Rifle Finalists... .308, 7mm-08, 7mmWSM or Savage 300WSM)

claq · December 11, 2008, 12:27 AM

Hello,

I am purchasing my first rifle and I honestly don't know alot about wsm rifles or the 7mm or 7mm-08 etc....Does anybody have these rifles in particular and if so. what are your impressions of them?

I just wondered how they compare to the .308 or 30-06?

I am looking for some general feedback. If you own one, how does it shoot?, any mechanical problems?, animals taken with them?, cartridge selection? etc....

I intend on hunting bear and deer in Northern Ontario.

The Rifles--the finalalist....

The Browning A-Bolt Stainless Stalker Right-Hand (308 Win)

VERSUS:

Browning A-Bolt Stainless Stalker Right-Hand (7mm-08 Rem)
Browning A-Bolt Stainless Stalker Right-Hand (7mm WSM)
Savage 16FCSS Rifle (300 WSM)

The Savage is a few hundred cheaper ...but is it cheaper in quality?

Any opinions appreciated.
Chris~

Waterengineer · December 11, 2008, 12:56 AM

You will get many opinions and all those cartridges overlap a certain extent. I am assuming the purpose is paper punching and North American clove-hooved game, possible upto Elk.

If it were me I would stay away from the WSM stuff, particularly for a first rifle. Some say the short mag cartridges are hard to deal with.

My preference would lean to the 7mm-08 or the 308. The 308 is the cheaper cartridge, in the box. Save your coins and wait for the Browning A-bolt, you won't be sorry.

Jimro · December 11, 2008, 01:33 AM

A 308 is a great starter rifle because ammo is cheap and that means more practice.

As far as quality goes, I am more interested in shooting tight groups than things like bolt throw or stock material, and from my perspective Savage is every bit as "quality" as Browning.

Jimro

tuffteddyb · December 11, 2008, 01:34 AM

i gotta agree with water,go with 308 or 7/08.ammo chePER IN 308 tho.i personally would buy savage with the accu trigger,got one in 7wsm and lovin it.also own a tikka and a browning and wouldnt get rid of either of them either.caliber wise tho if i was goin for first gun and cheapness of ammo i would go with either 308 or ,30/06.go to a gyn shop and handle them all and see which one you like.

Stealff · December 11, 2008, 01:34 AM

As a first rifle I would not recomend one of the short mags as they have quite a bit more recoil than the 7mm-08 or the 308 will. The Savage is just as good as any other rifle out there in my opinion, but you will here different I'm sure from others. Not to mention ammo for the short mags are more expensive. I have a savage in 30-06 and it shoots great, although Savages older synthetic stocks were hard on the shoulder, the newer stocks are supposed to be better. have no personal experience with Browning bolt actions so I cant help you there.

publius · December 11, 2008, 02:04 AM

I would get the Savage in .308. 7/08 would be good too but I really like the 308. As far as guns are concerned with the Browning you're paying for the long ago deceased John Browning's name. He didn't design the A-bolt. I'm not saying it's a bad gun, it isn't, but it also isn't worth the price. You don't see competition shooters using A-bolt actions. They do use Savage & Remington.
Savage .308 topped w/a Leupold 3x9, good conservative combo that will do anything you need doing.

Pathfinder45 · December 11, 2008, 02:52 AM

.....then ya gotta go with the most popular and best priced and especially ubiquitous calibers. That means it hasta be .30-'06 or .270 Winchester or .308 or .243 or .30-30. If it's just gotta be a magnum then 7mm Rem or .300 Win. And if you live in Canada then maybe .303 Brit or whatever is found everywhere. Everyone oughta have a .22LR for cheap practice and small game.

Art Eatman · December 11, 2008, 07:35 AM

Yeah, another vote for a two-rifle deal. The .22 is the least expensive way to develop skill in making acquiring a sight picture a thing of reflex and not of deliberate thought. Learning to coordinate the sight picture with the "when" to press the trigger is also part of it. .22 ammo is cheap.

For black bear and deer, either the .308 or the 7mm08. The latter is not much different from the .308 but for ten grains of bullet weight. The .308 might be preferred if one selects the 165-grain loads instead of the 150s in order to have possibly more reliable penetration on heavier animals. But, they all work...

giaquir · December 11, 2008, 08:24 AM

I've been a 308 guy since 69 but you can never ,ever go wrong short of the big bears with a 30-06-big issue is finding the rig you want to shoot it out of.

zombie hunter · January 25, 2009, 09:31 PM

Looks like I'm a little late for this but I'll throw in anyway. I'm not really a fan of all those hot rod mags out there, and I certainly wouldn't recomend one as your first rifle. I have quite a few rifles in many cals. One of my favorite rifles is my Savage 110 .308win.

Savage is a great rifle and .308 is one of the best all around and cheap as well. I have a savage in 7-08 as wellawesome. One thing you have deside is - what is its use. 308 is decent for most American game and it's one of the most popular competition rounds.

The most important thing you can do is practice practice and more practice. A rifle will only do what you are able to make it do, just like a sword. I have had many greybeards tell me "get an OK rifle and spend your money on a scope". I usually tend to agree.

CW-NH-HUNTER · January 25, 2009, 10:01 PM

The .308 and 7mm-08 are both great cartridges. If its your first gun the 7mm-08 has less felt recoil than the .308. So new shooters tend to shoot that cartridge alittle better than the .308. It also is alittle bit flatter shooting round but not by much. Both great rounds but it all comes down tothe shooter and what he wants in the end. Good luck and ejoy what ever you get for a new gun.

Sportdog · January 25, 2009, 10:28 PM

I see you are from northern Ontario, Canada. If long range moose are in your plans I would opt for the 300wsm or the 7mmwsm. If the range on the moose is moderate I would feel good with the 308. If you only plan on hunting deer/black bear the 7mm-08 is a good one. It just depends on your level of recoil comfort and ammo availability where you live. I handload only so cost of ammo is not a big deal of difference. All things considered the decision is yours and yours alone. There are a lot of internet critics of the short magnums but I love my Model 70 Winchester in 7mmWSM. Course I love my Model 70 Winchester 30-06, and my Model 700 Remington 243, and my Custom 8x57 Mauser, and my new Ruger M77 300 WinMag......You get the picture!

ForneyRider · January 26, 2009, 04:14 PM

338 Win Mag is popular bear medicine in Alaska.

I shot 7mm Mag (150gr) and my dad shot 375H&H (270gr) for caribou in Alaska. His model 70 froze up. He wiped all the gun oil off at camp and it worked better. It was -35F.

Our bear hunting trips never resulted in even a sighting, but we had to 2 aforementioned guns, plus a guy with a .308 Win. The guy with the 308 Win shot a ptarmigan in flight with iron sights. Ptarmigan are delicious.

I'd go with the 300WSM. Flat trajectory with bigger bullets of the ones you listed.

Ghost22 · January 26, 2009, 07:12 PM

I have a Savage 16 in .300 WSM, and unless you reload I would avoid this cartridge. Ammunition is harder to find and more expensive, and unless your hunting larger animals (elk size) there is no point. Also, you lose magazine capacity compared to the normal rounds (.270-.308-30.06). If you reload and are building a match/custom hunting rifle, it’s worth the effort. If not, I would stick to the 30-06, .308 or .270 (.270 has less recoil; I have shot both right next to each other in similar weight rifles).

As far as the Savage, next time you see one with a plastic stock try to squeeze the stock to the barrel right at the front sling stud. With mine, you can almost touch the stock to the barrel. While I don’t think it affects accuracy under 200 yards, it’s unnerving and makes you want to change stocks on a new rifle. I would stick to the wood stock myself, or buy a barreled action and put whatever stock I wanted on it.

In any case, if this is truly your first rifle, you really need a .22 or even a quality airgun to shoot thousands of times without the high cost. You could even buy a used .22 and sell it after you’re comfortable with your shooting for probably what you paid for it. Just keep up with fundamentals and remember to get off the bench for a good portion of those practice shots.

December 11, 2008, 12:27 AM	#1
claq Junior Member Join Date: December 11, 2008 Location: Northern Ontario, Canada Posts: 8	Rifle Finalists... .308, 7mm-08, 7mmWSM or Savage 300WSM) Hello, I am purchasing my first rifle and I honestly don't know alot about wsm rifles or the 7mm or 7mm-08 etc....Does anybody have these rifles in particular and if so. what are your impressions of them? I just wondered how they compare to the .308 or 30-06? I am looking for some general feedback. If you own one, how does it shoot?, any mechanical problems?, animals taken with them?, cartridge selection? etc.... I intend on hunting bear and deer in Northern Ontario. The Rifles--the finalalist.... The Browning A-Bolt Stainless Stalker Right-Hand (308 Win) VERSUS: Browning A-Bolt Stainless Stalker Right-Hand (7mm-08 Rem) Browning A-Bolt Stainless Stalker Right-Hand (7mm WSM) Savage 16FCSS Rifle (300 WSM) The Savage is a few hundred cheaper ...but is it cheaper in quality? Any opinions appreciated. Chris~

December 11, 2008, 01:33 AM	#3
Jimro Senior Member Join Date: October 18, 2006 Posts: 7,097	A 308 is a great starter rifle because ammo is cheap and that means more practice. As far as quality goes, I am more interested in shooting tight groups than things like bolt throw or stock material, and from my perspective Savage is every bit as "quality" as Browning. Jimro __________________ Machine guns are awesome until you have to carry one.

December 11, 2008, 02:04 AM	#6
publius Senior Member Join Date: January 25, 2005 Location: Mississippi/Texas Posts: 2,505	I would get the Savage in .308. 7/08 would be good too but I really like the 308. As far as guns are concerned with the Browning you're paying for the long ago deceased John Browning's name. He didn't design the A-bolt. I'm not saying it's a bad gun, it isn't, but it also isn't worth the price. You don't see competition shooters using A-bolt actions. They do use Savage & Remington. Savage .308 topped w/a Leupold 3x9, good conservative combo that will do anything you need doing. __________________ "Suppose you were an idiot, and suppose you were a member of Congress, but I repeat myself." Mark Twain

December 11, 2008, 02:52 AM	#7
Pathfinder45 Senior Member Join Date: January 7, 2008 Posts: 3,224	If You Don't Reload..... .....then ya gotta go with the most popular and best priced and especially ubiquitous calibers. That means it hasta be .30-'06 or .270 Winchester or .308 or .243 or .30-30. If it's just gotta be a magnum then 7mm Rem or .300 Win. And if you live in Canada then maybe .303 Brit or whatever is found everywhere. Everyone oughta have a .22LR for cheap practice and small game.

January 26, 2009, 04:14 PM	#13
ForneyRider Senior Member Join Date: December 4, 2007 Location: Forney, TX Posts: 725	338 Win Mag is popular bear medicine in Alaska. I shot 7mm Mag (150gr) and my dad shot 375H&H (270gr) for caribou in Alaska. His model 70 froze up. He wiped all the gun oil off at camp and it worked better. It was -35F. Our bear hunting trips never resulted in even a sighting, but we had to 2 aforementioned guns, plus a guy with a .308 Win. The guy with the 308 Win shot a ptarmigan in flight with iron sights. Ptarmigan are delicious. I'd go with the 300WSM. Flat trajectory with bigger bullets of the ones you listed. __________________ When all is said and done, there is a lot more said than done.

December 11, 2008, 12:56 AM	#2
Waterengineer Senior Member Join Date: February 7, 2006 Location: Aurora, CO and Palm Beach, FL Posts: 863	You will get many opinions and all those cartridges overlap a certain extent. I am assuming the purpose is paper punching and North American clove-hooved game, possible upto Elk. If it were me I would stay away from the WSM stuff, particularly for a first rifle. Some say the short mag cartridges are hard to deal with. My preference would lean to the 7mm-08 or the 308. The 308 is the cheaper cartridge, in the box. Save your coins and wait for the Browning A-bolt, you won't be sorry.

December 11, 2008, 01:34 AM	#4
tuffteddyb Member Join Date: November 9, 2008 Posts: 43	i gotta agree with water,go with 308 or 7/08.ammo chePER IN 308 tho.i personally would buy savage with the accu trigger,got one in 7wsm and lovin it.also own a tikka and a browning and wouldnt get rid of either of them either.caliber wise tho if i was goin for first gun and cheapness of ammo i would go with either 308 or ,30/06.go to a gyn shop and handle them all and see which one you like.

December 11, 2008, 01:34 AM	#5
Stealff Member Join Date: October 16, 2008 Location: Port Angeles, WA Posts: 36	As a first rifle I would not recomend one of the short mags as they have quite a bit more recoil than the 7mm-08 or the 308 will. The Savage is just as good as any other rifle out there in my opinion, but you will here different I'm sure from others. Not to mention ammo for the short mags are more expensive. I have a savage in 30-06 and it shoots great, although Savages older synthetic stocks were hard on the shoulder, the newer stocks are supposed to be better. have no personal experience with Browning bolt actions so I cant help you there.

December 11, 2008, 07:35 AM	#8
Art Eatman Staff in Memoriam Join Date: November 13, 1998 Location: Terlingua, TX; Thomasville, GA Posts: 24,798	Yeah, another vote for a two-rifle deal. The .22 is the least expensive way to develop skill in making acquiring a sight picture a thing of reflex and not of deliberate thought. Learning to coordinate the sight picture with the "when" to press the trigger is also part of it. .22 ammo is cheap. For black bear and deer, either the .308 or the 7mm08. The latter is not much different from the .308 but for ten grains of bullet weight. The .308 might be preferred if one selects the 165-grain loads instead of the 150s in order to have possibly more reliable penetration on heavier animals. But, they all work...

December 11, 2008, 08:24 AM	#9
giaquir Senior Member Join Date: July 26, 2006 Location: Deerfield,New Hampshire Posts: 512	I've been a 308 guy since 69 but you can never ,ever go wrong short of the big bears with a 30-06-big issue is finding the rig you want to shoot it out of.

January 25, 2009, 09:31 PM	#10
zombie hunter Junior Member Join Date: January 25, 2009 Posts: 1	Looks like I'm a little late for this but I'll throw in anyway. I'm not really a fan of all those hot rod mags out there, and I certainly wouldn't recomend one as your first rifle. I have quite a few rifles in many cals. One of my favorite rifles is my Savage 110 .308win. Savage is a great rifle and .308 is one of the best all around and cheap as well. I have a savage in 7-08 as wellawesome. One thing you have deside is - what is its use. 308 is decent for most American game and it's one of the most popular competition rounds. The most important thing you can do is practice practice and more practice. A rifle will only do what you are able to make it do, just like a sword. I have had many greybeards tell me "get an OK rifle and spend your money on a scope". I usually tend to agree.

January 25, 2009, 10:01 PM	#11
CW-NH-HUNTER Member Join Date: January 4, 2009 Location: NH Posts: 58	The .308 and 7mm-08 are both great cartridges. If its your first gun the 7mm-08 has less felt recoil than the .308. So new shooters tend to shoot that cartridge alittle better than the .308. It also is alittle bit flatter shooting round but not by much. Both great rounds but it all comes down tothe shooter and what he wants in the end. Good luck and ejoy what ever you get for a new gun.

January 25, 2009, 10:28 PM	#12
Sportdog Junior member Join Date: February 28, 2006 Location: Southwestern Michigan Posts: 369	I see you are from northern Ontario, Canada. If long range moose are in your plans I would opt for the 300wsm or the 7mmwsm. If the range on the moose is moderate I would feel good with the 308. If you only plan on hunting deer/black bear the 7mm-08 is a good one. It just depends on your level of recoil comfort and ammo availability where you live. I handload only so cost of ammo is not a big deal of difference. All things considered the decision is yours and yours alone. There are a lot of internet critics of the short magnums but I love my Model 70 Winchester in 7mmWSM. Course I love my Model 70 Winchester 30-06, and my Model 700 Remington 243, and my Custom 8x57 Mauser, and my new Ruger M77 300 WinMag......You get the picture!

January 26, 2009, 07:12 PM	#14
Ghost22 Member Join Date: January 19, 2006 Posts: 89	My two cents I have a Savage 16 in .300 WSM, and unless you reload I would avoid this cartridge. Ammunition is harder to find and more expensive, and unless your hunting larger animals (elk size) there is no point. Also, you lose magazine capacity compared to the normal rounds (.270-.308-30.06). If you reload and are building a match/custom hunting rifle, it’s worth the effort. If not, I would stick to the 30-06, .308 or .270 (.270 has less recoil; I have shot both right next to each other in similar weight rifles). As far as the Savage, next time you see one with a plastic stock try to squeeze the stock to the barrel right at the front sling stud. With mine, you can almost touch the stock to the barrel. While I don’t think it affects accuracy under 200 yards, it’s unnerving and makes you want to change stocks on a new rifle. I would stick to the wood stock myself, or buy a barreled action and put whatever stock I wanted on it. In any case, if this is truly your first rifle, you really need a .22 or even a quality airgun to shoot thousands of times without the high cost. You could even buy a used .22 and sell it after you’re comfortable with your shooting for probably what you paid for it. Just keep up with fundamentals and remember to get off the bench for a good portion of those practice shots.