Tikka T3 lite, 7mm-08 or .308

[norcalshoot]

I am getting my wife a Tikka t3 light but can't decide on a 7mm-08 or .308. I have a T3 in 270wsm and love the accuracy so I am sticking with another tikka just cant decide on the cartridge. I have read post after post on the 708 vs. 308 and it seams like a never ending battle so I thought maybe in tikkas only someone would have a suggestion on what would be better.
It will be used for blacktail deer hunting and she also really wants to get into long range target shooting. We hunt the trinity alps and their is always the potential for some deep shots hunting there. Everything will be hand loaded with the exception of the maybe a couple boxes of factory loads to obtain the brass.
From my observation .308 seems to always have a little higher MV potential at any given bullet grain. Also .308 would would be nice for the huge selection of loads and brass. From what I am gathering on this and other forums is that the 7-08 has better BC and seems to shoot flatter?
Which cartridge carries the minimum amount of energy needed for killing deer farthest? Is there any accuracy difference between the two? We are going to put the order in for the gun tomorrow and I am driving myself crazy trying to decide between the two they seem so close. What is everyone's pinions? If you were going out and getting a tikka tomorrow with the intentions of shooting deer and paper as deep as possible which of the two would you get?
Thank you for reading, any suggestions or advice would be very much appreciated

 

[norcalshoot]

I don't know if this makes a difference but it looks like the tikka 7mm-08 has a 1:9.5 twist rate, the .308 is 1:11. Both have a 22 7/16 barrel

 

[TonyR]

You might want to consider any possible differences in recoil and how your wife deals with it since both of them are likely to kill a deer equally well at most reasonable distances.

 

[norcalshoot]

That is a good point. I know she does not complain about recoil with her 20ga O/U but that is different. bench shooting always seems to drill you a little more that shooting clays. Is their a noticeable recoil difference between the two? Tikkas are a very light gun and I am not too fond of the recoil of my tikka wsm but I was hoping these smaller cartridges would have lighter recoil. I heavier gun would be nice for her but There is a good chance she will end up making me carry her rifle when we are packing in several miles so it that aspect the lighter the gun, The longer she will carry it

 

[FryeGuy]

either would work great. If you were ever in a bind for ammo while on a hunting trip, you could probably find .308 factory ammo easier. You can also probably find more options in premium ammo as well. everyone seems to manufacture .308 match ammo.

 

[norcalshoot]

From a target shooting standpoint If she does like shooting long range a lot and really wants to focus her interest in that direction in the off season would either be a better choice for someone just starting out as far as user friendly, ballistic advantage or accuracy? aside from availability of loaded ammo sense I will be hand loading everything once brass is obtained?
Thanks again for the replies guys

 

[TonyR]

From a target shooting standpoint If she does like shooting long range a lot and really wants to focus her interest in that direction in the off season would either be a better choice for someone just starting out as far as user friendly, ballistic advantage or accuracy? aside from availability of loaded ammo sense I will be hand loading everything once brass is obtained?
Thanks again for the replies guys

If recoil in the same gun is equal for the same muzzle energy, then for the same energy you are likely to end up with a higher BC 7mm bullet giving you a flatter trajectory and better long range performance. If the bullets have the same basic shape, then for the same weight the 7mm will be longer which will result in a higher BC than the 30 cal. Or you could say for the same trajectory, the 7mm will have less recoil because the 7mm bullet would be lighter than a 30 cal bullet with the same BC. The only caution would be with some of the big 7mms which might not fit in a magazine seated out in the neck whereas a 30 cal of the same weight would not be as long. I have been through this a couple of times for friends and it can get pretty complicated particularly if a magazine is part of the equation.

 

[Larryh128]

Don't over gun her & make her a flincher : 7-08 is a great gals gun.

 

[1000yardstare]

Not the caliber you asked about but I have a T3 Lite in 6.5x55. Great deer and long range target cartridge. Moderate recoil.

The 6.5 Swede has probably killed more moose than any other cartridge because the Swedes, Finns and Norwegians have been using it on the giant deer for over 100 years. The T3 has a long throat for the 140 to 160 gr bullets used on the heavier animals.

Before everyone went gaga over the 6.5/284 for long range F Class the 6.5 Swede was one of the standard cartridges for 1000 yd competition. Lots of Lapua brass and 139 gr Scenars available for target work.

The accuracy, low fouling bore and excellent trigger of the T3 has always impressed me.

Bill

 

[Nomo4me]

I own a 6.5 x 55 T3 lite and did own one in 7mm-08. The 6.5 x 55 I shoot with stout 130gr loads at around 2850 fps. It has a factory wood stock and recoil with those loads is not bad at all.

My 7mm-08 was a stainless/synthetic version. With 140 grain bullets doing 2850 fps recoil on it was quite sharp. That plastic stock doesn't do much to calm recoil sensation.

If you are going to limit your wife to 300 yard shots and keep your loads at 2650 - 2700 fps or so I think the 7mm-08 would be a really nice combo for her. Beware the factory scope rings. They strip the screw holes easily if you overtorque.

BTW, I have 7mm-08 dies and brass for sale if you are looking.

 

[norcalshoot]

I Know that there are a lot of smaller caliber cartridges that are really good for being low recoil. The main reason I am looking for something in a 7mm or .30 is because of the component selection. I am disappointed that i got my tikka in 270wsm because I am simply jealous of the huge bullet and load data selection for all the 7's and .30 cals. In our local sporting goods stores we have a very limited amount of reloading components and I am always limited on the .277 and there is always more for the others. I told myself that when i get another gun it will be more mainstream. I am really settled on the 7s and 30's for that reason and have landed on 708 and 308 for the fact that I thought they may be the most lady friendly in those bore sizes and seem to be very mainstream as far as availability. If I am missing something that would be better please let me know. Is the .284 win any advantage over the 708 when given the motives? How are the 08's with the lighter weight bullets for recoil? I know it probably really kills the LR trajectory though
I think one of the first things to go on the gun after glass is a recoil pad. the one on my t3 light would just as well be made of steel

 

[norcalshoot]

Nomo4me, How did your 7-08 shoot? We are looking at the t3 light with syn/blued only because we are on a budget right now and want to kick the extra cost of stainless towards the glass for the piece

 

[TonyR]

Nomo4me, How did your 7-08 shoot? We are looking at the t3 light with syn/blued only because we are on a budget right now and want to kick the extra cost of stainless towards the glass for the piece

Save a few dollars for a LimbSaver recoil pad. I have them on my F-Class guns and they make life a lot easier during a long weekend of shooting.

 

[norcalshoot]

I agree limb saver is a must.

 

[ChrisNZ]

I have an SS T3 in 7-08, and my brother and my gunsmith's son have identical ones for which I reload. All these rifles are used on red deer at moderate ranges (<400yds).

My current std load is 43.5 of Varget behind a 140 Accubond which gives 2940MV and is pretty much a max load. No sign of primer pocket expansion and the accuracy is highly acceptable for a deer rifle- approx 3/4" 5 shot groups. The load I do for the other two clones are 43.5 of Varget behind a 139 SST. Can't remember the MV but it is similar to the ABs. I changed from the SSTs to the Accubonds because of meat damage- it absolutely levels reds but my game butcher thought I was using a decent magnum, such was the internal damage. The Accubonds seem to put them down well without the hand grenade effect inside. Last shot was a red facing me at 365yds - broke its neck and didn't take a step. My brother doesn't want me to change a thing with his load, such is the effectiveness. His stats are something like 9 deer with 8 rounds with one being a finisher but the majority were levelled on the spot.

If your wife is recoil-sensitive, using projectiles around 120gr in the 7-08 would still be an effective deer round at sensible distances

Chris-NZ

 

[necchi]

How are the 08's with the lighter weight bullets for recoil? I know it probably really kills the LR trajectory though

It's not a tika, but I have the 708 for the teen son, I'm clocking 3075 with Barnes TTSX 120 and you can shoot that thing all day with those bullets an load (H4895) an easy 300yrd round, 400 with practice I spose.

Nosler 120 BT group nice also but a little slower with Varget, I could work'm up with the H4895, current project will be 150 SMK's and for the 708 and I'm thinking that's about all I want with it,
I have the 308 if I want to go for long(er) range, but I don't think I'd be handicapping myself at 600 with the 708 if I put the work into it.

For an all around Ladies or Youth gun I'd go again with the 7-08 in a heart beat, it's a fun, accurate, easy to load for round yet no slouch when you need it.
I think I'll have a 7-08 in the locker for a long time to come, and keep the 308 for a bit heavier stuff.

 

[norcalshoot]

This is all good thanks everyone for the replies! Does everyone think that the .308 may be too much recoil and the 708 may be a better choice? She is pretty tough but I want to make this as fun as possible for her. She supports my hobbies if she also has interest in them So it all works out. I have never fired a .308 so I really have no idea on the recoil but I was thinking it wasnt going to be bad.
I am really liking hearing about the tikka 7-08 experiences but does anyone have tikka 308 experiences? Do they shoot just as well? Maybe sako is better at making one barrel over the other?

 

[necchi]

I feel your pain, it can be a struggle not wanting to make the wrong choice.
But when your asking about recoil and who can take it and who can't on a computer forum, the answers simply can't be answered in digital means.

The 7-08 has an average recoil of 14.5 ftlb, the 308 is 16.7ftlb a 30-06 20.6 and a 223 3.6. Being tuff and haveing muscle mass is one thing, haveing weight or total body mass is another. If my wife/girl friend was 180 and could sling hay bales with me all day I'd know what she's capable of. If she's 130 or less and prone to picking one bail to feed the horses instead , that'd be a hint also.
How much shooting does she really wanna do? What's fun and keeps'm comming back is accurate shooting at 100-200. Hitting an egg at 200 is alot more fun than a 36" paper group at 600. (hitting a gong is more fun)

Recoil is directly related to the weight of the bullet and the energy needed to push it. Your trying to mix a couple things here; When you talk about long range shooting bigger bullets preform better at higher velocities = more recoil. My 308 shoots best with 165grn and up.

Many really great hunting bullets can be and are smaller than that, but then you enter the endless debate about ethical hunting distance and that is directly related to the abilities of the shooter.
3-400 yrd hunting shot's are on the outside of the average shooters range, should be praticed and that's with alot of shooting, but that's worlds away from a prone position paper target,
http://f-classinfo.com/page1/page1.html

Get either one, you won't be wrong, the 7 will handle lighter bullets better. It's going to take all season to find the best bullet(s) for it and more than just a few range trips to decide if you like it or not.
(you want to keep her comming back)
You'll have the investment made, and you'll have significant re-sale/trade value in either if you decide you don't like the round.

 

[norcalshoot]

Well, pulled the trigger today and got the t3 lite 7mm-08. The great guys at grundmans had a lot of good advice. We almost walked out with the 6.5x55 swede in a tikka but not this time. I didn't because I knew nothing about the 6.5 swede and dont like making uneducated purchases when it comes to guns. Now all we have to do is get some glass wait 10 days to get it because of this wonderful state of california!!!
Thank you everyone who helped I feel good about what we ended up with. I will try to give an update on how well it groups and how well she shoots with it.

 

[Nomo4me]

Norcal to answer your question about accuracy, I was able to get my 7-08 stainless synthetic to shoot less than 1" with some stout loads but it wasn't a threat to shoot under 1/2" by any means.

The plastic stock is very servicable but does compromise the accuracy potential of the gun a bit vs a more rigid stock. Some folks glass bed them. I only went so far as to check the AL recoil lug for looseness in it's mortise. This was fixed by a single thickness of paper held in place then the lug was pushed down into the mortise with force - looseness gone. Do that and it should shoot minute of deer for you with factory loads and ok bench technique.

Those T3's are a fantastic value and exploit some very interesting modern manufacturing techniques that allow them to be marketed here in the states at very attractive prices.