The seven mm itch
- Thread starter sundog
- Start date
I had a slightly smaller itch than you, a 6.5mm itch. Cured it with a .260rem. My .308 doesn't venture out much anymore. If I need more terminal energy I've a .300WSM.
My friend wanted to step up from his .243 for heading north across the border and went with a 7x64. It shoots really nicely and pack a punch. He's using factory Sako at the moment but will be loading 150 nosler partitions. If I was in the market for a 7 I'd go for the 7x64 or the very similar .280rem/.280remAI.
My friend wanted to step up from his .243 for heading north across the border and went with a 7x64. It shoots really nicely and pack a punch. He's using factory Sako at the moment but will be loading 150 nosler partitions. If I was in the market for a 7 I'd go for the 7x64 or the very similar .280rem/.280remAI.
if you already have a 308 then the 7 Rem Mag makes sense. 7/08 and 7x57 are too similar to 308
enfieldspares
Well-Known Member
7x64 or .280 Remington. I've owned both. I prefer .280 Remington as it's..well..not German. But if you want to go really out of the box there's .275 H & H Magnum or .280 Ross. But I wouldn't bother. It's a .288"bullet. I owned a .280 Ross. Came third, once, in Running Deer Classic Rifle at Bisley....but I think that might have been as there were only four of us shot...LOL!
alberta boy
Well-Known Member
I like the 280 AI ........ mostly because I just built one . The 7-08 is right up there too , it is a really efficient cartridge . If you didn't have a 308 already , the 7-08 would be my choice .
If you're looking to really reach out , the 7mmRM is a great cartridge ( my favorite belted mag ) that will take large game at longer ranges . I guess you need to ask yourself what you want to do with the rifle .
AB
If you're looking to really reach out , the 7mmRM is a great cartridge ( my favorite belted mag ) that will take large game at longer ranges . I guess you need to ask yourself what you want to do with the rifle .
AB
Heym SR20
Well-Known Member
There is only one - the 7x65r in a nice double, combination or single shot. Perfectly good for everything from Roe and you can happily take anything up to large deer and big antelope. Most are accurate enough to reach out to ranges at which you should n't be shooting at.
Failing that the 7x64.
But nowt wrong with the 7x57 and has the case capacity to push 140gn bullets at 2,800 fps - that was the original 275 Rigby load.
The 7mm-08 - just doesn't look right, in the same way that the 308 doesn't look right.
Failing that the 7x64.
But nowt wrong with the 7x57 and has the case capacity to push 140gn bullets at 2,800 fps - that was the original 275 Rigby load.
The 7mm-08 - just doesn't look right, in the same way that the 308 doesn't look right.
sundog
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the replies. The thing is I got my rifle rebarreled a few years ago. It was in 308 and at the time I was torn between 7-08 and keeping it the same. One day it was the 7mm the next it was the 30 cal eventually I plumped for the 308 just because I had all the components and dies for reloading it. I now kind of regret that decision although my rifle is an absolute cracker and the most accurate rifle I’ve shot.
I hear what your saying about the 7x57 being close to the 308 but it’s a lovely cartridge to shoot. So of all the ‘bigger’ 7mm cartridges out of 7x64, 280, rem mag which one? Decisions,decisions
I hear what your saying about the 7x57 being close to the 308 but it’s a lovely cartridge to shoot. So of all the ‘bigger’ 7mm cartridges out of 7x64, 280, rem mag which one? Decisions,decisions
shbangsteve
Well-Known Member
+1 for the 7x64. Suitable for mouse to moose.
Another for the 7x64. Bullets from 100 to 175gn for hunting, more for target. I use mine mainly for high seat/stand shooting boar at night, where it's not too punchy, but very effective with a 156gn Norma Oryx.
enfieldspares
Well-Known Member
Feed better from any rifle such as the old Parker Hale that is based on the Mauser 98 action. And perform better with single base powders than does the 7mm-08 supposedly. I am a believer in using a cartridge in a rifle that near best suits the length of cartridge the magazine is mostly built to use as in theory they can't move forward and not be in the right place to be picked up/pushed forward by the bolt when loading a round from the magazine.
Handle heavy bullets better than the 7-08 which is constrained by its short OAL and need to fit short-action magazines. If you look at factory 7mm-08 ammo, it is nearly all 140gn PSP loadings and only a couple of 150s. 7X57mm's standard bullet from the early days is 175gn.
In factory form, the two give very similar performance with 140/150gn bullets because the 7mm-08 is allowed 60,000 psi and is loaded to around 57-58,000 psi whilst the 7X57 in US loadings is kept down to much lower levels because of concerns over its use in M1893-6 'small ring' Mausers or still weaker Remington Rolling Block rifles. Handloaded for a modern rifle, or any of the later military Mausers that use the M1898 action, the 7X57mm can be easily and safely loaded to give higher performance, especially with heavier bullets.
Having said that, 7mm-08 140gn factory loads are more than adequate for our deerstalking species. I use both cartridges on paper on the ranges, the 7X57 in a pair of Chilean Mauser system service rifles with 29-inch barrels and there is something deeply satisfying about loading and shooting this 126 year old cartridge especially in a vintage rifle. My Chilean M1912 (made by Waffenfabrik Steyr sometime between 1913 and the summer of 1914 when Austria suspended all deliveries to foreign customers as war loomed) is a joy to use, the '98 Mauser action more like a top grade custom piece its operation being so smooth and the 7X57 round feeds from the magazine and into the chamber like corn through a goose. They literally don't make rifles like that anymore, not in mass production anyway.
I love my 7x57 and 7mm-08 rifles, but if you already have a .308, move up to a .280 or 7x64. You can load them down to a mild 7x57, and up with sleek 150, 154, 160 and 162-gr bullets for windy shots at long range. Great selection of bullets to load and ammo on the shelf. 175-gr is plenty for elk, moose, big driven boars. There are lots of beautiful rifles in them, from single shots, Mausers, Sauer 202, etc. There are inexpensive rifles from Remington, Howa, Begara and Tikka, and utilitarian synthetic stocked rifles like the Steyr Prohunter, Sako, and Tikka T3, which are very accurate right out of the box, and reasonably priced.
TSG
Well-Known Member
I would go for 7 rem mag as I said, failing that 7x64.
It is a popular european cartridge and ammo is easily sourced all over EU if you intend to go shooting.
For me ammo availability is a huge factor as hand loaded ammo may not be allowed for transport/hunting in eu countries.
It is a popular european cartridge and ammo is easily sourced all over EU if you intend to go shooting.
For me ammo availability is a huge factor as hand loaded ammo may not be allowed for transport/hunting in eu countries.
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