7mm08-308?

I have been away from bolt action rifles for along time. Used lever rifles for several years now. Looking to get a Savage bolt action, Savage is what I'd had years ago. I've had 270 and 308 calibers, my shoulder isn't so good anymore but I want something bigger than a 243. considering a 7mm-08. How much difference is the recoil from the 308, which is what I was planning to go with but could change to the 7-08? I have been using a Marlin 30-30 and 44 mag and had used a 45-70 before my shoulder injury. Looking for a little more reach for whitetail hunting. Recoil was not an issue until a shoulder injury two years ago. The 45-70 in mid-level loads really make it ouch now. 30-30 and 44 mag are o.k., traditional 45-70 loads are alright too as long as I don't shoot a full box at a time.Thanks for opinions.

I like to 7-08, especially 140's.

I rate the recoil as healthy, but a brake sure tames that in a hurry.

Larry
Tinkerer

A 7mm-08 shoots a lighter bullet with about the same sectional density (a 140 gr 7 mm and a 165 gr .308 have the same sd) as a .308 at about the same velocity using about the same powder charge so it will recoil less.

As an example assume two 8 pound rifles, one shooting a 140 gr 7 mm bullet and the other a 165 gr .308 bullet both at 2800 fps. The 7mm-08 will have 14.0 ft-lbs of recoil energy and the .308 will have 17.5 ft-lbs. That's a noticable difference.

BTW, a .243 shooting a 100 gr bullet (slightly lower sd than either of the above) at 3000 fps in the same 8 pound rifle will have 9 ft-lbs of recoil. However, the .243 is considered a marginal deer and black bear cartridge while no one thinks the 7 mm is.

I know this wasn't the question, but have you considered a .260Rem? I wouldn't hesitate to shoot any deer with it with a 130-140gr. good bullet. It should recoil less than the 7mm-08.

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Originally Posted by savageboy

I know this wasn't the question, but have you considered a .260Rem? I wouldn't hesitate to shoot any deer with it with a 130-140gr. good bullet. It should recoil less than the 7mm-08.

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Correct, a 120 grain .264 bullet (same sd as the other examples) in the same weight rifle at the same velocity will indeed recoil less and the .260/6.5 mm round is a more than adequate deer rifle but I don't think Savage chambers any of their rifles in .260 Rem so the point is moot unless you want to recommend another make of rifle.

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Originally Posted by savageboy

have you considered a .260Rem? I wouldn't hesitate to shoot any deer with it with a 130-140gr. good bullet. It should recoil less than the 7mm-08.

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The .260 should recoil less than the .308 but in equal weight rifles the .260 has more recoil than the 6.5x55 or the .243 according to Precision Shooting Magazine's article several years ago.

7mm-08 and a 308 with the same weight bullet, same velocity will have about the same recoil.
7mm-08 is a good round, but it has some recoil. I like the 162gr amaxes in 7mm.

Have you tried using a .308 Barnes 110 gr TSX in a reduced load. That should recoil about like a 243.
Great bullets too.

I swear by the 85gr and 110gr barnes bullets in the 6.8 spc for hogs.

BTW that is a real good round too for hogs and deer and very light recoil. Less than a 243.
About as good as it gets as far as knockdown power vs recoil.
3 bullets.
85 gr or 110 gr barnes for hogs.
110 gr prohunters for deer. SSA has good ammo.

My dad is 88 years old, had shoulder operations on both shoulders. He tried out my ar15 in 6.8 spc and like it so much he bought a mini14 in 6.8 spc. He could not get used to the AR15 straight stock and odd shouldering, but wanted a semi auto.

I think the lightest bullet for 7mm-08 would be 120 gr.

Other than that, probably your best bet would be a 6.5mm something or other and a limbsaver pad.
If you cant handle that add a past pad too.

Still to much get a brake, but save that for last.

If you got a bad shoulder and hunt within 300-400 yards IMO a 6.8 spc is the way to go.

6.5 grendel is a good one too, but not as many light bullets. Harder to find ammo for.
Its actually a slightly modified 6.5 PPC.

Thanks for the replies. First, my shoulder is not to the point that everything is a problem. I notice a big difference though from 30-30/44 mag recoil to traditional 45-70 loads and a big difference to mid-level 45-70 stuff. Prior to the shoulder injury none of this was a problem. I want to enjoy shooting, not grit my teeth with every shot. I did think of the .260, but I didn't think Savage offered it and I'm a left hand shooter, so other companies offerings are thin outside of the basic calibers. I liked my Savage rifles in the past, so figured I'd stay that route. I have thought about the .243, but I have used larger calibers so long now,.30 and bigger that it looks so small. Not very scientific, and it probably would be a good selection. Thanks again for the opinions.

You should take a look at the 7X57 it has killed everything walking in africa for many years including elephants if the recoil is a little much put a break on it. No one will tell you this is not enough gun to hunt even moose or bears or anything in the USA or Canada.

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Originally Posted by greyowl

I did think of the .260, but I didn't think Savage offered it and I'm a left hand shooter

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That's one of the best things about a savage- if they don't sell what you need, make it. Changing barrels is about as hard as tying your shoes. You can go get a left hand savage in .243 or .308 in the configuration you like, unscrew the barrel, and screw on any .260 barrel you want (I believe that is what Savageboy was talking about). There are plenty of makers and contours to choose from. And you could keep the .243/.308 barrel for later, or sell it. Some guys on here change barrels more often than they change their underwear.

Yeah what he said!

An 80 gr barnes tipped bullet in a 243 should down about any hog or deer.

I too have an injured shoulder......any of the calibers will do. It's shot placement rather than some magic bullet. Since I mainly hunt deer, hogs and coyotes.......I have gone to the .243. The recoil is very manageable......70-85 grain for varmints......and 95-up grain for deer and hogs. Very accurate!

Just my 2 cents
Pop

I will add the magic bullet for hogs is the barnes TSX, especially tipped.
A hog is one tough animal and the bullet of choice over at the 6.8 spc forum for hogs is the 85 gr barnes tsx at about 3000 fps.

Now that bullet has a SD of .158 which is not much.

Way to low for hogs in a normal jacketed bullet.

When they came out HTR over there who guides and sells hog hunts did a lot of testing. Almost 100% of the tests, and almost all of his hunts since, he gets full body penetration with those bullets.

I personally prefer the 110 gr tipped bullet at about 2600-2700. SD of .2
I have shot a number of hogs with the 110 gr TSX and it blows right through them like a freight train.

I have never had one hog run more than 20 yards after getting slammed with one of those.

Devistating bullet for hogs. A real sledgehammer.

That said I did hunt last year for whitetails and they are really an overkill for small deer.

A 6mm 80 gr TSX tipped bullet does not open up as big as a 277 bullet, but it has a SD of about .2 also so it will do the job too. I intend to load some up for my dads 243 sometime soon.

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Originally Posted by tammons

7mm-08 and a 308 with the same weight bullet, same velocity will have about the same recoil.
7mm-08 is a good round, but it has some recoil. I think the lightest bullet for 7mm-08 would be 120 gr.

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That's correct but the 7 mm doesn't need the same bullet weight to have the same ballistics. My example of a 140 gr 7 mm having the same sectional density as a 165 gr .308 bullet is indicative. A 120 gr 7mm has the same sectional density as a 142 gr .308 and the recoil difference would be similar in the 7 mm's favor.

I was talking more simple killing power vs recoil via barnes bullets and in that case the SD/BC does not mean so much unless he is hunting at over 300 yards. Past 300 then BC become more important to me at least.
Yes the 7mm BC beats 308, same weight bullet, but so does the 6.5 beat the 7mm, 6mm beats the 6.5mm etc.

I switched from a 9 LBS. 300 WM to a 7.5 LBS 7-08 for deer hunting 5 years ago. I have shot several large body mule deer at between 300 and 400 yrds. The furthest one has gone was about 30 yrds. I shoot 139 interlocks, and with a good recoil pad would call the recoil mild. I then found a sweet Rem 700 MTN Guide (made for Cabelas) in 308. With a 3.5-10 VX3 it weights 6.75 LBS. I shoot 150 Sierra GK and the recoil is much more noticable. Enough more that the gun is not any fun to shoot from the bench. I then loaded some 180 Accubond to take it as my back up elk gun last year. This was very unpleasant. The 308 with be getting a 7-08 or 260 barrel when funds allow.

Thanks for the feedback. I'm a woods hunter, so real long range shooting is at the range only. I'd say a 200 yard shot is the max I'd experience. Just would like to get a good accurate bolt rifle again that won't beat up my less than solid shoulder, that will make a good deer/blackbear rifle. I see a few used 308's around and a 243 now and then, not many 7mm-08's though. Though a new Savage is not a bank breaker so may go that route. Thanks again, I'll report back when the new rig is all set up.

Man, I'm glad to hear someone else complaining about recoil. Shooting 180 grain loads in my 30-06 is not a joy, and anything heavier than that is just painful.

I'm just griping. I have nothing of value to add to this conversation.

For 200 yards, just buy reduced recoil rounds. Or load 100gr Nosler Partitions in a .243, they'll take any deer thats ever walked. My .308 weighs just over seven pounds with scope and five rounds. I had a Limbsaver pad installed, now I can shoot 20 rounds and not be sore at all.

I have a 7mm-08 and love it. But for good all around round ie..... varmints, deer, etc... I have and prefer a .257 Roberts. a 117 grain bullet will take care of them... and the recoil is minimual. I even have a synthetic stock on mine. The gun is a savage model 10. I even cut the barrel to 19". very light reciol. I don't shoot the other caliburs because of the recoil..

7mm-08

In my humble opinion, I see the 7m-08 singing a little song to the .308...

"everything you can do I can do better"

You will never notice a difference between the two rounds till you start pushing out past 300yrds, when the .308 starts dropping faster than the 7mm-08. I am not bashing the .308, but there are better rounds out there for doing the same job...but none will be as easy to russle up a factory load in a pinch. 7mm-08 will also cost more for factory rounds... trust me on this. Recoil for the two are damn near the same on my beat up shoulder, and if you are shooting one or two rounds in a weekend of hunting you will NEVER know the difference. The .243 will be much less recoil, but the bullet choices are less than those found in the 7mm, and 7.62mm families, especially in factory loads. Personally I would get the lefty in .243 if you are confident in your shot placement, or the 7mm-08 if you want a bit more margin for error. Grab a .308 if you can have it cheaper than both.

In addition to the Barnes offerings (2, the 85gr TSX and the 80gr Tipped TSX) for the 243 Nosler now has an offering in the same class. It's the new 90gr Etip http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct...tNumber=179647. I have some of these loaded in my 308 but have not shot them yet. Mainly cause I've been moving and house building since feb. When time permits, I will load the Etip in my 243 as well. AND shoot them!!! ;)