Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles SAKO 85 finnbear 7mm

Well,
Got one on the way, an older model, but still excited to have it. I am shooting max 400 yrds for whitetail and hopefully mulie and pronghorn this fall. Anybody got any loads they care to share? I have handloading capabilities (friends house), but any out of the box loads that have performed very well for the game I am looking to harvest (kill)?

skywalker

140gr Sierra GK/TTSX and work up with IMR4831. I use 67gr with CCI 250 primers and RP brass, but work up a load for your rifle within safe pressures.

Will the 140 gr suffice for mulies and pronghorn?

skywalker

Oh yeah! The 7Mag is absolutely more than adequate for deer/pronghorn with almost any bullet (with the possible exception of varmint bullets like the 110gr TNT, but some people use those on deer too).

I hunt large deer/antelope, and after shooting them with 7Mag, .243, .25-06, .308, near and far, I've concluded that a 7Mag really isn't needed for animals of this size/tenacity. Out to 300+ yards the .243 and .25-06 have given the same results with less recoil, noise, and burned powder!

Now if you WANT to use the 7Mag on deer and goats, that's a different story entirely! And yes, the 140gr bullet is plenty for deer and antelope.

What about elk, caribou, and bear? Diff grain bullet?

skywalker

The design of the bullet matters a whole lot more than does its weight. I've seen a lot of caribou and deer drop to .243's and .25-06's, so with that said I'm giving this advice...

Although some people would suggest to use this bullet for EVERYTHING, I would just use a 140gr Sierra GK on deer, antelope, caribou, and other similarly-sized animals, then use the 140gr TTSX for elk, bear, and other large game, or on hunts where you would like a little extra insurance.

Of course, in practice, I use the 140gr Sierra for targets and water jugs (and the odd deer), and the 140gr TTSX for all my big-game hunting. Works like a charm. I'm a simple guy when it comes to guns and loads, and like to stick to one cheap bullet for practice, and then one bullet and load for all my hunting with each rifle.