HBC Members Thoughts on 7mm-08 Capabilty

[4x4]

Hello,

Even though I have researched this online I thought I would post a few questions on this forum since there is a lot of knowledgeable and experienced people on this site.

I am buying a new Savage XP Hunter 7mm - 08 from my brother that got the rifle for a great price at the Nanaimo Wholesale Sports Auction. The rifle has been bore sighted but I need to sight in the scope. Hopefully I'll get that done in the next month. I havent shot it yet.

If I had my way I would of bought a 30-06 or 270 but I have chronic pain and the recoil would be to much. I don't want to go the muzzle brake route so that is why I settled on the 7mm-08.

I'm new to hunting and have only gone out twice. Success both times. What a rush.

We will be going to the Kootenays again this fall for our deer/elk hunt. I know the 7mm-08 is a good deer calibre and have read that it will take Elk down no problem in the right situation. Currently I'm not interested in taking long shots. Approx 150 yards and less is good enough for me.

I know this is pretty general question but is this calibre in your opinions good enough for Elk or even feral pigs? I currently have a box of 139 grains bullets.

Thx

[Fella]

Use a quality bullet and you'll be good to go

[dracb]

Without getting into splitting hairs 7mm-08 is about the same thing ballistically as a 7X57 and like any of the other centerfires that send a 130 -180 grain bullet down range at more than 2200 fps it will kill anything that you hit in the right place given a suitable bullet. The point blank range will be a little shorter than a faster cartridge with a flatter trajectory. That just means you have to get a little closer unless you learn to measure distance and the correct holdover for the various distances. Going back to back to hitting the right spot you are almost always better off getting closer.

[Citori54]

I have a 7-08 and load 140 grain Nosler Accubond 2800 fps. Deadly accurate, great for deer and lots of people have taken elk and moose with similar load in this caliber.

[steel_ram]

7-08 is a great cartridge. No problem for moose or elk. I'd pick it over a 270.

[rocksteady]

bought one last summer... same model

killed my elk at 425 yards no problem using factory 139 Fusion ammo..

also killed 2 whitetails...

its a sweet shooting gun..

[Bear Chaser]

Dandy cartridge for feral hogs if you can find some.
I would imagine they aren't any tougher than a bear of similar weight. You won't be undergunned for elk either. Shot placement is most important. Shooting a rifle you are comfortable with will allow you to do it right.

[todbartell]

7-08 is very suitable for any BC hunting situation. With a premium 140gr class bullet it will do anything a 30-06 with 180gr soft points can do, which is saying a lot. Hell even with generic soft points like a 139gr Hornady Interlock, it will do a great job. Look no further than the track record of it's ballistic twin, the 7x57 Mauser

buddy of mine took his moose last fall with one shot at 300 yards with a 120gr TTSX. Dropped in its tracks

[mastercaster]

7-08 is very suitable for any BC hunting situation. With a premium 140gr class bullet it will do anything a 30-06 with 180gr soft points can do, which is saying a lot. Hell even with generic soft points like a 139gr Hornady Interlock, it will do a great job. Look no further than the track record of it's ballistic twin, the 7x57 Mauser

buddy of mine took his moose last fall with one shot at 300 yards with a 120gr TTSX. Dropped in its tracks

That is the bullet I'm shooting out of my 7-08,,,,,,close to 3000 fps and deadly accurate over Varget. I shot 3 of the 4 animals I got last year using it. They were all under 150 yards, though, but I know it is a capable at much greater distances than that. It has become my go to rifle now because it's so much fun to shoot! Using fast travelling TTSX you can take the shoulder out of any animal in BC except a grizzly,,,,,and eat right to the hole.

[Fisher-Dude]

Bartell sold me a sweet 7/08 for the wife. It is a great killin' machine.

She has dumped bears and whitetails with it, all one shot/dead kills.

140 grain CoreLokts. Minimal meat damage and good hitting power. Some day I'll probably load some 140 Accubonds for it, but she doesn't use many bullets per year with all those one shot kills!

I'd thump a moose or elk in the lungs with it and expect a dead animal in short order.

[Fella]

EDIT: dangit looks like Gatehouse took his vid down.

[Gateholio]

Oh< I thought the link didn't work, so I deleted it! :)

Bottom line is that my buddy shot a very big Island elk with his 7-08, I helped him work up a load with 145gr LRX and it was a one shot kill. PG66 filmed it, great bull.

So the 7-08, often dismissed as a "ladies gun" is a real killer. And why wouldn't it be? It's only slightly smaller in diameter than a .308 and the .308 and .303 are proven killers of big game in Canada.

[Firstblood]

Just got myself a 7-08 on a trade with a guy on here, Its beautiful gun and have only heard great things as far as the caliber goes, lots of factory ammo for it. WS had a good selection but CT had better selection and way better price for the same boxes, 10 bucks cheaper in some cases, CT has really stepped up their game in the loops.

[REMINGTON JIM]

I have shot game with the 7-08 and the 308 and I LOVE both cartridges ! The 7-08 has ways killed well for me ! I used to use a 140 Partition but have now changed over to a 120 TTSX :wink: RJ

[Fella]

Oh< I thought the link didn't work, so I deleted it! :)

Bottom line is that my buddy shot a very big Island elk with his 7-08, I helped him work up a load with 145gr LRX and it was a one shot kill. PG66 filmed it, great bull.

So the 7-08, often dismissed as a "ladies gun" is a real killer. And why wouldn't it be? It's only slightly smaller in diameter than a .308 and the .308 and .303 are proven killers of big game in Canada.
Link worked fine, beautiful bull!

[swampthing]

Its a pretty big caliber but its good to have lots of gun!

[4x4]

I have shot game with the 7-08 and the 308 and I LOVE both cartridges ! The 7-08 has ways killed well for me ! I used to use a 140 Partition but have now changed over to a 120 TTSX :wink: RJ


Thanks for the feedback everyone. Much appreciated.

RJ,
Why did you change to a lighter bullet?

[mastercaster]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. Much appreciated.

RJ,
Why did you change to a lighter bullet?

Probably for a few reasons. Since the 120 gr. TTSX retains almost a hundred percent of it's original weight upon impact it's like shooting a cup and core or bonded bullet that is 20-30 gr,. heavier,,,,,, BUT you you get GREATER velocity, no lead contaminents in the meat, you can eat right up to the hole (little or no meat damage), and the TTSX are as accurate as hell!

Anyway,,,,that's why I made the switch.

[Fisher-Dude]

And when that little 120 mono fails to expand and pencils through, we'll hear "Any suggestions on a good scope? I shot at a huge buck yesterday and missed. Must be my shitty scope. Can't believe I missed, I was holding dead on."

[HappyJack]

And when that little 120 mono fails to expand and pencils through, we'll hear "Any suggestions on a good scope? I shot at a huge buck yesterday and missed. Must be my shitty scope. Can't believe I missed, I was holding dead on."

Funny you mention that, a buddy of mine was livid that he lost a nice bull elk because the bullet 'penciled through', not sure how he figured that as he never recovered the bull, but he swore to never use them again.

[Ron.C]

I bought a 7mm-08 last year. My intention is to use it as my main hunting rifle. Ive shot it out to 400 yards on the range and am really happy with it's accuracy. I have it topped with a Leupold 4.5x14 cds scope, but rarely go beyond 10x.My hanloads are 140 gr TTSX's over 41 gr of IMR 4064. I'm getting 2750 fps. I shoot Lapua brass and seat the bullets .050 off the lands as per Barnes recommendation. This puts my Coal a little over Sammi but the rounds still fit the magazine and cycle well. I've only taken two whitetail with it this far. Both were broadside lung shots under 50 yards. Never recovered either bullet but was happy with the performance and damage the bullets did. Neither deer went more than 10 yards.

My rifle is the remington mountain stainless and it's easy to carry with very low recoil. I would have no hesitation to use this setup for moose and elk within reasonable ranges.

[mastercaster]

I could see a 120 gr. TTSX penciling through if you took a lung shot but the four animals I dropped last year using them I shot for bone (as suggested to me when I made the switch) and they all dropped on the spot. No complaints so far,,,,but we'll see how this year goes. No bullets recovered yet for me either.

[Salty]

ttsx penciling through - sorry, not going to happen, unless the velocity is down to 30-30 velocities (~2000 ft/s). But some like to consider all mono metal bullets including the ones with plastic tips and deep cuts to ensure expansion the same. Bufus shot a moose with a mono metal and it didn't expand! other buddy told me and he knows what he's talkin bout, you'll never see me using them thangs! funny shit...

[todbartell]

120 TTSX @ 2250 fps impact didn't pencil. Every bullet has it's own velocity window for optimum performance. Bull was shot from far side of the lake from the diminutive deer rifle, 7mm-08

https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/t51.2885-15/s750x750/sh0.08/e35/14714416_1690095137972400_5224551669445951488_n.jp g?ig_cache_key=MTM3NzIxMzMxNDczMjE0ODgyNQ%3D%3D.2

[Salmon Belly]

Hey wait is that mullet boy making yet another appearance??

[RackStar]

So buy a Kimber Montana in a 7mm-08, load it with 120ttsx or 140NP and go hunt all of BC?

would this be a bad choice for a everything but grizzly gun?

Anyone using the 7mm-08 as their only rifle in bc?

maybe add a 45-70 for the thick timber in high grizzly populated areas and I see a pretty good 2 rifle combo.

[Rieber]

7mm-08 will work well on Sundays but ideally you have a different rifle for every day of the week. I mean, c'mon, different days need different calibers. And don't get me started on September .22's vs the October .22's - very different indeed.

For a one-gun, the 7mm-08 is a wonderful choice. I think after having the opportunity to shoot a .300WSM for a bit, this would now be my one-gun choice, or a .270 or a ...

I would likely be better off with just one gun - I mean the wife would be much happier and I guess that's important.

But as long as I still have places in the house to hide new rifles from my wife, I'll keep on buying until I find "THE" rifle.

What more can I say, I like banging different rifles.

[twoSevenO]

Randy newberg shoots a 7mm08 and has MANY videos on YouTube showing everything from sitka blacktail to elk being taken with his 7mm08

[albravo2]

Its funny, on a lot of forums you get flamed for posting a question that has been answered before but we seem to have an insatiable appetite for discussing calibers, cartridges, bullets and trucks.

Carry on!

[REMINGTON JIM]

LOL albravo2 WE can't seem to get enough RIGHT answers so we keep asking ! :-P :lol: RJ

[RackStar]

Well my hunting seasons over.. time to obsess about 2019 season and get a new gun!!
ive been a 300wsm 300wm 30-06 guy since day 1, but I love the 7mm bullet and can be gone with heavy recoil, just more energy hitting the tree after a pass through.

[albravo2]

LOL albravo2 WE can't seem to get enough RIGHT answers so we keep asking ! :-P :lol: RJ

Nailed it! Right on buddy.

I started a thread last month about the 2 best cartridges for BC, hoping to get a bunch of people telling me I was right with a 6.5 PRC and a 9.3x62. Then that dang WF started yapping off about some new 300 PRC and all of a sudden I'm researching a new build. If you guys would just tell me what I want to hear I'd save a pile of dough!

[Darksith]

Can't go wrong with the 7/08 or the 6.5 creed

[Weatherby Fan]

Nailed it! Right on buddy.

I started a thread last month about the 2 best cartridges for BC, hoping to get a bunch of people telling me I was right with a 6.5 PRC and a 9.3x62. Then that dang WF started yapping off about some new 300 PRC and all of a sudden I'm researching a new build. If you guys would just tell me what I want to hear I'd save a pile of dough!

Sorry buddy but having just two rifles/cartridges is just silly talk but only having a 6.5 PRC and 300 PRC is a pretty good tandem, don’t worry about the money Al, you can’t it take with you so enjoy it while your here I say. :mrgreen:

[albravo2]

don’t worry about the money Al, you can’t it take with you so enjoy it while your here I say. :mrgreen:

My sentiments exactly. My mom (84) recently said that she wanted a brand new fancy walker because she and dad saved their whole lives for comfortable golden years. Me, I'll take a crappy used walker off craigslist when I'm 84 and I'll enjoy these days right now.

Love your signature line... take that RJ and Gatehouse!

[Salty]

Its funny, on a lot of forums you get flamed for posting a question that has been answered before but we seem to have an insatiable appetite for discussing calibers, cartridges, bullets and trucks.

Carry on!

30 is kinda boring but sure works, 6.5 is cool and 7mm is a decent bet too, keep it simple stay with the -08 family, ttsx is your huckleberry and an F150 will get you there passing the stuck chevys and broke down rams along the way. You're welcome.

[REMINGTON JIM]

My little " BUDDY " is getting a little bit out of LINE sayin the New King is the 300 PRC ! :-P lol RJ

[Weatherby Fan]

My little " BUDDY " is getting a little bit out of LINE sayin the New King is the 300 PRC ! :-P lol RJ

little ? Your the only one calling me little ! Must have R26 in those eyes ! I run into a cpl old Fisherman in Rupert today, first words out of there mouth was geez you’ve put on a few LBs, nice to see you guys to :oops:

The reamer for the 300 PRC is sitting my mailbox so looking forward to that build, Stiller Predator Action 8) Barrel to be determined !

yes the 7mm-08 is an excellent cartridge, one of if not the best SA cartridges ever produced.

[303savage]

it will kill anything that you hit in the right place given a suitable bullet