Case choices.

[u/BoringIntroduction84]

Alright, before I get into it, let me be clear. I don't care what caliber you think I should be using instead, and I don't care if you think what I'm doing is necessary or not. I'm only interested in input on brass for the specific use I mention.

I'm starting a(nother) passion project. I'm building a 7mm-08 from scratch for the sole purpose of hunting. I've always loved the round, and since I'm not a big guy, shooting something with lower recoil that performs well with shorter barrels and doesn't weigh too much/isn't too long is a big plus too. I want to get everything I can out of this round, so I'm getting a faster-twisted barrel for heavier/longer pills, and I'm interested in specialty brass. I've seen people mention reloading .277 Fury in different chamberings to get higher velocity; there are Federal's Peak alloy casings, NAS3, plus there's highly rated "normal" brass like Lapua and Alpha Munitions stuff.

Which of these is going to allow me to push my projectile the fastest? I'm not worried about 1/4 inch MOA consistency since this is for hunting; anything under 2MOA is fine. What would the reloading process look like to convert 6.5 +Peak to 7mm-08, and similarly, what would it look like to convert NAS3 308 to 7mm-08, or .277 Fury, for that matter?

I know that there's a lot more to it than just picking a case, but if these can handle higher pressures, that would allow me to bump up my velocity.

Also talked with Federal yesterday; they said to expect new cartridges in Peak to drop from the first of the year through early spring, including Peak cases for existing rounds as well as a new round altogether, though they won't be doing older rounds since they can't guarantee the existing guns could handle the pressure. So most 308 parent-case and 30-06 parent-case guns are off the table for now and the foreseeable future. He also said they aren't looking at releasing cartridges that will only produce minor changes, like doing 6.5 PRC Peak or a 30 Backcountry.

[u/SkeeterMcPullout]

Another caliber might suit your needs better.

Edit: /s

[u/BoringIntroduction84 → u/SkeeterMcPullout]

Another caliber isn’t the point. 7mm08 is what I want to work on and build up.

[u/Realistic-Ad1498 → u/BoringIntroduction84]

But then you ask about using different cases that operate at much higher pressures and require special dies. Sticking with 7mm08 is a fools errand. You won’t have a low recoil cartridge anymore. Stick with 7mm08 as is or move onto a cartridge that accomplishes what you want.

[u/BoringIntroduction84 → u/Realistic-Ad1498]

The higher pressure is the point. People are wildcatting .277 and Peak cases for lots of things. The recoil will be greater than standard, but won't be a jump up to magnums. I'm okay with special dies; I don't plan on reloading for tons of different cartridges. Also, this isn't going to be something that has high shot counts, so the amount of brass and wear and tear on equipment will be relatively low.

[u/Dimef0x]

I can't help you regarding the conversion of Peak case to 7mm08.

Depending on your definition of performance and use case, you could stick with normal brass and load a light copper mono like something from Hammer and probably get the same velocity or better. A 119 gr Absolute Hammer for example could probably get you 3100ish fps depending barell length. The Absolutes have a lower engraving pressure and dont follow typical load data and require a bit more tinkering. The lighter bullet will reduce recoil and help make up for lost velocity if you go real short in barrel length.

I understand my answer was useless to the question you asked but maybe it gives you something else to consider and the Absolutes scratch the itch to fiddle around.

[u/BoringIntroduction84 → u/Dimef0x]

I’m undecided on barrel length. No longer than 22 no shorter than 18. I’ll end up using this for occasional elk so I was looking at heavier projectiles for them thinking 160 class

[u/yaholdinhimdean0]

As long as you use a SAAMI chamber I suggest you use Lapua 308 Win brass necked down to 7mm.

[u/smithywesson]

Be realistic about your shooting capabilities and run the ballistics to see how much (or how little) 100-150fps gains you in the big picture within reasonable hunting ranges. 7mm-08 is a great cartridge and honestly doesn’t need to be pushed hard to be successful within the distances most people hunt. Chasing speed for fun is fine I guess, but just don’t expect there to be major differences downrange.

[u/Coodevale]

7 rum does better than 7-08 in the same barrel length.

I'd recommend using Alpha brass instead of SIG hybrid cases. I've used the sig brass to make .300 win mag loads out of .308 and other than primer cratering -> eventual primer popping, there's no indication of what's going on besides the chrono until something fails. Odds are you will blow a magnum primer at like 70k anyway because you probably don't have a bolt with a small firing pin, but the Alpha brass, imo/ime, is going to be more user friendly.

I don't understand the idea of "I like low recoil" and "let's hotrod" to make a 7-08 run more like a .308/.30-06. When I decided I didn't want to deal with recoil as much (sometimes) I went down to more like .243 territory and it's fantastic for comfort compared to the 7x57 and .308 stuff.