads kill great and are plesant to shoot, especially when she will be practicing.

Be sure and sight the rifle in ahead of time, before she shoots it the first time.

Make sure the scope will not hit her in the head/face.

Also if she has not shot a scope very much I would start her out with a variable with 1.5 to 2.5x on the low end. Makes it easier to find the game in the scope.

If she is small in stature I would also consider a youth model rifle with a shorter stock and a shorter bbl.

Even my favorite 308 bolt rifles have 18 to 20" bbls.

As a side note my nephew was using my D99 Duo, a 308 double rifle drilling, and pulled the rear trigger firing a full power load at a deer and never even noticed the increased recoil.

If she ever hunts elk or moose I would prefer the 308.

I had never had any real experience with the 7-08 until my recent trip to NZ. There I used it to take red stag, fallow deer, Arapawa Ram, and feral goat.

I used 139gr Remington Factory bullets (Coreloc) in a Sako medium action SS rifle; Zeiss Conquest 3x9x40 scope. It killed extremely well; all out of proportion to its size.

I was shooting a 308 w/155gr bullets getting ready for the trip, and the 7-08 had no recoil. I have shot a number of 243's, and I felt this had much less recoil than the 243 I've shot.

I'd not hesitate to get one for my wife or younger shooter. For larger animals, there is a 150gr loading too. Kudude

PS: The Sako and Conquest were excellent also.

quote:

Originally posted by landkiller:
I am thinking about buying a 7MM-08 for the wife, recomendations please.

I'm going to go ahead and assume that being as it's for your wife and you're from North Carolina, that you want this rifle for deer hunting. An excellent choice, 140 grain bullets being the preferred bullet weight. There are a few choices in a light carbine size rifle that are a joy to carry all day and recoil isn't a whole lot more than a .243. I have two such rifles myself and I find myself reaching for them more and more. My son, who is a better shot than I am, has taken two elk so far with the 7mm-08. I will say this much, if you decide to go after bigger than deer sized game with this calibre, be sure to use premium bullets. If you don't handload, Federal has a nice 140 gr. load with Nosler Partitions.

All in all a great choice of calibre for someone small in size or anyone that wants a versatile light carbine that will get the job done. I think you'll be pleased with that choice.

We were thinking about this round for a elk hunt. She has used a 243 for a while. Recoil is a issue here. We are also considering a 308.

quote:

Originally posted by landkiller:
We were thinking about this round for a elk hunt. She has used a 243 for a while. Recoil is a issue here. We are also considering a 308.

Find some bonded core 160-162 grain bullets and load them to 2,700'/sec.....you're ready to go elk hunting.

As I said....I'd rather use a .308 but that 7-08 will do just fine too!

It's one of the very best choices for hunting almost everything in the world, except for the very largest animals. It has been used successfully on all game native to North America and for much of the game in Africa and elsewhere, although something larger and more powerful would be desireable for moose, the largest bears, and elk at long distances. The 7mm/08 is the ballistic twin (same velocities with the same bullets) of the 7x57 (7mm Mauser), and that round has performed with distinction throughout the world for more than a century.

quote:

Originally posted by landkiller:
I am thinking about buying a 7MM-08 for the wife, recomendations please.

6.5 X55 Perhaps a CZ roger

I've had 3 7mm08 rifles and all shot well.I have a rem mod 7 cdl with a leupold 3x9x40 on it I shot 3 deer with it last year and every one died right there in there tracks,I was using 139 hornady sst bullets and they went through the deer with a 2 inch exit hole.It is a nice light weight rifle easy to carry,and you can use up to 175 grain bullets for more penetration on larger game.The 139s work very good and the mature bucks in my area dress out over 200 lbs and i never had a problem.I have many other rifles but this is my favorite deer rifle.

Load the 7-08 with 160 Nosler Partion at just about any safe resonable velocity and it will take any Elk out to 300 yards. The round is great and I have taken many head of game with mine. Use 139-140 bullet for deer size game.
Put a limbsaver pad on the rifle. John

If you live near Hickory,nc,your wife could shoot my 7/08 to see how she likes the 7/08.Its a rem classic and it shoots.If she is allready familiar with it I would look at the tikka or the rem.
Have shot a couple buddies tikka T-3,7/08's and they will shoot out to 300 yds,thats as far as our range goes.

the 7MM-08 is a very good choice for your wife, and anyone else that wants to shoot it. my sister has been shooting one for about 15 years now. i have had one for about 9 years. it is a very good round for deer to elk . look at a ruger M-77 or rem. CDL...

My 7mmO8 is an M700 stainless SPS with a Mcmillan mountain stock, williams bottom metal, jewell trigger and tallies. All assembled without any need for a gunsmith (but I did use one It would be easy to try it as standard and add bits as budget/desire allows.

Deadly accurate, little recoil, shoots 120s through 175s. A 160gr premium will have to hit an elk in a non vital place for it not to die.

I'd caution on too short a barrel - it might be handy but muzzle blast and recoil will be greater.

It is a great choice.

I bought a M70 Classic Compact for my wife and kids to shoot.

You can load some easy 120gr target loads and switch to a premium 140gr hunting load with ease for whitetail. My daughters can run thru 20+ of the 120gr loads at the range without blinking an eye.

Nothing wrong with the .308, but I have a fondness for 7mm bullets.

It is the smallest all purpose cartridge in my book.

Here in NC the 120 gr bullets work well on deer,If I was going for elk I would use a bigger bullet also.This is how my rem 7/08 shoots the 120 hornady SP and HP.Dropped one year before last at 230 yds with the SP and 2 this past year with the HP,a doe at 140 yds and a buck at 100 yds they only went straight down.
I like useing different calibers for deer and the 260 is my favorite but the 7/08 works well also.
Going to try a new berger 140 gr 7mm bullet this year to see how it does on deer out of the 7/08 and 7 mag.

Kimber Montana in 260, 7-08, or 308. Lou

quote:

Originally posted by landkiller:
We were thinking about this round for a elk hunt. She has used a 243 for a while. Recoil is a issue here. We are also considering a 308.

Only your wife can decide how much recoil she can tolerate. If you can find some folks in your area who have 7-08's, or 7x57's, and 308's that she can shoot BEFORE you buy a rifle, then she can make the decision.
With people who are recoil sensitive, I opt for light recoil rifles to recommend; like a 260 or 6.5x55. Nothing wrong with a 257 Roberts and 120 grain bullets for Elk either.
Stock design is very important. I have a 308 with a poorly designed stock that kicks like a mule.

Don

Ruger compact in 7mm-08. Nice small package,zero recoil and very accurate out of the box.

It never fails. A man decides on a caliber for his wife,asks for some rifle suggestions, and half the posts are on why he has made a bad choice and should get another caliber.


The 7-08 is a great choice for your wife. The 120 or 140 grain bullets will work great for your purpose.

The Remington Model Seven, maybe even in the youth model depending on your wife's size, is a favorite. Don't overlook the newer Savages either, espiecially the Model 14 American Classic.

Good Hunting,

Bob

I had a Rem. model7 Several years back. It was a fine shooting rifle with the 120 - 140gr bullets. With the heavier bullets the recoil was stiff and the muzzleblast was awful. 7/08 is a great round for women and youth shooters,however, my experience tells me that 22" is minimum for barrel length. Look at the Stevens 200. If your wife has a problem you aren't out much $$.
GOOD LUCK and GOOD SHOOTING!!!

If elk nor the great bears are not on the menu, the 7-08 is one of the very best choices you can make. My son used the old model 7 (18.5" barrel) in 7-08 and a 140gr NP to make our longest shot on a mulie buck. A one shot kill right at 300 long steps. I've had at least one 7-08 since way back when they were still a wildcat and have made too many one shot kills on both mulies and WT's not to know you have made an excellent choice of cartridges. Also along the way I've won quite a few factory matches with the things.
I would see how your wife likes the model 7 maybe in the youth model (length of pull is slightly shorter). If not, take a look at the CDL. I happen to have one leaning against the wall next to my desk with a 2x7 leuy on it. It is a fine looking piece.It was a Christman present to me from the greatest guy I know. (me) I now have four of them.

Buy your wife a 7-08 and get one for yourself also. I have used the 7-08 for years and would use it for any deer or black bear or hog that walks the USA. 120's and 140's are best.

I like short bbls, 21-22 on short actions, but at 21, the blast is noticeable, good ear protection i.e. plugs + muffs help, but I agree w/posters above on Cons on short carbines, the blast can be irritating and affect shootability. If someone has more experience and tolerance to blast, its not as much an issue but when shooting any significant amount of rounds for practice, it makes a difference.

Since you threw elk in the mix and if factory ammo is an issue, the 7/08 is a great round, but a properly loaded 260 as Vapodog mentioned or 6.5x55 will virtually duplicate field performance w/less recoil, primarily due to equal BC/SD bullets being lighter.

Never was a 308 fan having used too many 7/08s, 6.5/308, 260, 6.5x55 to feel I would gain anything (actually trajectory/wind drift not as good generally in 308).

Factory ammo options/availability are better 308 but loading my own, never 'went w/o' when needing ammo for hunting.

I've owned numerous 7mm-08s over the years and have been extremely pleased with all aspects of the cartridge, including its accuracy, low recoil, and on-game performance-you won't be dissapointed!!!

I've had great service from the following rifles, which I fully recommend:

1. Ruger 77 MK/II stainless/synthetic
2. Savage 16 Weather Warrior with Accutrigger
3. Remington Model Seven CDL
4. Remington Mountain Rifle stainless/laminated

The 7mm-08 shines using 140 grain bullets. I've had great results using numerous bullets...Hornady 139 flat base or BTSPs, Sierra 140 Pro Hunters or Gamekings, Nosler 140 Accubonds or Ballistic Tips, Barnes 140 Triple Shocks.

Some of my favorite powders for the 7mm-08 are:
1. H-4350 or IMR-4350
2. IMR-4064
3. H-414
4. 760

As you can tell, I love the 7mm-08! Its a great cartridge!

I'll add, Varget and 4064 were my "Go To" powders but many get great results w/RL19, and RL15+ lighter '120 gr'

4895 will do well w/lighter bullets, H380 shines w/150-160 class match bullets. Did have some very good accuracy w/2015BR and I believe 2495 AA as well, but velocities may not have been optimal.

H414/760 was the factory powder of the original load-a 139 hornady, Rem dubbed '140 corelokt' gets good velocity and accuracy but my experience shown better results w/4064/Varget loads.

I never tried much, but have a hunch 4320 should work VERY well and meter better than 4350, did try the old IMR 4350 w/mediocre results, seems it was hard getting as much in the case as pressures should have allowed. The newer SC may be much better?????

Many report 120 ballistic tips, and Barnes to be very lethal on deer, and even elk, yes even the b tip (though I'd rather a 140/150 partition or 140 barnes on elk, if not a Barnes 120 myself).

The 120 b tip would be flat and lighter recoil, but said to give very high % of DRT.....bang/flops.

FWIW, reported the 120 b tip has a beefed up jacket surprisingly tough for its weight. Me, a cup/core works fine in this round on deer, and Sam Fadala's wife 'accidently' used a 140 corelokt...factory load on an elk from her Sako, when they THOUGHT they grabbed partitions for the hunt. Elk never knew......

I loaded for 7mm08 for a long time and with bullets from 120 Bal tips to 145 gr. Hot Cors. H4350 was always the most accurate powder in all three 7mm08's I had. I fills the case up but if you use a 5 or 6 inch drop tube and dont disturb the powder before you seat the bullets you wont notice any powder compression. I tried H380 but I got pressure signs early in development. The good thing for me was that peak accuracy always seemed best about .3 grain from max with all bullet weights. To me that means that hunting velocity is great and accuracy was great. Once I went to H4350 with 7mm08 I didnt look back.

Not sure if you are using Short cut Russ on that Hodgdon, but the IMR I had was not good about throwing charges in that size case-with consistency I needed, but 4350 has been stellar in the 260, 270 and other rounds. I found 4064 drops well w/no drop tube, and it and Varget gave me around 2960 mv in 21" bbls. My loads were one grain over book max IIRC, and I used RP brass, formed in MY guns, so partial size cases may allow a tad more, but WW brass is even 'roomier' perhaps 1.5 grains more capacity and likely more consistent. Perhaps not good for max hunting loads in mid weight (i.e. 414 may be a better ball powder option than 380 for 140 class) but the H380 using Sierras recommended loads for match loads and 150 matchkings shot very well. Really never had any accuracy quirks w/708s, generally less fickle than say what the 260 has at times been, the latter preferring obviously slower powder, that often may be coarser grained requiring weighed charges for optimal results, yet I did get some very good groups recently using IMR4350/130s in my 260 Sako, dropping the powder.

I DO have a hunch certain rounds have a preference for H4350 vs the IMR series, and sense there is some difference in either consistency and/or burn rate. Anyone who can speak to that, I'd love to know. Not sure if that pertained to SC version of Hodgdon, as compared to IMR long or not......but I do know whenever I need more 4350, it WILL be SC from here out just to meter better.

Do folks think that a 7mm on the same case really kicks that much less than a .308?

Assuming that we are comparing apples to apples (i.e., 140s to 150s or 160s to 165s), I have never been able to tell the difference.

Still, your wife could do a lot worse than the 7mm-08, or even the old stand-by 7x57mm.

quote:

Originally posted by mrlexma:
Do folks think that a 7mm on the same case really kicks that much less than a .308?

I don't have a 7mm-08 but do have a .308 Win and a .260 Remington and can tell you the recoil difference is significant.....enough to make a difference between a flincher and a shooter for some folks.

I've used my 3 7mm-08's to kill 2 bison, 2 elk and quite a few deer and antelope. My favorite load is 42.5 grains of Varget under a 140 grain Barnes TSX and a Federal 215 primer. This load averages 2850 fps from my rifles.

quote:

Originally posted by vapodog:

quote:

Originally posted by mrlexma:
Do folks think that a 7mm on the same case really kicks that much less than a .308?

I don't have a 7mm-08 but do have a .308 Win and a .260 Remington and can tell you the recoil difference is significant.....enough to make a difference between a flincher and a shooter for some folks.

vapodog,

That's why I asked! I have a shoulder made out of leather covered sorbothane, and nothing much less than a .416 even wakes me up from a decent day dream.

Still, I would think that a .260 Rem. is another kind of thing as compared with the 7mm's or the .308. What's the maximum bullet weight generally shot in that caliber? 120? 130?

Remember, I said apples to apples.

quote:

vapodog,

That's why I asked! I have a shoulder made out of leather covered sorbothane, and nothing much less than a .416 even wakes me up from a decent day dream.

Still, I would think that a .260 Rem. is another kind of thing as compared with the 7mm's or the .308. What's the maximum bullet weight generally shot in that caliber? 120? 130?

Remember, I said apples to apples. Wink

The .260 can digest 120, 130, and 140 grain bullets as usual and routine and a 160 RN is also available for those that really insist on it.

130 grain bullets clock about 2950 fps and 140 grain bullets normally clock about 2750 fps or so.....

If one really likes the big 160 RN it can be pushed at 2600 fps and is a fine elk round.....but the 140 is where most folks stop.

I have used the 120 Northfork (no longer available) with lightning bolt performance on a 10-point whitetail..... The .260 is very light in the recoil department with this bullet and for pronghorns and deer hunting handles the job with total competence!

My wife killed a kudu with hers using the Barnes 140 gr TSX in May.

quote:

The 7-08 is a great choice for your wife. The 120 or 140 grain bullets will work great for your purpose.

The Remington Model Seven, maybe even in the youth model depending on your wife's size, is a favorite. Bob

A small framed lady this week in Alaska was expounding on how her mod. 7, youth in 7-08 was more than she cared for when sighting in. When hunting it didn't seem to bother her. She and her husband are really avid hunters having taken all US big game species other than bear which they won't kill cause they won't eat it.And yes I too think there are better choices than a 7-08 for anybody. JMHO,Bob. roger

A buddy is playing with a Model 7, 7mm-08. He's shooting 120 TSX's. Loves the combo.

RAC Tell your wife NICE kudu, well done.

I have experience with several Remington Model 7's.

In 223, 243, 6mm, 308 [many 308's] and in 350 Rem Mag.

ALL of them shot great. Most of them were shot extensively to 300 yards.

A few of the 308's were shot extensively at 600 yards on paper.

The Remington Model is one of my favorite rifles.

All have been very accurate. They are a great hunting rifle.

I am a 308 "kind of guy" for several reasons, but there are no flies on the 7mm-08.

Here is mine. I love it and it shoots 5 120gn Ballistic tips into .5" all day.......


5

I had a model 7 7mm-08 (one of the orginal ones with iron sights and the 18inch barrel) that I really liked the way it handled, and the way the stock felt. I sold it to a friend of mine about 15 years ago, and he has hunted with nothing else since. His hunting days are probably drawing to a close (he is 80 now). I replaced it with a model 70 compact in 7mm-08 that year because I missed a compact 7mm-08. It is a jewell and I have the williams trigger guard, williams extractor, and a super grade grip cap. Leupold 4x fixed power scope. I also have a browning 81 (steel receiver) in 7mm-08. Love them both.

I have been shooting remington 140 grain green box in them and get good hunting accuracy. The remington ammo gets about 2750 fps in my 20 inch barrels. Some years ago I loaded some 175 grain hornady spire points with a little less than max load of H4350, and got an average of 2450fps. Never hunted with that load. However I was suprised to see that much velocity.

I also have a model 70 compact 308 of later manufacture, and I put a recoil pad on it to increase the length of pull. I hunt with it a lot. It is not as well made as the earlier compact IMHO.

I sight in 2 inches high at 100 yards and don't worry about it because where I hunt the longest range I can see a deer or hog is about 250 yards. Mostly I hunt in an area that 150 yards is about the longest range. The other problem is that the big deer only show up when I have my Marlin 45-70 .

quote:

Originally posted by studdog:
Ruger compact in 7mm-08. Nice small package,zero recoil and very accurate out of the box.

I also can attest to that.