7mm Mag vs. 308

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Dave3006

New member
I want to get a versatile rifle that I hunt with and shoot long distance (600 yards) matches. I have narrowed things down to a PSS in .308 or a Sendero in 7mm Mag. I am relatively new to bolt action rifles. Can anyone give me the pro's and con's of the two rounds?

- I don't reload. So, I think the 7mm would be pretty expensive.
 
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Dave R

New member
Yup. One advantage to the .308 is the availability of cheap surplus ammo, i.e. $3.99 per box British stuff from the 80's at Cheaper Than Dirt.

From reading past TFL threads, it appears that a lot of sniper units use the .308.

I'm not familiar with 7mm Mag, but I'm sure some fans will be posting here shortly.
 
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orsogato

New member
If you want versatility get a .308 PSS. That should be able to do all kinds of neat tricks.

If you are not a handloader, forget the 7mm mag.

I like my 7mm mag, but it has a little niche in the realm of my entire shooting life. For the all around rifle go .308
 
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CD1

New member
I hunt with a 7MM Mag and it is great. I picked the 7 Mag b/c I needed a gun to hunt anything from whitetail to elk. It will do the trick. I dont target shoot (competition) with it but it has a flatter trajectory that the 308. Make sure you look into the trajectory/performance of both rounds before you decide. I can vouch for the fact that as a hunting round it is as good as ANY round out there. We could spend a lifetime listening to people argue the BEST deer gun, but why bother. Its great on game, find out how it will do at 600yds VS the 308 and you have your answer.
 
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rr41mag

New member
I own a 7mm mag but I handload and it's mainly for hunting. In your case I would get the .308 without a doubt because of the avalability of ammo. If you do decide to start reloading brass can be had for pretty cheap too.



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Mic

New member
The 7mm mag is a great hunting gun. The Flat trajectory adds to its effective hunting range (zeroed right it will remain in the vitals of a deer farther out with out having to change sight elevation. As for a more versatile caliber the .308 is tough to beat (hunting/ target).
 
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TaxPhd

New member
If you are planning on shooting at 600 yards, cheap surplus ammo may not get the job done. I don't know what factory loads are going for. Is there a significant difference between .308 and 7mm mag?

You really need to reload to take advantage of the potential of the rifle in either of these calibers, especially at 600 yards.

Two points to consider.

1) Until you get into bullets of 200 grains and greater, the 7mm will have higher ballistic coefficients than the .308 (this is for Sierra bullets, both Match King and game King - other brands may differ).

2) Higher velocity of 7mm will allow a little more leeway on range estimation. Perhaps a significant issue at greater ranges.

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TaxPhd

"Those who live by the sword are probably pretty f***ing good at it."

"Instructions for a successful gunfight: Front Sight, Press Trigger, repeat
as necessary." - B. Braxton
 
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Clint Tickler

New member
If there's anyway for you to try out both I'd do it. I thought everyone had some valid points for you but not mentioned was the comfort leval of shooting the 308 over the 7 rem mag. Not a big issue if you are only hunting but match shooting? I'd go 308. I could shoot that all day but a light weight 7 rem mag is going to wear on ya,ie hurt. JMHO. Clint
 
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Art Eatman

Staff in Memoriam
Most competition shooters are reloaders. They tailor the ammo to their particular gun. So, if you want to do both hunting and competition matches, you will probably need to "roll your own" to become competitive.

From a purely cost standpoint, the .308 will do better. As commented above, store-bought ammo is cheaper. In reloading, the 7mm uses about 40% more powder per shot, and the cartridge cases are more expensive.

In hunting, the .308 will work well at typical ranges--usually within 300 yards. The extra power and flatter trajectory of the 7mm Maggie is nice, but not generally necessary.

In a sense, you're looking for a two-purpose "learner gun". In this instance, you would probably be better off with the .308.

Regards, Art
 
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El Rojo

New member
I have to put in my two cents on the British ammo post. If you are you going to be shooting 600 yard matches with a bolt gun and scope, please don't use the cheap surplus ammo. I would imagine that would be more frustrating than productive. If you are going to get the .308, then I recommend you get a reloader if you don't have one already. I love reloading for my .308. I have both a Rem 700 VS and a M1A. I just started to paint my VS last night. Whe I get it all done, I will take some pictures and post them for you. I am pretty excited about it.

Oh ya, go with the .308, more versatility and like another guy said, it takes less powder and therefor is cheaper!
 
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jbgood

New member
One more thing to consider...

While the Sendero is unquestionably a very accurate and lethal rifle, it is also quite heavy (at nine pounds w/o scope) and has a long (26") barrel. This design is meant for firing long distances from a stationary stand with a good rest. It is not meant to be carried all over the country side! If your hunting involves anything more physical than sitting on stand for hours at a time, then you might want to consider something a little lighter and shorter.

A nine pound rifle might not feel too heavy in the store, but an hour or so into a long hike through the mountains will leave you wishing for something much lighter.
 
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Art Eatman

Staff in Memoriam
El Rojo, I agree about not using cheap ammo for matches, but its primary benefit is the development of the coordination of eye, sight picture, and trigger pull. It takes a lot of rounds to get it right...

jbgood, ya tellin' me I been doin' it wrong all these decades? Lugging 9-1/2 pounds of 26" '06 all over the countryside? If the rifle wuz lighter, would the deer have been bigger? :) All I wuz doin' wuz tryin' to keep up with my father...

As usual, Art
 
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Dangus

New member
For hunting I recently tried a Swedish Mauser M96. It's 6.5x55, and it's real nice to shoot, I'd recommend it absolutely. I know it's not one of the ones you've mentioned, but it's really cheap and good quality. The ammo is a bit pricey though.

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The Alcove

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heffel

New member
my opinion

I own both a 7mm mag rifle and a .308 in the form of an m1a match rifle. both have superb accuracy out to well over 500 yards. the .308 is the winner with it's 168 grain bullets against say a 150 grain bullet of the 7mm at that kind of distance, but if you opt for the heavier 175 grain bullets the 7mm outperforms the .308 at all distances, in both trajectories and stopping power. this is all with added recoil and shooting price of course, so you be the one to choose. for me, i'd take the 7mm. can't go wrong with something capable of taking down groundhogs all the way to brown bear and moose
 
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ryalred

New member
I'll cast my vote for the .308. Both are great rifles. The 7mm would probably tip the scale as a hunting rifle, but for paper punching too, the .308 would probably win out (and its a great hunting caliber, too). You might also want to take into consideration recoil if you plan to do a lot of paper shooting. The 7mm has a very hefty recoil and can become unpleasant at long paper shooting sessions. You will probably have a greater selection of ammo and reloading supplies/components for the .308 and it is my understanding that many competition shooters use the .308. My nickels worth. Good luck with whatever you choose!
 
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DiscoRacing

New member
i whitetail hunt with both 7mm and .308... i prefer the 7mm but i reload so cost isnt an issue... i would have to agree tho with some of the previous posts reguarding the kickback/shoulder issue... i have my 7mm loaded heavy and she likes to get rough... and im a pretty big boy
 
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harryc102

New member
For a non reloader the 308 is the best choice, there are literally dozens of match grade loads avaliable for the 308, buy several and see which your rifle prefers then buy a supply preferably from the same lot. For hunting the 7 mag has the advantage at long range but within 400 yards its not enough to matter. The only north american game animal that I would feel undergunned hunting with a 308 is brown bear, but a 7 mag would not be my choice for that either. Not to mention your average 308 is more accurate than the average 7 mag. Years of development as a match, sniper, military round is hard to beat.
 
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bigbird34

New member
Se Se Sendero

I own and shoot a 7mm mag Rem Sendero....mine is 12lbs ...I do not carry it in the woods UNLESS I'm sitting watching a field ,it is my afternoon sit gun,it was built for the long range shots down the shooting lanes of Texas brush I'm told ....I reload both 7mm Mag and 308 ,and other calibers ....I shot 1.5 MOA at 200 yards w/140 Nosler Balistic tips(there are no clubs here in Vt that I can shoot beyond 200 yards,that I am aware of or close to my location) ...it has a Burris 4-16-30mm Black Diamond scope on it ,that I purchased from a fellow here on TFF....It's a joy to shoot ,with the 12 lbs weight all the recoil comes straight back at your shoulder,and there is no barrel jump......but it is not a dual purpose gun,it's nothing I would recommend to carry in the woods hunting whitetail unless you want a hernia :eek:( So If you sit it's fine it's not a carry rifle ,but again it' accurate and a blast at the range ,and I have the availability to shoot long distance where I go hunting ,thats why I bought it ......a Model 700,a T/C Icon or even my Sig SHR -06 is much easier to carry in the woods and point versus the Sendero.....with that said if you can find a Sig SHR 970 in 7mm mag you'll have a hunting rifle and target rifle ,as it will weigh around 9-10 pounds withh a decent scope mounted on her ,and my Sig in 06 is a tack driver,Plus ithe Sig has interchangeable barrels for different calibers ....Good Luck ,Jim
 
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