Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 100 grain, 7mm, Hornady bullets

Anyone ever used the 100 grain Hornady 7mm bullet?

The reason I ask, is that Hornady bullets have always been my favourite cup & core bullet. I see that in the two part Hornady Reloading Guide that they list this bullet as being a "medium game" bullet. While a 100 grain 7mm bullet is light, if constructed right, it might make a very fine "reduced-load" bullet for deer. I'm soon going to load up a bunch of reduced loads for my three small daughters, and thought that this particular bullet might be hard to beat for this purpose.

Has anyone on this forum ever used the 100 grain 7mm Hornady?

Never used the 100 gr seems a little light but let me know how it turns out this deer season, I have a box on the bench and will load them up if it works rather than trade them

I think this bullet has been discussed before, and the printed description is in error. On their website Hornady describes that bullet as producing explosive expansion, even at low velocities.

i just loaded 70 rds. of 7mm-08 with 100 grn. hornady hollow points and 47 grns. of varget. i am using them for coyotes and varmints this winter. will keep you informed of results as soon as i shoot some.

I would recommend 120 grain BTs at reduced velocities for deer. This is what I have loaded for my daughters and grandsons in 7mm-08s when they were starting out. A 120 BT at 2,200-2,400 fps has been our staple for starting hunters and we have taken a bunch of deer and a few pronghorns with those loads. As the kids got older, we stepped up the velocity but kept the 120 BTs--they still work fine.

I'd use them on prairie dogs, crows and coyotes but not deer. The 120 BT, Hornady 120 SPs, Sierra 120, Sierra 100 'big mouth HPs' as some call their HPs would be my preference for low vel.

I may be paranoid, but not trusting a 'fine tipped HP' w/small hole would open always and as reliably consistent at lower speeds. Perhaps that is flawed thinking, as testing in media may change my mind.

I will say they are accurate, shot a few groups from 1/2-5/8" at 200 yds from a 700 Varmint. At give/take 3,300, I would expect them to be VERY destructive on game, and either liquify lungs on a deer broadside, or almost decapitate on a neck shot, but I just am not sure again, using reduced loads, that I'd trust them.

FWIW, my 7BR dropped 3 deer using a M7 custom 21" Pac-Nor USING 120 Hornady SP and HP. The 2 shot w/SP were closer - under 50 yds, and the load may have been around 2500 +/- given the powder I used, and later the HP load may have been faster but range was 150 paces. The gun w/preferred powder for max speed shot 2875 w/120s, but again, the 2 deer shot w/120 SP were earlier before I discovered that load.

Both deer dropped w/in 60 yds. One busted on shoulder and stopped under hide. Weighed 60-65gr IIRC. No more than 70gr but a classic mushroom, good expansion, albeit a small frontal area.

I would expect a better 'expanded diameter' w/120 BTs. A 120 Vmax may do fine at these speeds but I'd not hit bone. The 130 Speers will do very well in expanded, and you can load like I did - 2665, and it dropped a running doe at 200 yds, the damage, etc. seemed better than the 120s. I think your recoil using loads around 2500-2650 or so would not be bad at all.

I assume your distance will be close - under 200 yds. You might let your daughter practice w/100s and hunt w/either 120 BT or 130 Speer - that one shot fired for hunting likely won't be noticed.

I can say if you want to use a 100, I'd recommend just using a 243 w/95 ballistic tip as I'd feel they'd penetrate and work far better in terminal performance. If you had a 243 you could use 55-70s for light weight practice. An 80 TTSX even downloaded some to say 2600-2700 would likely give all the killing power needed to 200 yds or so, giving good expansion and penetration, at low recoil levels, but I assume you don't own a 243 currently.

I run the 100 gr HP's for groundhogs. My 7mm-08 Tikka will put 3 into .6 inches @100. But I wouldn't want to run them for deer

Dale

Thanks guys, I think I'll load up a bunch of Nosler BT's in 120grain. It's a tried and true deer bullet. I'll probably load up a load with somewhere near 30 grains of H4895 - moving it up and down a few grains till I find the sweet spot.

All shots at game will be under 200 yards, but I'll let them practice further - just to aid their confidence.

The oldest (about 110 lbs) shot the Remington Reduced Load 7mm-08, in my Remington Ti, a few weeks back with their 140 grain bullets. She did this while sitting in a gravel pit at a target about 80 yards away. It was her first center-fire rifle experience. I made sure she had foam inserts in her ears - with hard muffs over top. After pulling the trigger the first time she looked up at me grinning and said "What a rush!"

I asked if she'd prefer to go back to practicing her form and technique with the .22, and she said "I'd way rather shoot this!"

She fired two more times and made a little one inch triangular group on the target.

I told her she seemed ready for deer. So far, none has cooperated, but she's looked through the scope at a lot of non-legals - said "bang" - and in the case of a few small bucks - said "Your dead - next year!"

All the girls are now begging for more shooting time on the 7mm-08. With reduced loads - I think it'll be about perfect for their first deer.

Thanks again for the advice,

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