Decisions - Choosing between 7-08 or 308

[ARlife4me]

Here's the actual performance numbers on my AR308 vs AR708: (Max Pressures)
View attachment 630200
There is less felt recoil with the 708 AR load. They both perform equally to 400yds.

kinda an unfair comparison when bullet weights are that far apart. but yes, the 7-08 will have less felt recoil with that lighter bullet.

my cousin's husband also likes the 7-08 over the 308win when it comes to recoil, but i changed his mind when he shot an ar in 308win i built. his response was "it feels like i'm shooting my 223!" he shot m80 147fmj's and 180pp's in it. big reason to love ar's is you can tune recoil out even with top pressure loads.


that extra 2k in pressure the 308 has over the 7-08 makes a difference

 

[ARlife4me]

Here's the actual performance numbers on my AR308 vs AR708: (Max Pressures)
View attachment 630200
There is less felt recoil with the 708 AR load. They both perform equally to 400yds.

good comparisons of drop and drift tho!

 

[akdad]

My vote always goes to whatever caliber you can get factory easier/cheaper.

 

[ARlife4me]

My vote always goes to whatever caliber you can get factory easier/cheaper.

nowadays that's what it takes

 

[Critter Picker]

As a big fan of both........I can't help you.

Get both! Can always use another gun.

 

[Brathany]

kinda an unfair comparison when bullet weights are that far apart. but yes, the 7-08 will have less felt recoil with that lighter bullet.

my cousin's husband also likes the 7-08 over the 308win when it comes to recoil, but i changed his mind when he shot an ar in 308win i built. his response was "it feels like i'm shooting my 223!" he shot m80 147fmj's and 180pp's in it. big reason to love ar's is you can tune recoil out even with top pressure loads.


that extra 2k in pressure the 308 has over the 7-08 makes a difference

Correct, the 708AR recoils less because the bullet is lighter. Both cartridges are at the top bullet weight of what AR10 platforms can still give decent velocity. I do like 2700fps from a 308 155Amax for running hogs short range. However the 168 beats the 155 for long range ballistics.

 

[ARlife4me]

Correct, the 708AR recoils less because the bullet is lighter. Both cartridges are at the top bullet weight of what AR10 platforms can still give decent velocity. I do like 2700fps from a 308 155Amax for running hogs short range. However the 168 beats the 155 for long range ballistics.

info about you ar7-08 please!

i have a McGowen 22" 10t and with certain mags go out to 2.870" for the heavies.

 

[asd9055]

He mentioned Nilgai. Many ranches/guides in S Texas require minimum 300WM. Just saying

 

[ARlife4me]

He mentioned Nilgai. Many ranches/guides in S Texas require minimum 300WM. Just saying

are they tougher than elk? i don't hunt, so asking for reference

 

[asd9055]

are they tougher than elk? i don't hunt, so asking for reference

They say they are tougher. I know King Ranch for a fact has a minimum 300WM. I believe they are the ones that imported them from India. They are built differently.

 

[xsn10s]

I personally don't have a 7-08 gas gun, but have owned several 308 gassers. My current 7-08 is a Howa Superlite. I run 162gr ELDM's out of that just above 2600 fps for now. We'll see what it will do after it breaks in.

 

[LVJ76]

A 7mm-08 with a 150gr to 168gr bullet performs just as good as the 308.

Yes 400 yds isn't much, but if you hunt where winds can go from 15 to 20 mph and gusts up to 30 mph or more, the wind will make a difference. The 7mm-08 can take from small deer to elk up to 600 yds, or more depending elevation.

As mentioned before, if you don't reload, get a 308 Win, if you do, get the 7mm-08. Mine loves the 150gr Berger Classic Hunter, I've taken large bodied mule deer at 550 yards without issues. At my usual hunting elevation and my load, 550 yards is my max range at just over 1,800 fps. My wife's max range with the 162gr Amax is just past 600 yds.

I know the ELDX and ELDM can reach even further if the rifle likes them.

Either way you can't go wrong, but I am a 7mm die hard fan, been shooting the 7mm-08 since the late 80's, back when we had to neck down 308 cases. We shot the 308 Win for a short while at NRA Methalic Silhouettes, and got tired of the 308 not knocking down the steel rams at 500m with 168gr Sierra MK. The 7mm-08 did it without a problem with both the 168gr and the 150gr Sierra MK's.

 

[VinceMule]

I watched a friend shoot an AR10 with a 24" 7/08, firing 160g tipped match kings at 800,900, and 1000 yards. The accuracy was nothing short of unbelievable. We had a pretty good tail wind that day, quartering from right to left.

 

[Brathany]

A 7mm-08 with a 150gr to 168gr bullet performs just as good as the 308.

Yes 400 yds isn't much, but if you hunt where winds can go from 15 to 20 mph and gusts up to 30 mph or more, the wind will make a difference. The 7mm-08 can take from small deer to elk up to 600 yds, or more depending elevation.

As mentioned before, if you don't reload, get a 308 Win, if you do, get the 7mm-08. Mine loves the 150gr Berger Classic Hunter, I've taken large bodied mule deer at 550 yards without issues. At my usual hunting elevation and my load, 550 yards is my max range at just over 1,800 fps. My wife's max range with the 162gr Amax is just past 600 yds.

I know the ELDX and ELDM can reach even further if the rifle likes them.

Either way you can't go wrong, but I am a 7mm die hard fan, been shooting the 7mm-08 since the late 80's, back when we had to neck down 308 cases. We shot the 308 Win for a short while at NRA Methalic Silhouettes, and got tired of the 308 not knocking down the steel rams at 500m with 168gr Sierra MK. The 7mm-08 did it without a problem with both the 168gr and the 150gr Sierra MK's.

Put those in an AR platform & things change. You just don't get the velocity from typical 18-20" barrels.