Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Best 7mm-08 handload for deer?

Hello guys,

My dad recently purchased a Browning Xbolt white gold medallion in 7mm-08. He wanted me to ask you all a few handloads that worked the best for accuracy and knockdown power for deer sized game? He was thinking 139 grain possibly.. thank you beforehand!

I shoot 45gr of RL-15 under a 120gr ballistic tip. I know that works very good.

I'm just guessing but would bet the 139s and 140's will work very well too.

The 139 gr. Hornady SP will work fine on deer at 2850 to 2900 fps out of the X-Bolt as will most of the 140 gr. bullets. However, for whitetails or mule deer, so will the 120 gr. Ballistic Tip or the 120 gr. TTSX. Having said all that, none will actually "knock down" a deer unless the central nervous system is hit. Even then, the deer won't be knocked down, it will just drop. I don't mean to rant, it's just that the term "knock down power" describes something that doesn't exist in a weapon that can be held in your hands. By the way, welcome to the Campfire.......oops! Just noticed that you've been here a long time, just haven't posted much. Oh well, welcome anyway.

My 7-08 shoots very well with 47 gr. H4350 and 140 gr. Barnes TSX. It also shoot 150 Nosler BTs to 2760 fps with 49.5 gr. of Ramshot Hunter.

My x bolt really likes 120 gr ttsx with 44 gr of RL-15. And the deer seem to hate them.

Bingo

No X bolt, but I've done well with a max load of varget under the 139btsp.

This ^^^^^

139 SST and H4350 rocks in the 7mm calibers

We've taken 4 bears and countless deer and antelope
great bullet and caliber

It would be either Remington Corelokt or Winchester Power Point from Walmart. Usually one or the other is available a yellow-green or gray box if you will.

OP was specifically asking for handloads.

nosler accubond over 38.5 grains of rl-15 out of a stevens 200,,,shoots cloverleafs at 100 yards for me,,,period

We have been using this load in a variety of 7mm-08s for at least 20 years, first with the Nosler SB and then with BTs: 120 grain Ballistic Tip, 50.0 gr. H414, WLR primers, R-P cases. Never had a problem with mule deer, whitetails or pronghorns.

I have used Sierra 120 ProHunter bullets with 47 gr of H4350. This is lighter bullet but my experiences with 3 medium size deer last year left something lacking. I hunt on edge of farm and neighbors do not permit anyone on their land. Deer I kill need to drop quickly with out long distance travel. The deer hit with Sierra ProHunter bullets were killed with one shot but traveled twice as far as deer shot with the other bullets I have used. One large Tennessee buck traveled 200 yards hit it the lungs and no blood trail.
I past I have used Hornady 139 soft point interlock bullets over 47 gr over H4350 and 46gr H380. All one shot kills with very satisfactory bullet performance.
All shots on deer have been under 200 yards.
This year I am loading Hornady 162sst bullets with 45 gr of imr4350 for my hunts. My rifle really likes this bullet. I am wanting clean kills with good blood trail and short runs from deer after being hit.

140 grain Accubond, 47.5 grains Big Game, WLRM primer, R-P brass. In the last two years (the only two we've hunted with the -08) we've taken 5 mulies, one antelope, and a bull elk.



P

IMR 4064
130 Speer BTSP
Remington Case
WLR Primer

120 TSX via 44gr. R-15 took this guy last year....



My old "go to" load was 140gr Partition over 46gr. IMR4350....

Can't give you a 'best' one since I have used a bunch from the 100 XFB to 120 NBT the 139 IL SP and 140 XFB to the 170 Pro-hunter on caribou in the 7mm-08. However, if I was to suggest one load for easy, effective utility for deer sized animals, it would have to be the one which worked so well one evening after trying all day to get close enough to a band of caribou to get a sled load. Most of the small bands were very skittish but I finally got up on one which began to scatter only after I was very close and drilled the first one. As they milled and trickled around, I shot three more and they all went down with so little drama that I was pretty amazed at how close they were - and the shooting had been pretty much all directions on the compass. They were shot with the Hornady 139 flat base SP . I imagine the load was probably a maximum load of H414, but Varget, 4350, 4064 or several others work as well or better. I had my work cut out for me and I did get my sled loaded!

I thought I was the only one who likes the 130 Speer BTSP out of the 7mm-08. I prefer Re-15 or IMR4320....with these you can crowd 3000fps with fine accuracy that is sudden death on deer-size game.

I am using 120 gr ttsx at .05 off the lands over a nosler book max load of big game powder. Pushes both the 120 gr nosler bt and the 120 gr ttsx at just over 3200 Fps out of my 700 ss sps, with the bt a little more accurate. I use the ttsx on deer as the bt gets a little violent on the close shots. Both are under 3/4" for three shots at 100.

I was turned on to this load by another 7/08 shooter and this load has outperformed any other load I've ever tried. It's not the fastest load, but it has turned out to be obscenely accurate and it drops deer like crazy.

In my 7/08 it will stack all shots in one ragged hole every time, if I do my part.

41.0 grains of IMR-4064, Nosler 140 grain Ballistic Tip, 210M primers. It works...

I have used 120 gr. BT, 139 gr Spire Point, and 140 gr. BT, and 145 gr Speer Hot Core.
I settled on the 120 gr. BT. I have had good results with IMR 4064, RL 15 and Varget. I use RL 15 or Varget whichever is available. The 120gr. Ballistic Tip is a very good bullet. I've killed both deer and hogs from several feet away to over 225 yards. I've used the same load in several different rifles with only slight differences in headspace and bullet seating depth. The first 100 yrd cloverleaf I ever shot was with the 120gr. BT and 4064. I look no further now for a bullet for 7mm08.

120 BT over Varget, I get 3100fps in one rifle and 3050 in the other with the same load

Ive had good luck with 120gr BT's and the 139gr Hornady Interlock.

If you wanna try the 139gr Hornady and cant find any let me know I have like a 1/2 box I'll make ya a good deal on.

I will admit up front that I've never actually used a 7mm-08 at all......but I have shot the 7x57mm (same catrdge with a different shape) a lot.

To me, the "secret" to any smaller, light caliber round is penetratin and heavy-for-caliber bullets. I really like the 175 grain bullets, but velosity is cut enough to really limit range. A good compromise is the 154 grain bullets wich allows an easy 300+ yard range with great penetration and hitting power.

The 139-145 a bullets also work great on deer size game, but I shy away from lightweght 120 grain slugs.

Sorry but I don't see the 7mm-08 as a smaller caliber nor the 120 gr bullet as "light" on deer. I would possibly consider a 223 as "light" and even it is quite adequate. The 7mm-08 might be considered as "smaller" if you were hunting brown bears but not for deer size game.

Hey those big bodied Texas deer are real bullet-stoppers !!

I use the plain old 145gr Speer BT in my 20" 7mm-08 over H4350. Works nicely on deer/hogs.

Good choice JPro.....yankees just don't inderstand thick brush and blood trails

I've only caught one so far. Double shoulder shot on a good-sized buck. Didn't recover the bullet though. Everything else that managed to run did leave heavy blood trails.

Boat tail Speers aren't Hot Cors, and are made on the soft side.

Goes to show how well a regular bullet can perform when used at a reasonable velocity.

Couldn't agree more. My old 7x57's also worked best with 139 and 154gr bullet's. I wouldn't bet the farm on lighter bullet's.

I've been using the 120gr NBT out of mine, very accurate and seems to hit hard and I cant complain about penetration but they don't travel in a strait line inside a critter. The last 4 deer I've shot, the entrance and exits have been all kinds of angles, I've even shot one broadside in the shoulder and had a exit on the same side out the rear ham.

Used to use 120 TSX's and had very good terminal performance, but so so accuracy. Switched to 162 A-Max's and have great accuracy and they are wicked on deer. Very quick kills and all pass throughs.

Badger what's your load, velocity if you know it, etc?

140 gr NBT pushed by 45gr I-4350 is the ticket in my Vanguard S2.

120 gr TTSX over 43.0 gr of RL-15 shoots very well in my 7-08 NULA and kills stuff to boot.

donsm70

120BT and Big Game powder are the ticket in my 7mm/08. Used the 140BT, AB, and partition with just as good results. The 120BT and Big game is incredibly accurate in mine and performs great on the deer. Lots of viable options for deer in the 7mm-08.

The secret is out (grin). Great little bullet that kills stuff and mild recoil. Haven't check the speed on my load yet but it will kill deer easily.

Yep,,,, of course now those Texas deer are special,,,,,,

but ever deer and hog I have shot with the 120BT have piled up quickly, usually leaving a blood trail that Stevie Wonder could follow,, if they went far enough to need a trail. I don't think I have ever had one go farther than 50 yards and he was moving on when I shot him

Nbt 140 and imr 4350 has been the ticket for me in 4 different xbolts. The same load has shot moa or better in all them

Right cuz all that ends at Mason-Dixon Line .

I've gone both routes personally; heavy for caliber bone crushers like the 175 gr RN in 7x57, as well as stoutly constructed smaller bullets at fast speed like the 120 NBT in my 280 AI.

The former only puts em down fast with shoulder shots. The latter is great for pure shock & awe. When I look at the quick kills I've had they've all fallen into these 2 categories; heavy for caliber is wasted on anything but shoulder shots.

I shot a large buck in full rut at over 225 yards with the 120 gr. BT. He had his head down and gave me a quartering away shot. I was hunting high in my climber, and due to the angle, the bullet entered behind the shoulder, passed between the shoulders into the neck, and lodged just under the skin about 6" below the jaw. I measured about 18" of penetration...of meat.

Shot a doe at about 175 yards facing me. Shot her off center in the neck. Bullet traveled completly through the body cavity and lodged deep in the hind quarter.

Shot three hogs from a pack of around thirty one afternoon. After the first shot (190 lb hog) they started racing through the pecan grove. The next two hits were not optimal, but neither went more than 40 yards before piling up.

I could go on..but won't.. because I have quit a bit of experiance with the 7-08.

I have had far better results with the 120 BT than the heavier 139 gr Hornady's...and I like the interlocks.

If the 120 BTs shoot well in your rifle, I highly reccomend them. They'll do well with med. burning powders (4064, RL 15, Varget) and you won't have to compress the load to get optimum velocities (if that is your thing).