7mm-08 and Africa

[JG26Irish_2]

We went to South Africa in July 2025. I carried a .270 Win, which I’ve carried on three previous trips to Africa, and my wife and kids used a Browning A-bolt II in 7mm-08. They took blesbok, springbok , gemsbok, impala, blue and black wildebeest and zebra with no problem. They were shooting 140 gr. factory loaded Federal Fusion bonded bullets.

Fusions are one of my favorite factory loads. They expand to about 2.4x and are consistently very accurate. I only wish that I had gotten a chance to try them in my 7mm/08 this last safari. I started with the Barnes ammo because it had been marginally more accurate in my rifle. But for hunting they are both good enough. I switched to the Hornady CX again only because I wanted to try it on game. Both performed well. This years safari was something of an ammo testing lab for me as where I live, I do not get to shoot many game animals per year. In hindsight, that was a dumb move. Hunters going to Africa are far better served by choosing one really good round for each rifle and then using that ammo on everything. Live and learn. Still, I got some insights into what the monos can do which was educational. In the end, I think I like the Fusions better unless you are hunting a very large bodied animal for the caliber in question and might be worried about getting enough penetration. Then the copper monos are going to provide slightly deeper penetration.

I would use a 7mm-08 on any plaines game with a bonded or mono-metal expanding bullet and proper shot placement. If I were specifically hunting eland, I would likely choose a larger caliber (.30+) but if I had a 7mm-08 and the bush happened to provide an old grey bull eland I wouldn’t hesitate to take the shot with it.

This is my opinion. Take the others that you’ve received here and do what you are most comfortable with.

I have to agree. The 7mm is enough for most PG but if Eland was my primary prey, then I would choose a bigger, heavier cartridge rather than risk wounding and losing the Eland. In my case this year, I swapped the 7mm for my 375HH when I hunted Kudu. The larger cartridge worked OK but still required two shots to take down the big bull. The 7mm would have worked but I did not want to push my luck as we had hunted hard for Kudu for three days and had only seen one other shootable bull all that week.

 

[Philip Glass]

For context I recently “won” a 10 day trip to Limpopo delta. Looking at the safaris list of approved calibers. My trusty old Ruger m77 Hawkeye in 7mm-08 fits the bill being specifically listed. I currently shoot hand loads for white tails and wild boar in Mississippi. 140gr nosler BT with 39.5gr HVARGET powder. The hunt I won has plains game listed. Will this rifle leave me wanting more when I get there? I have take wild pigs with it over 300lbs. Pic for attention. Thanks in advance

It will work and if the shots are close you would be fine. Use Barnes or AFrame. The trouble is the shots can get longer depending on terrain and you would be better served on the tough African game with a 180g bullet.
Please be cautious and do research on this "hunt you won". You will likely pay more than some of the top outfitters packages if you compare. I know you can hunt 10 days with 6 trophies all included (kudu, Gemsbuck,good stuff) for $6000.
Many of these are a bait and switch in the area you mention. Ask how many contiguous acres you will be hunting.
Happy safari planning!

 

[UpNorthMI]

I really like the 7mm-08 but will not be packing mine to go to Africa. One thing I have learnt is that some of these animals we are hunting can be real tough. Why plan and invest your time and money into a hunt and take a gun / ammo that may give you possible marginal performance. I like enough gun and a quality bullet.

My initial Blaser R8 investment included a .300 Win mag barrel to be used for plains game, I've been impressed with it's performance with 180 / 200 gr bullets. I also had to buy a .338 Win mag barrel as I'd used this caliber for over 25 years and know it's capabilities. It will be a tough choice which to take for my next plains game hunt but sadly my 7mm-08 will remain at home and will see it's use in the deer woods.

 

[JG26Irish_2]

I really like the 7mm-08 but will not be packing mine to go to Africa. One thing I have learnt is that some of these animals we are hunting can be real tough. Why plan and invest your time and money into a hunt and take a gun / ammo that may give you possible marginal performance. I like enough gun and a quality bullet.

My initial Blaser R8 investment included a .300 Win mag barrel to be used for plains game, I've been impressed with it's performance with 180 / 200 gr bullets. I also had to buy a .338 Win mag barrel as I'd used this caliber for over 25 years and know it's capabilities. It will be a tough choice which to take for my next plains game hunt but sadly my 7mm-08 will remain at home and will see it's use in the deer woods.

I can relate and you are correct. A safari is a big investment in time and $ and taking a marginal rifle is only asking for issues. Plus, nothing is worse than thinking you may have wounded an animal and face the real prospect of a long tracking job or worse losing a wounded beast. In my experience, the African plains game is not significantly tougher than any other similar animals on the planet. Notable exceptions might be the Wildebeest. Most all African PG do have the heart placed between the front legs which can force you to shoot thru the leg/shoulder bones to reach the vitals at certain angles. But, good bullet choice covers that issue IMO. No matter the caliber I am using, I limit my shots on game to a distance where the bullet velocity has dropped to 2000fps and in 90% of all cases, I seek to get closer than that theoretical limit. That practice has prevented loss of game animals in all but two cases over a long hunting career and one of those (warthog) was lost only because a herd of Cape Buffalo were in the way and did not want to move. That had nothing to do with the rifle or the cartridge.

I took a 308 for PG last year and it worked great but I needed a rifle capable of 400y performance this year and figured that the 7mm/08 was so close to the 308, that it would be a good fit and I liked the lighter, short action, short bbl rifle. Plus, I make it a personal practice to not take the same rifles on Safari twice. Any excuse to buy another gun, lol. I have a 7mm mag that would have also worked but it is like nearly 6ft long! (exaggerating). There was only one shot on the entire trip where I would have been better served by the 7mm mag and that was a 300+ yard shot on a Wildebeest. The 7/08 loaded with a Barnes 140g TSX did the job without too much drama.

All that said, after I returned from this year's Safari I acquired a nice little Ruger Hawkeye M77 compact in of all things 338 RCM thru an unexpected trade. I was very impressed with the cartridge but not impressed with the distinct lack of ammo options. While reloading will be the answer, I recently acquired a pair of 338wm rifles and really like them. Similar energy to the 375HH but with an effective range that is at least 100y longer. My son and I plan to use both of them to hunt Nilgai in Texas this winter. The ranch and guide we are hunting with requires we use a 300 mag or larger for that hunt. While we could argue that requirement, the 338 will work fine. If/when I return to Africa, one of those 338's will likely accompany me to hunt Eland. Not because I need it to take an Eland. A 308 would work just fine. Only, because I want to use it to complete my Spiral Slam.

 

[Caretaker95]

I can relate and you are correct. A safari is a big investment in time and $ and taking a marginal rifle is only asking for issues. Plus, nothing is worse than thinking you may have wounded an animal and face the real prospect of a long tracking job or worse losing a wounded beast. In my experience, the African plains game is not significantly tougher than any other similar animals on the planet. Notable exceptions might be the Wildebeest. Most all African PG do have the heart placed between the front legs which can force you to shoot thru the leg/shoulder bones to reach the vitals at certain angles. But, good bullet choice covers that issue IMO. No matter the caliber I am using, I limit my shots on game to a distance where the bullet velocity has dropped to 2000fps and in 90% of all cases, I seek to get closer than that theoretical limit. That practice has prevented loss of game animals in all but two cases over a long hunting career and one of those (warthog) was lost only because a herd of Cape Buffalo were in the way and did not want to move. That had nothing to do with the rifle or the cartridge.

I took a 308 for PG last year and it worked great but I needed a rifle capable of 400y performance this year and figured that the 7mm/08 was so close to the 308, that it would be a good fit and I liked the lighter, short action, short bbl rifle. Plus, I make it a personal practice to not take the same rifles on Safari twice. Any excuse to buy another gun, lol. I have a 7mm mag that would have also worked but it is like nearly 6ft long! (exaggerating). There was only one shot on the entire trip where I would have been better served by the 7mm mag and that was a 300+ yard shot on a Wildebeest. The 7/08 loaded with a Barnes 140g TSX did the job without too much drama.

All that said, after I returned from this year's Safari I acquired a nice little Ruger Hawkeye M77 compact in of all things 338 RCM thru an unexpected trade. I was very impressed with the cartridge but not impressed with the distinct lack of ammo options. While reloading will be the answer, I recently acquired a pair of 338wm rifles and really like them. Similar energy to the 375HH but with an effective range that is at least 100y longer. My son and I plan to use both of them to hunt Nilgai in Texas this winter. The ranch and guide we are hunting with requires we use a 300 mag or larger for that hunt. While we could argue that requirement, the 338 will work fine. If/when I return to Africa, one of those 338's will likely accompany me to hunt Eland. Not because I need it to take an Eland. A 308 would work just fine. Only, because I want to use it to complete my Spiral Slam.

View attachment 711523

That’s a beautiful rifle!

 

[AZDAVE]

@JG26Irish_2 The 338 RCM is my wife's favorite rifle. She has shot most of her African game with it. I laid on a lifetime of brass for it, so that when the manufacture moved on to the newest wiz bang round that we would be able to shoot it. Hope you can track down the needed reloading components.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

I can relate and you are correct. A safari is a big investment in time and $ and taking a marginal rifle is only asking for issues. Plus, nothing is worse than thinking you may have wounded an animal and face the real prospect of a long tracking job or worse losing a wounded beast. In my experience, the African plains game is not significantly tougher than any other similar animals on the planet. Notable exceptions might be the Wildebeest. Most all African PG do have the heart placed between the front legs which can force you to shoot thru the leg/shoulder bones to reach the vitals at certain angles. But, good bullet choice covers that issue IMO. No matter the caliber I am using, I limit my shots on game to a distance where the bullet velocity has dropped to 2000fps and in 90% of all cases, I seek to get closer than that theoretical limit. That practice has prevented loss of game animals in all but two cases over a long hunting career and one of those (warthog) was lost only because a herd of Cape Buffalo were in the way and did not want to move. That had nothing to do with the rifle or the cartridge.

I took a 308 for PG last year and it worked great but I needed a rifle capable of 400y performance this year and figured that the 7mm/08 was so close to the 308, that it would be a good fit and I liked the lighter, short action, short bbl rifle. Plus, I make it a personal practice to not take the same rifles on Safari twice. Any excuse to buy another gun, lol. I have a 7mm mag that would have also worked but it is like nearly 6ft long! (exaggerating). There was only one shot on the entire trip where I would have been better served by the 7mm mag and that was a 300+ yard shot on a Wildebeest. The 7/08 loaded with a Barnes 140g TSX did the job without too much drama.

All that said, after I returned from this year's Safari I acquired a nice little Ruger Hawkeye M77 compact in of all things 338 RCM thru an unexpected trade. I was very impressed with the cartridge but not impressed with the distinct lack of ammo options. While reloading will be the answer, I recently acquired a pair of 338wm rifles and really like them. Similar energy to the 375HH but with an effective range that is at least 100y longer. My son and I plan to use both of them to hunt Nilgai in Texas this winter. The ranch and guide we are hunting with requires we use a 300 mag or larger for that hunt. While we could argue that requirement, the 338 will work fine. If/when I return to Africa, one of those 338's will likely accompany me to hunt Eland. Not because I need it to take an Eland. A 308 would work just fine. Only, because I want to use it to complete my Spiral Slam.

View attachment 711523

Is that a 30mm scope? Looks thick. I mounted one on my 404 and found it worked well. What is that sling? Military clasps but definitely not military.

 

[JG26Irish_2]

Is that a 30mm scope? Looks thick. I mounted one on my 404 and found it worked well. What is that sling? Military clasps but definitely not military.

Scope is a 34mm tube, 1-8x LPVO and does work very well. If I recall correctly, it is a Hunter brand sling but I could be wrong as I have been handling several pew pews lately and they tend to run together. I am a fan of the well worn true mil-spec slings but finding a good one is getting harder and I am too impatient to buy a new unused one and work with it for 20yrs. I also laid in a lifetime supply of the only ammo available. I just wish Hornady would slip a few CX bullets or a bonded option into that brass for us. The SST is ok for most game but a bit fragile. I have not killed anything with it but really like to short, light, handy nature of the little rifle. You pay for it with lots of felt recoil but it is not overwhelming at all. I think it would make a great Eastern Elk, Moose, Bear or Eland rifle. Mine has not proven to be super accurate but I am still breaking in the bbl and playing with action screw torque settings. It gets better, every time I take it to the range.

 

[txtrout75218]

I took my 7-08 to hunt plains game in Limpopo in July and we used it with great success.

You are not after a rutting bull elk at 500 yards. You are shooting animals at 100 yards with most of them the size of a large mule deer buck or cow elk.

My only suggestion is lose the BT and use a 140 grain TSX, or a 156 grain Oryx. That BT isn't up to the job if it's not a perfect side shot. But I wouldn't use the BT in NA, outside of Whitetails in TX.

The critters really aren't tougher to kill than something the same size in NA. The outfiter said that USA hunters tend to make poor shots because we don't understand the anatomy difference between African and American animals and try to shoot behind the shoulder. That ends up as a gut shot in Africa, not a heart/lung shot.


The outfiter said the 7-08 with a mono or bonded bullet was perfect for their small plot of 40k acres and the distance we were hunting. I agree that it is fine within its limits. I have an associate whose wife has taken several elands with her 7-08.

I also took a 308 using 175 grain Terminal Accent bullets for wildebeest and larger animals if needed. However, the 7-08 was fine.. You are not shooting far. You really, in many areas, never shooting more that 100 yards. MAX.

If I was focused only on Elad, i would be comfortable with a 30-06 /300 H&H/300 Mag with a mono, or 338, etc.

Bullet placement and bullet construction trumps size. Use the rifle you are comfortable shooting with the right bullet.

My daughter took this zebra stallion with a quartering shot through the front of the left shoulder, left front lung, heart, right lung and right ribs. He was dropped on the spot at 100 yards with a 7-08 and the 140 grain TSX bullet. However, your BT wouldn't have had the same effectiveness with that angle.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

I took my 7-08 to hunt plains game in Limpopo in July and we used it with great success.

You are not after a rutting bull elk at 500 yards. You are shooting animals at 100 yards with most of them the size of a large mule deer buck or cow elk.

My only suggestion is lose the BT and use a 140 grain TSX, or a 156 grain Oryx. That BT isn't up to the job if it's not a perfect side shot. But I wouldn't use the BT in NA, outside of Whitetails in TX.

The critters really aren't tougher to kill than something the same size in NA. The outfiter said that USA hunters tend to make poor shots because we don't understand the anatomy difference between African and American animals and try to shoot behind the shoulder. That ends up as a gut shot in Africa, not a heart/lung shot.


The outfiter said the 7-08 with a mono or bonded bullet was perfect for their small plot of 40k acres and the distance we were hunting. I agree that it is fine within its limits. I have an associate whose wife has taken several elands with her 7-08.

I also took a 308 using 175 grain Terminal Accent bullets for wildebeest and larger animals if needed. However, the 7-08 was fine.. You are not shooting far. You really, in many areas, never shooting more that 100 yards. MAX.

If I was focused only on Elad, i would be comfortable with a 30-06 /300 H&H/300 Mag with a mono, or 338, etc.

Bullet placement and bullet construction trumps size. Use the rifle you are comfortable shooting with the right bullet.

My daughter took this zebra stallion with a quartering shot through the front of the left shoulder, left front lung, heart, right lung and right ribs. He was dropped on the spot at 100 yards with a 7-08 and the 140 grain TSX bullet. However, your BT wouldn't have had the same effectiveness with that angle.

My PH told me the same myth about behind the shoulder shots. But the first morning of my first safari I chose to shoot blesbuck, and impala behind the shoulder. Neither of them went anywhere. I also shot my blue wildebeest that morning through the shoulder and tipped him over but the 165 gr 30-06 Partition did not hit his heart. I think it hit that big nerve above the heart (forget the name). On the way to the farmhouse for lunch I bagged a warthog. Should have shot it behind the shoulder but the dang thing took off as I fired and the bullet clipped both hind legs. I have shot many African animals since then in the boiler room behind the shoulder and killed them just as dead as any deer, elk, or moose I've similarly shot. Including this buffalo running at sixty yards. Shot through both lungs barely missing the heart. He ran probably 150 yards max before turning to face us. Shot again in the chest but did little damage except blow out his left knee. Spun around three times, sat on his butt, tipped over, light bellow, and he was done.

And this gemsbuck running past me at twelve yards. Shot through the heart (also once through the heart incoming moments before).

And this black wildebeest at 100 yards as he got up out of his bed. Dropped dead on the spot but not hit in the heart if I remember correctly.

And this waterbuck at 100 yards that dropped on the spot.

There were others. My third PH asked me why I culled an impala behind the shoulder rather than through it as he instructed. My response: "Why waste the meat? He didn't go anywhere did he?"

I have watched the trackers gut ~40 animals in Africa and I have personally gutted hundreds here in North America. I do not see any significant difference in lung and heart placement. Externally I also don't see any significant difference whether hide on or off. Some difference sure, but nothing that indicates to me I should place my bullet differently. Same in North America. Moose have a hump resembling many plains game species (e.g. kudu and gemsbuck) but I'll put a bullet behind the shoulder and kill them just as dead as a mule deer. And yes, put it close enough to the shoulder and I'll hit the heart, especially if it's quartering slightly away. I'm not sure why there should be any difference between anatomy of North American and African plains game. They both run and jump and climb and swim (though some on both sides don't jump - e.g. gemsbuck and pronghorn).

 

[txtrout75218]

Hi Ontario,

Nice gemsbuck!

You don't have to preach to me on this. I don't disagree and I was just stating what they tend to say about where to place the bullet and perhaps I should have started that more clearly. There is no major difference on the internal placement of the organs, just a difference on anatomy.

I'm also not going to argue with the PH. Bad jester. They can make things easy or hard on you. And I did see other animals come in to be processed by other hunters and I could see how they said that USA hunters tend to shoot too far back. I saw several animals that took tow shits for the first shot was placed too far back

And back to the 7-08 as the OP's question since I think we are detailing his question. 7-09 will work fine within its parameters with a bonded or mono bullet.

 

[Caretaker95]

Hi Ontario,

Nice gemsbuck!

You don't have to preach to me on this. I don't disagree and I was just stating what they tend to say about where to place the bullet and perhaps I should have started that more clearly. There is no major difference on the internal placement of the organs, just a difference on anatomy.

I'm also not going to argue with the PH. Bad jester. They can make things easy or hard on you. And I did see other animals come in to be processed by other hunters and I could see how they said that USA hunters tend to shoot too far back. I saw several animals that took tow shits for the first shot was placed too far back

And back to the 7-08 as the OP's question since I think we are detailing his question. 7-09 will work fine within its parameters with a bonded or mono bullet.

I enjoy reading of people’s experience with not only the rifle but in Africa. I have taken hundreds of white tails and wild hogs with this rifle and I am ver comfortable with it. It was once an extension of my hands. I will be choosing a fully bonded bullet. May even choose a different caliber. 30-06 is my next option as it is the most versatile caliber due to bullet availability

 

[txtrout75218]

Take both the 7-08 and the 30-06!

 

[Doug Hamilton]

Accubond bullets are very popular, but I would not use them for any kind of hunting except maybe varmints.

You've got to be joking. I have shot many animals from a small impala ewe up through a bull.moose in 7-08, 7 RM and .300 WM. Every animal has died and every bullet has left a large exit hole. What exactly is your complaint about AccuBonds? What bullet do you think could do better?

 

[Doug Hamilton]

Hello tydaws,

I will happily respond to your question, knowing that my strong views on bullet terminal performance has tended to annoy some people in the past. So, I say ahead of time that I make the following comment with the best possible intensions.

I assume that, like me, you want a hunting bullet that provides consistently excellent terminal performance for a quick, safe and humane kill. Right?

The factors that contribute to ideal terminal performance in tough African animals are not present in the Accubond bullet.

These factors are common knowledge and you probably already know them, but to answer your question properly I will mention them here.

Accubond bullets sometimes kills plains game very quickly. I try to select a bullets that always kill very quickly.

( Another bullet that sometimes kills well and has been very popular is the Hornady dangerous game bullet. It is, like the the Accubond, an inconstant performer. I shudder to think how many cape buffalo hunters have gotten into trouble by using Hornady bullets.)

Consistently good terminal performance comes from straight line, deep penetration with a large permanent wound channel. If you aim for the heart from any angle you want the bullet to hit the heart, even if it has to plow through bone to get there. On some shot you may intensionally intend to to break an important structural bone like the shoulder.

Obviously, this requires deep, straight line penetration which is largely a function of the weight and configuration or shape of the expanded bullet.

Deep, straight line penetration is largely a result of high retained weight, controlled expansion and to some degree the rpm of the spin of the bullet. Also, it is very important that the bullet does not tumble.

Examples of bullets that reliably provide this kind of performance are the awesome Barnes Mono series of bullets, the Swift A-Frame and the North Fork SS and PP expanding bullets. Of those three choices I go with North Fork for cape buffalo which are the only animal that I hunt any more. I am actually a Cutting Edge Bullet nut. My boys and grandson hunt PG and you can be sure that they don't use any Accubonds.

The "quality" of the wound channel contributes significantly to the quickness of the kill. A large and non collapsing wound channel is ideal, obviously.

As mentioned above, the wound channel is a result of the the configuration/shape of the expanded bullet.

These days there are more good bullets on the market. It makes a big difference to your hunting confidence and experience if you you use one of the better bullets instead of one of the poorer ones.

Sorry if I am "preaching to the choir" here but I like the old expression that the only piece of your hunting equipment that touches and kills the animal is your bullet.

It goes without saying that the bullet can make a significant difference to your hunting experience.

I'm guessing you've never actually hunted with Accubond bullets.