Savage 7mm-8
 

Im thinking about buying Savage's 7mm-08 with the accutrigger. I have a friend that was a hard core winchester and reminginton fan. He used a savage gun and loves them now. He uses the accutrigger and loves it. I heard Savage guns are really good. Are they really accurate? Also would a 7mm-08 be good out west elk hunting.

Melissa

RE: Savage 7mm-8
 

Savage make accurate guns,I own several! As for elk? I have only killed deer with the 7mm-08...;)

RE: Savage 7mm-8
 

The Savage rifles are a good value and are know for out of the box accuracy. They aren't as refined as some rifles costing more but are reliable and will definitely last a lifetime.

As to the 7MM-08 it's a good cartridge and can be used for elk. There are much better elk cartridges but if you keep your shots under 300 yards and use a quality 150 gr. controlled expansion bullet you should do well. You must also be willing to take your shot when the animal presents his vitals and pass on marginal shots.

RE: Savage 7mm-8
 

The Savage isn't the prettiest gun out of the box, but it'll shoot the pants off of most things right out of the box. The Accu-Trigger is railed on by some, but i like mine a lot. the Savage would make a great choice of rifle. I'd also like to applaud your choice of caliber....A Savage 7mm/08. Sounds unbeatable to me.

RE: Savage 7mm-8
 

I just love the 7mm-08 and your choice of the Savage rifle is a very good one. I have been wanting to try one with the Accu-trigger and you just helped me decide which caliber. The 7mm-08 had not crossed my mind. I have a NEF Handi rifle in that caliber and it shoot very well. I have also had it in the Browning BLR and the Remington 700 BDL. If I were buying a rifle just for elk hunting I would not choose that caliber. However it will work under the conditions described above. Many Elk have been taken with the 7x57 Mauser and the 7mm-08 duplicates or exceedes the ballistics of that fine old caliber.

RE: Savage 7mm-8
 

Great shooting gun and great caliber...how could ya go wrong?

RE: Savage 7mm-8
 

i have that same rifle in that same caliber.. Can't go wrong, from day one it's been accurate. And the reasonable cost is always a plus. The caliber is great too.

RE: Savage 7mm-8
 

would the 7mm-08 take down a big buck easlily? I just cant handle the kick of the big guns 300 win mag, 7mm...etc. Im a female with small stature. I have a 30.06. Sighting it in is a bear.

RE: Savage 7mm-8
 

To put it in one of my favorite terms...YES the 7mm-8 will dogstomp any big buck if you put em where they need to be. With the right bullets it will probably do the same to anything else on this continent except maybe the biggest bears. I have a 7mm-08 and while it does kick a little it kicks noticeably less than my 270 and as many others have told ya...you cant go wrong with a 7mm-08 for deer...of any kind! Happy shooting.

RE: Savage 7mm-8
 

I would stay with the "06 and 165 gr bullets,get your self a good recoil pad,if needed get a good gunsmith to cut the stock down for ya.

I see everyone says the 7mm-08 is a deerslayer,I have 2 and I have not notice this.Every deer I've seen shot with it,good boiler room shot has ran,a good distance.It could be I'm not using the right ammo or what,but I would not trust this gun for elk.

Stay with the 30-06.
BBJ

RE: Savage 7mm-8
 

Couldn't have said it better myself.

RE: Savage 7mm-8
 

Savage is a good gun, just don't like where the safety is . on a cold morning with gloves on, sure is hard to get safety off. They need to get it up out of the hole behind the bolt

RE: Savage 7mm-8
 

Ive owed a 7-08 since the late eightys, shot well over 40 deer with it and the vast majority of them have gone right down. Who ever says it wont drop them were they stand, isnt shooting them in the right place. I dont care if your shooting a .378 weatherby mag. you shoot a deer through the rib cage and it will usually run, its dead but it will still make it X amount of distance from the shot. As for using it for elk, a properly loaded a 7-08 will kill any elk. 7-08 killed elk

RE: Savage 7mm-8
 

OK I HAVE heard it all now...the 7mm-08 wont kill deer!!! Whoda thunk it??? :eek: Wonders never cease :D Im thinkin maybe a 338RUM may be enough gun as I'd hate to see a 140 gr NP at 2900 fps bounce off a deer.....


DAMN!! Those deer are getting tough!!:D

RE: Savage 7mm-8
 

Doe Dumper, dont you know that the deer have started developing built in kevlar. Plus Ive heard they are looking into radar, that way youll have to shoot at them from at least a mile away as to be out of there radar range. Heck as we speak, Im turning my 7-08 into a squirrel outfit and having a rifle built off a 20mm cannon, you never know, those deer could turn up in depleted uranimum body armor next. :D

RE: Savage 7mm-8
 

Doe-Dumper,and Buckshot,
I never said it would not kill deer,I just don't like the way it kills them and I DO HUNT DEER WITH A .338,and my brother in law hunts them with a .338 UM,smack the stuffing out of them.I have no dout that the 7-08 handles them WV and PA deer handily they look about the size of my Rotwhiler.

As for a elk gun you would be pushing the envelope on a good size elk.The 30-06 is a h#ll of alot more gun than the 7mm-08 IMO.
Still say 30-06 165 gr all the way.
BBJ

RE: Savage 7mm-8
 

Like I said on a previous post, you must not be hitting them in the right spot. Ive shot a ton of deer with mine and the vast majority of them went right down, and the only thing that ever moved was their ears. Any deer you can kill with an 06 I can kill with my 7-08, Ive shot deer out to 400 yards w/ both the 06 and 7-08. And as for the deer being puny in PA, my guess is you havent hunted PA, especially in recent years. Let me guess your deer go 500lbs and are mean too boot.

RE: Savage 7mm-8
 

big magnum=smallpp

RE: Savage 7mm-8
 

The 7mm-08 Rem will take down any elk that walks if you do your part. As far as deer runing off, all the deer I have shot with a 7mm-08 Rem dropped withing 20 yards so I don't know what the problem is. I have had them run with every cartridge. The fact of the matter is deer don't always fold on the spot.

RE: Savage 7mm-8
 

I shot eight mule deer last fall and these are big deer. I shot two with the 30-06, two with the 308 and four with the 25-06. Its all in the location because the two I shot with the 30-06 ran the most distant. Thats no fault of the 30-06 because I know its a great big game killer. I am one of its biggest supporters but the shots were not quite as well placed this time. I have had good performance with the 7mm-08 and 308 as well. In fact of all the rifles I have used, I get the most drop in their tracks with the 308 and 6.5x55. I think I just shoot those two guns better than I do most of my other guns. One is a Mauser the other a Browning A-Bolt. These two rifles have by far the best triggers that I own. The Mauser has a Timney and the Browning a well adjusted factory trigger adjusted by a friend of mine. Its almost to light.

RE: Savage 7mm-8
 

Doedumper,
Actualy I am short,you know I even shoot a youth rifle in 7-08,and had the stocks cut down on my 25-06 and .243.But just cause I'm short dose not interfear with my ability to shoot.

Buckshot,
I have not given up on the 7-08 I have one for sale an I'm keeping one,I bought one for a short mountain rifle for elk.I would be intrested in the load you used on your elk.

I have a tough time putting my magnums away when elk are on the menu,I still think for a unseasond elk hunted on their first trip you can't beat the 06,as for the 7-08 best left to the experts like Buckshot,can't argue with a dead elk.;)
BBJ

RE: Savage 7mm-8
 

You got it, but first a cover my butt disclaimer. The following load worked well in my gun without any pressure signs, that doesnt mean if you try it in your gun it wont explode and kill you, your children, your grand children and anyone else within shrapnel distance. Now having said that. Here ya go
140 Gr Barnes XLC
50.5 Grains H380
CCI 250 Mag Primers
This load crony graphed between 2,934fps and 2978fps in my 22 barreled Savage, this load is .5 grains below max and you should start 2grs below this powder level. This load is flat out super accurate in my gun, I have had several 3 shot groups at 200 yards where you could cover almost cover all 3 holes with a nickel.

RE: Savage 7mm-8
 

Buckshot answered it for you? As for Savage,listen to what Mossy and the
the other's that use them have to say.

RE: Savage 7mm-8
 

Buckshot,
Thanks for the info,I will try this in my Model 7.Who knows in might make a good gun out of it.:D
BBJ

RE: Savage 7mm-8
 

Jack, just make sure you dont try this load with other bullets, that load is specificly for Barnes XLCs. I like the 139gr Hornady SPBT for deer myself, excellant penetration and great expansion without fragmentation.

RE: Savage 7mm-8
 

It won't be used on deer,it will be a saddle gun,quick,easy to shoot.When I bought the gun it was going to be a short saddle gun for elk,but when I seen it on deer I was leary.I will try the xcl's and see what happens.
BBJ

RE: Savage 7mm-8
 

Thanks guys for all your imput. I think I'm going to buy one. I like the 7mm-08, and Savages I heard are good guns. I like the accutrigger.