I'm considering a new TC compass since a local store has them on sale. I'm leaning .308 or 7mm-08. I can't use them for deer hunting in Ohio but coyotes and some day a trip to hunt hogs. I've also got a friend who lives in Idaho that has wanted me to come out there one day. Granted, this is an a top-of-the-line rifle, but the price is hard to pass up. I do reload so eventually I will reload for whichever caliber I choose. So what say you sigforum rifle gurus? Does either caliber hold an advantage over the other?

No advantage either way. 308 components/ammo will be more available and slightly cheaper than 7-08. Thats about it.

6 one way, half a dozen the other.

Probably only advantage the 308 has is bullet weight availability.

Edge to 308 for being available off the shelf, in surplus and with more plentiful components and data to reload. If you want something different that's cool.

I have a Savage 7mm-08 for deer here in PA and love it, I prefer it over 30-06 any day and compared to .308 it will shoot like a .22

quote:

Originally posted by birddog1:
I'm leaning .308 or 7mm-08. I can't use them for deer hunting in Ohio but coyotes and some day a trip to hunt hogs.
Does either caliber hold an advantage over the other?

Same basic case dimension with variations on a theme with bore size. If you didn't reload, then 308's factory ammo availability would be key. Reloading supplies might be a little more available in 308, but probably not to a huge degree.

You'll have more options with 308 bullets, and you can go really heavy in bullet weight. Heavy enough that the 308 case probably doesn't have enough powder to make the bullet fly as efficiently as it should. But you're talking about coyotes and hogs -- animals that can be hunted in AR-15 platform calibers. As a result, the really heavy 308 caliber bullets are a talking point, but probably not applicable in the field to you.

7mm bullets can be more slippery in the wind for a given bullet weight. This is a definite advantage of the 7mm-08.

Ballpark recoil energies, in foot pounds, for average weight rifles by caliber:
16-18 for 308 Win
14-15 for 7mm-08
12-14 for 260 Remy & 6.5 Creedmoor
8-11 for 243 Win
3-4 for 223 Remy
.5 for 22lr
Bottom line -- 7mm-08 will have maybe 15-20% less recoil than 308. A noticeable reduction, but not earth shattering.

Ballistics -- with similar grade bullets, 7mm-08 will shoot a little flatter and with a little less wind drift than a 308. 308 will have a little more kinetic energy out to 300-ish yards, 7mmm-08 buttls will have a little more kinetic energy beyond 300-ish yards.

Thanks for all the info. I decided to go with the .308 after comparing factory ammo prices plus they sold out of the 7mm-08 before I got there. I'm not unhappy with the .308. I bought a TC Compass that has a rebate. After rebate the rifle cost $200.

That's a great price on what I understand to be a nice rifle. Let us know how it shoots.

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
I have a Savage 7mm-08 for deer here in PA and love it, I prefer it over 30-06 any day and compared to .308 it will shoot like a .22

Have the same rifle probably. Used with great success in Crawford County PA.
Been quite a few years but I still have the rifle and it still shoots great.

I love the 7mm-08 round.
Use it for deer hunting and have shot several with great results from 200-385yds.

I only load a 120gr Nosler ballistic tip over 45.0 grains of Varget at 2.810 OAL. Its been a 1/2 minute load in a couple guns and runs between 3000-3100FPS in a 24" barrel. That 120gr Nosler has a thicker jacket from the 140gr bullet so it performs well on animals (Nosler did that at the request of metallic sillouhette shooters to work better on steel Ram targets at 500yds).

I'm currently working on a 7mm-08 AR10, just need a couple more parts.

I am an avid fan of the 7mm-08.
Have several in the safe. Better ballistics, less felt recoil, it has always been a solid caliber.
Loading is easier than falling over a stick in the woods.