Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Deer hunting bullet in 7-08

As stated, there are many good choices. If short range work is more than likely the 154 Hornady RN works great and very accurate in my 7mm-08, for longer range work take your pick. 140 Nos AB, BT or Part, 120 Barnes TTSX or TSX, etc, etc.

120 nbt

So far it's the 120 TTSX. But I'm going to play with the 110 TTSX a lot this year.

I don't think any deer will notice the difference. But I wanted the lightest TTSX in 7mm for reduced loads for my three young girls.

What they said. My Browning in 7mm-08 loves plain old Cor-Lokts and I have yet to have a deer survive one yet. You really don't need the expensive premium bullets out of a 7mm-08.

As long as youre talking a Model 7, I have 2 guys I reload for with that rifle, I use 139 Hornady SP & SST with 40.5-41grs Varget, I hear nothing but praise from them.

Never had the displeasure of shooting a Core Lokt in my Rem. 708, but did try some 150CLs in a Savage 708 I used to have, they didnt do too bad as far as accuracy, but when you can use the Hornady fodder why bother with a CL?

Out of the bullets you mentioned I think that I would go with the 139gr Hornady Interbond in a 7mm-08 for deer.

140 grain Fusion in mine.

My rifle likes the plain 140 grain Core-Lokt's too. Last buck I shot with one was at 13 yards quartering toward me. Unfortunately I rushed a bit and hit the near shoulder. The bullet traveled through the bone and lodged against the bucks opposite hip bone (pelvis). The bullet was really flattened out-I haven't weighed it, but the results speak for themselves. So far I like the price and the performance.

145gr Speer

WN

I have used the 145 gr. Speer SP, the 140 gr. Nosler Solid Base (used to be in a Federal factory load), 154 gr. Hornady all with good results in the 7mm-08. Most of my handloads are in the 2750 fps range, so at those speeds a super premium is not needed. I would imagine that you can push the 120 gr. TSX a bit faster.

I HATE this thread!!!! Money is tight, and it's got me wanting a 7mm-08 bad!!!!

I have a rem sps ss with a 24" tube that likes lighter bullets. I started shooting deer with the 120 gr BT loaded to about 2600 fps. Worked very well on lung shots under 100 yards. Moved up to 2800 fps and shot one quartering away at 35 yards. Still performed well and did not recover the bullet. I have now moved up to just over 3000 fps and am looking foreword to testing this fall. I really like the way this bullet has performed so far, and would not hesitate to use it at 2800 fps if that is where it works best at the ranges we shoot. Even at 2600 fps it makes a very pleasant and accurate load to shoot. So far all of the loads have shot MOA or better out of a stock sps.

I am going to TX this fall and the outfitter says no BT's. I don't agree, but I will be shooting TTSXs on that trip. The do well at 2800 fps in my rifle. We shall see what they do on deer for me.

My 7mm-08's favorite was the 140 grain partition pushed by a compressed load of RL19. I killed 4 deer with it in 3 years. Then I messed the gun up, shot the throat out of it plinking off-season.

Tom

My fiance currently runs a 7-08 Remmy 700 youth model bdl, 20 inch barrel and 12.5 LOP. She loves the rig and has taken 11 deer, a coyote and a couple of hogs with "HER" rig. I love it as well but its now off limits to me LOL. With some mods it consistently holds MOA, its light weight and short,has low recoil and it didn't break the bank. Quite simply its a great truck and climbing stand rig.

Concerning factory ammo, I find it hard to beat the 140 Corelokt concerning bang for the buck and killing inside of 250 yds.

We did start with the 140 BT but after two very hard to track deer I switched her to the Corelokts and haven't looked back. We hunt from climbers and tend to perch around 20-30 feet along thick swamp edges and thickets. Both kills mentioned were 50 ish yards with steep downward angles and resulted in a full transfer of bullet energy from the BT(Good), however no lower exit wound nor blood trail resulted (Bad).

In our area where swamps and thickets are the norm I would much rather have an exit wound to uncork the bottom of the vital cavity providing an easy to track blood trail than a complete energy transfer with no blood trail.

Upon recovery both animals took slightly quartering shots which entered about 3 inches below the spine and slightly back from the shoulder. What was left of the bullets rested against the offside hide. Both vital cavities were completely obliterated and full of blood that had no place to exit. It always amazes me how far a well shot deer can make it before taking the crash. You can be that tracking in a deep swamp without a blood trail makes for quite the night. The Corelokt on the other hand holds together very well is about 15 bucks per 20 cheaper and punches through beautifully.

Sat night she took a 110lb doe in the same steep angled fashion completely breaking down both shoulders and exiting with a resulting bang flop dead.

If our country were more open and longer shots were the norm I believe the BT would prove itself a little more suitable. In short its all up to your average shot length and thus impact velocity.

I always brain tinker with trying the new Etips, Barnes TSXs etc but the price always puts that to rest.

That's what you get for reading a thread about a caliber that you don't own!!!

(I don't have one yet, either.)

140 Grain Hornady GMX

Didn't know Hornady made a 140gr.

Got some Barnes VOR-TX 120gr TTSX I am looking forward to trying.