Aldeer.com Forums Alabama Deer Talk Guns N Gear 7mm-08 or 308?

When I first started shooting matches the 7mm-08 was still a wildcat. The reason it caught my eye was that I loved a 7x57 rifle I had built and it was very accurate and I was hoping to replicate that with the 7-08 and pretty much did they are almost ballistic twins. Accuracy wise 7-08 vs 308 they are about the same... both very good. You have to get out to 700+ yards IMO to really start talking about any ballistic advantage between the two. There is really no real world advantage to 7-08 at your typical hunting yardages IMO. You get a very slight reduction in recoil and that's about it.

You take both. Get out 2 boxes of Sierra bullets. Load the .308 with a 165 and the 7-08 with a 140. In either this will kill the crap out of any whitetail you come across with ZERO issue. That is a 1 and done loading for any rifle chambered in these as long as you can get the gun to shoot which has never been a problem for me with these two cartridges. May have run across 1-2 crappy guns but this has never been these loads fault.

I've killed a train car load of deer with both of these. No magnum needed... If you want a no-nonsense proven all around whitetail killer for our woods..... this is it.

Flip a coin you can't go wrong with either IMO as long as you shoot the right bullet weight.

The goat is speaking the truth

Everything the goat said is right on except the 700 yards. 7-08 will start pulling away between 100-200 yards. I’ve got no dog in the fight, I just love studying ballistics. Any deer down here will never know the difference between the two

There is a touch of a difference if you're punching paper. But I have never attempted a 700 yard shot while hunting. If I were going out that far I'd be toting a over bore 30 cal.

Agreed! I'd definitely want something overbore for those kind of distances also!

I was just speaking to the real world not necessarily what happens on paper. You really don't see a whole lot until you are out past 500 IMO....... But to your point it is there all the way. It starts to matter to me when the spread is 12+ inches. That's why I shot 7-08 vs 308. Every little bit counts way out there IMO.

Fair enough, you definitely do have to wait till 500-ish to start seeing significant (triple-digit) improvements in velocity or energy.

My vote is for 7mm-08, with 140 grain bullets. As always, shot placement is key with any deer you are shooting. Broadside in the crease with my 7-08 equals a dead deer every single time I’ve pulled the trigger.

I have both. Deer dont know the difference between the two. For some reason though i almost always reach for my 7-08 over my 308 in same model rifle.
The cant find 7-08 ammo has been a non issue for me but, im not the type that waits till almost end of bow season to go buy one box of shells. Ive stocked up when i found good deals and most of my stash of 7-08 ammo probably averages out to about $17 a box.

Use several calibers over the years 30-30, 30-06,270 WSM. Now my main gun is a .308. Love it and don’t know why I’ve waited so long to try it. A big plus is ammo is everywhere.

The only reason I don’t own a 7-08 is because every time I was in the market for a new rifle, I never could find one in a left handed bolt action. Same reason I never owned a 30-06. Always found the .308s in left hand on the rack. Hence the reason for my 308s. The next time I get a wild hair, I will try to be patient and find the 7-08 or if I’m really feeling crazy, I’ll try to find a left handed 6.5 or 7mm PRC.

LH 7-08 is tough , my son has a Browning A bolt II micro Hunter. He now totes a LH Tikka T3 lite .308. It's a right handed world.

I have 2 Ruger carbines, one is a stainless laminate in 7-08, the other is a blue 308, which weighs 4 oz less. They both came with a rubber butt pad.

The 7-08 I can shoot all day long off a bench and it doesn't bother me, but the 308 is a different animal. I don't really have an explanation for why. I had Gundoc bed it and add a recoil pad, so its much nicer now.

I didn't like paying a $10 premium for 7-08 ammo, but if you load your own a 120 gr NBT is bad juju on a deer. Mine shoots it sub moa with 48 gr of H414.

I’ve had them all, and I have to say my favorite is the 7mm-08. My 308 kicks more than my .280 with same bullet weight and charge.

.308... easy to get ammo. I have 4 deer on the wall killed at 200+ yds. with a .308/ 150 grain corelokts. Bolt and Lever guns. Just my .02

7mm-08. That’s what I started my son on when he was a kid. Never lost a deer. Mrs. Bamaeyedoc shoots a Browning A-bolt Medallion in 7-08. It’s a beautiful gun that is as accurate as it is pretty. She finally got to dent a primer last week with it. 140gr Core-Lokt blew a fist-sized exit wound on an 8pt at 100 yards. It was a heart shot and the blood trail was massive. Ammo was a little tough to find a bit ago but seems in good supply now. I may take that gun out next year just because it feels so good and is a tack driver.

Lolol 🤣
If y'all picked 7-08 your a fagot.lol
Pretty much your gay or zero common sense.
Just poking fun but truth.
Military cartridge with heavier bullets no brainier.
If y'all have 13 rifles and picked a 7-08 just for hell of it ok otherwise your gay lol
Seriously
Again poking fun I don't care but dang.i cant believe that oh wait yes I can.
It's typical guys can't make good decisions.lol
Someone told me one was better ballisticly better what ever that means.😜 See it all the time
They don't know what it means

Stirring pot don't get but hurt. they all kill deer but 308 is smartest pick for many reasons

Trying to read one of your posts is worse than working with my brother’s kids.

^^ that is called drunk posting. It also has consequences

I'll say it again, not a single deer will know the difference. Most shooters won't either.