7mm-08 Recommended Rifles

I would go with a Ruger if I were you. The M77 is a good choice.

My favorite deer rifle is a BAR Mark 2 Lightweight Stalker in .243 Winchester with a 4x Unertl scope; sure out to 200 yards.

I can poke holes in a pie plate from a quarter mile with a Remington 700 in .308 and a 10x Leupold, but I don't take shots at game from that far, a crosswind gust can make me miss the kill zone at that range. Farther than that is sniper magic; I know there are guys who can kill woodchucks from half a mile - VHA has a 1000 yard club - but I will never be remotely that good; anything heavier than about .30-06 makes me flinch.

Good sale on 7mm Savage Rem mag at Cabelas this week.

My 2 cents....when you make that gun purchase and want to shoot LOOOONG range, check out "Best of the West" on Rt. 29 just West of Liberty Hill. $ 20.00 a day with ranges out to 1000 (yes, thousand) yds... and nice folks on top of all that !!!

Here's the link:

http://texasshootingrange.com/

Thanks everyone for their insights.

7mm is a good caliber IMO i have a x-bolt browning hunter. The recoil is not that bad but I also had my barrel ported. Its loud as hell but the reduction in recoil is quite noticiable. I also had my stock outfitted for me because i have a 13 1/2 pull and that also helped the rifle feel better when I shoot it. Just try out different guns and set ups until you find one you like. Happy hunting

To me anything bigger than a 22 that can't shoot over 800 yards is second rate, and that includes the venerable 30-06, 7mm, etc... Originally Posted by theaustinescorts

I really think it is worth taking the conditions it will be used in into consideration. In central Texas, where would you have a clear 800 yard line of sight when shooting? If you are typically shooting at something that is 150-300 yards away and might be behind a bush, you might want something like a .444 Marlin or Ruger .44 Magnum carbine. Those can puch through brush, and Hornady LeveRevolution ammo is excellent. If you were hunting in New Mexico or northern Texas, the conditions would be a lot different.

7mm supposedly had the highest ballistic coefficient the last time I checked. A 7mm-08 rifle should be pretty cool - reasonably flat trajectory and a lot less recoil than 7mm Remington Magnum.

PLEASE someone tell me if semi-autos are really less accurate than bolts because I'm considering buying a Browning BAR in 270. Will it be less accurate than my Model 700 or Weatherby in Win.270 ??

Isn't one of the most accurate rifles in the world the semi-auto Russian Dragunov? I've shot the Dragunov and it seemed rather accurate at 800 yards... Originally Posted by theaustinescorts

If you're using commercial ammo, it really doesn't matter much. If you're loading your own, I'd do some headspace and chamber matching. For each rifle.

But really, a .270 at the ranges you're probably shooting won't have much of an issue. Most semiautos will occasionally throw a flier on the first round because of the way it's chambered (the bolt goes back a little further). Same holds true if you shoot the gun dry and have to do a dry magazine replacement. Most IPSC shooters do tactical reloads for that reason. At least I do, when I can. I'm always amazed that I can run, shoot and count at the same time, and still shoot mostly A's. Mostly.

Obviously for the kinds of shots that are likely in Texas any of these calibers will do very nicely.

However when you leave Texas and want to use your rifle for game in Alaska, Canada, Montana, etc. [not to mention Africa] then you will NEED the longest range hitter out there.

Why make an investment in a rifle that has limitations when you can avoid it?

For reasons of versatility I prefer the Weatherby .270 or .300, or the Winchester .300 mag made by many different manufacturers. Because I like autos and can't find an auto in Weatherby I settle for the BAR or Remington 740 in .270 Winchester.

btw I just came back from Italy and was offered some hunting there in the north, as well as in Romania and Hungary. There's still game in these countries...all long range shooting mostly in mountains.

Obviously for the kinds of shots that are likely in Texas any of these calibers will do very nicely.

However when you leave Texas and want to use your rifle for game in Alaska, Canada, Montana, etc. [not to mention Africa] then you will NEED the longest range hitter out there.

Not me. At half a mile I might as well be throwing rocks.

Why make an investment in a rifle that has limitations when you can avoid it?

Well, they all have trade-offs. Mine's the closest thing to perfect I've found for me. Someone with a high tolerance for recoil might be better off with more gun.

For reasons of versatility I prefer the Weatherby .270 or .300, or the Winchester .300 mag made by many different manufacturers. Because I like autos and can't find an auto in Weatherby I settle for the BAR or Remington 740 in .270 Winchester.

.300, good example of too much gun for me. It's not that I can't hit *anything* with it, just that I can't hit anything with it that I couldn't hit with the .243 or .308.

btw I just came back from Italy and was offered some hunting there in the north, as well as in Romania and Hungary. There's still game in these countries...all long range shooting mostly in mountains. Originally Posted by theaustinescorts

Nothing against serious rifles, they're just unsuited for non-serious shooters, aka most people.

Well, it seems that most have skipped over the fact that you've already stated that you're set on a 7mm-08. I have a Browning semi-auto, and love it. That being said, it's a 35 year old Belgium made Browning. If I were buying one tomorrow I'd go with the Remington Model 700 with the best optics you can get. If you're looking for recommendations on optics, I'd suggest at least looking at Vortex. Find a dealer, and compare against Zeiss, Swarovski, Steiner, and Kahles. The Vortex will be substantially less, and I seriously doubt you will be able to tell the difference in quality. If you'd like the name and number of a dealer pm me.

You might look at CZ as well - http://cz-usa.com/ Their rifles seem to be reasonably priced.

For scopes, the ones above are good, and a less common one is Schmidt & Bender - http://www.schmidtbender.com/ (the Marines use them...). I would opt for a Zeiss or a Schmidt & Bender. If I wanted to spend less, then probably Leupold or Nikon.

Thank you tron, I never heard of schmidt & bender. Went over their site and like what they had to say, ecspecially how they focus on light transitions at dusk and dawn.

If you're looking at North American big game, I'd go with something punchy. The 7mm .08 just won't do it for, say, a moose or an elk. For that I'd go with the .300 Weatherby or (choke) a .444 Marlin.

Remember that if you are going to Canada you can't take a semi-auto in without jumping through so many hoops it's not possible. Shotguns are okay, not rifles.

Thanks for reminding me about the Canadians. They and the Australians have drank the cool-aid.