7mm-08

[SkookumHntr]

Anybody shoot this cal, How does it shoot at 200, 300yds, how about recoil? Im looking to get my daughter a rifle with not much kick and maybee alittle more poop then a 243. I was thinking X-bolt in the micro hunter, Shes only 2 so I plan on having it well broke in by the time she's able to shoot, lol!

[Watz_Hunt]

My wife has shot a 7mm savage and she is just a small thing (100 lbs ish) and says it doesnt have much recoil and does not hurt or throw her at all. She doesnt know about distance though so that much we cant help with. hope it helps

[bankwalker]

get her a cricket and rebarrel it to 7mm-08  that may kick a little though. lol

[croix]

I hunt with a woman that uses the 7MM-08 and she loves it. She has taken a few deer but never shot anything beyond 100yds with it. Her husband makes pretty damn good groups at 300 with it. I think it's a fantastic choice and have considered getting one for my daughter over the .243. I've never shot them side by side but have been told the difference in kick is negligable. 

[rasbo]

I hunt with a woman that uses the 7MM-08 and she loves it. She has taken a few deer but never shot anything beyond 100yds with it. Her husband makes pretty damn good groups at 300 with it. I think it's a fantastic choice and have considered getting one for my daughter over the .243. I've never shot them side by side but have been told the difference in kick is negligable. 

are you thinking more kick on the 243 ,or 7mm08 

[SkookumHntr]

get her a cricket and rebarrel it to 7mm-08  that may kick a little though. lol

The pink one, ya she already has it! lol

[byrdman]

Maybe this is material for a different thread, but did you consider a .257 Roberts or .260 Rem?  Either seems like a nice middle ground, but ammo availability seems like the biggest issue, not to mention neither caliber is available in an X-bolt.
I ask because I have the same dilemma myself, and all four of these short actions have been on my watch list.
Which ever you go with, let us know how it works.

The only proper answer for this problem: Get both...

[bankwalker]

i would pick the 257 roberts over the other choices. i havent taken a deer with one yet. but my mom shoots one and wont use any other caliber. she has never lost an animal with her and all but 2 of her 20+ deer have been one shot kills out to 300yds down hill. most average around 100yd shots and the 257 hits HARD!

[croix]

I hunt with a woman that uses the 7MM-08 and she loves it. She has taken a few deer but never shot anything beyond 100yds with it. Her husband makes pretty damn good groups at 300 with it. I think it's a fantastic choice and have considered getting one for my daughter over the .243. I've never shot them side by side but have been told the difference in kick is negligable. 

are you thinking more kick on the 243 ,or 7mm08 

I've heard sliiiightly more kick on the 7mm08, but like I said pretty negligable. Wish I could say I've shot them side by side, but I've never actually shot a .243.

[alanger]

     "Anybody shoot this cal, How does it shoot at 200, 300yds"
I shot my deer this year with a 7mm-08, 140 grain core-lockt. I Tell ya it blew it up bad, almost 200 yards and it blew up the opposite side of the face. If i had a picture on my computer i would post it but it was brutal. I am now loading 150 grains for it to slow it down a little bit. man that would not have been a pretty mount. Well just pack a heavier bullet than a 140 grain unless you have a big target.

[mossback91]

core lockts are a crap bullet.......didnt someone shoot it in the head with a 44 hollow point also??

[alanger]

 Yeah but the 44 didnt do anything i will even show u the picture on my fone. the 44 bullet went in the side of the exit wound so it would not show up on that side anyway. the 140 grain was just a test but i will tell you they are a grenade in the right spot.

[Curly]

I sure wish Browning would chamber the X-bolt in 260.

I'll probably take some heat from the core-lokt fans, but I have to agree w/ mossback.......they are crap bullets.  They do make bonded core-lokt bullets now; I haven't tried them and probably never will since I get good results with Barnes TSX, but for the core-lokt fans I'd suggest switching to the bonded core-lokt bullets. 

[alanger]

hey i never said i didn't agree i just tried them out.

[270Shooter]

I really like the ballistics of the 7mm-08 and .260. I think the .260 is better just because of the sectional density of 6.5mm bullets, but they don't have many good loads for it.

Bonded, partitioned, or solid copper is the only way to go now a days. The advancement in bullet technology in the past 10 years is tremendous.

[alanger]

yup thats what i shoot now. i am actually going to try out the partitions. i have also looked at trying the barnes triple-shock's they sound good.

[270Shooter]

Never shot X bullets but they sound really good. I personally think the best bonded bullets for deer are the Accubonds, thats what I shoot.

[alanger]

The accubonds do look good. Do they grenade? If so How much?

[270Shooter]

The accubonds do look good. Do they grenade? If so How much?

No they are bonded and have progressivly thicker copper jacket to control expanstion. I have only shot one deer with them at 285 yards with my .270. Small entry holes only one exited the other one broke one shoulder and lodged in the other shoulder. I found that bullet but I haven't wieghed it yet. I may get a pic up later for you. Here is a link for more info about them.
http://www.nosler.com/?p=3&bullet=5

[270Shooter]

Ok I took a pic of the bullet here it is. Remember 285 yards 270winchester 140gr.

[Remmark]

I've had a couple of 7mm-08's in Minnesota and liked them very much. shoots like my .308 does now. Recoils more than a .243 however to me. If the stock fits and has a good recoil pad (which she will need as a female just doesn't have the "T" in her muscles to absorb recoil as we do). You could also consider have it magnaported for $140 to help. Start her on reduced handloads and work up with out telling her and she should do fine if'n she really wants to hunt and shoot.

[Curly]

Another rifle worth considering would be a Kimber Montana and they are chambered in .260 Rem.  I think that cartridge would be a great one for a young girl if you want a little more punch than the 243.  Either one of those cartridges (7-08 or 260) you'd really want to reload for anyway.  I think the Kimber is only slightly more expensive than the X-bolt and they have a really good reputation.

[GEARHEAD]

you will always see me on a 7mm-08 band wagon. mine has taken 10 deer so far. the longer shots were at200, 250, 306, 326, 402, 456, and last seasons at 314 yards. i hunt Okanogan and the Palouse and the Snake. it has taken two deer for a couple buddy's as well. one shoots a 300 mag the other a 7mm mag. in both situations there was plenty of time to talk about it, and both times they opted to use my gun. only one deer required a follow up, and that may have not been necessary. all shot using stix or a bipod of course, aided by a rangefinder obviously.
this round is a heavy hitter, with mild recoil. mine has a muzzle brake, which reduced the recoil almost in half. i shoot two bullets. in the Hornady light mag, the 139 gr SST and the 139gr BTSP. i actually carry both in the field and change them up as i enter or break out into new country. the btsp for up close work, but for 300 and beyond i use the SST. even though the SST was not designed to pass thru the animal, i have found on my longer shots that the slower velosity, keeps it together, and i even had a pass thru on the 456 yrd shot believe it or not.
ya can shoot 140gr TSX bullets in it and take elk out to 300 too.
good luck.

[Intruder]

I sure wish Browning would chamber the X-bolt in 260.

I'll probably take some heat from the core-lokt fans, but I have to agree w/ mossback.......they are crap bullets.  They do make bonded core-lokt bullets now; I haven't tried them and probably never will since I get good results with Barnes TSX, but for the core-lokt fans I'd suggest switching to the bonded core-lokt bullets. 

+1 on both your points.  7mm-08 is a dandy gun and I think the 260 would be real similiar. 

[Buckblaster]

I've taken several whitetails with my Browning Stainless Stalker 7-08 from 50 to 100 yards. In the past I've used 139 gr Hornady spire points and 145 gr Speer spire points but they exploded on impact. They killed the deer but I would rather have a bullet that penetrates farther than the first bone it hits. This past season I changed to 140 gr Nosler Accubonds and what a difference. I shot a big 3 point whitetail thru the top of the near shoulder blade it went  thru the spine and out thru the far shoulder blade and the bullet lodged under the hide. I weighed it and it ended up with 95 grains intact for 68% retention. The recoil is mild and I get magnum velocity of 3000 fps out of 140 gr bullets. Several years ago, I took that same rifle when I drew an elk permit. I dropped a 5x5 with one shot thru the shoulder at 200 yards and it was dead by the time I got to it. I never found the bullet because it ended up in the lungs somewhere and didn't exit the far side of the cavity.  The 7-08 is a great choice for women and kids. Don't under estimate its power because it a great choice for "any hunter".

[byrdman]

So skookumHntr, has this thread been any help at all or has your decision been made even more difficult?
You had it narrowed down to two calibers now it appears we've opened it up to all deer sized short actions.

 
Hmmm, you want a tough kid right, how does a .300WSM sound.(?)

To answer your original question, I've never shot either. As a matter of fact, I don't think I've even handled a rifle chambered in 7mm-08.
Don't worry, I've read the internet, I'm here to help.

Don't forget to let us know what you decide, and how it works out for you.

[huntnphool]

i would pick the 257 roberts over the other choices.

+1

[Huntbear]

I have a 7mm-08 and it is an absolutely fantastic deer rifle.  I shoot 140 gr. Ballistic tips out of it, and never had a deer go 20 ft.  Less recoil than a .308 and you get bigger bullets compared to a .243.  Less recoil than a .243 in my opinion.

Now having said that, I have shot a .257 both the standard Roberts, and my A.I.  Both are wonderful deer guns, and extremely accurate.  Very little recoil.

[7mmfan]

I bought a Remington 700 Mountain Rifle in the 7mm-08 three years ago mainly to use in Alaska for Sitka BT's but have found it to be my favorite deer rifle here in WA as well. I've shot bucks the last three years with it and have had great success. I shoot the 140 gr Nosler Partitions and but haven't had a chance to inspect the bullets because they were all clean passes. I have shot a lot out to three hundred with it and am very happy with the grouping, and this year i'm switching to handloads so I anticipate even better grouping. Note though that none of the deer that I've shot have been over 100 yards, only one ran though and that was this year, he only went about 40 yards though before he piled up. I would say that recoil wise for your daughter it should be fine, a notch more than the 243 but not bad AT ALL.

P.S. it does a serious number on prairie dogs!

[Firing Pin]

I had the same dilema a few years ago when I was looking for my wifes 1st rifle.  She fell in love with the 7-08 and liked the 260, went to Kesslerings and spent at least and hour an a half having her shoulder different rifles from different manufactures in both calibers.  Found one that fit her and she liked and was goning to pick it up, but I wanted her to sleep on it to make sure that was the one.  On the way home we stopped at some sporting goods stores to check on ammo and availability of the 7-08 we found that it is not carried by alot of stores.  I decided that we needed to look at a caliber that we could get ammo for in almost any size town just in case she needed more or "misplaced" hers.  (I don't reload so I took that into consideration)  We decided on 308 and have never looked back.  I broke her in with some lite recoil rounds then went to 150 grains for deer and 165 grain for elk.  She loves that rifle and is proud of it.

[HornPorn]

My wife shoots a tikka 7mm08. The gun has done well on blacktail. I've shot deer with it too. light gun to pack with little recoil.

[WDFW Hates ME!!!]

I was going to buy one for my son, but decided on the .270 just for bullet selection alone, Plus they make the reduced velocity loads for now, then he can move up to bigger as he grows. I woul dnot hesitate on the 7mm-08, goo round, i did alot of research on it before i changed my mind. If i was going to buy another rifle, other than the marlin i just bought i would get the weatherby vanguard youth rifle, it comes with a full length stock for later when they are bigger.

[SkookumHntr]

Well thanks for all the info guys, Im pretty much set on the X-bolt Micro in 7mm-08, Im a Browning guy so im not even really looking at anything else, I think this cal is going to be perfect for my little girl, she will be hunting mainly blacktail but when she is ready she will be up in the high country with me chasing muleys!

[shag]

Anybody shoot this cal, How does it shoot at 200, 300yds, how about recoil? Im looking to get my daughter a rifle with not much kick and maybee alittle more poop then a 243. I was thinking X-bolt in the micro hunter, Shes only 2 so I plan on having it well broke in by the time she's able to shoot, lol!

It will shoot as far as you can.  And then some.  have a combined 14 yrs of killin deer witha 140gr Partition in a 7-08.  The very best deer killer I've owned yet.  Less tracking and one shot kills than any caliber I've seen yet.  Just my experience.  The 7-08 isn't just for kids and women.  It's as good or better on deer as any 270 and comes in a short action rifle!!!!   Lots run 120 gr TSX with devistating results.    200-300yds is a chip shot..   Buy one you'll love it!!!!

[Curly]

I think recoil will be quite a bit for a young girl to handle in that light of a rifle.  If you reload, the rifle would likely be fine if you load 120 gr TSX bullets near minimum powder charges.