Lads,

An acquaintance has a Savage bolt in 7/08 he won at a banquet. He doesn't reload and wonders if he should keep it (limited factory ammo??)

I told him I might be interested in buying it from him. Based on my experience with a similar rifle in 308, I'm impressed with its performance as a low priced firearm. I neatly killed a deer two years ago by placing a good shot (the rifle performed admirably per my ability to shoot).

What are your thoughts on the 7/08 caliber?? Please don't offer alternative calibers (I have many), I'm interested in your experiences and opinions on this one.

It would be used on northern whitetail and a pronghorn if I can head west at some point. To what other uses might it be used?

It seems 7mm bullets are numerous in weight and construction. Is there a good range for this caliber? I recognize that some would only be suited for the 7mag contingent.

I currently load for 243, 308 and 358 win so at least I wouldn't have to buy another shell holder (that extra $3.50 would have been a deal breaker ).

Do you have any pet loads??

Thanks in advance for your replies.

Mike

lots of ammo available - Hornady light mags are about as good as you'll find

the twist is probably right for the 140/139/138 and lighter setup

Don't worry about "7 mag" ish bullets -- they will all shoot

Now, in reality, there's LOTS of good loading data out there, and lots of bullets, and brass

Since you've had a 308, there's no meaningful difference in a 708 with 140gr bullets and a 308 with 150s

distance? As good as you can shoot, really

Mike I think if you have a 243, a 308 and a 358 you have the short action world by the tail.

I do not see the need for a 7/08.

Personally I would prefer a second 308.

quote:

Originally posted by N E 450 No2:
Mike I think if you have a 243, a 308 and a 358 you have the short action world by the tail.

I do not see the need for a 7/08.

Personally I would prefer a second 308.

This is straight stuff.....well said

i really like my 7mm-08--low recoil, hard hitting. i use 140 grain remington corelokt and have taken a blackbuck, a fallow deer, 4 sheep, a sika and a whitetail, all one shot kills ranging from 40-150 yards, nothing ran more than 30 yards after being shot. as good as a .308 in many ways, i still want one of those also. all in all, a fun rifle for hunting.

7mm-08, 7x57, excellent rounds. Anyone that dogs them, has never shot them. .308 and 7mm-08 have very little in common from an accuracy standpoint or recoil standpoint. Lets see, 7mm has a higher BC. 7mm-08 is flatter shooting. Lets see, do more w/ less bullet and have a better sight window. Yes I can see how the .308 wins. ??????

Great round. Developed by silhouette shooters who wanted less repetitive recoil than the .308 with similar delivered energy down range to tip over the iron. Great success.
I got one for my wife years ago and it's killed beau-coup deer both whitetails and mulies, antelope in large numbers( her favorite hunting) and several elk.
In my wifes rifle we shoot the 139 grain hornady interlock bullet at 2,850ish, it has a BC of .392 and an SD of .246.
A .308 shooting a "165" grain Hornady interlock shold have an upper end of 2,600ish, it has a BC of .387 and an SD of .248.
Without beating up either of these great rounds I just suggest you run those numbers on a computer ballistics program and decide which has an advantage and just how big it really is. Keep in mind your comparing a 139 grain 7MM bullet to a 165 grain .30 cal bullet.
Heck I'm bored, I'll do it for ya.
Here's the .308
Load Data
~~~~~~~~~

Name: Default Load: .308 Winchester, 165 gain hornady
Ballistic Coeff: 0.387
Bullet Weight: 165
Velocity: 2600
Target Distance: 200
Scope Height: 1.500
Temperature: 70
Altitude: 4500

Ballistic Data
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Range Elevation Velocity Energy ETA Drop Max Y 10mph Wind Deflect
0 yds -1.50 in 2600 fps 2476 fpe 0.000 sec 0.00 in -1.50 in 0.00 in
25 yds -0.05 in 2553 fps 2387 fpe 0.029 sec 0.16 in -0.56 in 0.03 in
50 yds 1.06 in 2506 fps 2300 fpe 0.059 sec 0.65 in -0.43 in 0.14 in
75 yds 1.83 in 2459 fps 2216 fpe 0.089 sec 1.49 in -0.22 in 0.38 in
100 yds 2.25 in 2413 fps 2134 fpe 0.119 sec 2.68 in 0.09 in 0.69 in
125 yds 2.30 in 2368 fps 2054 fpe 0.151 sec 4.25 in 0.50 in 1.13 in
150 yds 1.95 in 2323 fps 1977 fpe 0.183 sec 6.21 in 1.02 in 1.69 in
175 yds 1.19 in 2279 fps 1902 fpe 0.215 sec 8.57 in 1.66 in 2.37 in
200 yds 0.00 in 2235 fps 1829 fpe 0.249 sec 11.37 in 2.41 in 3.18 in
225 yds -1.62 in 2191 fps 1759 fpe 0.283 sec 14.60 in 3.29 in 4.09 in
250 yds -3.70 in 2148 fps 1691 fpe 0.318 sec 18.28 in 4.30 in 5.12 in
275 yds -6.23 in 2106 fps 1624 fpe 0.353 sec 22.43 in 5.45 in 6.25 in
300 yds -9.24 in 2064 fps 1560 fpe 0.389 sec 27.04 in 6.74 in 7.49 in
325 yds -12.73 in 2022 fps 1498 fpe 0.425 sec 32.14 in 8.19 in 8.83 in
350 yds -16.83 in 1981 fps 1438 fpe 0.463 sec 37.85 in 9.81 in 10.39 in
375 yds -21.30 in 1940 fps 1378 fpe 0.500 sec 43.93 in 11.57 in 11.91 in
400 yds -26.41 in 1899 fps 1322 fpe 0.539 sec 50.65 in 13.52 in 13.64 in
425 yds -32.18 in 1860 fps 1267 fpe 0.579 sec 58.03 in 15.69 in 15.58 in
450 yds -38.63 in 1821 fps 1215 fpe 0.620 sec 66.08 in 18.07 in 17.70 in
475 yds -45.77 in 1783 fps 1164 fpe 0.662 sec 74.84 in 20.68 in 20.01 in
500 yds -53.63 in 1745 fps 1116 fpe 0.705 sec 84.30 in 23.54 in 22.49 in

And here's the .708 139 grain.

Load Data
~~~~~~~~~

Name: .708
Ballistic Coeff: 0.392
Bullet Weight: 139
Velocity: 2850
Target Distance: 200
Scope Height: 1.500
Temperature: 70
Altitude: 4500

Ballistic Data
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Range Elevation Velocity Energy ETA Drop Max Y 10mph Wind Deflect
0 yds -1.50 in 2850 fps 2507 fpe 0.000 sec 0.00 in -1.50 in -0.00 in
25 yds -0.27 in 2801 fps 2420 fpe 0.027 sec 0.14 in -0.57 in 0.05 in
50 yds 0.68 in 2752 fps 2337 fpe 0.054 sec 0.55 in -0.46 in 0.19 in
75 yds 1.35 in 2703 fps 2255 fpe 0.081 sec 1.25 in -0.28 in 0.42 in
100 yds 1.71 in 2655 fps 2176 fpe 0.109 sec 2.26 in -0.02 in 0.72 in
125 yds 1.77 in 2608 fps 2099 fpe 0.138 sec 3.56 in 0.32 in 1.11 in
150 yds 1.51 in 2561 fps 2024 fpe 0.167 sec 5.19 in 0.75 in 1.58 in
175 yds 0.93 in 2515 fps 1952 fpe 0.196 sec 7.13 in 1.27 in 2.12 in
200 yds 0.00 in 2469 fps 1881 fpe 0.226 sec 9.43 in 1.89 in 2.79 in
225 yds -1.27 in 2423 fps 1813 fpe 0.257 sec 12.07 in 2.60 in 3.51 in
250 yds -2.91 in 2378 fps 1746 fpe 0.288 sec 15.08 in 3.43 in 4.36 in
275 yds -4.96 in 2334 fps 1681 fpe 0.320 sec 18.49 in 4.37 in 5.34 in
300 yds -7.41 in 2290 fps 1618 fpe 0.352 sec 22.31 in 5.43 in 6.44 in
325 yds -10.29 in 2247 fps 1558 fpe 0.386 sec 26.55 in 6.63 in 7.66 in
350 yds -13.60 in 2204 fps 1498 fpe 0.419 sec 31.23 in 7.95 in 8.99 in
375 yds -17.35 in 2161 fps 1441 fpe 0.454 sec 36.35 in 9.42 in 10.43 in
400 yds -21.56 in 2119 fps 1385 fpe 0.489 sec 41.93 in 11.03 in 11.98 in
425 yds -26.24 in 2077 fps 1331 fpe 0.525 sec 47.97 in 12.78 in 13.63 in
450 yds -31.38 in 2036 fps 1279 fpe 0.561 sec 54.48 in 14.70 in 15.38 in
475 yds -37.20 in 1995 fps 1229 fpe 0.599 sec 61.67 in 16.83 in 17.39 in
500 yds -43.25 in 1955 fps 1179 fpe 0.636 sec 69.08 in 19.05 in 19.27 in

Look at the drop, energy and wind drift at 500 yards for both rounds. Ballistics, not personal opinion. Oh, with the faster 150 in the .308 it gets worse, honest.
That's why the 7MM-08 is so popular.

And if you buy itand want to reload for it, get some VARGET and your choice of bullets! The combo will work and not beat the dog doo-doo out of you shooting it a whole lot!!Accuracy will be very pleasing also!!GHD

I just reread the original post and wanted to add that as to powders WW760 will probably be the fastest if your rifle likes it which a fair number don't seem to (when the .708 first came out they claimed the factory rounds were a non-canister grade of 760). I've had real good luck with Varget as well as H414 (a bit temp sensitive for me) and IMR4350. The standard load I shoot is either that 139 grain Hornady interlock (read"cheap bullet"), the 154 Speer (also cheap bullet) and we also have a great load for shorter ranges and lottsa thump using IMR4350, and the 160 grain Speer Mag Tip (once again, cheap bullet ) at a bit over 2,600fps.
I shot a big Mulie buck with that 160 grain load at about 180 yards (wife's nice, she lets me use it when she ain't looking ). It was a bit above me looking down and quartering toward me just a titch. I didn't want to whack a shoulder so I aimed just behind his left shoulder that was facing me. That Mag Tip traversed the entire length of that big buck at an angle and exited at the top of his off side rear ham. As they say he moved 2 feet...straight down. Hits a ton!! Great timber elk round.
Be careful of the 120's and 130's unless you like to make your hamburger in the field, real meat choppers.
Lot of choices both in projectiles and propellants, real easy round to load for.

quote:

Originally posted by groundhog devastation:
And if you buy itand want to reload for it, get some VARGET and your choice of bullets! The combo will work and not beat the dog doo-doo out of you shooting it a whole lot!!Accuracy will be very pleasing also!!GHD

Hey amigo, long time no see. We was typing at the same time and both agree on Varget I see.

P.S.
Michael as to the Savage itself I worked up loads in a 110 economy version as memory serves for my nephew. Rifle was a 3/4 to 1 inch 3 shot group rifle but the bore was sure rough to start and needed a fair bit of break-in to facilitate cleaning. After a bit of shooting it was quite consistent around 3/4 inch. I was real impressed with how it shot compared to what it cost. Lotta bang for the buck as it were .

Lads,

Your responses are a TREASURE TROVE!!!

I hope many others interested in this caliber read and take note of your excellent responses!!

The 7/08 would simply give me one more choice for deer hunting, and also as a backup for my hunting companions (someone always has a gun/scope/ammo..."uhhh, I forgot my ammo" problem). Besides, you golfers... how many clubs do you own???

Reloading through the long UP winters is a form of therapy for my troubled mind, so working up loads for another gun counts as a mental health exercise.

I won't quote the loads at this point, but I did use one IMR powder and bullets from 110 to 165gr to determine variables in trajectory and group size through the Savage 308 (the point was to find a "panacea" powder for this caliber). All printed close to my 150gr standard load!! All were from 1.5" (the 110gr) to about 1" on the stump about 100yds from my back porch. These were perhaps the first 50 rounds through that barrel.

In the days when a lot of folks (myself included) bought Stevens 311 SXS 12ga shotguns for $49.95 from Sears, they served us dependably well. It seems the new Savage/Stevens bolt guns are now carrying on that fine reputation for utility. The "ugly mutt" that really hunts.

Again, thanks for all your in-depth analyses. If I do obtain that rifle, I'll certainly print off many of your comments!! Also, I hope others derive knowledge from your shared experiences and thoughts - on their behalf, I thank you as well.

I'll let you know what transpires.

Mike

I wouldn't limit the 7-08 to just a deer gun, either. Friends of mine go to South Africa regulaly and the wife shoots everything plains-game wise with her 7-08. I think everything but her Eland, in fact.

The 7-08 and the 7x57 are so close to each other the difference is negligible.
I only have 7x57's currently, and they are just perfect of my hunting as well as my kids who both have them.
H-414 is THE powder with 140 grain Partitions. Accuracy is dependant in part on individual rifles, but always good enough to kill Deer, instantly.
Also, I can consider my newest 7x57 as a great varmint rifle, with either 100 grain Sierra HP's, or Speer's 110 grain TNT. Both bullets shoot 3 shots into less than 1/2" groups at 100 yards with a 20x scope I use for load testing.
Have never experimented with any heavier bullets than the 140's with 7x57's. Heavier 7mm bullets are for my 7mm Mag, and a 284 I have.
VIVA 7mm rifles!!!

Don

N E 450.. if you had a 7-08 you would not need the .243 or .308
presonally i would buy a second .260 or another 7-08

MICHAEL, yes.. the 7-08 is a great round.. it will take anything from small white tail to elk, given the right load.[[ i have killed a couple of beavers in the pond with it..]] i like RL-15 with the 140 sierra btsp.. this is a very accurate load,.. at 2940 fps.

I prefer the 7-08 to the .308. In 30 caliber, I want a 30-06. For me, it's which case for a range of bullet weights; for 130 to 150 gr., 7-08. In the 160 to 200 gr., my choice is 30-06. Below 130 gr., 257 Roberts (with a 1-9 twist).

As previously stated the 7x57 and the 7-08 are almost identical. I've taken over 50 hogs and northern whitetails, and antelope with the 7x57. Mostly with 139 or 140gr. bullets, but finally settled on the sierra 150 gr. spitzer soft-point as my favorite for deer and hogs and the 139 hornady for antelope. The 130 speer is also an excellent antelope or small deer bullet. IMR 4350 has been a favorite powder in the 7x57, but were i to start loading for the 7-08 i would try H-414 or ww760 (the same powder except for lot to lot differences), or varget. If you buy this rifle i don't think you will regret it. Good luck.

Why it's just plain F%^&*#@ magic. In a class all by itself.Nothing else can fill the bill. roger

nope,, just a damn fine caliber for those who don't mind hunting rather than sniping.

BUY! Fantastic cartridge.

With my all time favorite round being a 7X57 I haven't seen any need for a 7/08 myself. But I do see it's appeal. It's a very popular round here.

Terry

7x57, 708, 284, 280 ...
like 8x67, 308, 303 (either) 300 save, 3006 .. no REAL difference in ANY of them, as campared to any .. 7x57 and 30-06, in the hands of a skilled shooter, will take nearly any game you can imagine.. and deer/elk/hogs, no problem

In the previous nosler book, Doug Shilen has high praise for the 708

My wife's ONLY centerfire rifle is a 708 with 100gr hornady HPs.. that rifle has taken hogs, rams, deer, exotics, and bb .. not always with her driving, as that is the "favorite" rifle of several rifle-less friends

For some reason here in the States we've never been to excited about rounds measured in MM with the possible exception of the 7 Mag. IMO both the 6.5 and 7MM's with their long for caliber bullets and high sectional densities are fantastic rounds that kill bigger than they ought to. But then IMO just about every round out there is fantastic in it's own right and if it goes BANG I like it.
Kenny Jarrett made his name by Ackley Improving the .280 into a 7 Mag-lite (great round, always wanted one).
All that said when I ain't sneaking off with the wife's 6 1/2 lb .08 all I big game hunt with here in Montana is a tweaked BDL .300 Win Mag pushing a 190 Hornady interlock at 3,000ish+ fps, go figure.

Lads,

Even if my buddy doesn't sell me his rifle, I am now compelled to buy one in that caliber!!!

I'm retired and the wife and I live rather frugally (hunt, fish, gather, wear skins and communicate in grunts and gestures). This leaves me with a few exta dollars for guns and ammo (the lower priced guns w/the right loads have served me quite well - ergo my interest in the Savage).

The wife is well disposed to my gun ownership ("Are you SURE you don't need another gun safe to hold all your new guns?" she asked the other day). The nearest state/county police are 30 miles away, so she is competent in self defense as well.

Back on point (I do tend to digress). This is all great information you have provided and will add to the general knowledge base not just for this cartridge, but also as an exercise in civil discourse. I will keep you updated.

I should know this coming week if my friend is amenable to the deal.

Mike

If the deal falls through I've got a Savage 7-08 barrel I pulled off a Stevens 200 after only 20 rounds put through it. $50. plus shipping and you got a start. roger

Shoot some Bergers in the 7mm-08 and you'll whoop the 308...

I'm a huge fan of the 7mm08. You'll note that anyone who doesn't like them doesn't actually own one and hasn't shot one. Low recoil and awesome killing power. What's not to like? I've killed piles of whitetails, hogs and other varmints with mine. My dad liked mine so much he bought himself one. We've NEVER had one go more than 10yds. You can hunt nearly anything in North America besides grizzly.

Almost as good as the 7X57mm, but not quite!

quote:

Originally posted by El Deguello:
Almost as good as the 7X57mm, but not quite!

X2, roger

I foresee a problem. If you buy that 7/08 when will you ever use the 308?

When someone asks me whats a good deer, black bear, antelope, cartridge i answer the 7-08, and i dont even own one!

In all reality, any of the 308 based cartridges are good especially with the bullets we have today.

The .260 and 7-08 offer a perfect blend of low recoil, excellent accuracy, and usually portable and light rifles, what more could a person ask for????.....

quote:

Originally posted by vines:
N E 450.. if you had a 7-08 you would not need the .243 or .308
presonally i would buy a second .260 or another 7-08

vines

I started using the 308 over 30 years ago when I began High Power Rifle Sillhoute matches.

I then started hunting with it, [actually even as a kid I deer hunted once with my dads 308].

Later I used the 308 as a work gun and also in IPSC 3 Gun, NRA High Power Service Rifle, Palma, and Any Any.

It has become my most favorite General Purpose round.

Anything that can be done with the 243 through the 30/06, I can do with the 308.

However that does not take anything away from the 7/08 or the 6.5x55, 270, 7x57, etc. for that matter.

They are all fine cartridges.

Well put N E. At the end of the day, it boils down to a matter of which caliber one feels most comfortable with.

quote:

Originally posted by N E 450 No2:
[QUOTE]I started using the 308 over 30 years ago when I began High Power Rifle Sillhoute matches.

I then started hunting with it, [actually even as a kid I deer hunted once with my dads 308].

Later I used the 308 as a work gun and also in IPSC 3 Gun, NRA High Power Service Rifle, Palma, and Any Any.

It has become my most favorite General Purpose round.

Anything that can be done with the 243 through the 30/06, I can do with the 308.

However that does not take anything away from the 7/08 or the 6.5x55, 270, 7x57, etc. for that matter.

They are all fine cartridges.

7mm-08 is the caliber that the 308 case was made for. I like, you have 243,308 ,358 and 7mm08. It is my go to everytime. Funny story: I went to Elk camp 10 years ago +/- and my uncle asked me what I was doing with the little gun.(model 7) I told him it was going to shoot the first elk of the hunt. Made bet. He was gutting my Elk just after 8am the next morning. Next year funny thing everyone had smaller lite guns.

You can use it for pretty much anything. It is a 7x57 without the history.

I'm with most here in that I think the 708 is probably in the top 2 of the 308 based cartridges (to me the 308 is #1). I have used a 708 for deer and black bear with 120 gr. X-bullets, 139 gr. Interlocks, and 150 gr. Partitions. You just need to decide whether you want to get involved with another caliber for reloading. I already had a 7mm RM and a 280, so I didn't have to gear up much for the 708. If you decide to reload, Varget, H414, H380, and RL15 are good places to start.

quote:

Originally posted by bartsche:

quote:

Originally posted by El Deguello:
Almost as good as the 7X57mm, but not quite!

X2, roger

Well, your right.

It ain't no 7X57 but what else are you gonna do with a bunch of empty .308 cases and .284 bullets?



Terry

quote:

Originally posted by TC1:
Well, your right.

It ain't no 7X57 but what else are you gonna do with a bunch of empty .308 cases and .284 bullets?





Terry

Is this a test? roger

When two rounds are as close in performance as the 7X57 and the 7MM.08 (as in near identical) why does one always have to be better?
Why can't we all just get along?
I'll have one of each please with a side order of .358 ala .308/.260. Oh and a .257 Roberts for desert !