Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting 7mm-08 deer bullets

I have had a Tikka M595 in 7mm-08 since 2001. I've shot a fair number of deer with it and primarily used the 139 Hornady in SP and BT configurations. One thing I found was that when shooting beyond 200 yards the deer start running 100 yards or better with light to almost non-existent blood trails. Inside of 200 yards these bullets put deer down quickly. The Hornady SPs easily shoot .5 MOA are chrono'ed at 2950 fps--so they are a good load. I'm looking for quicker kills at the extended ranges. I tried the 120 Ballistic Tip and was disapointed in lack of penetration on a forward angling shot (140 Ballistic Tip and 139 SSTs did not shoot that well).

The 140 TSX shoots well also, though I haven't killed anything with them (they are intended for heavy game). I'm not interested in using a premium bullet for deer.

My point is this: I have found a good-shooting load with the Sierra 140 Prohunters and am thinking that the Sierra may be a bit softer than the Hornady (from listening to other's experiences), while the flat base may still provide sufficent penetration at closer ranges and hard angles. Have you found the Sierras to be softer than the Hornadys?

What standard soft-point bullets have worked well for you for deer at 7mm-08 velocities between 0-400 yards?

My younger daughter uses 140 grain Ballistic Tips in her 7mm-08, and has taken a couple of desert mule deer and one Coues whitetail at distances in excess of 300 yards. She used this rifle and bullet to take largest-bodied mule deer that we have taken here in New Mexico--at a lazered 388 yards. After the hit, the deer walked about twenty yards, laid down behind a mesquite and was dead when we got to it. You might want to see how they shoot in your rifle...

My deer load in my 7/08 is 41.0 grains of 4064 behind a 140 grain Accubond. I have never lost a deer with this load. I seem to get real good results with this load, penetration, expansion, etc and it may be because it is not a screaming fast load for this round. Sort of the same effect folks have with the 6.5 x 55 if you know what I mean...it pokes along and just plain kills everything it comes in contact with.

Additionally, that load gives me outstanding accuracy. Anything from .15 to .2" three shot groups at 100 yards with my Rem. Model 7.

Give it a try and best of luck!

120 Ballistic Tips have been great for us from 70-250 yds. 140 Accubonds have also done right by us.

Long

What is the problem with using a premium bullet for deer if they are shooting well? I'm thinking one could spend an extra $10 bucks for bullets.

My pard as shoot a few deer with the 140TSX from the 7mm08 at modest velocity, you know the results.

For saving money, the .22 lr is good, but you'll have to get closer, probably.

quick reply utilized

The 140 TSX requires a different sight-in from the soft-points which I use throughout the year for various shooting purposes. I would like to hunt "deer" with the load which I normally use to shoot. Secondly the TSXs only shoot 1 MOA and I want more accuracy than that for longer range deer hunting (I know it may be debatable as to whether its needed). Thirdly, I think for "deer" a standard soft point which is best mated to that cartridges' velocity will typically produce quicker kills than most premium bullets.

I might add, that sometimes I use my hunting load to pop chucks at long range for trajectory practice. For this I like to use the same hunting load in order to cross reference to deer hunting. I can't see popping chucks with TSXs.

Luck!

Might wanta think about a preimun if yoy have having problems past 200yds with softpoints. Don't get it. 140 partitions have been superb on deer for us at ranges from 20 yds to 322 yds(longest shot yet on deer)

If you reload Nosler has seconds at low costs.

I'm not saying that I absolutely won't go to premiums (not my preference at this point)... but rather I'm asking whether anyone else has good expansion and blood trails with soft-points from 2-400 yards with a 7mm-08.

More particularly I'm asking if anyone has noticed that Sierras (since they do shoot well in my rifle) expand noticeably better at extended ranges than the Hornady's I'm currently using.

I'll consider using Accubonds--as the plastic tip initiates expansion at long range and the bonded core holds things together at close range.

You may want to give the 140 gr. Sierra Pro Hunter (flat base) a try. I used it this year to kill 5 white tail does at range from 50 to 200 yds. in a 7x57 with 47.5 gr. of H-414. This is very accurate in my Ruger 77. All fell in their tracks with some fist sized exit wounds with broadside lung shots .

I think they are fairly soft but great on heart/lung shots. Reason I think they are softer is all I found was the jacket and a dab of lead under the hide of one old big doe which the bullet passed thru one shoulder at 150 yards. I thought the bullet should have passed through, but I guess I just ran out of bullet.
All others passed thru with lung shots with huge exit wound.

It performs about like my 280 loaded with 150 grain NBT's at 2800 fps; pass thru and dead in tracks or lots of blood to follow. It is just right for my application; culling does. For large bucks I might want a little stronger or heavier bullet to insure pass thru and blood trail. The best thing I like about them is they hit where I point and I have confidence in the load. Brimfish

Don't know if you're shooting factory loads or rolling your own.

If you're loading, TSX's are more than worth the cost in the grand scheme of things. 120's if your rifle will shoot them...

If factory, the Fusion 140's have been good to me in 7-08 (as have 130's in 270 and 95's in 243)...

This year, the 140 7-08's did this....150 yards and deer ran 40 yards after being shot in the chest and an exit through the ribs on a slight quartering/near facing shot...



.....And this.....Flattened him with a broad side shoulder shot at around 200 yards - broke both shoulders and exited.



If you want a factory non-premium for deer, it's Fusion as far as I'm concerned. Oh yeah, it shoots an honest .5 MOA in my Montana Little Sky 7-08.

DJ

The 130 Speer is a sleeper. I prefer the flatbase.

140 gr. Nosler Partitions.They expand well at about any velocity,and penetrate very well at close range.My first and only choice in 7x57,7/08,etc.

I reload everything, so I have all options. A lot of good information coming here.

I have killed a dozen or better deer with the Hornadys and the results have been pretty consistent--under roughly 200 yards a good short blood trail or DRT, while at 200-300+ yards sufficient internal damage for a reliable kill, but almost no indication of a hit and a 100+ yard run with very minimal blood (difficult tracking).

Initially my intended load was the 130 Speer SP. I could not get this load to reliably group even 1 MOA with numerous powders, primers, and bullet seating depths.

Went to the Hornadys next and got excellent accuracy and reliable kills, but not very dramatic at extended ranges. It can be frustrating if you cannot discern if the deer were even hit, then they run out of sight, and when you check for blood you cannot find enough to know if you even made a good hit. So you comb the whole area in the direction they ran until you find the deer. I thought at first i may have gotten a hard lot, so I bought a few more boxes and results were the same. Typically I prefer Hornady brand in most calibers for mid-size game, but I suppose in 7mm they are made a bit harder for the 7 rem mag. I'm sure the Hornady would be excellent for the caribou and bear size animals.

I tried the 120 B-tip next and was not suited by the lack of penetration. The 140 B-tip and the SST did not group that well.

I wanted a premium bullet load for a back-up rifle on a moose hunt. The 140 Partition and Failsafe did not group very well. The 140 TSX grouped consistently 1 MOA out to 500 meters, making it an excellent big game option.

I shot 4 deer this year again with the Hornadys and the results were the same--2 were 200 yards and under and were DRT and 2 were around 300 and neither gave an indication of being hit. One had no blood trail until I found where it fell over. The second bled for about 20 yards and then died out and I found it about another 130 yards further away. Both of these deer were hit in the lungs and had decent internal damge but small enough exit holes they did not leak much blood.

So with 6 deer for the freezer, I'll probably wait till next year to try some other options on deer. I loaded some Prohunters and will try them and possibly some other suggestions.

Keep the good info coming.

A fella I know uses 140 gr. core lokt's in his 7-08 with excellent results.

Reckon it'd be mighty tough to not find a good deer bullet for the 7-08...

Try another box of Hornadys, my son and I have used them and they never have failed even at over 250 yards. You may of just got a hard batch? I don't think you will find a better cup and core anywhere than what you have.
We are shooting them at 2725 fps out of a 7/57.