What would be the difference in felt recoil between a 260 rem shooting a factory loaded 120 grain bullet and a 7mm08 shooting a factory loaded 140 grain bullet?
I am really torn between these two calibers. I would really like a 260 in a stainless steel sythetic stocked A-bolt Browning. (Yes they did make some but they don' t anymore.) I am a little worried however about it being such a new caliber. Don' t want to get 3 years down the road and have nowhere to buy bullets for it. The 7mm-08 on the other hand is pretty well established and easily found in all makes and brands of guns but if it doesn' t kick a good bit less than the 30-06 that I already own then I see no point in buying it. I' m looking for a gun that is a pleasure to shoot all day at the range that can also be used for whitetails. Would love to hear from anyone with first hand experience or other suggestions for a caliber that would fit this requirement.

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See thread titled Need advice on 7mm-08. BTW, the 7mm-08 Rem is a *****cat to shoot and a tiger on the business end.

Some of it depends on which gun you are planning to put the 7mm/08 in. If you buy a very compact and light weight rifle in 7mm/08 (such as the Remington M7) - there is not going to be much difference in recoil between that and a normal sporter weight rifle in 30-06.

Recoil is a very subjective thing and I would suggest you see if you can find a 7mm/08 to shoot before you lay out all that cash hoping that it will be more pleasant to shoot than your .30-06. When you say you' d like a rifle you can shoot " all day at the range" - how many shots are we talking about?

Todd

I dont think you would notice much difference in recoil between the 260 & the 7mm-08,if you wanted to shoot at the range all day load some 110 or 120 grain bullets in the 7mm-08 then when you want to go hunting use 140 or 150 grainers.

There should be significantly less recoil in a 7mm-08 than a 30-06,If anyone at your range shoots a 7mm-08 tell them that your are thinking about buying a 7mm-08 & ask then for a few shots & give them a few dollars for ammo & wear & tear & that will give you a better idea if the 7mm-08 will suit you.

The 7mm-08 is a great cartridge & I think that you would be more than pleased with it.

Get the 7m-08 in a 7 pound rifle and be done with it. The recoil diff between 260 and 7m-08 isn' t significant.
Can' t go wrong and yes it will kick a lot less than a 30-06.
Put on a good recoil pad with some give to it and go for it.
If you really want it to be a light kicker have a gunsmith put a mercury recoil compensator in the stock, I have one in my 300 and it helps a lot.

Theres about as much difference between a 260 remington vs a 7-08 as there is a 30-06 shooting 150 grain bullets vs one shooting 165 grains bullet. Basically there is zilch difference ....

A perfect way to put it. Get the 7mm/08 and you won' t be disappointed. It' s a winner! [:-]

I am in the process of looking for a new deer gun. I was leaning toward 25-06...but the 7mm-08 is looking good. I recently shot one, and the recoil was almost non-existent...and the balance between powder and bullet size is ideal.

I have some experience with both as my deer gun is the 260 & my brother shoots the 7mm-08. Both are excellent, both are light on recoil, both will drop a deer in its tracks. Felt recoil is too insignificant to mention.

I think the best way to frame this comparison is to say that both are virtually equal when it comes to deer sized game, but with the 260 you can buy lighter ammo for smaller game and with the 7mm-08 you can load heavier ammo for bigger game. I like to hunt deer, predators, and ground hogs so the 260 is my best choice. My brother likes to go caribou huntin every few years, so the 7mm-08 is his best choice. If you mainly hunt deer, then take your pick because they are both excellent.

As far as ammo, I think you' ll see 260 factory ammo for a while because it is really catching on as a long range competition rifle, many people are buying their sons and daughters a 260 as a first rifle in lieu of the 243, and many people like it as an adult deer gun. No, it probably won' t ever be like the 30-30, 30-06, 270, or even as popular as the 7mm-08, but I don' t think you' ll have to search the ends of the earth to buy a box either.

Anyway, they are both great.