7mm-08 the forgotten 6.5 Creed Killer?

[73driver]

I had two MOD 7 7-08's. Sweet little rifles, compact, handy and light. When I had a REM 700 lite 270 built the 7-08's stayed in the safe. The 270 was light, handy and shot Hornady 140 SST gr Superformance .75 MOA at 300 yards. The higher BC, SD 270 140 gr going 250fps faster eclipsed what my 7-08's could do. One 7-08 got sold to a hunting buddy for his wife and the other went to a local hunter for his son. Fast forward a decade and a half and I started shooting PRS matches. The 6.5C was a slam dunk easy choice. Purchased a Bergara HMR Pro and used moderately priced Hornady 140 ELD Match ammo to shoot matches. Very fun and very effective/accurate. After several years added small bore silhouette to may match schedule and when I moved up to HP silhouette had a custom 6.5C built that I could both hunt with and shoot silhouette matches with. Just took my second biggest CouesWT buck with my 6.5C and two weeks later used it in a silhouette match. The 6.5C is just as effective as the 7-08 with less recoil. Not that I am recoil sensitive but that less recoil = better accuracy. Better accuracy because in field shooting situations with 8-9 pound rifles less recoil means better shooting results. I grew up with awareness of the 7X57, my old man was a fan but he stuck with the 06. tried the 7-08 an it was mmmh kinda like an ok tasting Luke warm beer. The 7mm should IMO be used with 150-160 gr bullets and the 280 handles those better than the 7-08. If you are shooting 140 grainers than the 6.5C is as good or nicer. So that is my perspective on why the 7-08 is not more popular.

 

[Far North Hunter]

How good your R25 shoots? I have only a semiauto, a "real men one" Zastava sniper in 8x57, and thinking about getting an R25. Thanks!

My R25 will shoot Hornady 140 whitetail well under 1 min. At 100 yds.

 

[Roughrice]

The OP was comparing and wondering about the 7-08 vs 6.5C & I was just pointing out a very similar comparison the 6.5X55 vs the 7X57. The 6.5X55 is the more popular of the two, why? I do not know why, it just is and the 6.5C is just more popular than the 7-08, it just is. Does not mean you can't like your 7mm's but the 6.5's are just more popular.

7mm-08 originated as a hunting round...hence the majority of factory ammo was and still is hunting ammo.
6.5 Creedmoor originated as a long range round and pushed hard by Hornady advertisement...hence the majority of factory ammo was LR target ammo, then came hunting ammo.

 

[73driver]

7mm-08 originated as a hunting round...hence the majority of factory ammo was and still is hunting ammo.
6.5 Creedmoor originated as a long range round and pushed hard by Hornady advertisement...hence the majority of factory ammo was LR target ammo, then came hunting ammo.

The 7-08 gained early notoriety as a metallic silhouette cartridge. Hornady realized the 6.5C had potential off the match range and developed/supported good hunting ammo. Remington, a big bean counting bureaucratic corporation had not the vision to come up with better loading for its 7-08. Hornady had vision, execution and innovation to support its offerings. Remington went into bankruptcy and subsequently liquidation because they did not have the vision or innovation like Hornady.

 

[Roughrice]

Yep... It's that good. It started as a wildcat like most but lived a fruitful life as a hunting cartridge.
6.5 Creedmoor started as a LR round developed in part and marketed by the one of the greatest advertising companies in the shooting world. Then it broke in to the hunting scene like wildfire with again, great advertising. After reading and hearing the claims of the Creed...everyone had to have one, including me.

 

[jskmtd]

Here is a pic of a bull my daughter shot at 475 yards with her 7-08 and a 162 amax at 2720. One and done, he didn't take a step. With that combo we have taken many elk, deer, and antelope from 110 yards to 850 yards. It is a great cartridge.

 

[.300 Dakota]

SO, Horndy made a target bullet and then tried to morph it into a hunting bullet...with mixed success. Never heard a bad word about the 7mm-08 performance. 40% less powder for only 9% less performance than the 7mm Rem Mag. Did the 7mm-08 get skipped over? Is the 7mm-08 the adult version of the 6.5 creed millennial offering?

140 gr Weldcores running 3000+ ft/s with StaBall and Federal primers in 24" barrel and 1/2 MOA groups (factory Browning X-Bolt eclipse). Haven't been able to achieve 3000 ft/s yet in a Creedmoor with 120 grain bullets! Also seems a little more stubborn than the 7-08 to group. May be just my experience, but I've had 3 or 4 of the Creeds. My definition of 'long range hunting' around here is 500 yards. To that point, the 7-08 kicks it's tail in energy output. Always loved the 7-08 and see no reason to switch to a Creedmoor now.

 

[Barrelnut]

140 gr Weldcores running 3000+ ft/s with StaBall and Federal primers in 24" barrel and 1/2 MOA groups

The 6.5 CM does this with RL26. I agree, if I had a 07/08 or 6.5CM, wouldn't switch.

 

[CBH Australia]

Well I was (and still have a soft spot for) a diehard .270 Win fan. that was until I got my first 7-08. I now have two 7-08s and when my grandson came of age that's the one chambering I got for him. It is definitelyy a great deer killer. But I also have a 6.5 CM. I got that because I didn't have one, which is reason enough. And secondly because I had a hankering to get a Bergara B-14 HMR in a left hand version. I haven't shot anything with it but I doubt any deer would notice the difference if it was shot with a 7-08 or 6.5 CM. Surprisingly I no longer see the LH version listed on their site.

Hang onto that Bergara, or hold out for a good price.

I dont have any use for a left hand rifle or a Creedmoor so you as as well hang onto it.

 

[DoneNOut]

140 gr Weldcores running 3000+ ft/s with StaBall and Federal primers in 24" barrel and 1/2 MOA groups (factory Browning X-Bolt eclipse). Haven't been able to achieve 3000 ft/s yet in a Creedmoor with 120 grain bullets! Also seems a little more stubborn than the 7-08 to group. May be just my experience, but I've had 3 or 4 of the Creeds. My definition of 'long range hunting' around here is 500 yards. To that point, the 7-08 kicks it's tail in energy output. Always loved the 7-08 and see no reason to switch to a Creedmoor now.

Oh....I had a Browning A-Bolt Eclipse hunter, thumbhole laminate stock with BOSS. Wow, I miss that gun.

 

[DoneNOut]

The OP was comparing and wondering about the 7-08 vs 6.5C & I was just pointing out a very similar comparison the 6.5X55 vs the 7X57. The 6.5X55 is the more popular of the two, why? I do not know why, it just is and the 6.5C is just more popular than the 7-08, it just is. Does not mean you can't like your 7mm's but the 6.5's are just more popular.

Bravo, well said.

 

[P7M13]

You just have to find someone who's making AR10 barrels in that caliber. You shouldn't have to change anything on the lower.

Wilson Combat - excellent quality. As always, check your headspace when you build one.

 

[Bud LaRoche]

I've always thought a 7mm-08 with a 180eld-m stuffed in the end of it would be an absolute hoot

Or a 190Atip

 

[9.3davison]

Bought my daughter a Tikka T3X stainless in 7-08, loaded with 140 grain Woodleigh PPSN it shoots 1/2" groups at 100 meters. 2 days later she got her first moose ever!