I am considering sending my Winchester model 70 .223 to Pac-Nor for a barrel job. I am considering the 7mm-08 AI or the 7x57 AI or how about the 284 Winchester? The purpose of this rifle would mainly be deer hunting but would serve as my back up elk rifle to my .338 Win Mag. Would the .308 be a better choice? Decisions, decisions?

Thanks,

C-ROY

"Improving" the 7-08 wont give much extra powder capacity - and it doesn't feed that well in your hunting rifle. 7x57 improves really well ( is the W70 action long enough?)due to the removal of the body taper, and gives performance in the .280 range. - but needs a longer barrel to perform.

Frankly, I cant see much wrong with the 7-08 as it is! and its a better hunting cartridge than the .308.( in my not so humble opinion), as it will work in a shorter barrel, say 21 in.

Dont get on my back guys - I hunt with a .308 too.

It's going to be expensive as the bolt face, extractor. bolt stop, magazine and feed rails are for the smaller .223. Your better off keeping it as is or selling it.



In practice the 308 would be a better fit in a 21" barrel than a 7-08 due to it's favorable expansion ratio.

I'll agree that the 7-08 is a great little cartridge. I used to shoot one before I built a custom in 7-08AI. Here is where I'll dissent from Derricks post. Feeding has never been an issue at all in my rifle.

Granted, there is not a lot to gain capacity-wise going from any .308 based cartridge to the improved configuration, but the ballistic advantage is significant enough to justify the AI if one is having a barrel chambered from scratch, and it doesn't matter the chambering is. I initially set out to achieve standard 7mm-08 24" barrel velocities from a 22" tube. My 22" Shilen easily allows muzzle velocity around 3030fps from the 22" barrel. Maybe I have a fast barrel, but pressure is not high enough to loosen up primer pockets on repeated firings in my minimum spec chamber. The load I used deer hunting this fall wasn't near the upper end for velocity, but 140gr bullets still exceed standard 7-08 velocities by 100fps from 2" less barrel, and print right at .5" groups or less at the range. Brass lasts forever and doesn't need to be trimmed. After 5 loads, I'll go ahead and anneal, but that's no biggie.

The 7x57 needs a longer action, not a longer barrel. If you look at 280 Remington ballistics, they only exceed the factory 7-08 when bullet weight exceeds 140gr. With heavier bullet weights, the .280 outshines the 7-08. I use a 1:11 twist barrel, since I have no use for 7mm bullets heavier than 140gr in this rifle. I have a 7mm Rem Mag for heavier bullets, and I'm in the process of building another 7mm on my new M1999 short magnum action.

The .284 Winchester is a nice cartridge. I've never owned one, but have shot plenty of them. seating depth starts to become an issue with all but the lighter bullets in this cartridge. Even though it has more case capacity than the 7-08, after the bullet is seated, some of that disappears. It is, nonetheless, a good cartridge. Feeding is only an issue if your gunsmith isn't up to the task.

Bottom line: If you want a 7mm, look for another rifle on which to base your choice. Starting with a .223 requires a lot of work ($$$).

I know Savage99 doesn't particularly care for the Ackley cartridges, and I respect that. It's just that I've had very good luck with them, and they make for a very sexy looking cartridge.

C-Roy,
Let me humbly add a couple of things. I shoot the 7-08AI with a Shilen barrel. Actually I have had a couple of 7-08AIs. What each of the other posters have said is true on most all issues. I wanted to shoot the 140s as well but my current rifle just wouldn't exceed about 2950fps so I sought alternative bullets that would perform as well yet give me the speed I was looking for for the best trajectory. In Nov I took the 7-08AI to Montana using the 127gr Groove Bullet. I could push it at 3200 and the terminal performance was outstanding. I killed 3 deer with the bullet at 145yds, 250yds and 260yds, got exits on all three after going thru heavy bone and destruction very similar to 140Nosler BTs. I said all that to say, if you want the 7-08AI go for it,yes there's a cost involved but in my opinion its worth it,especially with the various bullets available. The Groove bullets made the round perform as if I had used a much larger bullet. Opening the bolt face and installing a Sako type extractor isn't that expensive when you are doing the other work as well.

Go for it!

Bill

Interesting...

I would sell the model 70 in 223, and buy a model 70 in 7wsm, which is shorter than the 7x57, and clobbers the pack in velocity.

I have yet to see a wsm that didn't shoot submoa from the factory.

i would imagine one could get 400-450 for the 233.. and then could buy a supershadow in 7wsm from wallyworld for 379... btw, as much as I hate synthetic stocks, the supershadow is a nice one... I put one from a 300 wsm on a 708, and a featherweight stock on the 300 for a friend.

anyway, you can get a wood stock on ebay for less than $100.

so, let's look at if you rebarreled.

1: 375 from pacnor for the barrel, headspacing, and
2: 75 for the action work and bolt face
3: 100 for bluing

WOW buddy, that's 550 for a 379$ gun.

jeffe

i have a 7x57 ackley and would recomend one highly,but i don't think the 223 mag is long enough.with a 24 in. douglas barrel i chrony'ed a 175 gr winchester 2850fps.i normally shoot 139 hornadys and am very pleased with this round.good luck

The Winchester Featherweight comes in 7mm-08. GU Wholesale had them for $510 in the latest Shotgun News...



There's also a Featherweight Classic with a Shilen barrel in 7x57 on Gunsamerica:

http://www.gunsamerica.com/guns/976378029.htm