The 7mm-08 invites a ballistic comparison with the veteran, highly esteemed 7×57mm Mauser. American rifle handloading writers such as Ken Waters, Frank B. Petrini, John Wootters, Clay Harvey, Bob Milek, and John Barsness vary on which cartridge generates higher velocities with top handloads in modern rifles with equal barrel lengths. Any significant difference perhaps reflects more variations among individual rifles than a clear winner between two quite similar cartridges. Layne Simpson, a handloading gun writer who has worked with the 7mm-08 since 1979, considers it and the 7×57mm as ballistic equals. John Barsness has said more recently that the handloaded performance of the 7mm-08 and 7×57mm is "identical." One assessment seems curious: while Norma Precision says that the shorter-cased 7mm-08 loses to the 7×57mm, its own reloading information does not confirm this gap.