7mm/08 for elk?
 

I saw in the poll where a guy used one and dropped it. I agree that shot placement is the key for these big critters. My questionis a 7mm/08 on the light end of scale for elk?

My wife is getting into hunting, went with me last gun season for deer. Going to try and get her in for her hunter safety test this Sept. The 7mm/08 is appealing to me for some reason. Would it be too much recoil for her? I currently have a 308 and shoot 150 grains.

RE: 7mm/08 for elk?
 

The 7MM-08 with good bullets will do for elk if the range is kept to 250 yars or so. I have used it and the 6.5x55 for elk size critters with pretty good results. To add to this, Rick Jamison who is a gun writer and a pretty savy hunter writes that the 7mm-08 is effective to about 300 yards for elk. As you said, shot placement would be important but the 140 or 160 grain premium bullets will do the job. Its a good caliber for a starter gun.

RE: 7mm/08 for elk?
 

Would you think it would be too much for my wife? I'm afraid I'll get it and it will be too much recoil for her. I'd like to get the 7mm\08 that way I can use it in the future when/if I go elk hunting, but my wife can use it in the mean time. If not, I can always get her a 243 to use on whitetail.

RE: 7mm/08 for elk?
 

Darn my ears should have been ringing.Whats your wife shooting now? My wife is 5'0" 105lbs and has no problem shooting her .260 which is just one step below a 7mm08. Now granted with near max loads there is going to be more recoil, but I think if the put a good recoil pad on it she would tolerate the recoil quite well. When I was working an elk load for my 7mm-08, one of the things I was worried about was penetration,I settled on BarnesXLCs after I had shot a a good sized whitetail that was quatering toward me, the bullet blewn thru the near side shoulder and then traveled length wise thru the paunch and they smashed the femor high up near the hip, before stopping under the hide. The bullet was a perfect mushroom shape with 100 percent weight retention. After doing all the energy caluations, I had a limit of 400 yards for shots with a 7mm08. The energy was down to 1552 FPE.and the only way I would have taken a shot at that range would have been with a super solid rest and a totally broadside animal.

RE: 7mm/08 for elk?
 

Hi Keith:

Just out of curiosity, how does your wife do with your .308?

Good luck,
CE

RE: 7mm/08 for elk?
 

My wife shoots a 250 Savage. She does not like recoil at all but finds the factory loaded 7MM08 acceptable. I have a really bad shoulder and it seems pretty mild to me as well. I got mine in the NEF rifle with the Youth Stock. It felt better on the bad shoulder. If I get the shoulder fixed I will get the regular stock from NEF for very little cost. The little rifle shoots 1 1/4 groups with 140 Corlokts. Not bad for a 200.00 gun brand new. Good Luck.. My wife is about 5'8'' and 125 lbs but she hates recoiling rifles. I once talked her into trying the 7 Mag.[:@][:@]. She was teed for a week.

RE: 7mm/08 for elk?
 

She's not shooting anything right now. Just getting started, but I don't want to give her something and it kicks so hard that it scares her and won't pick up a gun again. I'm going to see about borrowing my uncles 243 just to get her introduced to a deer rifle. I've never shot anything buy my 308 and my dad's 30/06.

BTW, she's about 5'3 and 120#. Has only shot my shotgun once and that was a LONG time ago.

RE: 7mm/08 for elk?
 

Will the 7mm-08 kill an elk? Yes. I would consider it a 200 yard gun. I wouldn't expect good results beyond that. Considering that she is a new hunter I would say that 200 yards would be her max as well. I would be certain to inform her that she needs to limit her shots to very clean, nearly broadside oppurtunities. I wouldn't recommend any extreme angles or shots through the brush. Recoil wise the 7-08 is very similar to the 243, very light recoil. She shouldn't have a problem with it. If she does then she will either have to deal or find a new hobby because I would have to say that the 7-08 is the bare minimum of elk cartridges IMHO.

RE: 7mm/08 for elk?
 

I suggest backing up your companion with a 7mm-08 shooting the heaviest weight of Nosler Partitions you can find.

Let your wife practice with standard light for caliber ammo and then switch to premium bullets for the hunt.

RE: 7mm/08 for elk?
 

Heck i can't argur with buckshot,he has pictures to prove it that a 7mm-08 will kill a elk(and a dam fine one at that).So a 7mm-08 will work,but I'm shure buckshot has put his time in shooting it also.
I don't like the 7mm-08,I was least impressed when shooting deer.It could also be the loads I was using to,who knows.
I will say this if she can handle the 7mm-08 she can handle the .280 Rem and the .280 is a better elk round than the 7mm-08.With the same barnes XLC 140 gr bullet,you could push it at higher velocity and more Ft/lbs.
My wife handles it just fine but then again she is 6'1" and 180 lbs(she's going to kill me for telling you that).I recomended this round to several guys who were looking for deer/elk rifles for wives and they have been veryhappy.I would like to see more .280's walking the woods than .270's and .243's but I can't change everyone.
Break her is slowly to guns and find her thresh hold for recoil,it might be a 25-06 she can only shoot,if that the case I would look at the .260 for her.
BBJ

RE: 7mm/08 for elk?
 

Oh you sweet talker you. lol

BBJ is right about putting time in with your gun. Id have her shoot whatever her gun is going to be, all summer long at groundhogs. Nice thing about hog hunting, is she'll get lots of shooting and the loads can be reduced too.Im not talking about sitting on a hill and shootingat what ever hog pops up. Have her walk around and shot at them from all different positions. It willstrenghten hergame spotting skills, as well as her shooting ability. That way she gets to know her gun and isnt afraid of pulling the trigger. As for the performance of the 7mm08 and XLCs, the elk I shot was 60 yards away and the bullet went thru both shoulders leaving a half dollar sized exit hole. The elk dropped on the spot, tried to raise its head one time and was dead by the time I got to it. Both shoulders were pretty much destroyed. I did have my forgivings about trying to drive a 140gr bullet thru the shoulders of such a heavy animal, but I had used it on a good sized whitetail buck, and drove that bullet end to end breaking the near side shoulder and smashingthe femur to wind up under the hide on the oppisite hip. I actually think for light boned game such as deer, the barnes X bullets doesnt expand enough, not enough energy transfer to the animal before it exits its body.

RE: 7mm/08 for elk?
 

KeithK
IMHO, you're getting the cart ahead of the horse. Focus on getting your wife something with next to nothing for kick and go to town on deer for a few years and then worry about the elk. Start her out with a 243 or 260 and make sure she thrives with it during her beginner stage.

Once she is feeling like an old pro on deer with her "don't hurt me at all" favorite rifle, then if she is feeling salty and wanting to up the ante up to elk, then discuss upping the ante for adifferent rifle for the elkjob. Scale your tools to match the job at hand. Cover first base real good before worrying about second and third and beyond.
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That said, we tooka younglady with uselk hunting last year (along with her father). She was 13 and couldn't have weighed much more than a buck. She used a 30-06 no problem and got her elk with three rapid shots in succession. She did have a lot of spunk.

You, on the other hand, will have to gauge what your wife is capable of handling for elk, BUT I wouldn't worry about it too much right now. First things first.