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Feb 12th, 2024
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 Re: 7-08 or 308 go to hunting rifle?
[Re: ChadTRG42]
#9170333
01/15/25 11:43 PM
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 42,840
J.G.
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 42,840 |
The best answer is necking up a 7-08 to 30 cal, and problem solved!!  The best thing that can happen to a piece of .308 Win brass is neck it down to 7mm. The next best thing is for the manufacturer to give it a small primer pocket.
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Re: 7-08 or 308 go to hunting rifle?
[Re: J.G.]
#9170346
01/15/25 11:55 PM
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Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 9,972
RiverRider
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 9,972 |
The best answer is necking up a 7-08 to 30 cal, and problem solved!! The best thing that can happen to a piece of .308 Win brass is neck it down to 7mm. The next best thing is for the manufacturer to give it a small primer pocket. Speaking of: can .308 be necked down to 6.5 in one step? I have all the .260 brass I'll ever need, but I've never tried it and I am curious. If I had a .308 case I'd satisfy my curiosity right here right now, but I don't.
![[Linked Image]](https://i.imgur.com/Kqs020H.jpg) "Arguing with you always makes me thirsty." -Augustus McRae
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Re: 7-08 or 308 go to hunting rifle?
[Re: rickt300]
#9170354
01/16/25 12:05 AM
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Joined: Jul 2021
Posts: 1,097
DustyArmadillo
Pro Tracker
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Pro Tracker
Joined: Jul 2021
Posts: 1,097 |
300 Blackout Win Mag (aka 308)
Perfect caliber for Texas hunting
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Re: 7-08 or 308 go to hunting rifle?
[Re: RiverRider]
#9170410
01/16/25 01:57 AM
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 42,840
J.G.
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 42,840 |
The best answer is necking up a 7-08 to 30 cal, and problem solved!! The best thing that can happen to a piece of .308 Win brass is neck it down to 7mm. The next best thing is for the manufacturer to give it a small primer pocket. Speaking of: can .308 be necked down to 6.5 in one step? I have all the .260 brass I'll ever need, but I've never tried it and I am curious. If I had a .308 case I'd satisfy my curiosity right here right now, but I don't. I haven't tried it. I get a donut at the neck shoulder junction, necking down to 7mm. It's enough you've got to fight to get the bolt handle to cam over, for some brands of brass. You might run into a neck turning process, making .260 Rem out of .308 Win. I'm sure you can get it done, I'd just expect some work.
800 Yard Steel Range Precision Rifle Instruction Memberships and Classes Available
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Re: 7-08 or 308 go to hunting rifle?
[Re: DustyArmadillo]
#9170466
01/16/25 03:23 AM
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Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 794
7x57
Tracker
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Tracker
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 794 |
300 Blackout Win Mag (aka 308)
Perfect caliber for Texas hunting 
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Re: 7-08 or 308 go to hunting rifle?
[Re: J.G.]
#9170476
01/16/25 03:37 AM
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Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 10,796
unclebubba
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 10,796 |
The best answer is necking up a 7-08 to 30 cal, and problem solved!! The best thing that can happen to a piece of .308 Win brass is neck it down to 7mm. The next best thing is for the manufacturer to give it a small primer pocket. I've been waiting for 24 hours for the two of you to start sparring over this topic. Lol.
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Re: 7-08 or 308 go to hunting rifle?
[Re: J.G.]
#9170507
01/16/25 05:15 AM
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Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 30,597
Sneaky
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 30,597 |
The best answer is necking up a 7-08 to 30 cal, and problem solved!! The best thing that can happen to a piece of .308 Win brass is neck it down to 7mm. The next best thing is for the manufacturer to give it a small primer pocket. I know a pretty good gunsmith in west Texas that would likely agree with that.
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Re: 7-08 or 308 go to hunting rifle?
[Re: J.G.]
#9170554
01/16/25 01:26 PM
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Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 4,319
Korean Redneck
Extreme Tracker
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Extreme Tracker
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 4,319 |
The best answer is necking up a 7-08 to 30 cal, and problem solved!! The best thing that can happen to a piece of .308 Win brass is neck it down to 7mm. The next best thing is for the manufacturer to give it a small primer pocket. Speaking of: can .308 be necked down to 6.5 in one step? I have all the .260 brass I'll ever need, but I've never tried it and I am curious. If I had a .308 case I'd satisfy my curiosity right here right now, but I don't. I haven't tried it. I get a donut at the neck shoulder junction, necking down to 7mm. It's enough you've got to fight to get the bolt handle to cam over, for some brands of brass. You might run into a neck turning process, making .260 Rem out of .308 Win. I'm sure you can get it done, I'd just expect some work. I'm about 20yrs late to the 260 party, but i was told that necking up a 243 to 260 is a better option. Never actually tried it but now out of curiosity.
I'm a dude who likes long barrels!
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Re: 7-08 or 308 go to hunting rifle?
[Re: rickt300]
#9170594
01/16/25 02:30 PM
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Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 12,735
wp75169
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 12,735 |
I had much better luck necking 358 down to 338 than 308 up to 338. Your mileage may vary.
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Re: 7-08 or 308 go to hunting rifle?
[Re: BOBO the Clown]
#9170639
01/16/25 03:21 PM
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Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 2,884
GTT
Veteran Tracker
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Veteran Tracker
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 2,884 |
Both will get the job done. Having shot and hunted with both, my choice is the 7mm-08.
I shot a .308 for years. This season was my first year using a Tikka lite in 7-08, and it's going to be my go-to hunting rifle moving forward. I can shoot my .308, handle the recoil, and see my bullet impact game in MOST shooting positions. However, hunting is unpredictable and sometimes you need to turn around in the stand, set one knee down, and hunch down to the scope while stabilizing the best you can. I had a shot opportunity like this at 165 yards with my 7-08, shot and saw the impact, and watched the deer drop. That's extremely valuable to me, and I can't do that with a 308. Why not? Recoil probably. Lower recoil the higher mag you can see hits. Beauty of a break or suppressor Yes Sir, recoil. Shooting with a solid set-up I can see impact on my .308 and 7mm-08 no problem. I shoot both with an Omega suppressor which also helps. My 8lb 7mm-08 has little to no recoil, feels like a .243. It's just a stock Tikka that I had threaded. I can shoot it in an awkward position with the but of the gun in my bicep if needed, no problem. My 14lb .308 for me has just a little bit more recoil to where shooting in awkward positions make it tough for me to control. That's just my experience. Lighter rig with less recoil, I can shoot it better and see my impact. It's a no brainer, great hunting rig for me.
Last edited by GTT; 01/16/25 03:21 PM.
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Re: 7-08 or 308 go to hunting rifle?
[Re: rickt300]
#9170640
01/16/25 03:25 PM
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Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 2,884
GTT
Veteran Tracker
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Veteran Tracker
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Posts: 2,884 |
Both will get the job done. Having shot and hunted with both, my choice is the 7mm-08.
I shot a .308 for years. This season was my first year using a Tikka lite in 7-08, and it's going to be my go-to hunting rifle moving forward. I can shoot my .308, handle the recoil, and see my bullet impact game in MOST shooting positions. However, hunting is unpredictable and sometimes you need to turn around in the stand, set one knee down, and hunch down to the scope while stabilizing the best you can. I had a shot opportunity like this at 165 yards with my 7-08, shot and saw the impact, and watched the deer drop. That's extremely valuable to me, and I can't do that with a 308. You know seeing the animal get hit has a lot to do with shooting with both eyes open. I have seen and not seen my bullet hit with more powerful rifles and the same with much lighter kicking rifles. I wonder if sometimes I blink when i shoot. I also have to say I see exactly where the bullet hits better with the heavier bullets, say comparing 22 caliber to 7mm or 30 mostly because the dust or hair being kicked off the animal is more obvious. I also think there are times when the hit just can't be seen because nothing obvious happens. That's a good point, but I can't shoot accurately with both eyes open. Especially at distance. I'm sure it varies for people. But for me, closing one eye with a low recoil, low mag scope with a MIL/MIL set-up makes hunting from 30 yards to 300 doable. I don't take hunting shots past 300 as my longest practice range goes to 300.
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Re: 7-08 or 308 go to hunting rifle?
[Re: RiverRider]
#9170646
01/16/25 03:36 PM
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 19,291
ChadTRG42
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 19,291 |
Speaking of: can .308 be necked down to 6.5 in one step? I have all the .260 brass I'll ever need, but I've never tried it and I am curious. If I had a .308 case I'd satisfy my curiosity right here right now, but I don't.
"Can" it be done in one step, yes. But... you are reducing the size of the neck .044" (from .308" to .264"), and that is one large step in one pass necking down/up. I generally won't go over .020" to .030" in one step. I would use a neck expander between the two. Back in the day when the 260 Rem was the top competition cartridge, there were many shooters necking down 308. But most neck turned their brass. The necks become very thick and start to make contact with the side of the chamber neck walls. I burned up 2 barrels shooting 260 Rem using Remington brass. It is/was a bad [censored] round!
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Re: 7-08 or 308 go to hunting rifle?
[Re: unclebubba]
#9170672
01/16/25 04:10 PM
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 19,291
ChadTRG42
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 19,291 |
The best answer is necking up a 7-08 to 30 cal, and problem solved!! The best thing that can happen to a piece of .308 Win brass is neck it down to 7mm. The next best thing is for the manufacturer to give it a small primer pocket. I've been waiting for 24 hours for the two of you to start sparring over this topic. Lol. I only comment to people who are worth commenting to.
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Re: 7-08 or 308 go to hunting rifle?
[Re: GTT]
#9170709
01/16/25 04:52 PM
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Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 40,494
redchevy
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 40,494 |
Both will get the job done. Having shot and hunted with both, my choice is the 7mm-08.
I shot a .308 for years. This season was my first year using a Tikka lite in 7-08, and it's going to be my go-to hunting rifle moving forward. I can shoot my .308, handle the recoil, and see my bullet impact game in MOST shooting positions. However, hunting is unpredictable and sometimes you need to turn around in the stand, set one knee down, and hunch down to the scope while stabilizing the best you can. I had a shot opportunity like this at 165 yards with my 7-08, shot and saw the impact, and watched the deer drop. That's extremely valuable to me, and I can't do that with a 308. Why not? Recoil probably. Lower recoil the higher mag you can see hits. Beauty of a break or suppressor Yes Sir, recoil. Shooting with a solid set-up I can see impact on my .308 and 7mm-08 no problem. I shoot both with an Omega suppressor which also helps. My 8lb 7mm-08 has little to no recoil, feels like a .243. It's just a stock Tikka that I had threaded. I can shoot it in an awkward position with the but of the gun in my bicep if needed, no problem. My 14lb .308 for me has just a little bit more recoil to where shooting in awkward positions make it tough for me to control. That's just my experience. Lighter rig with less recoil, I can shoot it better and see my impact. It's a no brainer, great hunting rig for me. Did you get the weights backwards or are you really meaning your 8 pound 7mm08 Rem kicks less than a 14 pound 308 Winchester both using the same can?
It's hell eatin em live
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Re: 7-08 or 308 go to hunting rifle?
[Re: rickt300]
#9170712
01/16/25 05:00 PM
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Joined: Oct 2023
Posts: 43
rabst
Light Foot
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Light Foot
Joined: Oct 2023
Posts: 43 |
Both are great cartridges.
As a deer/hog rifle, IME, a generic cup-and-core 140 grain bullet at 2700-2800 fps has always been very effective. 7mm08 Rem is my personal preference. But, I shoot hand loads exclusively.
If I were planning to use the same rifle for larger game, though, or planning to only shoot factory ammunition, the .308 Win would make more sense.
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Re: 7-08 or 308 go to hunting rifle?
[Re: rickt300]
#9170734
01/16/25 05:38 PM
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Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 40,494
redchevy
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 40,494 |
I see the factory ammo argument. However I can’t think of any game animal I would hunt with either of the two cartridges where I would consciously decide a 308 was adequate and a 7mm08 was not.
It's hell eatin em live
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Re: 7-08 or 308 go to hunting rifle?
[Re: redchevy]
#9170771
01/16/25 06:52 PM
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Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 62,561
BOBO the Clown
kind of a big deal
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kind of a big deal
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 62,561 |
I see the factory ammo argument. However I can’t think of any game animal I would hunt with either of the two cartridges where I would consciously decide a 308 was adequate and a 7mm08 was not. Because there isn’t, love to see the stop watch comparison
Bottom line, never trust a man whose uncle was eaten by cannibals.-Sen Joni Ernst
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Re: 7-08 or 308 go to hunting rifle?
[Re: rickt300]
#9170808
01/16/25 07:38 PM
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 13,307
kry226
The General
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The General
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 13,307 |
Adding 7-08 to the list...
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