308 or 7mm-08 for mule deer?

[wkdwdg66]

I am looking to buy either a 308 or 7mm-08 as a mule deer hunting rifle. The typical hunting ranges i encounter out west here are between 200-600 yards. Ive got a 300wm I use for elk and other large game and an old 270, but I am wanting something new dedicated for mule deer. My main concerns are ammo price and availability and I am also looking mainly at Bergara, Weatherby and Browning.

Would you consider getting rid of the "old 270"?

 

[JD-ODINSON]

Would you consider getting rid of the "old 270"?

Not a chance. Its was my father's that he handed down to me along with my grandfathers 30-30. I plan to restore it back to what it was brand new.

 

[436]

I am looking to buy either a 308 or 7mm-08 as a mule deer hunting rifle. The typical hunting ranges i encounter out west here are between 200-600 yards. Ive got a 300wm I use for elk and other large game and an old 270, but I am wanting something new dedicated for mule deer. My main concerns are ammo price and availability and I am also looking mainly at Bergara, Weatherby and Browning.

Both would be a good choice, actually, it's heads or tails of the same coin with these two. Good luck.

 

[wkdwdg66]

Not a chance. Its was my father's that he handed down to me along with my grandfathers 30-30. I plan to restore it back to what it was brand new.

My grandpa's 270 was handed down to my father, then to me...... except that my dad left it at his sister place for a few months when he moved and she got rid of it. .......... disowned!!!!! Excommunicated from the family!!!!!

 

[LVJ76]

Everybody seems to favor the heavier bullets in both 308 & 7-08, but your daughters may favor something lighter. Somebody in the bunch is bound to be recoil-sensitive. 120's in 7-08 should thump the shoulder significantly less hard than the heavier 308 bullets do, and 140's may be just fine, too. At the ranges you mentioned, these lighter 7mm bullets ought to do OK for you. I'm kind of sensitive to recoil, and in my old 308 I could tell the difference between 150-grain & 180's when I shot them. It was a pretty light rifle, and the heavier bullets recoiled noticeably more. The rifle weight and recoil factor would have me leaning toward the 7-08 in your situation, mainly because your daughters will be using it.

You make a great point, the 120gr Ballistic Tip hits hard and kills fast and is good out to 500 yds

 

[lgwatson]

I'm trying to avoid the creedmoor and prc bandwagon. Mainly because of price and availability. If it was cheaper and more readily available, I would be all over the prc or 26 or 27 Nosler. I do reload, but have never reloaded either. Ive only ever reloaded 30/06, 300wm, 30-30 and 270.

Your 30/06 would be hard to beat.

 

[JD-ODINSON]

My grandpa's 270 was handed down to my father, then to me...... except that my dad left it at his sister place for a few months when he moved and she got rid of it. .......... disowned!!!!! Excommunicated from the family!!!!!

It breaks the heart

 

[Rilow]

I also have brass and dies

What brand brass you have?

 

[CBH Australia]

"If" you can overcome the unwarranted negative perceptions from the haters, synthesize the information being presented to you to make your own sound decision, as @Kimber7man noted, it is exactly what you need. The off the shelves inventory of ammo where you are at is what counts, not anyone else's. I am a latecomer in owning a 6.5 CM because I already have a 6.5x55 Swede. I have yet to handload for it because the factory ammo I am currently using ($20 a box Winchester deer season XP 125g) is registering 3-shot groups at 200Y off my TCA Compass with a 24" barrel ...

View attachment 238098

Good luck!

Nice group,
I'm not a hater but I formed the opinion when I was younger that 7mm-08 would be a great all rounder for Australia. It does not share the popularity or availability the .308 does. I wanted something like a Remington Model 7

Years later I bought a Tikka CTR on clearance as being a 7mm-08 they are not great sellers. Bargain and I am now a big believer in the cartridge. It's a great little truck rifle and good shooter over the bench.

I believe it does have an edge over 6.5cm and .308 with the right loads and fair comparison for hunting,

I might not a convert nor a hater of the 6.5cm, I do use the terms Man Bun or Latte and Trend in the same sentence to get a bite or stir the lovers. I do believe it's does shine in its own arena and that's long range target work. The 7mm-08 should deliver more energy on the target species as a hunting round.

I'm loving the support for the 7mm-08

 

[wkdwdg66]

Yup

It breaks the heart

Yup and it's probably the last time I'll ever see a first year mod 70.

 

[Barehandlineman11]

I'd be looking at 270wsm a bunch of ammunition for it typically

 

[Rflshootr]

One thing no one is telling you is, that if you look at the difference in velocity and do a comparison on a ballistic calculator, using the same weight bullet of the same type, or even 140 in the 7mm vs a 150 in a 308, with all the same environmental parameters, the 308 will give higher velocity and better down range performance in drop, drift and energy out to at least 600 yards. The reason being is that you can get about 100 fps more velocity with the 30 caliber, due to the fact that you have more surface area on the bottom of the bullet for the pressure to push against. Think of it this way....a 1" piston and a 3" piston both with the same pressure applied....the 3" will ALWAYS have more output because it has more square inches of surface to push against. If you don't believe it, compare apples and apples on a calculator and see what you get. The difference between the 2 is slight, but it is there. Compare Ballistic tips as an example or Sierra match kings in the 2 different calibers. It's exactly the same size case, both capable of the same pressures.

 

[BPollard]

Everybody seems to favor the heavier bullets in both 308 & 7-08, but your daughters may favor something lighter. Somebody in the bunch is bound to be recoil-sensitive. 120's in 7-08 should thump the shoulder significantly less hard than the heavier 308 bullets do, and 140's may be just fine, too. At the ranges you mentioned, these lighter 7mm bullets ought to do OK for you. I'm kind of sensitive to recoil, and in my old 308 I could tell the difference between 150-grain & 180's when I shot them. It was a pretty light rifle, and the heavier bullets recoiled noticeably more. The rifle weight and recoil factor would have me leaning toward the 7-08 in your situation, mainly because your daughters will be using it.

I shoot the 145lrx out of my 7-08 and 7 why mag. U need nothing more. Go get em

 

[FEENIX]

Nice group,
I'm not a hater but I formed the opinion when I was younger that 7mm-08 would be a great all rounder for Australia. It does not share the popularity or availability the .308 does. I wanted something like a Remington Model 7

Years later I bought a Tikka CTR on clearance as being a 7mm-08 they are not great sellers. Bargain and I am now a big believer in the cartridge. It's a great little truck rifle and good shooter over the bench.

I believe it does have an edge over 6.5cm and .308 with the right loads and fair comparison for hunting,

I might not a convert nor a hater of the 6.5cm, I do use the terms Man Bun or Latte and Trend in the same sentence to get a bite or stir the lovers. I do believe it's does shine in its own arena and that's long range target work. The 7mm-08 should deliver more energy on the target species as a hunting round.

I'm loving the support for the 7mm-08

That's the beauty of having personal choices. Regardless of your stance, you are still entitled to your opinion. You are quoting me on response specifically about the OP's assessment on off the shelf availability of ammo between 6.5 CM over.308 Win where it is at, and not anywhere else.

My choice of chambering is NOT influenced by other people's opinion or popularity but for my personal intended purpose. I stopped shooting .284 caliber quite some time ago. I have since converted my 7MMRm and 7MM STW to something else. It does NOT mean I hate the .284 caliber though, I just prefer the .308 caliber over it (I have 10 in various chamberings). I do not have a rifle/chamber dedicated to a certain game I hunt. However, the .300 WM remains my go-to chambering for antelope to elk size game up to 1K yards.