Originally Posted by
jerry d
I'm thinking this caliber is a perfect canidate for hand loading.
It is perfect... you can make some really sweet shooters!
Last I checked, you only have one 120gr offering factory loaded... and its not even a real premium bullet. Reloading is certainly no cheaper, but it is fun and rewarding.
As far as factory ammo goes... no such thing as a bargain cartridge anymore. .223 maybe... but what you'll find cheap will not be a serious deer round and its illegal in a lot of states anyway.
The 7-08 is less expensive than a lot of your standard belted mags, and really about the same price anymore as your .270 30/06 class stuff.
30/30 still seems to be the cheapest to me... but you will love the 7/08!