I am giving myself an early Christmas present and buying a new barrel for my Blaser R-93. I currently have 300 WSM and 375 H&H and am looking for something a little better suited to 100-160 lb Whitetail deer. I am leaning towards 7mm-08 or 308, and I am also considering having the barrel cut down to 19 or 20" to make it a little more compact. I have done a little reading on here and other places on the net about both caliber, but I am looking for personal experience with either, but preferrably both.
I was trying to decide between these two calibers a few weeks ago. I went with the 308. I like the 7-08 and I think its a good caliber for deer.But I think the 308 has better ballistics with and knock down for the distances I'll be shooting deer with it. It's also a match grade caliber and you can buy bulk ammo in 308 also which is readily available if you like to shoot alot. I've yet to shoot a deer with it but I have seen others who have and it will definitly do the job and then some.
I would go with the 7mm-08 however in your case if you wanted to be able to use the same bullets, you could go to the 308 to be compatable bullet wise with your 300.
I've shot deer and elk with rifles chambered for both cartridges. All I can say is everything hit fairly died...didn't matter if it was a 140gr .284 bullet or a 150gr .308 bullet for deer, or a 160gr .284 bullet or a 165gr .308 bullet for elk.
If push came to shove, I think I like the 7mm-08 better at longer ranges than the .308, but that I think is purely subjective.
Either will work just fine for deer to 300 yards or a bit more. I have noticed, however, that the 7mmm-08 kicks less...noticeably less.
I'd go with the 7-08. At least, of the calibers you listed.
Since you are shooting a fine, European sporting rifle, I would pair it with a fine, European sporting cartridge, 7x57. Of course, you are basically accomplishing the same thing as a 7-08, and there are more and better factory offerings for the 7-08 these days. But you see what I am getting at.
__________________ You get what you put in, and people get what they deserve. - Kid Rock
This is kinda like compairing a .270 to a '06...Deer will never know the difference...But if larger game is going to be encountered I'd opt for the 30 caliber....
Sorry, just reread your post...For deer 7mm-08...My brother has used a Model 7 for about 20 years, shoots 140gr CoreLokts...Easily does the job on deer...He likes it so much he recently sold his .280...
A 7mm-08 in a remington model 7, and a .308 in a ruger m77 stainless / syn. I have been hunting with the 7mm-08 for about 14 years, and the .308 for about 6 years.
Both are effective on deer sized game. The model 7 has a 20" barrel, and is a compact rifle, so it would not be much different than the rifle and barrel combo. you are considering. They both are effective on deer ( and I have taken deer with both ) out to around 400 yards, even with the shortened barrel guns and their loss of velocity. The 7mm-08 being lighter has recoil about equal to the .308, but neither has bad recoil. So just about everything comparing the two , is a wash.Both are capable of dropping a deer in its tracks.
The biggest difference between the two is the choice of factory loads available. The .308 has more choices of bullet types and weights available for it than the 7mm-08 does, but if you wanted something easier shooting sometimes, the .308 is also offered in the remington managed recoil and the federal low recoil ammo. This ammo uses a lower powder charge and a bullet designed to expand at lower velocities to acheive the lower recoil which is slightly under that of a standard .243. This ammo also retains enough terminal energy to be effective to just over 200 yards. This makes it a great round if you think you want to shoot something easier, or if a woman or child might shoot it.
If you were going to corner me up on a decisive answer, while I absolutely love my rem. 7mm-08, I would give the nod to the .308 round, simply because of the expanded choices of ammo types available.
I hope this helps and answers some of your questions.
Purely for deer I'd get the 7mm-08. It shoots flatter, kicks less yet kills just as well as the 308. With a 140 grain bullet it is hot death on deer sized game. I have one in a Browning bolt action and IMHO it's just about as perfect a deer cartridge as you could ever want.
Quote:
there is no such thing as overkill.
So a 700 nitro express with a 1000 grain bullet at 2000 fps still wouldn't be overkill for a 160lb deer? Sorry but "YES" overkill does exist. Now where overkill starts is a highly debatable topic but trust me, it's out there.
7mm-08 vs 308
Sorry but "YES" overkill does exist. Now where overkill starts is a highly debatable topic but trust me, it's out there. 
