7mm 08 US and International Availability

[razorback2003]

Is 7mm 08 ammo common enough that you can find it pretty easy both in the US and also overseas if baggage handlers lost a bag with ammo in it? Is this just a cartridge that is common in the US or is it pretty popular even in South Africa and Europe?

The ballistics look great with mild recoil as an all around rifle for non dangerous game, but I am wondering if 308 would be a better cartridge that is easy to come across.

 

[Revoliver]

Go with .308. Better all around and more universally available by also being able to use the weaker 7.62x51 NATO if need be.

 

[jmr40]

On paper the 7-08 does almost everything a little better. In the real world I doubt if there is much practical difference. I can't speak about international sales, but 308 is certainly more common here.

 

[Lone Star]

I am also dubious about ammo outside the USA. And the 7mm-08 isn't as available with as many bullet choices as is the .308.

You'll generally find .270, .308, and .30-06 where big game is hunted in Europe and in South Africa. I think 7X57mm is also available in South Africa and certainly in Europe.

If I was taking one rifle to Africa, it'd be a .375 H&H Magnum, probably in a Model 70 Winchester. I think you HAVE to legally use the .375 or heavier on some species. Check laws.

If you are going to hunt only light game, I'd take the .30-06 over the .270 for the heavier bullets in case I was forced to shoot something big to save myself or others. I'd use 180 grain Nosler Partition bullets.

I own a 7mm-08, and it's deadly on deer. But I wouldn't chance ammo supply abroad. And I want to be sure that I can get Nosler bullets factory loaded in any caliber that I'd use on dangerous or heavy game.

Re Europe, I had a Czech friend on the Net a few years ago. Her dad worked in a sporting goods store and I had her ask him which hunting ammo sold best. It was a tossup between 7X57mm and .308. Remember that in Europe, you can get hotter factory ammo in 7mm than here. He did not mention the 7X64mm.

 

[js8588]

7mm-08 is available in both Europe and Africa. Maybe not as widely as 308, but if your bags get lost, you'll be able to procure some.

 

[HoosierQ]

There are a LOT of countries where "military" rounds are not legal. That'd be the .308 as the 7.62x51 NATO. 7mm08 is not a "military" round anywhere...in reality or legally speaking.

 

[jmorris]

I have both 7-08 and 308 rifles, I can tell you that 308 brass is much more plentiful and more likely to be on the shelf in a mom and pop store next to 30-06 and 30-30 than 7-08.

That said, it is nothing to form a 308 case with a 7-08 size die and I have never needed ammo and not have it.

 

[Lone Star]

Hoosier, that's true, but some Latin American countries also prohibit any 7mm, as they have used 7X57mm military rifles.

Would their customs people or police know that a rifle marked as .280 Remington is a 7mm? Only maybe, but .280 ammo would be in short supply in most lands. And it has limited factory loads.

I think a .270 is indicated in cases where any military caliber is banned. But in most hunting areas in Africa or Europe, I think the 7mm, .308 and .30-06 are good to go. I know that many South Africans use all of these rounds, save perhaps for the .280, which has never achieved the popularity that it deserves.

The 7mm Remington Magnum and some Weatherby cartridges are also probably available in South Africa, but your outfitter can advise.

I do not understand JMorris's comment about forming cases from one sort of brass to get another caliber. No one carries handloading equipment on a hunt in a foreign country, and some do not even allow reloading. The ammo you take or can buy locally is what will be available.

I think some Norwegian hunts for certain species require a single-shot rifle, but I don't know of any caliber restriction.

 

[razorback2003]

So I'm guessing as far as a 7mm caliber rifle that is available overseas, the best to go with would be 7mm remington magnum and not 7mm 08. Of course 7mm remington magnum is very available here in the States.

I think it is a shame that 280 is not anymore popular than it is with great selection of bullets, but I guess most people think that it duplicates what a 270 does.

 

[Lone Star]

Well, no. The most available may well be the 7X57mm. It has a long lead over other 7mm's, since 1892. And Euro ammo makers load it hotter than is normally the case in the USA. Study the Brennecke Torpedo Ideal and similar bullets. DWM and RWS ammo. Norma of Sweden also has some good bullets.

Look: you need some background here. Find, buy, and read Jack O'Connor's, "The Rifle Book" and, "The Hunting Rifle." They're a little dated, but have the background that you need. Nothing better has come along since Jack died in 1978.

You also need the latest edition of, "Cartridges of the World."

Until you do this basic homework, you are just a babe in the woods. Pay attention to what O'Connor wrote about throating in the 7X57mm, which was among his (and his wife's ) favorite cartridges. Eleanor shot a lot of animals with the 7mm. Her "heavy rifle" was a .30-06, with which she shot a tiger! (Back in 1955, that was legal in India.) But most 7X57mm's are throated for the original 175 grain bullet, which can still be a good choice. One of the main reasons why O'Connor switched from the 7mm to the .270 is that his 7mm barrels eroded too soon if mostly lighter bullets were used. He preferred 139 grain bullets in the little 7mm. But Eleanor used mostly a single 160 grain bullet on all species of game. He hand loaded her ammo, to some 2650 FPS from a 22-inch barrel.

But anyone hunting in a particular area needs to rely on his outfitter to tell what ammo and laws exist there. They will also need to be involved in the process of getting licenses and hunting blocks/zones.

You will also need to determine which species cannot be legally imported into the USA. It may be legal to kill, say, a jaguar, in some countries, but not legal to bring the hide back here. The new laws pertaining to ivory are especially distressing.

 

[razorback2003]

Thanks for all the replies.