Brian: It sounds like your Barnes experiences mirror my own. Expensive, yes, but quality usually is. When you consider the cost of an elk hunt, either a resident or out of state hunt, the cost of the bullet(s) is almost negligable, and possibly the most important component in the entire equation.
As for the 7-08, and your affection for the .243 Win, consider this: as they are both on the same case (.308 Win), both feed like butter in most actions. Ballistically, the seven has a huge advantage over the 6mm when game bullets in each caliber are considered. Trajectory for the seven is pretty impressive for practical hunting ranges. I practice with mine out in the open desert here out to 600 yards, and feel confident at that range. The .243 in standard twist hunting rifles is flat out of energy at that range to anchor a big mulie, let alone an elk, but we normally don't shoot those animals that far away anyway, but the seven has a real advantage in bullet weight at all practical hunting ranges.
Above is the 7mm-08 Ackley Improved beside the venerable .270 Winchester. Amazing performance from the seven, considering the size of the case.
If you're considering a 7-08 for a general big game rifle, I think you'll find it capable of about everything you'd ask of it. It gets poo-pooed by the young crowd these days, along with the 308 Win, as they all think they need Ultra Mags. Funny, as I've (along with all our forefathers) been killing deer and elk for all my years with nothing larger than my .338-06 Ackley, .30-06, and .270 Win, and don't have a sore shoulder, flinch, or hearing loss either.
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I think we all went through the "faster, better, newer" syndrome when we were in our 20's and 30's. Interesting how we come back to basics as we age a bit.
If you've got a hankering for something different on a short action, consider the .270 Redding. In reality, it's just a 308 case necked to .270, and uses any .277" bullet. A bit flatter shooting than the 7-08, but not much. There is a huge selection of 7mm bullets out there compared to the .270, but excellent choices in either caliber as we've been discussing. Redding offers dies for the .270 Redding. Or.....you could go the route I did, and build a 7mm-08 Ackley. Mine shoots the 120gr Barnes or Nosler to an honest 3,400 fps, and that is a flat shooting round! It duplicates my .270 Win with TEN grains LESS powder, in a lighter rifle with a short action to boot. The improved 7-08 will give you an honest extra 200 fps more in most bullet weights. It is very efficient, and one of P.O. Ackley's darlings. He comments in his books that it is about the perfect case capacity for the 7mm bore.
Enough rambling....if I can offer any assistance in regard to loads of chrono data to help you decide, you only need to ask. Good luck with the quest.
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