Choosing the Right Caliber for Bear and Elk: Exploring the Ethics of the 7mm-08

Randy Newberg has killed black bear with 7mm-08. Personally I like as much power as I can handle so 270 looks much better and 270 is very popular in Alaska.

And since you’ll be elk hunting I’d go with the extra umph from 270. But truth be told I like magnum calibers so 7mm Rem Mag would be my choice for hunting any large game. Always go with as much power as you can handle and it not affect your accuracy in a bad way.

@Cameron how significant is the recoil in a 7mm mag compared to a .270?

@Jake Have looked at recoil charts and recoil is roughly the same. 7mm Rem Mag was my first centerfire rifle to shoot. You won’t even notice recoil when an animal is in your sights and you pull the trigger. The first animal I experienced shooting at with it was a charging black bear. Had to sell it to meet some needs but loved it. Used 154gr ammo.

Give this a read and see what you think - https://www.chuckhawks.com/recoil_table.htm

@Jake Went and checked the chart and recoil 7mm Rem Mag is 2.2 ft lb more of felt energy than 270. Interesting part is 30-06 can have more kick on the heavier loads than 7mm Mag. I had a Savage 111 and recoil pad was very good so recoil wasn’t noticeable. The only time you’re going to notice recoil is shooting off the bench. It’s different shooting off the bench.

@Jake 7mm Rem Mag has less recoil than 12 gauge with 2&3/4” buckshot reduced recoil loads. Maybe that’ll help.

My go-to rifle is my 7mm mag. I had a krieger barrel put on it and a vaise break. It’s a 1/2 moa gun with my Hornady hunting loads. Recoil is less than my 243 with the break, but can take down anything with feet in North America.

@Jake the recoil difference between a 7 mag and 270 is significant. I have both. There's nothing wrong with using the 7mm-08. It's a necked down 308 casing. The issue with the bigger magnums is you can develop a flinch. I did. Yeah they're great to put an animal down and Cameron is right about not feeling the recoil when there's an animal in sight window. However, you have to site it in snd get comfortable shooting it.

@Jake - I think this is a complicated conversation and the best remedy is to try and find friends/family that have a rifle in a caliber you’re interested in to try. Felt recoil can be very subjective and can also vary among different design in rifle stocks. A couple antecedents - a friend of mine loaned me his 30-06 in a Savage. Felt like the thing would take my shoulder off. Grandpa gives me a Remington in a 30-06. It’s one of my most comfortable guns to shoot. Is it in the design? Maybe. Is it in my head? Maybe. Regardless, I’m confident with my particular rifle over my friend’s. I shot a 7mm, I loved it. I’ve shot a friend’s 270. Felt like it packed a punch that was too uncomfortable. This discussion is very subjective.

Alright folks, can you help me on this?

@Jake a used gun I’m looking at has this on the barrel, and I can’t tell what it is. Flash suppressor? Muzzle brake? What?

@Jake it looks like a muzzlebrake to me. If I remember correctly it's "tunable". That's what the numbers on the bottom represent

@Jake - had a Browning 30-06 with one of those on it. Browning calls theirs a “boss” - ballistic optimizing shooting system. It’s for tuning accuracy.

Me and one of my brothers have both killed bears with the 7mm-08 mine was a big bear neither went over more than 60 yards with the right bullet it would be lethal for elk as well