Well I'm in the middle of a deal & it looks like I may be ending up with my 1st Encore & it's a 7mm-08 (which means there will be a Contender with a 12" .358 Bellm barrel & scope for sale but that's a different subject).
So, tell me about your 7-mm08 pistol experiences.
What have you killed, favorite loads, etc.

My experience is definitely limited compared to most of these pros, but Ill tell you what I know.

I had a blued 12" with an NCstar scope and loved it.

Not long after I got it I ran across a great deal on a 15" stainless complete gun so I sold my other barrel and scope.

I was shooting Hornadys which were ok but then switched to the Federal Fusions and LOVE em. I am getting sub 1" groups @100 from a bench. One thing I can tell you on the Fusions is that they are deffinitely hotter than the Hornadys I was shooting. I could tell from both the muzzle flash and the recoil.

So far I have only killed one deer...about 100lb spike and put him down beautifully. I got a great double lung pass through @ 65 yards and he ran about 30 before tumbling.

The 7mm08 is definitely fast becoming my favorite round for shooting and hunting.

I am looking at a 7mm rifle barrel for my Encore Rifle now.



Good luck, you should like it!!


Vance, PM me some prices and specs on your Contender barrel/scope. I have a buddy that may be interested.

muleys, whitetail, antelope, bobcat, and PD's.
H-4895 with 120 or 140NBT's.

I have an Encore in 7mm-08 and love it!! You cant do better for whitetails in my opinion. Good range. Relatively flat shooting. And good knock-down power. I rarely have to track wounded deer. I haven't tried it on elk yet, but hear it is suitable for them as well with the right load. I've been using the Winchester Supreme Fail-safes 180gr (I believe) and have had good success with them. It's a great cartridge with only moderate recoil (I don't have a compensator and don't think you need one). Again, I don't know its effectiveness on large game such as elk but others have. Have fun!!

41.5gr H4895 with a 120gr nosler averaged 2800fps outta my 15" barrel and is a good shootin load(take ernies advice). i took one lil button at an estimated 250yrds with a 2650fps load of the same powder(40.0gr) a few yrs ago. bullet performance was good.
varget is also a good candidate. i have a bunch of 154gr sst's and preliminary testing with varget looks potentially good. i'd tend to think it would be a good elk load.....when i fine tune it and chronograph it etc.

I finally talked myself into a 7mm-08 Encore. I had been shooting the 309JDJ Contender for several years but wanted to try something different. Found a SS 15" with special drilled rifle forend. Did some research and asking around and ended up with a load with the Nosler 140grn BT, Varget, 39grn. My muzzle velocity averages 2325fps at 50 degrees.
I put a Weaver 2x6 scope on it and now this barrel is getting more range time than any other barrel. I went with the 140's because of large whitetail and hogs in the same area I hunt. I took a 105 lb 7pnt the day after Thanksgiving with the 7mm-08 at 125yds. Put the 140 real tight behind the front leg and it was a bang/ flop. He humped up, turned and fell. Major damage. I have been shooting out to 200yds and it is a very flat shooter. I really liked my 7BR but the 7mm-08 has just a little more muscle. I'm even thinging of doing one of my XP's in the 7mm-08. I bet the 120's are smoking from this caliber. I will try some of them this summer.
Good luck with your barrel.
Mike

Thanks for then info guys. The deal went thru & I'm really looking forward to playing with this gun in about 10 days.
Just have to decide what to rob a scope from.
For me the smallest game will be sheep, with goat & blackbear hot on their heals. Don't know when I'll get to hunt sheep or goats as it's pretty much all draw around my area, but black bear should be this spring. Maybe caribou someday & with heavier bullets even short range moose for my daughter.
With my critters in mind I'm thinking something like 150 or 160s in a Nosler Partition. I'm just guessing, so does anyone have a better idea? Black bear this spring will be spot & stalk, so ranges from in your face to 300 ish yds?
Anyone mess with the Accubond?

One other question maybe you can help me with. I figured the 7mm-08 & the 308 would have comparable sppeds with comparable bullet weights, but I was looking thru the new Hodgon reloading "magazine" & they are showing the 308 to be considerably faster & capable of holding more powder.

Example with 150 gr bullets in both & Varge powder in both.
Max loads.
308 47.0 gr & 2675 fps
7mm-08 41.3 & 2508
(yes there are faster powders for the 7mm-08 with H-4350 being the fastest they show, but it's still 125 fps slower than the 308)
Do you loose that much capacity when you neck it down?

Also is it as easy as I assume to neck down 308 brass to use in the 7mm-08?

thanks again guys.
The experience level on this board is awsome & saves the rest of us a lot of time in the "school of hard knocks".

In addition to the smaller bore volume the base of the bullet is also smaller so the powder has less surface to push on.

Larry

Both replys make absolute sense from a pressure standpoint, I guess I'm just surprised that the difference would translate to 5.7 gr of powder!
On the other hand the 7mm-08 seems more efficent since I wouldn't think it should take 5.7 gr to gain 167 fps when you are near max. ...

Anybody have any thoughts on bullets?

It has been a few years since I sold my Encore 15" 7mm.08 and wish I still had it. Sold it because, at the time, I felt it was like shooting a "sawwed-off" rifle and turned to strictly wheel guns and bows. But, in reality,the Encore was a pleasure to shoot. I killed one of the hosses hanging on my den wall with a free-hand 35 yard shot on a 10-degree morning. Recoil is not bad at all.

You've made a great purchase!

Finally got a PM out to you TCHunter

Vance,
Are you still interested in what you contacted me about?

Returned your PM Ernie.
Sorry for the delay.