7mm vs. .308 caliber

Charshooter

New member
What side of the 7mm vs. 30-caliber debate are you on?

I remember reading an article written by John Sundra, titled, “I am a worm, I don’t like the 30 caliber” John seems to fit in well with this debate; he is partial to his own wildcat 280 improved, much like a Gibbs, it is a blown out case with an extended shoulder, I could never see why he would just not have opted for a 7mm Rem. Mag. if he needed more power than the standard 28 provided, yet knowing he lives for guns, I do understand. His main point, he sees no reason for having any 30 caliber, finding it too large for deer size game and too small for the Elk size game. John is a fan of the 8mm Rem Mag and perhaps medium size bores, such as the 338/340. Another of his wildcat favorites is his 375 JRS, it is a 416 Rem case necked down to 375 and I do find that a good wildcat.

I have a cousin who is a committed 7mm man; he has all the 7mm calibers from the 7mm-06 up to the 7-STW. His other caliber crush is the 35 caliber and he has the 358 Win, a 35 Whelen and the big 35-STA. For some reason, he believes that the calibers with the best ballistics are the 284 and the 358 and there is no changing his views.

I have always been partial to the 30 caliber; I like the 308 for any purpose, in a light rifle, it is top drawer and it is the only automatic I have, a Remington model that shoots true. The 30-06 has for me, always been the best overall round for an all-purpose hunting tool. The 300 Win. Mag. is another favorite; it will do what a 7mm Rem. Mag and more, just run your loads on a chronograph, the 300 is as flat shooting as the big 7. Moreover, it offers more in pushing heaver bullets, the 200 grain is on par with the 7’s 175 grain. I will give you, the big 7 will shoot flatter with bullets under 150 grains because they 284 has better ballistics with pills under 165 grains. Yet, if you need that weight, the 264 Win. Mag has that area covered. At the top end, the 300 Jarrett will outperform the 7-STW.

I have to say my favorite is the 30 caliber and with a 264 and 270 for lighter work, I have all I need in a flat light shooter. On the heavy end, I like the 338 on up for the heaviest game.

Most of these calibers are very accurate and the 308 and 300 has proved themselves in competition, as has the 284 and 264 varieties. The preference for 7mm or 30 caliber is just that, a preference, nothing more. The only legitimate claim is that the 284 will have less recoil, but if that is not the issue, the 30 caliber has more to offer in my opinion.
 

James K

Member In Memoriam
I have always liked the 7mm, and think the 7x57 is vastly underrated if used in a good modern rifle and loaded accordingly. But that is not the same thing as seeing a need, at least in this part of the country, for a 7mm based on some huge case with a humongous powder charge for downing a 100 pound deer.

The big advantage of the .30 is that since .30 was the standard military load for some 70 years, the development of bullets and, in the .30-'06 and .308, loadings has reached a very high level. The 7mm never had that advantage.

P.S. Writers get paid for starting arguments, so I take gunzine articles with a large grain of salt. I once knew of a gentleman who wrote on both sides of the auto pistol vs revolver debate. Using a pen name, he argued endlessly with himself, interrupting the furor only long enough to cash his checks.

Jim
 

fisherman66

New member
Choices, choices.

I have been trying to decide between the 308, 7-08 and the 260 for a while. I think I will go the 260 route since I have an aversion to recoil. I really like the BC of the 7mm, but I like the history and bullet selection of the .30 cal. My father-in-law has a M77 Varmint 280 (7mm off the 30-06 case) that is the bee's knees.

My father-in-law played a trick on the city boy that was dating his daughter many years ago. I'd never shot a gun and he took me out with to try it. I started off with that 280 heavy weight and thought the recoil was much less than I had been expecting. I was laying prone busting rock and water jug targets for a complete box of 20. What a blast... He then pulls out a Ruger #1A in Win Mag 300 (his mountain rifle). The rifle was almost toy-like in comparison to the big varmint gun in 280. So light and handy.. I lay prone and practiced the "take a breath, let it half out and squeeeeze" routine. Ouch, Good golly did that 300 hurt. I had a bruise on my collar bone that eventually turned green. My future wife's dad laughed and laughed. I knew at that point he was welcoming me to the family. I still smile to think about my first outing with a gun. I still don't care to shoot that 300. That #1 is a beauty, but she put a big enough whollop on me that that day.

The 7-08 is tempting, and might win out in the end.

Sorry for getting long winded.
 
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Charshooter

New member
That little 260 is a sweetie! I like it more than the 7-08 but I will say that more factory ammo is available for the 7-08, so if you don't handlload it might be the one for you. If ammo price is not a problem their is good ammo for the 260 and I bet today online you can find what you need. It's a toss-up really, my friends and I argue about it all the time, its a good way for us old fellas to pass the day!
 

fisherman66

New member
my friends and I argue about it all the time, its a good way for us old fellas to pass the day!

Its a good way for us young fellas to learn sumthin'. I enjoy rifles particularly since the nuances are so fine when it comes to accuracy and terminal ballistics. JMHO
 

williamd

New member
Check into ballistic coefficients. Some old German with pencil and pad figured out the 284 bullet was ballistically superior decades ago ... birth of the 7mm Mauser (7x57). I used a 7 with Hornady's great 162G HPBT target bullet for years. Watched it go down range after I was taught how to do so and compared stability to others ... by eyeball. Impressed me! My 7mm took on a lot of custom 308s and got it's share of the prizes. Still have not thrown out my 30s! Or 22s or 24s or ............... And, still carry something that will handle HEAVY bullets when warranted. Love the 358W or the 350RM.
 

T. O'Heir

New member
"...debate..." What debate is that? No deer, bear, elk or moose will know the difference.
Now if you're thinking 7mm Rem Mag vs the .30-06, that's different. There's no game in North America that requires a magnum of any kind to kill cleanly. Least of all a .338. Magnums are marketing things. Nothing more.
 

Jimro

New member
I must be missing the debate...

Accuracy is just as much about the shooter as the rifle, and accuracy means lethality. Plenty of game has fallen to 7mm's and 30 calibers over the years...

The game don't know the difference is a very true statement.

Jimro
 

Rangefinder

New member
Oh boy, here we go again...

I'm a diehard 7mm shooter. I've gotten into this debate more times than I can begin to count over the years--quite a few right here. "This round is better than that round, this caliber is better than that one because..." You get the drift.

But when it all comes down to brass tacks, it's nothing more than a shooter's preference. Both calibers (and a whole lot more that aren't brought into this particular thread yet) are completely capable of killing any animal in North America. The only real variable is the person attached to the finger squeezing the trigger.
 

Kreyzhorse

New member
I've killed both deer and antelope with a 7mm Rem Mag and a .308. None of the crittters seemed to care what round took them down nor do I really doubt that they cared.

If I was going after elk or above I'd carry the 7mm but I think that the 308 would work equally as well.
 

Mike50

New member
fisherman66, just something for you to consider

I've never fired a 260, but this I know. If you shoot a 260 with a 140 grain bullet, it will recoil just as much as a 7mm-8. You can get that from the science of physics. There are some very small factors that will make them not be precisely equal, but for all intents and purposes, they will be equal.

The 140 grain bullet is what has made the 260 / 6.5mm bullet size famous. If you shoot a 120, you will definitely have less recoil.

From personal experience, though, I know that the 7mm08 is a wonderful deer cartridge. My personal favorite.

Someday, though, I will buy a 260. Variety is the spice of life.
 

fisherman66

New member
Mike,

I have more fun filling my head with ballistic tables, recoil figures and searching for particular actions and configurations.

You bring up a good point with the recoil data. If I could find a heavy barreled 7-08 I would find that sweet spot for me personally. The extra heft would tame recoil, and I would have the versatility and BC of the 7mm. I'm having a hard time finding the 7-08 in that config from a manufacturer, so I'm looking at the 308 in a heavy weight package or a 243 / 260 in a light weight package.

I doubt the field result will differ much in my neck of the wood, but if I go for the light weight package I limit my ability to go after game above 200 lbs without having an ideal shot (not really a problem in TX, with the exception of hogs and I prefer head shots for those critters). On the other hand I have an excuse to plan for another rifle purchase in the future if I ever get to take that elusive elk hunt or trip to Alaska.

These are entertaining problems to have as a rifle afficianado.
 

Rangefinder

New member
Fisherman>> Have you had a look at Remington's Sendero line? My 7mm Mag has the smooth, light recoil of my 6mm---comfortable enough that my son started shooting it when he was 6. I don't remember for sure but I think they have it available in 7-08 chambering also. Google it-- you'll fall in love.
 

fisherman66

New member
Thanks Rangefinder. No luck on the 7-08. Little too pricey too. I'm eyeballing the CZ Varmint 308 right now since the 7-08 HB eludes me. If I go 260 I have lots of options.

MODEL 700™ Sendero® SF II
Caliber Barrel Length Barrel Rate of Twist Overall Length Avg. Wt.
(lbs.) Order
No. MSRP*
.264 Win. Mag. 26" Polished 416 Stainless 9" 45 3/4" 8 1/2 27307 $1,279
7mm Rem. Mag. 26" Polished 416 Stainless 9 1/4" 45 3/4" 8 1/2 27311 $1,279
7mm Rem. Ultra Mag. 26" Polished 416 Stainless 9 1/2" 45 3/4" 8 1/2 27315 $1,279
.300 Win. Mag. 26" Polished 416 Stainless 10" 45 3/4" 8 1/2 27313 $1,279
.300 Rem. Ultra Mag. 26" Polished 416 Stainless 10" 45 3/4" 8 1/2 27318 $1,279

LOP: 13 3/8"; Drop at Comb: 1 1/4"; Drop at Heel: 1 1/2"
* NOTE: U.S. Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price. Actual price may vary.
 

Paul B.

New member
Many years ago, in a copy of Shooting Times as I recall, John Sundra took part in one of those debates against the late Bob Milek. Bob of course championed the 30-06 while Sundra called it a "has-been" and generally ragged on about how his beloved 7mms of any flavor were all better and will supplant and make obsolete the 30-06 in a short time. Hasn't happened yet as far as I can see.
What struck me as bad is he admitted he'd never, I repeat NEVER even fired a 30-06. From that point on, I considered him a total idiot and I hold that impression to this day. JMPO.
Now I think the 7MM is a great caliber although frankly, I have no use for the 7MM Rem. Mag. Like others, if I need something with more oomph than my 7x57, .280 Rem. or 30-06, I'll go to either my .300 Win. mag. or .338 Win. Mag., whichever one is right for the job.
Sorry Mr. Sundra, I have not changed my opinion of you.
Paul B.
 

Jimro

New member
Paul B, congrats on 2k posts!

Obsolete cartriges like the 7x57, 6.5x55, 30-06, 7.62x54, 8x57 JS, 9.3x62, 375 H&H, and 47-70 seem to have a well developed following and are GROWING in popularity. Some in part to tradition, some in part to cheap surplus rifles.

Sometimes a "better mousetrap" is really just a marketing ploy.

Jimro
 

Art Eatman

Staff in Memoriam
Can any 7mm kill a deer or elk any more dead than any 30-caliber that kills one? Or vice versa? :D

I've killed around 20 bucks with a .243. I've killed around 20 bucks with a .30-'06. All those bucks looked really, really dead, to me. Eyes gone all green, not breathing. All those little indicators.

I now have a 7mm08. Why? Simple. Instead of 9.5 pounds like my pet '06, it's 6.5 pounds. My legs went and got old.

Lemme come at this from a different direction: If you can put a properly-designed bullet of some 100 to 180 grains into the vital area of a large animal with a velocity at impact of somewhere above 2,200 to 2,300 ft/sec, the odds are that the animal will die pretty close to where you shot it. I didn't say, "Always," remember, but I'll go with the odds from a bunch of years.

:), Art
 

rem33

Moderator
It's where you hit em more than what with. Seen a nice bull elk go 50 feet or less shot with a 140 grain 7MM-08.
I think the smallest buck I ever shot was 150 grain 30-06 that took both his lungs out. He ran at a minimum 200 yards literally blowing pieces of lungs out as he ran. No idea how he was able to do that, but he did. He had continued to try to run after falling, you could see in the dirt where he fell he had turned a half circle in the dirt. His feet had to have been moving after he fell.

Funny side story, we hit a game stop on the way home and the warden ask me if we had got anything. I told him I had shot a midget. He looked right at me, unfazed and ask it I had a tag for it. There was about 6 of em there and all of them were laughing.
Gutted that deer about 50 yards from some other hunters tent. we didn't know anyone was anywhere in the area till we tracked that little buck. Always hoped those guys didn't come back to camp empty handed and find a gut pile close by.
Was a forked horn mule deer that was smaller than some this year young ones I have seen. Shot thru thick lodge pole pine trees and no way to tell how big he was till we walked up om him.
 
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