Hi all,

Ive been looking a lot at what I think would be the ultimate cartridge "to me" and I have to say the 7mm-08 looks damn close. I hunt muleys and appreciate good balistics without getting beat up so it seems to fit the bill but Ive only seen muzzle velocities for this load. The 243 lacks energy and the 308 isnt as flat or fast at long ranges as Id like. Is it safe to say the 7mm-08 is comparable to a 25-06? I would like to find a load comparable to a 25-06 or a 270 in a short cartridge, is it possible?

Personally, any of the cartridges you mention are very capable Mulie cartridges. (though, I personally do not like the .243)
They are possess sufficient energy and are all sufficiently flat shooting.
Don't get too enamored with theoretical ballistics and performance. The .308 is a capable cartridge on mulies all the way out to 400 yards if YOU can shoot that well.
I own a 7-08 in a Remington Model 7 and I get about 2800 FPS with most of my 140 grain loads. I begin to push 3,000 fps with the 120s. But I also get about 2750-2775 with 150's in my .308... Both bullets can be zeroed at 200 yards and you will be in the kill zone on a deer all the way out to 350 with both bullets. Beyond that the 7 will drop less than the 30 bullet but so what? You still have to KNOW how much each load drops in order to place it effectively in a deer's vitals. In other words, an inch or three difference in drop may seem significant on paper but in practical application it is virtually meaningless. As to power? I'm not sure there is an animal standing that can tell a 200 fps difference between any given bullet + or - 20 grains in weight.
I do like my 7-08. Its a neat, light package and just about perfect for deer. But ultimately it is superfluos from a practical standpoint ever since I bought a 30-06 about 25 years ago. The 06 being about as perfect a medium caliber as one could want. Its also nice to be in a position where I'm not forced to be entirely practical when it comes to guns.
If you buy a 7-08 you will find it is a very capable round but then again so are the other chamberings you mentioned and there really isn't a nickles difference between any of em when it comes to deer hunting.

Hey yall,
I'm new here so I figured this would be a good post to start with my 02

I have a 7-08 and it is about my favorite caliber even though I think the 30-06 would probably edge out about anything for a good all around gun everybody owns a 30-06 and I just like to be a non conformist.

As far as comparing it to the 25-06 or 243 it will do everything they will do and maybe a little more with the use of heavy bullets. The biggest thing I hunt around here is 200 pound Whitetail though and a 243 or 25-06 seems to kill them just as dead as a 7-08.

With the smaller diameter bullet it does have a balistic advantage over the .308 but that advantage is slite and probably meaningless under 600 yards or so witch is further than I'll ever shoot. Bottom line is it's easy to load for, don't eat a lot of powder and bullet selection for the 7MM is great from 100g. to 195.

browning micro .... love it and I think everything that can be said has been said

I have just purchased a 7mm-08 and am working up loads for it now. So far H4895 is very accurate with 140ge Seirras. The 7mm-08 will do what all the other calibres mentioned will. I liked the light weight and will use it mule deer and antelope hunting in Wyoming as well as hikeing the woods of northern Mich. The rifle is Weatherbys Ultra Light.

I shoot a 7-08 ackley out of a 20 inch Sako push 140 BT at 3000fps. Now that is a hot load but my gun handles it well. It shoots 1/2 groups all day long. This is a custom gun. I will say it does anything a 270 will do out of 20 inches of barrel.I have taken whitetails past 350yrds.

Lets see, I've killed deer with the following; 300 Win., 7mm mag., 444 Marlin, 7.62X39, 7.5X55 Swiss, Shotgun slug, buckshot and of course the 7mm-08. Weapon of choice, 7mm-08. All the above did the job, but overall the 7mm-08 suits my needs and since I reload, I don't worry about running out of powder as quickly (more rounds per lb. of powder). Bullet placement is the key with any caliber that you choose. I feel with the 7mm-08, I can get the job done. It all comes down to what you have the most confidence in. You will never be sorry if you get the 7mm-08, unless you are faced to face with a 1200 lb. grizzly
Bulldog...

Thanks for the replies. Right now I have two deer rifles which are ok. Id like to narrow it down to one that is awsome. The more I read here the more options appear and therefore the more soul searching I need to do first. Thanks again.

These cartridges are just dreamed up to sell more rifles. Ask yourself if the Walmart sells the .284 Win., 6.5 Remington Mag, .264 Winchester, .257 Roberts, .250 Savage or the .25 Remington for that matter. Bet they don't. Then there is the 6.5 Swede, 6.5 MS and on the list goes.

The 7 08 is another one of these marketing dreams. For that action length the .308 will do the job. It's popular world wide.

But like someone said. It's really not important. Get what you want.

Long ago a famous rifleman said. "A man can get any cartridge he wants but it does not reflect well on his common sense to get anything other than the 30-06". This was written before the .308 became the military cartridge of the USA.

WstrnHuntr, I own two 7mm08s, the first a Rem Mod 7 SS with a McMillan stock. This rifle pushes 140gr Part. at 2800fps. I use this as my pack rifle for the Sierras where we hunt deer and bear in sem1-open terrain. The little rifle has racked up a good kill record so far all one-shot kills.

The second rifle is a custom Rem 700 Mtn rifle in 7mm08AI with a 22.5" Pac-Nor barrel on a McMillan stock. I put together two of these(one for my hunting partner-boy did he get a deal!)primarily for mule deer hunting. This rifle is pushing 270 velocities using same weight bullets - 140gr at 2950fps. Weight is right at 8lbs w/scope. Accuracy has been good as with other 7mm08s I've worked with. Both of these 7mm08AIs are going to S.E. Idaho in a couple of weeks to hunt big mule deer bucks.

For mule deer the 7mm08 is a good choice. The 270win is probably the all time classic mule deer cartridge, its hard to beat also. The 7mm08 can be built in a slightly shorter rifle, I would still choose a 24" barrel if you go with the standard version for a muley gun. sure-shot