An All Around Deer Cartridge
When I moved to Mississippi in 1996 one of my first tasks was to find a deer camp. After touring a couple of different camps, I realized hunting in MS would be completely different from the scrub brush I grew up hunting in my native South Texas (SoTex). In our part of Texas we were usually limited to hunting wide open sendarios out of box blinds. This meant we could erect really nice box blinds and put precision shots from a steady rest at deer at known ranges. Therefore it was not uncommon for hunters in to use .22 caliber speed demons like the .220 Swift and the .22-250. Others like me chose the .243 Winchester as an intermediate rifle round, and a few opted for long range magnums like the 7mm mag.
Mississippi deer tend to weigh a little more, and the woods present both opportunities and challenges. Tree climbers and ladder stands, which are not options in SoTex, are not as stable box stands and you may have to make a quick shot from an unconventional shooting position, so wanted a caliber that had a little more umph than my .243. My dad let me borrow his Remington Model 7 chambered in 7mm-08 and it fit the bill perfectly. A few weeks later I purchased my own Ruger Compact 7mm-08 with a laminated stock. It is what I consider to be “ The Perfect Deer Rifle for Young and Old“. and it has served me well for almost 30 years now.
According to Google search traffic, these are the top most-searched cartridges in the world right now. This is a good indicator of “what’s hot.” (Data updated February 13, 2024)
22LR
223 Remington
6.5 Creedmoor
6.5 PRC
7mm PRC
308 Winchester
7mm Remington Magnum
450 Bushmaster
30-06 Springfield
300 Win Mag
22-250 Remington
7mm-08
6.8 Western
270 Winchester
300 WSM
300 PRC
243 Winchester
25-06
You can read the full article here
The 7mm-08 is simply the .308 Winchester necked down to .28 caliber, but has more offering with lighter weight bullets. Since it was released in 1980, there have been a plethora of new calibers that have burst onto the scene and then faded from glory. These include the short mags, super short mags, ultra mags, creedmors and now the PRC chamberings . All attempted to woo customers into buying the latest and hopefully greatest cartridge. However, the 7mm-08 is still hanging tough in the running for an all around cartridge.
The article goes on to show the 7mm-08 in the top 12 of rifle chamberings and ammo sales. While many consider the 7mm-08 as merely a youth round, it is capable of so much more. In fact the Alaska Department of Fish & Game recommend the 7mm-08 over “big magnums” for a hunting round. Yes, the 30-06, 270 and .308 Win will probably always be more popular than the 7mm-08, but they will never be as versatile. The short action, the availability of lighter weight bullets (below 130 grains) and the ability to dial down the felt recoil makes the 7mm-08 a rifle that can be handed down for generations.
