7mm-08 or....?

Looking to try out a new caliber, and I keep coming back to the 7mm-08. Never had one before but it looks good on paper. I have also been considering a 6mm Creedmoor. Only interested in opinions on those two calibers as I have already had rifles in almost every other standard cartridge. Primary use will be deer hunting and the occasional steel shooting. Also, I don't reload so keep factory ammo offerings in mind. Thanks! (rifle will also be suppressed)

My vote is for the 7mm-08, bought one in 1982 and have owned others over the years. I will have at least one till the day I die.

7mm-08 It does everything well.

I've shot it extremely far, and killed more animals with it, than any other cartridge. Had one beside me in the tractor about 10 minutes ago. It's what stays beside me 52 weeks a year.

7-08

I don’t know what your goals are but 7-08 is the answer. Well, it would be impractical shooting prairie dogs, and I wouldn’t chose it for dangerous game. The only draw back being factory ammo. On the other hand, Chad, and possibly others, can hook you up with premium ammo, with the bullet of your choosing, at a fair price. I use 162 for everything but 120-140 are great for hunting at reasonable ranges.

for a short action round its about as good as it gets. I don't shoot long range but its a great deer round. Wife took hers to Africa and shot Kudu, Zebra and an Nyala with it. Only felt under gunned with the Zebra, the Kudu went 60 yards and piled up, same with the Nyala. Would not hesitate to shoot an elk with it at reasonable distances and a 140 grain accubond. Basically its a short action .270 win.

I bought one for my wife and each of my kids, its a great round.

Had a 7-08 for about 6 yrs. and never had a complaint. Let a friend talk me out of it for his kid.

Mrs B took a bull elk, 5 whitetail bucks, 3 big hogs and two Javalina's with her's, one shot only. All with 140 grain loads.

7-08

Seems like the general consensus is for the 7mm-08! Now the hard part is deciding on a rifle

Tikka T3X and you're set for life. It'll shoot anything you feed it extremely well.

I really like the 7-08. It especially shines if you reload. Though people hate the round a 6.5 Creedmoor will do all that you are wanting at its upper potential with readily available factory ammo.

There is not much to not like about the 7-08. Minimal recoil. Admirable track record as a Competitive target rifle. Close to perfection as a deer rifle. Does not give up much out of a handy 20” carbine if that suits your needs. Performs well with light 120’s for the recoil sensitive and 160-162’s for those looking to stretch it out, with a 140 being the most common loading for deer.
As for which rifle to hunt with? Here are my picks. If you want to just buy one and shoot it, Tikka or Savage are as close as it gets to being a sure thing to get an out of the box shooter. If you like tinkering, a Remington 700 with a few tweaks can be pretty nice. A 700 will most likely need bedded and will also benefit from a trigger swap. If you want a short and light carbine I really like the Remington model 7. If you are a lefty, a 20” youth model 700 in left hand fitted with a McMillan LH model 7 stock is pretty sweet.
A Sako 85 would top all I listed but also cost considerably more.

I wanted a 07/08 for a long time and got my Tikka 2yrs ago. I love it. I don't find an issue with selection of factory ammo and Cabela's has pretty much everything from standard to Barnes and from 120 grain and up. The nice thing about my Tikka is it doesn't seem to matter if its a $20 or $50 box of ammo... it seems to shoot them all well.

That is the fun part. Good thing is that almost all factory rifles shoot great today so buy what you like.

I picked up a ruger hawkeye 77 in the 7mm-08 last season and took a nice ten pt, that went 10 yards. The 7mm-08 will be good for hunting most animals in the lower 48.

Ruger 77 is my favorite.

Why?

I will have a 7-08 in the safe soon. My first buck was killed with an Ai version and he didn't have a chance at walking nor running. It hits hard and I have seen it shoot a long ways too.

Cuz I like it the best.

everybody likes what they own. i'm the same way.

no tikkas for me

if Bergara chambers it #1 choice, the Browning xbolt #2 if on a budget..

Christensen rifles are great too

or build a custom

I mostly like the Ruger for sentimental reason. The 77 was my first big game rifle and for many years my only big game rifle. When I pick one up, it just feels right. I like the control feed, now they have nice triggers and their hammer forged barrels have always shot well. It's built like a tank. Most of my rifles are similar Mauser type actions like the CZ, Winchester 70 and Kimber.

I've got several of the old tang safety Rugers (My personal favorite}. My only problem with Rugers in the past has been the trigger, poor adjustment ability so I ended up replacing with aftermarket triggers. Never a problem with accuracy and like you stated it just has a certain feel to it. I've got an American Predator in 243 that will shoot sub inch groups easily if you'll do your part. I run 58 grain pills through that one. The new triggers are a big step forward.

Group on the left is Winchester 58's, group on the right is Hornady 58's.

The Ruger I have in the 7MM-08 is a tack driver. Every model 77 I have has proven to be a solid rifle.

I agree the triggers in the past were awful. They seem to have fixed that with Hawkeyes. Nice shooting! I know the Americans shoot really well.

I have a friend that has 7-08 Remington mountain rifle and it shoots bug holes... I need that gun

I always wanted a Model 7 Stainless synthetic in 7mm-08

He offered it to me before he ever shot it, I should of grabbed it then. Then he shot it and won’t sale it for a reasonable price

Sometimes it’s ok to delve into the world of unreasonable to get what you want

My buddy has one in .260. It’s really about the perfect mountain gun as well as a handy blind rifle

When making purchase decisions these days, I tend to start by checking Wikipedia and YouTube to try and learn what matters most. It's the more technical differences between cartridges that usually stands out to me most, with the case upon which a given cartridge is based being a good starting point. For example, owning a .243 and knowing now that the 7mm-08 and .243 both originate from the .308, I might be one to look elsewhere if I wanted something drastically different than what I already own. However, that's only because I already own a .243. Granted, the 7mm-08 carries a heavier bullet and greater punch than a .243, however at cost of a few more ft-pounds into the shoulder.

The 7mm-08 Remington is a rifle cartridge that is almost a direct copy of a wildcat cartridge developed around 1958 known as the 7mm/308. As these names would suggest, it is the .308 Winchester case necked down to accept 7 mm (.284) bullets with a small increase in case length. Of cartridges based upon the .308, it is the second most popular behind only the .243 Winchester. However, the .308 is more popular than both.[1] In 1980, the Remington Arms company popularized the cartridge by applying its own name and offering it as a chambering for their Model 788 and Model 700 rifles, along with a limited-run series within their Model 7600 pump-action rifles during the early 2000s.

Sorry Dan, 6mm/.243 and 7mm/.284 are very different. In a head to head comparison of .243 and 7mm-08 the differences in performance are stark.

Greater knock-down with the 7mm-08 for sure but with roughly three more ft-pounds of recoil energy. Still, the comparison between the two gives a potential buyer something to think about before making the purchase. You might say it's like knowing what's under the hood before deciding if a new car is that much different than one you already own.

Case in point. Already owning a .270, I decided to add a 25-06 to my collection, it too being based on the 30-06 casing. While the 25-06 is a flatter shooter, it really doesn't buy me much since my shots are seldom beyond 100 yards. Still, there is some personal novelty in knowing a own a 25-06.

Yes, it's probably true that once we have enough rifles in the safe, it's often pure novelty that drives our purchase decisions.

I was a staunch supporter of the 308 for many years and still consider it a good round. I have one 7-08 in a model Seven and it has become my favorite deer and hog rifle. Last year I only took one game animal with another rifle that being my 257 Roberts. I find the 7-08 a fine step in for my old favorite 7x57 but on a lighter shorter platform with no loss in capability. With very little work I turned my model Seven into a fine shooter. Under no circumstance do I consider the 243 to be in the same league as the 7-08.

While this might take the discussion on a bit of a tangent, there might also be a little value in some push back defense of the little .243.

Consider the following comments taken from an excellent write-up comparison between the 7mm-08 and its weaker cousin...

Now, before we lay out some trajectory tables, let me remind you that lighter bullets reduce recoil in both of these rifles. Step down to an 80-grain bullet in the 243 at 3,400 fps and recoil drops to 11 f-p at 10 fps. Fire a 120-grain in the 7mm-08 at 3100 fps to get 17.5 f-p at 12.7 fps. Not a huge difference, but more than enough for many shooters. A deer shot through the lungs with either of these light bullets isn’t going to shake it off and walk home for dinner. This is why so many outfitters keep a 243 Winchester on hand. When macho hunters with their new 300 magnums finish missing their third deer due to flinching, they borrow the 243 and take home the bacon. I’ve cleanly, quickly, and dramatically killed big, fully mature whitetails and mule deer with bullets as light as 75-grains in a 243 Win.

I also love the parting shot (pun intended) made by the author.

Source

Pick your favorite ballistic calculator.

Input a 7mm 162 gr ELD-X (G-1 .630, G-7 .315) and out of a 24" barrel, 2700 fps MV.

Ackley Improve the case, and it's +2800 fps MV.

Foot pounds delivered, lack of wind drift, and no other cartridge with the same bolt face and action length will match the 7mm-08 A.I. from 10 yards to 1000 yards. The standard 7mm-08 also beats out the rest, across the broad spectrum. All of this is contingent upon loading a 162 gr.

And I am intentionally leaving out elevation correction, because that does not matter to me.

Are you serious?

And with StaBall, a standard 24" 7mm-08 will easily shoot a 162 ELD-X over 2800 from the muzzle. So anyone with a factory rifle can get that kind of performance now.

I bought my first model 7 this year and I really like it as well. The Seven and Kimber 84 are scaled down to perfectly fit 308 cased rounds.

Looking your OP again and considering what's already in your collection, it would seem your decision is probably more along the lines of fit and finish, meaning a brand and model that appeals to you. Since you also noted the need to stay with factory ammo, there are definitely more ammo options with the 7mm-08 but that might translate into greater novelty in owning the 6mm Creedmoor. Some folks like owning the less popular calibers and rightfully so. But then who knows what the future may hold. The 6mm being based on a necked down 6.5 Creedmoor casing, the 6mm Creedmoor may become just as trendy as its slightly older cousin.

I'm also assuming you don't already have a 6.5 Creedmoor in your collection, which might even add more novelty in owning the 6mm Creedmoor. Not sure but some might tout the more recent offering as better than it's slightly older cousin. With so many in love with the 6.5, it would be interesting to know if the 6mm has its own strong following.

Footnote: A quick check of the Able's Sporting Goods and Ammo website shows just two rifles being produced in 6mm Creedmoor. Granted, there are many other firearm retailers but I've found Able's to have one of the largest online and in store inventories you will find. If you're truly interested in a 6mm and didn't mean to type 6.5 instead, your choice might be an easy one if a wide choice of models is what you desire.

He can't be.

Anyone have feedback to share on the 6mm Creedmoor? Has the load gotten lost in the shadow of the 6.5?

They caught lightning in a bottle with the 6.5 Creedmoor. They won't be able to replicate that success. Haven't seen anything catch fire like that in decades.

Boolits, bro. It's all about boolits. You find me a 6mm boolit with a better BC and sectional density than a 6.5 143 ELD-X, and I'll take back all the bad stuff I've said about you. And trust me, that's a bunch of repentance.

had a Ruger 77 for years in 30/06. Not dogging on you but I hated the trigger.

No offense taken. We discussed earlier. The triggers were the worst but a decent gunsmith could fix that for about $50. Their latest trigger design in the Hawkeye is pretty good out of the box.

It's clearly obvious you're one of those who carries a man crush on the 6.5, but do you have anything to share with the OP on the performance of the 6mm Creedmoor?

Dan the 6 has no real advantage over the 6.5 in target shooting, and less energy for hunting. The 6 will also burn out the barrel faster than the 6.5. This is true for not just the Creedmoor, but any two running in the same case. .243 vs .260, 6x55 vs 6.5x55. Etc.

Although I’m not a Needmoor fan, they didn’t accidentally turn out the 6.5 first. It’s the perfect bullet for that case and they hit a grand slam.

Can’t see myself owning a 7MM/08 while the 284 Win is around.

Thanks for the reply. That information would likely make it even more obvious to the OP that a 7mm-08 would be the better choice of the two. That is, if he's not one of those who likes owning one the less popular calibers.

Why do you ask when wikipedia and youtube are only a click away?

I can't speak to the Creedmore stuff because I haven't yet seen the gap they'd fill for me. Maybe soon though? However, I do have a 708 that I love. It's my go to for deer hunting without a doubt. Mine is a tank, 700 VLS 26" barrel with brake in an Ultimate Varmint stock and 6-24 glass. But it shoots great with 100gr Sierra HP's at 3,225fps for varmint and 140gr GameKings at 2,800 fps on deer and hogs. Terminal performance has never disappointed. I tend to stick with cup and core bullets in the 708, tried some 140gr Accubond's and every animal I shot ran, but left good blood trails and didn't go far.All were visibly feeling it as they ran off. With the Gamekings, most drop or take a couple of staggering steps and drop. I do run the AB's in my .280AI for whitetail and hogs, and the added velocity seems to improve the terminal performance, but I understand long action is not the subject.

Given the two options you consider, and looking at projectiles alone, for hunting the 7mm would get the nod from me anyway. It's just more versatile practically shooting weights ranging from 100gr to 160+ (reloading) which covers the medium game spectrum very well. No flies on the 6mm at all, just for me the 7mm targets the medium game spectrum great while having capabilities both above and below when reloading. A quick search of Midway's factory ammo offerings (my rifle has never fired a factory round) shows a pretty good selection of 708, most focused on, not surprisingly, medium game.

I've had a Tikka T3 in 7mm-08 for years, got it on the recommendation of several folks here and it's a winner. Swapped out the factory stock with a B&C, threw on a Nikon 4-12, made up some 140 grain Sierra Game King loads and the rest is history. It'll kill anything that walks in Texas, at least everything I've shot at (especially hogs) and does it very accurately and dependably. It's probably my favorite "go to" rifle.

Thank you everyone for all the input! I think I've narrowed it down to the Bergara Ridge. It should be a great "do-all" rifle with the benefits of being suppressor ready, and accepts all R700 stocks and accessories. I hunted with a Tikka T3 7 mag last year and really liked the trigger and action but it was almost too light. And I've had several remingtons with no complaints but given their current state of affairs I figured I should steer clear

https://www.eurooptic.com/Bergara-B-14-Ridge-Rifle-7mm08-Synthetic-Stock-22-B14S507.aspx

I've shot a few Bergaras, and so far I see them as a nice rifle. They have all shot well, especially on a hand load. I think you will be happy with your decision for years to come.

My 7-08 is my favorite all around rifle. Better ballistics than a .308 and lighter recoil.

My 13 year old son has been saving his lawn mowing money all summer and is really close to having enough to buy the Tikka T3x. We have been leaning hard towards the 7-08 ....this thread confirms it for me.

I bought a Remington 700 BDL in 30-06 when I was 12 with lawn mowing money and of all my guns it is the one you will pry from my cold dead hand. I am so excited to see him enjoy the outdoors as I do and put his sweat equity into something he will have a lifetime.

That’s awesome, congrats to your son!

Yes, congrats. Unfortunately kids working for what they want isn't so common anymore. And I agree, a T-3X in 7mm-08 is a lifetime rifle. Unless he runs more than 3000 rounds down it. Then rebarrel it, and go again.

Very true, barrels are like tires you use them enough you have to replace them. But that is not a bad thing because if you shoot enough to wear one out you must enjoy that rifle.

Congrats to the young man, good on him for working for what he wants.

Bought my first with money from setting pens in an old 9 pin bowling alley. If i ever get lung cancer.... thats where it will be from lol

Picked up a stainless synthetic Model 7 in the 7mm-08 for my boys to shoot on their hunts. Needless to say it will be one of the last rifles we would part with. It took me a long while to find it and glad I waited.

We also have a stainless T3x in the 7mm-08. I like it better, but the boys sure like the smaller Model 7 in the blind... can't blame them.

I own three 7-08’s so I am biased. It has minimal recoil and can be loaded to suit your pursuit. I have never shot any 6mm besides 243mwin and it’s a farming caliber in my opinion. The 7-08 is much more versatile.

I think the 7-08 is a heckuva round. Mine shines with 120gr Nosler BT’s. I personally haven’t shot anything bigger than a whitetail with it but a friend regularly takes his elk hunting using 140 Nosler Partitions and hasn’t lost one yet.