Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Single Shots 7mm Bullberry Contender & a nice TX hog

(This is actually from May 29th. I'm just a bit slow to post...)


After getting a glimpse of a rogue boar Friday evening, I've been on the lookout for his return and even sweetened the deal by leaving out some additional enticement in the form of corn and a few other goodies. And shortly after 6 a.m. on the 29th, his quest for an easy meal turned into a fairly simple shot for me.

From a relatively stable rest near the house, I was able to place a 120 grain Ballistic Tip from my 7mm Bullberry Contender carbine right where it mattered most. With the slight quartering angle, the Nosler entered tight behind the onside shoulder and exited the center of the opposite shoulder, wrecking the heart and taking out a portion of the lungs as well. The hog went exactly 10 yards after the shot and left a swath of red-painted grass along the way. The exit was the size of a quarter and had small bone fragments in evidence. The range of the shot was 210 yards.

After years of using almost nothing but 140 grainers with outstanding success in this and the 7-30 Waters as well, I dropped down to 120s in both last winter in an effort to reduce the already-mild recoil even more due to persistent pain in the shoulders. My notes are next door, but the load -- propelled by LVR -- develops somewhere around 2650 fps and is exceedingly accurate.

Congratulations Bobby,

I enjoy seeing your posts and your Contender Carbines. Please tell us about the stock. Also about the 7mm Bullberry compared to the 7x30 Waters.

Thanks. The stock is from Jacob Meyer at HighPlainsGunstocks.com and is the Pegasus thumbhole series in sapphire. I've had it a number of years now and like it -- a lot.

The 7mm BB is simply the 30-30 necked down to 7mm (basically a 7mm Int'l Rimmed at that point). You then trim back the unnecessarily-long neck and fireform, winding up with an extremely efficient 1.75" case. My 7BB is 20 1/8th " and my 7-30 is 24". The 7BB comes within 75-150 fps of the Waters and generally burns a grain or two less powder.

Brass life is exceptional. I got this barrel in 1997 and still have cases from my very first batch. They have never been annealed and have seen 24 full-house loadings. The primer pockets are still snug, and the necks still have ample tension.

It's a mild round but has proven to be extremely lethal on hogs. I've long lost count of those the Bullbery put on the ground, and there have been a couple of brutes in the mix as well.

Bobby,

Thanks for the response. That hog is a brute.
I will look into the stock and sounds like the 7mm BB is a great round. So many combinations of stocks, barrels, and cartridges. So little time.

Dr. Tony Gettel also makes some gorgeous stock sets and is priced about the same as High Plains.

http://www.tonysforendsandgrips.net/

Bobby,
You are a true testament to the shooting sports.
I am consistently impressed with your ballistic familiarity and your shooting prowess.
Plus, you're a dang fine fellow.
Thank you, good sir!
Jimmy in VA

I couldn't have said it any better!

This ^^^^^^^...!

I've got the same set from Tony in Mountain Green. Love it.