{"id":631,"date":"2020-01-27T21:22:31","date_gmt":"2020-01-28T02:22:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lg-outdoors.com\/blog\/?p=631"},"modified":"2020-01-31T09:47:37","modified_gmt":"2020-01-31T14:47:37","slug":"7mm-08-rem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lg-outdoors.com\/blog\/7mm-08-rem\/","title":{"rendered":"WHY NOT A 7MM-08 Rem? By Craig Boddington"},"content":{"rendered":"

During my career I\u2019ve been wrong about many things. One of them was the7mm-08 Remington<\/a>. Back in 1980 the cartridge was brand-new when a Remington 788<\/a> in 7mm-08 Rem<\/a>\u00a0came into the office. You remember the 788 bolt-action, Heavy, unlovely, rear-locking\u2026and they shot like gangbusters. Colleague and friend Payton Miller and I were assigned to wring it out, I think for that year\u2019s G&A Annual<\/em>. The rifle grouped extremely well, but the truth is we both got it wrong: We scratched our heads, and didn\u2019t understand what this brave new cartridge was for<\/em>\u2026or what it could do that existing cartridges couldn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

\"This<\/a>
This Proof Research 7mm-08 grouped extremely well right out of the box, producing sub-MOA groups with Hornady\u2019s inexpensive 139-grain American Whitetail load.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As to the latter, probably nothing\u2026but that can be said about almost any new cartridge. As to what it was for<\/em>, it was a mild-kicking, short-action cartridge that was probably<\/em> very effective. Part of our problem was we had no first-hand experience with the 7mm-08 Rem<\/a>\u00a0on game. This was not entirely our fault. Payton and I took that early 7mm-08 Rem<\/a> on several forays up the Central Coast for wild hogs, but we never got a shot. We figured<\/em> it would do just fine\u2026but we didn\u2019t know.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\":<\/a>
: Caroline Boddington with a big zebra stallion, taken cleanly with a single 140-grain bullet from a CZ 7mm-08.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A year later we met the late Chub Eastman, then of Nosler, for a pig hunt at Dye Creek, way up north. Chub had a Remington Model Seven 7mm-08 Rem<\/a>, loaded with some of the first Ballistic Tips. Ranch manager Mike Ballew got Chub onto a huge boar at 100 yards. Always a consummate rifleman, Chub flattened it with a broadside shot in one shoulder and out the other. Payton and I looked at each other, wondering if maybe we\u2019d been wrong about the 7mm-08 Rem<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"On<\/a>
On a family safari on Father\u2019s Day, Boddington was allowed to take one animal, using a CZ 550 in 7mm-08 and a single 140-grain bullet. This is one of few animals Boddington has personally taken with a 7mm-08, but he\u2019s seen Brittany and Caroline use it a great deal.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In 1980 there were plenty of cartridges that would do as well, and others have come along since. But, despite its small stature, the 7mm-08 Rem<\/a> is a force to be reckoned with. It is far more effective than we appreciated, and since then it has become a popular and widespread hunting cartridge, encountered literally all over the world.<\/p>\n

\"Caroline\u2019s
Caroline\u2019s infamous Ruger 7mm-08 wears a shockingly hot pink laminate stock. Boddington has seen many 7mm-08s that are more accurate, but it groups consistently with a wide variety of loads.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Let me be clear: I am not a fan of the 7mm-08 Rem<\/a>. I\u2019m a fan<\/em> of the old 7×57 Mauser<\/a>, and the two are just too close to love both equally. I\u2019m sort of in the same boat with the 308 Winchester<\/a> and 30-06 Springfield<\/a>, too close to call, but life requires choices, and I prefer the 30-06<\/a>. So, I\u2019m a fan<\/em> of the 30-06<\/a>, but I\u2019m a proponent<\/em> of the 308 Win<\/a>, and will secretly admit that it\u2019s probably a better cartridge, almost as fast and almost as powerful\u2026in a more compact case that is generally more accurate, more efficient, and fits into a more compact action. The argument between the 7mm-08 Rem<\/a> and the 7×57 Mauser<\/a> is similar. Except: The 7mm-08 Rem<\/a> is loaded to higher pressures, so is faster and more powerful, at least as accurate, and with its more compact case, is more efficient, and fits into a short action.<\/p>\n

\"With<\/a>
With PH Corne Kruger standing by, Brittany Boddington is on the sticks with her Kimber 7mm-08. Since 2003 this has been her \u201cgo to\u201d rifle, used to take a wide variety of African plains game.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The 7×57 Mauser<\/a> carries history, romance, and nostalgia\u2026as does the 30-06<\/a> over the 308 Win<\/a>. In performance on game any differences between the 7mm-08 Rem<\/a> and 7×57 Mauser<\/a> are hair-splitting. Forgive me my idiosyncrasies: I remain a staunch fan of the 7×57 Mauser<\/a>\u2026but I can still be a proponent of the 7mm-08 Rem<\/a>. I\u2019ve had one or another 7×57 Mauser<\/a> for at least 35 years and currently have three. I\u2019ve never actually owned a 7mm-08 Rem <\/a>at least not for myself. However, in the early 2000s, when daughter Brittany was ready for a rifle of her own, I got her a 7mm-08 Rem<\/a>. A decade later I made the same decision for younger daughter Caroline. Of course, by then Brittany had shown me exactly what the 7mm-08 Rem<\/a> was capable of, so it wasn\u2019t a difficult choice.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The 7mm-08 Remington with its much older ballistic twin, the 7x57mm Mauser. With greater case capacity, the 7×57 should be faster, but the two cartridges are loaded to different pressure levels. So, in all ways except for tradition, the 7mm-08 is the better of the two cartridges.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Why not a\u00a07×57 Mauser<\/a>? That\u2019s easy. As a rifle nut, I put a premium on history, romance, and nostalgia\u2026which count for nothing in performance. However, if you can get similar performance from a short action, translating into a shorter, lighter rifle, why wouldn\u2019t you\u2026especially for shooters of smaller stature. \u00a0Then there\u2019s availability: The 7mm-08 Rem<\/a> is loaded by everyone, with a wide choice of bullets. The classic 7×57 Mauser<\/a> is available in much fewer options. The 7×57 Mauser<\/a> actually has greater case capacity than the 7mm-08 Rem<\/a> so it should be faster. As currently loaded, it is not.<\/p>\n

\"Brittany<\/a>
Brittany Boddington with an ancient gemsbok bull, taken with her pet Kimber in 7mm-08.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I\u2019ve gotten reader mail suggesting that there\u2019s some sort of conspiracy against older cartridges like the 6.5×55 Swedish Mauser<\/a> and 7×57 Mauser<\/a>; it doesn\u2019t seem to make sense that the 260 Remington<\/a>, 6.5mm Creedmoor<\/a>, and 7mm-08 Rem<\/a> are faster than these classics which, respectively, fire exactly the same bullets\u2026from cases with greater capacity. There is no conspiracy, but there is caution under the all-pervasive shadow of product liability. The 7×57 Mauser<\/a> dates back to the 1893 and 1895 Mauser, which are not as strong as the ultimate \u201998 Mauser. Factory loads have always been mild out of concerns for their use in older, weaker actions, this ain\u2019t gonna change.<\/p>\n

\"Left<\/a>
Left to right: 6.5mm Creedmoor, 7mm-08 Remington, .270 Winchester. Although the wildly popular 6.5mm Creedmoor is a better long-range target cartridge, Boddington believes both the 7mm-08 and .270 are better hunting cartridges.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When the 7mm-08 Rem<\/a> was new I could open any loading manual and load 7×57 Mauser<\/a> ammo faster than any 7mm-08 Rem<\/a> factory load. Slowly, out of caution rather than conspiracy, 7×57 Mauser<\/a> loading data has been quietly downgraded\u2026and held to lower pressures than are standard for the 7mm-08 Rem<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Chub<\/a>
Chub Eastman with a big California boar, the first animal Boddington saw taken with a 7mm-08, in 1981 when the cartridge was just a year old. The then-new 140-grain Ballistic Tip broke both shoulders and kept on going!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As a newer cartridge factory-chambered in modern actions, the 7mm-08 Rem<\/a> has always been loaded to the gills. \u201cStandard\u201d is a 140-grain bullet at 2860 fps (some loads are faster), with SAAMI (Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers Institute) spec of 61,000 psi. Loaded to 10,000 psi less pressure, the 7×57 Mauser<\/a> cannot compete. Current loading manuals use a lower pressure threshold for the 7×57 Mauser<\/a> against the 7mm-08 Rem<\/a>. The loads I pulled out of manuals 30 years ago are gone; the most current manuals tell me that the 7×57 Mauser<\/a> now lags about 200 fps behind the 7mm-08 Rem<\/a>. This is based on pressures now considered safe in older actions, not on case capacity, and not on working pressure in modern actions. But you can\u2019t swim against the tide, and I can\u2019t recommend loads no longer published. So, although differences are insignificant in the field, as currently loaded the 7mm-08 Rem<\/a> is faster and more powerful than the 7×57 Mauser<\/a>\u2026with more compact ammo in a shorter and lighter action, resulting in a shorter, lighter, and more compact rifle.<\/p>\n

\":<\/a>
: Donna and Caroline Boddington and outfitter Chris Bilkey with a gorgeous New Zealand red stag, taken by Caroline with a single 140-grain Remington Core-Lokt from a Sako 7mm-08.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Wife Donna is primarily a 270 Winchester<\/a> fan. There are parallels: Since introduction in 1925 the 270 Win<\/a> has been loaded to high pressures, enabling it to outrun its competition, including its Pop, the .30-06. Honestly, the 270 Win<\/a> and the 7mm-08 Rem<\/a>, as loaded, are surprisingly similar in performance on game. With greater case capacity, the 270 Win<\/a> is a bit faster, but requires a longer (and heavier) action, while the 7mm-08 Rem<\/a> offers the greater range of 7mm bullets. However, none of us can love all cartridges equally, and we are all victims of our own experience (and success). Donna is a 270 Win<\/a> fan (as am I). However, Donna, unlike me, actually has a 7mm-08 Rem<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"This<\/a>
This 140-grain Remington Core-Lokt bullet was recovered from Caroline Boddington\u2019s New Zealand red stag. Thanks to its moderate velocity, bullet performance in the 7mm-08 is routinely excellent.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We saw it \u201con consignment\u201d at Duke McCaa\u2019s Gulf Breeze booth at an SCI convention, a short-stocked Dakota M76 that fit Donna to a T. It took months to make a deal, but she has it, handy, and accurate. It hasn\u2019t seen much use yet, but it will\u2014and we know what the 7mm-08 Rem<\/a> will do. Brittany and Caroline have used it all over Africa for the full run of plains game. Last year, with a borrowed Sako 7mm-08 Rem<\/a>, Caroline flatted a big red stag. Although I\u2019ve never (exactly) owned one, I\u2019ve used it in numerous rifles.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The 7mm-08 is fairly popular worldwide. In New Zealand Caroline used outfitter Chris Bilkey\u2019s Sako 7mm-08 with suppressor. With mild recoil and amazing performance, one of the hallmarks of the 7mm-08 is it\u2019s easy to shoot well!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In these days of Creedmoor Craze, the more interesting comparison isn\u2019t between the 7mm-08 Rem<\/a> and my 7×57 Mauser<\/a> or Donna\u2019s 270 Win, but between the 7mm-08 Remington and the 6.5mm Creedmoor<\/a>. Everybody wants a Creedmoor\u2026but give it some serious thought: Why not a 7mm-08 Rem<\/a>? With shorter bullets (less friction), the 7mm-08 Rem<\/a>, as loaded, is significantly faster than the 6.5mm Creedmoor<\/a>, and offers the full range of 7mm bullets<\/a>. Also, please consider what the cartridge is for. <\/em>The Creedmoor was designed as a long-range target cartridge, capitalizing on the long-for-caliber 6.5mm bullet<\/a>, able to remain supersonic to extreme range despite moderate initial velocity (thus with minimal recoil). It is a great long-range target<\/em> cartridge.<\/p>\n

\"Caroline<\/a>
Caroline Boddington and PH Scot Burchell with an Eastern Cape greater kudu, dropped in its tracks with a 139-grain Hornady Interlock from Caroline\u2019s hot-pink Ruger M77 in 7mm-08.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The 7mm-08 Rem<\/a> was designed as a hunting <\/em>cartridge, and it\u2019s a better hunting cartridge than the 6.5mm Creedmoor<\/a>. Its greater frontal area transfers more energy on impact. Since it is faster, it delivers more energy at hunting ranges, and because heavier 7mm bullets<\/a> are available, it is more versatile\u2026and more effective on larger game. This is a lesson I\u2019ve learned from my daughters: The 7mm-08 Rem<\/a> is an amazing hunting cartridge. Mild in recoil and long on performance, in my view it\u2019s the best there is for beginners\u2026and not bad for veterans. Maybe someday I\u2019ll have one. First, I must get over my \u201cthing\u201d for the 7×57 Mauser<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Donna<\/a>
Donna Boddington is primarily a .270 fan. So far this California hog is the only animal taken with her Dakota 7mm-08, but it will probably see a lot more use!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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