buying savage ladyhunter for wife...308 or 7mm-08 (not long range)

I've got a Rem 700 mountain rifle that weighs in at 7 lbs even with scope and rings. It is a 7-08. That's my vote. Stick with 7-08. If recoil is an issue you can download some 120gr pills that have a similar profile to your hunting loads. I shoot 162 Amax out to 600 with my lightweight 7-08 and it does kick a bit. Don't think my wife would like it at all. She shoots a mid 70s BAR in 243, so recoil is not her game, but she has killed every animal she's pulled the trigger on with one shot from that gun.

As for the 308 hitting harder...I'm not so sure on that one. I shoot both cartridges and neither has ever struck me a better hammer on whitetails. Since the OP mentioned bears, I'd go with the 7mm for better SD and deeper penetration in a bonded 140 7mm vs a bonded 150 out of the 308. Both are going to run about 2800fps.
 
Sectional density using Berger bullets, 30 cal 155 is .238, 7mm 140 grain is .256 and a 6.5 140 grain. Is .310, for the same recoil you can go from light for cal to heavy for cal up your penetration capability and significantly raise your BC this reducing windage error and increase impact velocity with a 6.5.
 
The 6.5 does have the best SD in the 140gr pills and likely the least recoil, but with a 7-08 he can step up to the 168 berger with a SD of .316 and be shooting a much heavier pill since he mentioned he may shoot this gun as well and was asking 7-08 vs 308. I will say the 168s ran about 2700 out of my 7-08, but recoil was sharp. Definitely not a paper punching combo in a 7lb gun.

Bottom line is that a 6.5 Creed, 260 Rem, 7-08, 308 all have ballistics so similar, no animal hit with them will ever know!
 
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