Thread: New rifle, scope question

Originally Posted by TheJanitar

I was in the EXACT same position. My head said 308, but my heart said 7mm08. I usually go with my heart, but I usually screw up these type of decisions so I went with my head this time

In all seriousness, decided on the 308 for: 1 - cheaper and much greater bullet selection/availability. 2 - I wont ever be shooting far enough to really use the advantage of the 7mm-08's flatter shooting. 3 - better knockdown power due to wider bullet. And 4 - decided to harden up because I realised the only advantage for myself that the 7mm-08 offers is less recoil.

Hope this helps your decision

Cheers

The difference between 7mm08 and 308 is pretty negligible overall. Similar bullet weights for common hunting rounds in the 140-160gr weights, similar velocities and similar dimensions, recoil, performance. If you consider comparable ammunition. Say for example Hornady Whitetail interlock, 140gr for the 7mm08, and 150gr for the 308. Similar loads and prices. With both zero'd at 200m they are +1.9" (308, and 1.8" (7mm08) high at 100. so 1 tenth of an inch at 100m, take that out to 300 metres and according to the packets 7mm08 is 7.9" low and the 308 is 8.5" low. Thats just over HALF AN INCH at 300mtres! And this is most likely due in part to the slightly lighter projectile in the 7mm08. With the difference being much much less than any group a new shooter could be expected to shoot, it means that are effectively close enough to identical in performance that it will make little or no measurable difference to a shooter.

Recoil is not determined by calibre. It is relatively simple physics (E=MC2) Energy forward equals energy rearwards. Energy is weight x velocity x velocity. If the bullet energy is the same out the muzzle then the recoil is the same if the rifle weight is the same. The only ways to reduce recoil is to reduce the energy going forward or increase the weight going rearwards.

Hence the advice to go 308 would be my call. What ever way you decide to go, you will need practise, and the more of it the better you will become. With 308 having a lot of cheaper ammo options available (Barnaul, PMC, Freedom munitions etc) then you get more practise for the same money.

And before anyone has a go about the 7mm08 vs 308, both are very good calibres, both are ideal choices for NZ game. Both are almost identical in performance. If someone could source $1 per shot for 7mm08 then the only real difference between the two would be gone. If any counter jumper tells you one is much better than the other, they are either wrong and should not be trusted, or lying and should not be trusted....