.308 or 7mm-08 ?
 

which one?

Both are excellent rounds.

If it is to be a one and only rifle either is fine. If one already had a 30 cal then go with the 7mm/08.

If one already had a 284 cal then I'd go with the .308

Hard to go wrong. If ammo selection would ever be an issue then the .308 gets the nod, but you can usually find a few boxes of 7mm/08 almost anywhere you can find rifle ammo.

Me personally I'd pick a .308 as I already have a 7 X 57 and a slew of 6.5 X 55's. I also have a 30/06, but never had a modern .308 I guess it become a strictly personal choice either way.

For trajectory and reach the 7mm/08 has a little advatange, but again, not much to worry about.

As 8mm said, both are excellent rounds. The both have more than enough lethal effective range. Both are more accurate in the right hands than most hunters are any ways. So, yes, its about personal preference.

Another vote for the 308 Win.

I would pick the 7mm-08 because I already have a 30-06.

You can't go wrong with either!
I like the .308 because you can use a little heavier bullets, but the 7MM-08 shoots a little flatter and with less recoil.

I have a .308 and like it, but have been wanting another rifle and decided my next caliber will be a 7mm-08. Both are great calibers.

They are very similar to one another. With that said, 308 is more widely available. Plus, you can buy the 308 in bulk lots. My local wal-mart has federal 308 150 grain soft points for $13.00 a box. Now, that's a good deal on some hunting ammo. I have been stocking up on it every time I go in there.

I like to be able to find cheap available ammo. I'm still stunned more hunters don't use the 308, because it's so versatile. Depending on the load you can hunt elk, bear, hogs, deer, varmints etc.. It truly is a great round.

For what???

There both great. Its hard to give specific answer when you didnt give much info for what it will be used for.

I own both and on my most recent purchase I went with another .308, merely to keep my ammo supplies simpler.
I can find .308 ammo just about anywhere as to where if I see a box of 7mm-08 on the shelf I'm surprised.

I bought the 7-08 last year and have had great success/results. My next purchase will be the .308 because I want both.

So if I were going to talk someone into a new rifle I would argue the .308 to be the better choice. More bullet weights, cheaper ammo, bigger variety of factory loads, just about available at any store that sales ammo.

Which ever one you pick, you wont be disappointed, both are excellent rounds.

Flip a coin, both will do the job.

Both are excellent but the 7mm has better ballistics.

Both are excellent rounds.I assume you want it for varmints and deer size game. If it was me I'd go with the 7mm08.It's a great deer round and we've laid many a deer low using a 7mm08.They usually drop in their tracks if you do your part.
We use Federal Vita Shok. I believe it's 142 gr Nosler Ballistic Tips.

So many cal. will kill a deer dead in its tracks no one can say which is right for you with the info posted.
We need more info. Like what ranges do you normally see deer at? see 300 yards much?

Just in case you all didn't know the 7mm-08 is based off of the .308 case, its just been necked down to accept a 7mm bullet. because of that the 7mm will shoot farther out with a flatter trajectory. Thin bullets mean better drag coefficient which means flatter trajectory's but fat/short bullets will transfer their energy better. I.E. they kill better.
The .338 Federal is also based on the .308 win. but they went the other way. If I have a spot to hunt that didn't ever see ranges over 200 yards I would take the .338 Federal because its fatter bullet will do more damage than a thinner bullet of the same design and weight and we don't have to worry about long range shots so its perfect there.

All three could be used out to 300 yards and kill deer reliably, you will have to be more precise in your hold over with .338 where as 7mm08 will be a laser. Take your pick all three are deer slayers.

You're pretty much splitting hairs ballistically speaking. The 7-08 has a little less recoil and the .308 is easier to find ammo.

Here's the flattest factory rounds for each from my ballistic calculator.

I like the 308. for ease of finding ammo. Especially all the cheap military surplus you can get.

I like the 7-08 only because I handload. 7-08 ammo is not easy to find and they dont offer a lot of different loads.
the 7-08 can push a 120 gr bt to over 3200 fps, that puts it with 270 and 25-06 trajectories, actually slightly better.
The 120 is good for whitetails and find then to perform better than 140 gr pills.
The 140's seem pencil in and out.
My buddy took a hog this morning with my 7-08 using the 120 gr bt,pushed at 3200 fps, he hit him in the jaw and exiting behind the jaw and below the ear. Not a perfect shot but it dropped him on the spot hitting the juggler. Its the first time I have expierenced hydraulic shock because when we opened his cavity up it poured out blood, I am assuming the hydraulic shock ruptured major arteries in the cavity, i.e. maybe the aorta.

I'd recommend the 308 only because some states do have a 30 caliber or larger restriction for hunting big game species. If you don't plan on hunting in those areas though the 7mm-08 is a great round little difficult to find ammo for though.

2 nickels verses a dime, both are 10 cents. If it's the only gun your going to have probably the 308. Myself I would go with the 7 08 because if for some reason I can't find 308 bullets to reload maybe I can find some 7mm's.

Like said flip a coin both are fine cartridges. OTC ammo is readily available for both, however the .308win has an edge in this department.

I prefer the 7mm 08, it has slightly less recoil and flatter trajectory.(BTW when comparing carts. to get a more accurate read on ballisitics you need to compare similar sectional density bullets. ie: a .284 (7mm) 140gr & .308 165gr have the same SD of .248).

The 308 is great if your not reloading.. The 7mm-08 would be my choice if you reload.

Thanks guys I think I am going to go with the .308 if I do end up getting the R-25 by remington. I am also looking at a Browning BAR .270. thanks for all of your advice.

This is about the same arguement that's going on with the other two cartridges being argued about.. both are more than capable of killing anything you can hit with both accurately!! The shooter makes more difference than the cartridge in this case also..both are fantastic for medium sized game and thin skinned plains game animals..

I also own both and have found that (ballistics tables be damned) the .308 just seems to be the better killer. About 8 years ago I was foolish enough to doubt my experience and look to ballistic tables for the sexiest thing out there. I now own both a 25-06 and a 7mm-08 that I doubt I'll hardly ever use again for anything other than paper. The .308 with a 165 gr. bullet has worked better for me than any other cartridge I've ever used. I really wish that there was better info out there on terminal ballsitics and bullet performance. It is easy to get suckered when your only looking at bullet flight or energy expressed as a number and not also figuring frontal area and other factors such as faith.