I'm a short action fan and have hunted with a 243 for several years now. I've made shots out to 230 yds with it but I don't really like going over about 150 yds. with that particular caliber. On my lease 200+ yard shots are pretty common.

The problem I have with the .243 is the blood trail is lacking at times. I've always recovered my game but I don't want to chance it.

Recently I sighted in a Remington 700 in 7mm08 for a friend of mine and it was a pleaseure to shoot.

I've researched the 7mm08 and have seen articles that call it the premier whitetail round.

I'd like to hearfrom some people who hunt with a 7mm08 and their experiences, likes, and dislikes.

You will gets lots of info here! I have one but have never killed a deer with it.

Great cartridge!!!

I have 3 7mm-08's and think it is one of the best whitetail calibers.

My wife & I both hunt with 7-08's, I think it is the best round there is for w/t deer. It is a good hog round also, I dropped a 225-250 sow at about 175 yds last week in her tracks. I beleive you with enjoy the caliber. I shoot 140's & she shoots 120's.

I hunt with either a 7mm mag or a 7mm-08 most of the time. I love the 08, IMHO there is only one better whitetail round and that is the 25-06.

Daughter loves her 7/08 and has taken great whitetail, an oryx, a zebra, aoudad and muledeer with it and 120gr tsx

Love the 7mm-08. That's what my wife and kids shoot!!

My daughter is 2 for 2 with a 7mm-08. They were not long shots but neither went farther than 10 yards from where she shot them. I did lose a doe once with the same rifle but shot a management buck this year that didn't go one inch from where it was shot.

I have a 7-08 and have used it for years with 120gr Nosler Ballistic Tips and 200 yards is nothing for the Remington rifle. Hogs go down just as good. I bought my son one this year and when he gets home from school for break we are going to get his broken in. The wife has shot it and did not complain but it was a nice 9 point that she killed.

Another thumbs up for the 7mm-08. I've shot several bucks and tons of cull does and hogs, mainly with the 130 gr Speer BTSP but occasionally with the 120 gr Nosler BT. Prior to using the 7mm-08, the 7x57 was my go-to deer round (with essentially identical performance).

It may well be the perfect Texas deer round. And once you get familiar with it, you'll never go back to the .243, especially if a big hog is the quarry. Certainly, many other rounds are its equal, but none surpass it.

I'm glad to see all these good reviews. I looked at the 7mm08 awhile back but decided to go with the 270 instead. Like I said I'm a fan of the short action and I don't care for the recoil or report that comes with the 270.

I hand load and I like Hornady SST for hunting bullets.

I never thought I would shoot anything but my trusty .270 but ran across a ruger 7mm08 compact rifle and shot it off the bench sighting it in and killed a nice 8 pt. and a grey fox and love the caliber and the compact is very handy in a box blind and just all around a handy size.I call it a pop gun but its mean on game with a 140 gr.bullet.You cant go wrong with it.

Fantastic round, I highly recommend it. I originally bought if for the kids, they handle it extremely well and it definitely produces a blood trail. It's such a pleasure to shoot that I find myself carrying it to the stand often.

I hand load 140 gr Nosler Accubonds for it.

My wife used a 700 MTN rifle for a while before bumping up to a 270wsm. I like the little round and will use it for a light rifle to put on my back & go for long rides on the 4wheeler.

Have a 7mm08 and have hunted with it for the past couple of years. haven't lost any game yet. Normally they go down where they were shot. Stepped down from a 30.06 to a .270 now to a 7mm08.

Well I wouldn't go that far but it's a damn good one, easy on the shoulder with plenty of horse power to get the job done. My wife loves her's.

7mm-08 is a great round. Don't discount the .308 either. A little more efficient, hits a tad harder, and on average with the same kind of bullet will produce slightly better blood trails. The 7mm is a little flatter shooting. Out to 200 yards, you'll never know the difference in trajectory. Both are sweet, short action cartridges. Top of the food chain for shorter range (350 yards and closer) whitetail rounds.

Don't forget that regardless of calibre, bullet construction and shape play a huge role in external ballistics performance like bullet drop over distance and remaining energy at any given range. For example, with my .308, I target shoot with Sierra 175gr HPBTs and hunt with Hornady 180gr round nose soft points. Below, find some data to ponder. Assumes a rifle sighted at 0 yds for the sake of clarity. Note that velocity and bullet shape play a huge role in how this calibre shoots. After looking at this you might wonder why I wouldn't go for the spitzer over the round nose and the answer is the round nose decimates what it hits at 200yds and under and will punch a hole through hog ribs although not through and though. Lastly, bullet construction is important. Thin skinned bullets like varmint rounds will expand immediately whereas more heavily constructed bullets penetrate better. The data columns are not exactly aligned, sorry.

Muzzle Velocity Distance Energy@300
Bullet (gr) FPS 100 200 300 ft/lbs
308 150 3000 -2.36 -10.01 -24.94 1151
308 180 2550 -3.21 -13.75 -34.33 1004 Round Nose
308 180 2550 -3.08 -12.53 -29.52 1551 Spitzer
308 175 2550 -3.05 -12.27 -28.6 1644 HPBT

Last but not least, you also have to consider what grain & velocity combination gives you adequate accuracy. My rifle is 11.25 twist and likes 175 +/- bullets as in consistent sub-MOA. It sprays 147s and 155s at any loadable velocity.

Great caliber, have shot a hog, coyote and yesterday a gobbler with this caliber. Light recoil and plenty of knockdown. Can't wait to take a deer out with out.

And ammunition for the 7mm-08 cost more...$25.99 at Academy for 140 grain Remington Core-lokt.

Once you got 7mm08, you wont look back. I have always been a .30 caliber fan and still am but I have experienced to see that the 7mm08 does a better job on deer than my 30 cals. Maybe coincidence but it's worked best for me.

Right on !!!

Used my 7-08 to put a buck in the freezer this morning. 70 yards offhand shot, dropped after a few shuffled steps. The combo of my tikka chambered in 7-08 topped with a zeiss 3-9 is becoming my favorite general purpose deer rifle.

I have known a few folks with the 7mm 08 and they like em. I personally have had a Remington model 700 .280 Mountain rifle with a muzzle break on it and it kicks like a .243. But it packs a hard punch to the animal and easy on the shoulder with the muzzle break. I have dropped some Big bucks over the years with it and i love it!