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.