7 mm-08 Remington
Encyclopedia
The 7mm-08 Remington is a rifle cartridge that is almost a direct copy of a wildcat cartridge
developed around 1958 known as the 7mm/308. As these names would suggest, it is the .308 Winchester
case necked down to accept 7 mm (.284) bullets
with a small increase in case length. Of cartridges based upon the .308, it is the third most popular, behind only the .308 itself and the .243 Winchester
. In 1980, the Remington Arms
company popularized the cartridge by applying its own name and offering it as a chambering for their model 788
and model 700
rifles.
The 7mm-08 Remington is generally considered a good choice for handloading. The popularity of the cartridge means there is a fairly wide selection of factory loads, making it a very good choice even for those who do not handload. Bullets weighing from 100 to 175 grains are available. Bullets in the 130-150gr range will suit most hunting applications while long range shooters will opt for the heaviest bullets to take advantage of their higher ballistic coefficients. Depending on construction, bullets of 154 to 175gr can also be used in loads suitable for medium and larger game or target purposes. Medium burning rifle powders usually work best in the 7mm-08.
." For long-range target and metallic silhouette
shooting, the "plastic-tipped 162gr A-Max has proven to be very accurate, with an impressive 0.625 BC. This A-Max bullet, and the 150gr Sierra Match King, are also very popular with silhouette shooters."
The 7mm-08 Remington works well in most hunting environments, including dense forest areas and large open fields. It has a flatter trajectory than the .308 Win. and .30-06 Springfield
at similar bullet weights because the slightly smaller-diameter 7mm bullet generally has a better ballistic coefficient
(BC), and is thus less affected by drag and crosswind while in flight. Its trajectory is comparable to the .270 Winchester
.
Its recoil is a bit more than a .243 Win. and less than most loads in a .308 Win. This mild recoil, when coupled with excellent ballistics, makes it suitable for youth and adults who are new shooters; however, the cartridge serves experienced shooters and hunters equally well.
Howard Brant of Shooting Industry magazine wrote: "the 7mm-08 is a real sleeper as far as the hunting field is concerned. It is a grand cartridge which packs more than sufficient wallop to efficiently down all medium-sized big-game animals found in North America and elsewhere."
Wayne van Zwoll of Petersen's Hunting magazine wrote: "Efficient case design and a bullet weight range suitable for most North American big game make the 7mm-08 a fine choice for all-around hunting. Civil in recoil, it's a perfect match for lightweight, short-action rifles. It has also courted favor on metallic silhouette ranges, where its 140-grain bullets reach 500-yard targets faster and with as much energy as 150-grain .308s." He also described it as "deadly" for elk.
David E. Petzal of Field & Stream, wrote, "The virtues of the 7mm/08 include very light recoil, not much muzzle blast, plenty of bullet weight to do the job, and gilt-edged accuracy."
The 7mm-08, with appropriate loads, meets the required standard for moose hunting in Sweden, Finland, and Norway. Such loads allow it, for that purpose, to be compared favourably with the 6.5x55, 7x57, 7x57R, 300 Savage, 303 British, and some 308 Win. and 270 Win. loads; they have killed many moose.
With appropriately constructed bullets, the cartridge is usable on elk, black bears and hogs.
It must be stressed, though, that the 7mm-08 Rem. is unsuitable for use on the three big bears—polar, brown, and grizzly—and on other dangerous game. In a self-defensive situation requiring stopping power on dangerous game at close range, there are clearly much more appropriate options.
Stephen Herrero, a bear behavior expert, cites a study by the U. S. Forestry Service in Alaska that concluded the .458 Win. Mag. with a 510gr load, 375 H.&H. Mag. with a 300gr load, .338 Win Mag. with a 300gr load, and .30-06 with a 220gr load were "superior for protection against bears". Aaron Fraser Pass says that for the three big bears the standard should be a minimum of 2,800 fpe at impact range.
Edward A. Matunas, who was involved in developing reloading manuals for Lyman, says, "The 7mm-08 Remington is an efficient round and competes effectively against the 308 Winchester."
The 7mm-08 with 139-140gr loads does well against 150gr .308 Win. loads. That said, in rifles with equal barrel lengths, top 140-160gr handloads in 7mm-08 do not quite match retained energy levels of top 180gr handloads in .308 Win. It, however, does provide good energy levels with usually less recoil than the .308 Win., which were early motivations for developing the cartridge.
The 7mm-08 invites a ballistic comparison with the veteran, highly esteemed 7x57mm Mauser. American rifle handloading writers such as Ken Waters, Frank B. Petrini, John Wootters, Clay Harvey, Bob Milek, and John Barsness vary on which cartridge generates higher velocities with top handloads in modern rifles with equal barrel lengths. Any significant difference perhaps reflects more variations among individual rifles than a clear winner between two quite similar cartridges. Layne Simpson, a handloading gun writer who has worked with the 7mm-08 since 1979, considers it and the 7x57 as ballistic equals.
One assessment seems curious: while Norma Precision says that the shorter-cased 7mm-08 loses 100–150 ft/s (30.5–45.7 m/s) compared to the 7x57, its own reloading information for the 156gr Oryx shows the 7mm-08 as having slightly higher speed than the 7x57.
Its comparison with the 270 Win. is complicated. Clay Harvey, for instance, says the 7mm-08 is "definitely inferior ballistically." Remington Arms has its 140 grain load producing 2960 ft/s (902.2 m/s) which is better than the 2860 ft/s (871.7 m/s) produced by the 140-grain 7mm-08 load. The complicating factor is that, according to Edward A. Matunas, the .270 Win. "is not well served by factory ammunition. Velocities often vary widely and frequently are well below advertised levels."
An example: Remington's own ballistic tables lists its only 150-grain 270 Win. loading, a Soft Point Core-Lokt (not a Pointed Soft Point Core-Lokt), as having a MV of 2850 ft/s (868.7 m/s) and retaining 1,587 fpe at 200 yards. A 7mm-08 load with a more efficient 150gr Nosler Partition at 2700 ft/s (823 m/s) MV retains 1,790 fpe at 200 yards and 1,525 fpe at 300.
Careful handloading with a bullet of higher BC should restore the gain the 270 Win. brings through its larger case. John Barsness says, however, that his wife Eileen has "recently discovered that the 7mm-08 kicks noticeably less than her old favorite the .270 WCF with similar results in the field."
The .30-06 is significantly more powerful in its 165-180gr loads, especially when handloads or factory loads with bullets of good BC are used.
However, Remington lists its .30-06 150gr PSP Core-Lokt as retaining 1,445 fpe at 300 yards, while listing its 140gr 7mm-08 PSP Core-Lokt with 1490 fpe at the same distance. In 1981 Ken Waters looked at Remington's (then) PSP loads and had this to say about the 140gr 7mm-08 PSP: "From this we must conclude that it betters the 150-gr. 308 in all respects, and is about equal ballistically to Remington's 150-gr. PSP loading for the 30-06. Quite a billing, wouldn't you say?"
In January 2002, Dave Anderson of Guns Magazine compared four of his favorite 7mm cartridges (7x57mm Mauser, .280 Remington
, .284 Winchester
, and 7mm-08 Rem.), and concluded:
Jeff Cooper was impressed enough by the 7mm-08 to give it unqualified support for use in a scout rifle
-- "A true Scout comes in .308 or 7mm-08".
Bob Bell says "the little 7mm/08 equals or surpasses a surprising number of popular loads and is so close to the others that it makes one wonder if their edge is worth their attendant muzzle blast, recoil and rifle weight" when hunting deer, antelope, and caribou.
The caliber has also found some loyal adherents in Europe
especially among British munitions enthusiasts keen to point out the development of the .280 British
round shortly after WW2, which ironically was ultimately rejected by the United States.
Browning
offers it in several versions of their box fed lever-action
rifle, the BLR
, and in their gas-operated
semiautomatic rifle
called the BAR ShortTrac Stalker
. Remington Arms
offers a DPMS
manufactured version of the AR-10
, called the Model R-25
, in 7mm-08. Rock River Arms recently added a complete upper assembly chambered in 7mm-08 for their LAR-8 platform (not interchangeable with AR-10 or DPMS lowers).
Wildcat cartridge
A wildcat cartridge, or wildcat, is a custom cartridge for which ammunition and firearms are not mass produced. These cartridges are often created in order to optimize a certain performance characteristic of an existing commercial cartridge.Developing and using wildcat cartridges does not...
developed around 1958 known as the 7mm/308. As these names would suggest, it is the .308 Winchester
.308 Winchester
The .308 Winchester is a rifle cartridge and is the commercial cartridge upon which the military 7.62x51mm NATO centerfire cartridge is based. The .308 Winchester was introduced in 1952, two years prior to the NATO adoption of the 7.62x51mm NATO T65...
case necked down to accept 7 mm (.284) bullets
7 mm caliber
This article lists firearm cartridges which have a bullet in the to caliber range.*Length refers to the cartridge case length.*OAL refers to the overall length of the cartridge....
with a small increase in case length. Of cartridges based upon the .308, it is the third most popular, behind only the .308 itself and the .243 Winchester
.243 Winchester
The .243 Winchester is a popular sporting rifle cartridge. Initially designed as a varmint round, it is now more frequently used on medium to large game such as whitetail deer, mule deer, pronghorn, wild hogs, and even black bear and caribou...
. In 1980, the Remington Arms
Remington Arms
Remington Arms Company, Inc. was founded in 1816 by Eliphalet Remington in Ilion, New York, as E. Remington and Sons. It is the oldest company in the United States which still makes its original product, and is the oldest continuously operating manufacturer in North America. It is the only U.S....
company popularized the cartridge by applying its own name and offering it as a chambering for their model 788
Remington 788
The Remington 788 is an inexpensive yet accurate hunting rifle developed by the Remington Arms Company to compete with other gun companies' less expensive rifles and marketed alongside their more expensive Model 700 line. The 788 utilizes a single-column detachable magazine holding 3 rounds...
and model 700
Remington 700
The Model 700 series of firearms are bolt-action rifles manufactured by Remington Arms since 1962. All are based on the same centerfire bolt action. They often come with a 3, 4 or 5-round internal magazine depending on caliber, some of which have a floor-plate for quick-unloading, and some of which...
rifles.
Handloading
This cartridge is relatively inexpensive to reload and very brass-friendly, meaning that cases tend to last through a succession of reloads.The 7mm-08 Remington is generally considered a good choice for handloading. The popularity of the cartridge means there is a fairly wide selection of factory loads, making it a very good choice even for those who do not handload. Bullets weighing from 100 to 175 grains are available. Bullets in the 130-150gr range will suit most hunting applications while long range shooters will opt for the heaviest bullets to take advantage of their higher ballistic coefficients. Depending on construction, bullets of 154 to 175gr can also be used in loads suitable for medium and larger game or target purposes. Medium burning rifle powders usually work best in the 7mm-08.
Uses
With the wide range of bullet weights available, the 7mm-08 is suitable for "varminting, game-hunting, silhouette, and long-range shooting." It is also eminently suitable for plains gamePlains game
Plains game is well established in literature and conversation as the sporting hunter's generic term for all those fair-game species of antelope and gazelle which are to be found - typically in rather open plains or savanna habitats - throughout sub-Saharan Africa...
." For long-range target and metallic silhouette
Metallic silhouette
Metallic silhouette shooting is a group of target shooting disciplines that involves shooting at metal cutouts representing game animals at varying distances. Metallic silhouette shooting can be done with airguns, black powder firearms, modern handguns, or modern rifles...
shooting, the "plastic-tipped 162gr A-Max has proven to be very accurate, with an impressive 0.625 BC. This A-Max bullet, and the 150gr Sierra Match King, are also very popular with silhouette shooters."
The 7mm-08 Remington works well in most hunting environments, including dense forest areas and large open fields. It has a flatter trajectory than the .308 Win. and .30-06 Springfield
.30-06 Springfield
The .30-06 Springfield cartridge or 7.62×63mm in metric notation, was introduced to the United States Army in 1906 and standardized, and was in use until the 1960s and early 1970s. It replaced the .30-03, 6 mm Lee Navy, and .30 US Army...
at similar bullet weights because the slightly smaller-diameter 7mm bullet generally has a better ballistic coefficient
Ballistic coefficient
In ballistics, the ballistic coefficient of a body is a measure of its ability to overcome air resistance in flight. It is inversely proportional to the negative acceleration—a high number indicates a low negative acceleration. BC is a function of mass, diameter, and drag coefficient...
(BC), and is thus less affected by drag and crosswind while in flight. Its trajectory is comparable to the .270 Winchester
.270 Winchester
The .270 Winchester was developed by Winchester Repeating Arms Company in 1923 and unveiled in 1925 as a chambering for their bolt-action Model 54. The cartridge is based upon the .30-06 Springfield...
.
Its recoil is a bit more than a .243 Win. and less than most loads in a .308 Win. This mild recoil, when coupled with excellent ballistics, makes it suitable for youth and adults who are new shooters; however, the cartridge serves experienced shooters and hunters equally well.
Howard Brant of Shooting Industry magazine wrote: "the 7mm-08 is a real sleeper as far as the hunting field is concerned. It is a grand cartridge which packs more than sufficient wallop to efficiently down all medium-sized big-game animals found in North America and elsewhere."
Wayne van Zwoll of Petersen's Hunting magazine wrote: "Efficient case design and a bullet weight range suitable for most North American big game make the 7mm-08 a fine choice for all-around hunting. Civil in recoil, it's a perfect match for lightweight, short-action rifles. It has also courted favor on metallic silhouette ranges, where its 140-grain bullets reach 500-yard targets faster and with as much energy as 150-grain .308s." He also described it as "deadly" for elk.
David E. Petzal of Field & Stream, wrote, "The virtues of the 7mm/08 include very light recoil, not much muzzle blast, plenty of bullet weight to do the job, and gilt-edged accuracy."
The 7mm-08, with appropriate loads, meets the required standard for moose hunting in Sweden, Finland, and Norway. Such loads allow it, for that purpose, to be compared favourably with the 6.5x55, 7x57, 7x57R, 300 Savage, 303 British, and some 308 Win. and 270 Win. loads; they have killed many moose.
With appropriately constructed bullets, the cartridge is usable on elk, black bears and hogs.
It must be stressed, though, that the 7mm-08 Rem. is unsuitable for use on the three big bears—polar, brown, and grizzly—and on other dangerous game. In a self-defensive situation requiring stopping power on dangerous game at close range, there are clearly much more appropriate options.
Stephen Herrero, a bear behavior expert, cites a study by the U. S. Forestry Service in Alaska that concluded the .458 Win. Mag. with a 510gr load, 375 H.&H. Mag. with a 300gr load, .338 Win Mag. with a 300gr load, and .30-06 with a 220gr load were "superior for protection against bears". Aaron Fraser Pass says that for the three big bears the standard should be a minimum of 2,800 fpe at impact range.
Cartridge Comparisons
There are two primary reasons a 7mm recoils less than an comparably effective .30 cal. cartridge: (1) to match the 7mm's BC requires a significantly heavier .30 cal bullet; and (2) to drive that heavier .30 cal bullet at similar velocities (for kinetic energy and wind resistance ("time-to-target")), requires more powder. This combination of heavier bullets with heavier powder charges significantly increases the recoil of the .30 caliber. The flip side of this is that "when you compare heavy bullets, grain for grain, the 7mm-08 offers better ballistics. In other words a 168-grainer fired from a 7mm-08 will exhibit less drop and less windage than a 168gr bullet fired from a .308 Win."Edward A. Matunas, who was involved in developing reloading manuals for Lyman, says, "The 7mm-08 Remington is an efficient round and competes effectively against the 308 Winchester."
The 7mm-08 with 139-140gr loads does well against 150gr .308 Win. loads. That said, in rifles with equal barrel lengths, top 140-160gr handloads in 7mm-08 do not quite match retained energy levels of top 180gr handloads in .308 Win. It, however, does provide good energy levels with usually less recoil than the .308 Win., which were early motivations for developing the cartridge.
The 7mm-08 invites a ballistic comparison with the veteran, highly esteemed 7x57mm Mauser. American rifle handloading writers such as Ken Waters, Frank B. Petrini, John Wootters, Clay Harvey, Bob Milek, and John Barsness vary on which cartridge generates higher velocities with top handloads in modern rifles with equal barrel lengths. Any significant difference perhaps reflects more variations among individual rifles than a clear winner between two quite similar cartridges. Layne Simpson, a handloading gun writer who has worked with the 7mm-08 since 1979, considers it and the 7x57 as ballistic equals.
One assessment seems curious: while Norma Precision says that the shorter-cased 7mm-08 loses 100–150 ft/s (30.5–45.7 m/s) compared to the 7x57, its own reloading information for the 156gr Oryx shows the 7mm-08 as having slightly higher speed than the 7x57.
Its comparison with the 270 Win. is complicated. Clay Harvey, for instance, says the 7mm-08 is "definitely inferior ballistically." Remington Arms has its 140 grain load producing 2960 ft/s (902.2 m/s) which is better than the 2860 ft/s (871.7 m/s) produced by the 140-grain 7mm-08 load. The complicating factor is that, according to Edward A. Matunas, the .270 Win. "is not well served by factory ammunition. Velocities often vary widely and frequently are well below advertised levels."
An example: Remington's own ballistic tables lists its only 150-grain 270 Win. loading, a Soft Point Core-Lokt (not a Pointed Soft Point Core-Lokt), as having a MV of 2850 ft/s (868.7 m/s) and retaining 1,587 fpe at 200 yards. A 7mm-08 load with a more efficient 150gr Nosler Partition at 2700 ft/s (823 m/s) MV retains 1,790 fpe at 200 yards and 1,525 fpe at 300.
Careful handloading with a bullet of higher BC should restore the gain the 270 Win. brings through its larger case. John Barsness says, however, that his wife Eileen has "recently discovered that the 7mm-08 kicks noticeably less than her old favorite the .270 WCF with similar results in the field."
The .30-06 is significantly more powerful in its 165-180gr loads, especially when handloads or factory loads with bullets of good BC are used.
However, Remington lists its .30-06 150gr PSP Core-Lokt as retaining 1,445 fpe at 300 yards, while listing its 140gr 7mm-08 PSP Core-Lokt with 1490 fpe at the same distance. In 1981 Ken Waters looked at Remington's (then) PSP loads and had this to say about the 140gr 7mm-08 PSP: "From this we must conclude that it betters the 150-gr. 308 in all respects, and is about equal ballistically to Remington's 150-gr. PSP loading for the 30-06. Quite a billing, wouldn't you say?"
In January 2002, Dave Anderson of Guns Magazine compared four of his favorite 7mm cartridges (7x57mm Mauser, .280 Remington
.280 Remington
The .280 Remington, also known as the 7 mm Express Remington, was introduced in 1957 for the Remington model 740, 760, 721 and 725 rifles. The .280 is based on the .30-06 Springfield necked down to accept 7 mm bullets, with the neck moved forward .050in...
, .284 Winchester
.284 Winchester
The .284 Winchester is an example of a commercially rather unsuccessful cartridge that has enjoyed a resurgence in interest due to interest from long-range competitive shooters...
, and 7mm-08 Rem.), and concluded:
Jeff Cooper was impressed enough by the 7mm-08 to give it unqualified support for use in a scout rifle
Scout rifle
The Scout Rifle is a class of general-purpose rifles defined and promoted by Jeff Cooper in the early 1980s.These bolt action carbines are typically .308 caliber , less than 1 meter in length, and less than 3 kilograms in weight, with iron and optical sights and fitted with practical slings for...
-- "A true Scout comes in .308 or 7mm-08".
Bob Bell says "the little 7mm/08 equals or surpasses a surprising number of popular loads and is so close to the others that it makes one wonder if their edge is worth their attendant muzzle blast, recoil and rifle weight" when hunting deer, antelope, and caribou.
The caliber has also found some loyal adherents in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
especially among British munitions enthusiasts keen to point out the development of the .280 British
.280 British
The .280 British was an experimental intermediate rifle cartridge. It was later designated 7 mm MK1Z, and has also been known as 7 mm NATO, .280/30, .280 Enfield, .280 NATO, 7 mm FN Short, and 7×43mm. It was designed by the British Army in the late 1940s, with subsequent help from...
round shortly after WW2, which ironically was ultimately rejected by the United States.
Guns
Since the 7mm-08 is fairly popular, most major hunting firearm manufacturers in the USA have one or more bolt action rifles chambered for the round. Because of the cartridge's efficiency in shorter barrels, Savage, Browning, Weatherby, and Remington offer it in carbine models as well as in guns with regular barrel lengths.Browning
Browning Arms Company
Browning Arms Company is a maker of firearms, bows and fishing gear. Founded in Utah in 1927, it offers a wide variety of firearms, including shotguns, rifles, pistols, and rimfire firearms and sport bows, as well as fishing rods and reels....
offers it in several versions of their box fed lever-action
Lever-action
Lever-action is a type of firearm action which uses a lever located around the trigger guard area, to load fresh cartridges into the chamber of the barrel when the lever is worked. Most lever-action firearms are rifles, but lever-action shotguns and a few pistols have also been made...
rifle, the BLR
Browning BLR
The Browning BLR is a lever action rifle manufactured by Browning Arms Company. It comes in many different variations and is chambered in calibers from .22-250 Remington to .325 WSM to .450 Marlin.- Differences :...
, and in their gas-operated
Gas-operated reloading
Gas-operation is a system of operation used to provide energy to operate autoloading firearms. In gas-operation, a portion of high pressure gas from the cartridge being fired is used to power a mechanism to extract the spent case and chamber a new cartridge. Energy from the gas is harnessed...
semiautomatic rifle
Semi-automatic rifle
A semi-automatic rifle is a type of rifle that fires a single bullet each time the trigger is pulled, automatically ejects the spent cartridge, chambers a fresh cartridge from its magazine, and is immediately ready to fire another shot...
called the BAR ShortTrac Stalker
Browning BAR
The BAR is a gas-operated, semi-automatic rifle produced by the Browning Arms Company first in Belgium and later in Japan. The rifle loads from a box magazine detachable from a hinged floor plate. This rifle should not be confused with the M1918 military rifle, which is a completely different...
. Remington Arms
Remington Arms
Remington Arms Company, Inc. was founded in 1816 by Eliphalet Remington in Ilion, New York, as E. Remington and Sons. It is the oldest company in the United States which still makes its original product, and is the oldest continuously operating manufacturer in North America. It is the only U.S....
offers a DPMS
DPMS Panther Arms
DPMS Panther Arms manufactures a wide range of military and civilian rifles in St. Cloud, Minnesota. The rifles are chambered for the .223 Remington, 5.56x45mm NATO, .308 Winchester, .260 Remington, .300 Remington SA Ultra Mag, 6.8mm Remington SPC, and .204 Ruger cartridges, among others...
manufactured version of the AR-10
AR-10
The AR-10 is an American 7.62 mm battle rifle developed by Eugene Stoner in the late 1950s at ArmaLite, then a division of the Fairchild Aircraft Corporation...
, called the Model R-25
Model R-25
The Remington Model R-25 is semi-automatic gas operated rifle that comes in three different calibers such as: .308 Winchester, .243 Winchester, and 7mm-08. All three calibers are based after the .308 Winchester cartridge. The Remington R-25 has a 20 inch Chrom-Moly medium fluted barrel and...
, in 7mm-08. Rock River Arms recently added a complete upper assembly chambered in 7mm-08 for their LAR-8 platform (not interchangeable with AR-10 or DPMS lowers).
See also
- 7 mm Remington cartridges7 mm Remington cartridges7 mm Remington cartrigdes are all rifle cartridges with bullets of 7 mm diameter developed and sold by Remington.These cartridges include:*.280 Remington *7 mm BR *7 mm Remington Magnum...
- 7 mm caliber7 mm caliberThis article lists firearm cartridges which have a bullet in the to caliber range.*Length refers to the cartridge case length.*OAL refers to the overall length of the cartridge....
- List of firearms
- List of rifle cartridges
- List of handgun cartridges
- Delta L problemDelta L problemThe delta L problem is a condition that occurs regarding certain firearms chambers and their practical incompatibility with ammunition made for the corresponding chambering....
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